The Germans were motivated into Space Exploration due to the allure of rocket technology in design and development of ballistic missiles, which ended up being used in WWII.

After the defeat of Germany in WWII, a lot of these scientists moved to the US and played a central role in the early development of space launchers for the United States.

But the Soviet Union took the world by surprise in October 1957 with the launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite. In a matter of months, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Congress initiated measures to build U.S. scientific and engineering prowess, including the creation of NASA, a civilian space exploration agency.