We're fast approaching the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. On July 20th, 1969, as Neil Armstrong and fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin made history, Armstrong uttered the now famous words: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

But how did they get there? How did America win the space race when Russia had already launched Sputnik and safely brought back Yuri Gagarin from his trip to become the first human in outer space? How did president Kennedy's 1962 declaration "we choose to go to the moon" translate into the science and technology that created the Saturn V rocket?

If you want to hear the backstory, have a listen to 13 Minutes to the Moon, a new podcast from the BBC World Service. You will find some great interviews with Michael Collins (who looked on from orbit) and Margaret Hamilton, the computer programmer whose code took them to the moon. Additionally, you get a glimpse into 1960s science and society, as well as the Cold War-dominated geopolitics of the time. A treat for space history buffs.

[ bbc.co.ukOpens in new window ]