The Race to the Moon was a tragedy because it was yet another competition between the United States and the Soviet Union. Despite the efforts of the two countries to collaborate in the exploration of space, as initiated by Kennedy and Khrushchev, the two countries still competed in their race to the moon.

Besides this tragedy for the relationship between the two countries, there were other tragedies that resulted from the race to the moon wherein rushed missions resulted in the deaths of the crewmembers.