U-2 Spy Plane:
A U-2 Spy Plane is currently used by the United States Air Force (USAF), but during the Cold War, they were used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). That's how Francis Gary Powers came to fly it. These planes can fly at very high altitudes in nearly any weather. Their main use during the Cold War was to spy on other countries military installments. This type of mission was, most famously, taken by Francis Gary Powers.
What was happening?
During the time of the U-2 Spy Plane incident, the President was Dwight Eisenhower. He initially wanted to set up a secret intelligence facility in Pakistan to be close enough to spy on other countries. Pakistan is where the plane was sent from. To avoid any aggression or "sparks", Eisenhower decided to send British pilots instead of American pilots. The first two pilots had successful missions. After these successful missions, Eisenhower had scheduled a peace conference with the Soviet Union, known as the Four Power Paris Summit. This conference was scheduled only 15 days before Eisenhower sent an American pilot over the Soviet Union's land.
The Incident:
Francis Gary Powers took off in the U-2 Spy Plane on May 1, 1960. While over Soviet Union land, the Russian jets, at that time, couldn't reach Powers' plane. So, they fired missiles at the U-2 Spy Plane and successfully shot Powers down. As Powers parachuted down onto Soviet land, he could have killed himself with a lethal injection, but he didn't and the Soviets captured him. He was tried and sentenced with 10 years in Soviet prison on espionage. Following this, Powers was released back to the United States on terms the Soviets made with them in which a Soviet spy was returned to Russia. Soviets were outraged with President Eisenhower because their conference, only 15 days away, was meant to negotiate peace. Not only did it make matters worse between the two countries, but it also embarrassed Eisenhower and his administration.