NASA says that the Soviet Union's achievements were not as impressive as the United States. According to the "Encyclopaedia Astronautica", the US spent 1,864 hours in space, while the Soviets spent 697 hours at the completion of Soyuz 5. Apollo 7 launched in October 1968, 21 months after the Apollo 1 fire, with an astronaut on board. By Apollo 11, the Uninted States' lead was even bigger.