The Race to the Moon At the start, there were no set rules for the Space Race. What would count as winning? What was the goal? For Americans, President Kennedy's declaration narrowed the Space Race down to one precise goal: landing a man on the Moon before the Soviets. The Space Race became a race to the Moon. For years, the Soviets officially denied being in a race to the Moon. Now there is countless evidence proving that they indeed competed to reach the Moon first. This fierce competition between the USSR and the USA in the late 50's, led directly to America's determination to be "masters of space." The Sp