October Sky comes to mind
Great movie based on the book Rocket Boys is of a boy's dream while growing up in a small coal mining town coming into reality after seeing Sputnik passing overhead in the sky. Inspired by Von Braun's attempts and failures of rocket launches and a magnificent teacher, Homer Hinckley and his 3 friends overcome social and technical obstacles successfully launching rockets.
I suspect the space race inspired a lot of youngsters to become space groupies with many like Homer ending up with NASA or jobs related to the space industry. I would say the drive is the unknown, the challenge and the ambition to succeed in a field that is untamed and full of not only exasperation but exhilaration.
http://www.homerhickam.com/index.shtml