The 1960s space competition between the United States of America and the former Union of Soviets Socialists Republics (U.S.S.R) takes an intimate turn in National Geographic Channel's new mini series, "Space Race: The Untold Story", which will air this coming Sunday.

Instead of focusing on the involved astronauts, the series put the spotlight on two scientists: NASA's Wernher von Braun and Soviet Union's chief designer Sergei Korolev (left pic). These two thinkers play a major role in harnessing the potentials of rocket technology from its ballistic missiles roots to becoming a major component of the space race. The series was based on Deborah Cadbury's book of the same name.

The series gives a lot of focus on the personal lives of the said scientists such as Korolev's rise from being a lowly prisoner to chief rocket designer and von Braun's history as an S.S. officer with the Nazi Party during the World War 2. The series will also feature some unclassified documents from both countries that would aim to give a balanced account of the nations' space efforts.

Unlike other series that are heavy in U.S. accounts, this series will feature Korolev’s personal history obtained from the family his former biographer, as well as actual video of Russia’s first R-7 rocket launches, failures, and successes. Plus, the series will feature von Braun's alleged use of slave labor to make the V2 rockets designed designed by his team during the war. Cadbury also adds that some concentration camp survivors actually saw von Braun and the V2 slave labor use.

The "space race” stops just as the U.S. reaches the Moon and the Soviet Union – bogged down by multiple failures if its N-1 rocket – bows out of the lunar competition. The joint Apollo-Soyuz project in 1975 finally saw the two former enemies together in space for the first time during an orbital docking.

"Space Race: The Untold Story” will air June 4-5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT (check local listings) on the National Geographic Channel.