In purely technological terms, the USSR trumped the USA. Sputnik and Gagarin were followed by a series of other firsts: the first woman in space, first lunar impact, first image of the dark side of the moon, first space rover and first space station were all claimed by the Soviets. But in the popular imagination, the Space Race was won when the USA put a man on the moon in 1969.
Three years later, tensions between the two superpowers briefly eased. And three years after that, in 1975, the world watched as an American Apollo module docket with a Soviet Soyuz last capsule. The two commanders shook hands in space. The Space Race was over.
Surviving propaganda posters are a potent reminder of the stratospheric ambitions of the Soviet regime during the Space Race.
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In purely technological terms, the USSR did not trump the USA.
Sputnik 1, launched on Oct 4, 1957, carried no scientific instruments. The only thing it did, was transmit a beeo-beep-beep radio signal.
The USSR was planning to launch an actual satellite, with actual instruments, but they were way behind schedule, and their "electronics" package was not ready for prime time. Their intelligence services, figured out the the US will be ready to launch an actual, functional satellite, 4 months later, so they decided to go with a publicity stunt.
The US stuck with its plan to launch an actual satellite, and did it on Jan 31, 1958. That satellite discovered of the Van Allen radiation belt.
11 years later, we landed humans on the moon. In the meanwhile, the USSR continued to engage in publicity stunts.
