The Idea:
With economic strong USSR in 1980s, Reagan proposed 1984 a S.E.I instead S.D.I.
A huge Program with build of a space station, return to the Moon and Manned landing on Mars, with price tag of 450 Billion US dollars,
Major divergence to OTL
1968
Leonid Brezhnev is assassinated by a Policemen, Alexei Kosygin becomes new General Secretary
Kosygin start new successful economic reform program, with help of KGB Chairman Yuri Andropov
1979
Nuclear physicist Edward Teller dies of hearth attack, during watching the Movie "The China Syndrome" in a cinema in Florida.
No Red Army intervention in Afghanistan, instead deployment of observers and instructors for Afghan Army, also delivery of Weapons.
Osama Ben Laden joins the Hisbollah in Lebanese Civil War to fight the Israelis, becomes later the leader of Hisbollah
the Iranian revolution, a group of Islamist students and militants raid the US and USSR Embassys in Tehran and take personnel as hostage
1980s
the XXII and XXIII Olympic games become the "Duel of the superpowers"
1983
Reagan announce the re-activation of US ABM system (Tl version of S.D.I)
1984
Ronald Reagan announce the "Space Exploration Initiative" to counter the new soviet space program (Energia rocket, Buran shuttle, MIR space station)
But U.S. Senate & Congress are not impress by the prize tag of 500 billion US Dollars
General Secretary Yuri Andropov dies, to surprise of West the unknown Boris Yeltsin becomes the new General Secretary
1986
Soviets first launch of Energia heavy launch rocket
Shuttle Challenger explode 73 second after launch, killing all 7 astronauts on board
Reagan use the Challenger catastrophe to push S.E.I. program as Memorial for the tragic space heros
nothing happen at Chernobyl...
1990
President Bush give a speech were he declears the end of the "cold war" and begin of "new peaceful rivalry" with Soviet Union
1991
under huge media spectacle the Shuttle Enterprise is launch as first replacement.
Robert Zubrin and David Blake proposed the Shuttle-C (to used for Freedom construction) to modified to Shuttle-Z for Lunar/Mars flight
and use the station Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) and part of Shuttle OMS for new Spacecraft ARES
1996
the Space Station Freedom and Soviet counter part MIR are complete
1997
Vice President Gore is involved in a finance controversy and resign from his post
Speaker of House Newt Gingrich becomes new Vice President, in first time in US history a democrat president has republican Vice president
1998
Bill Clinton is Impeached by US congress (majority Republicans) about the Lewinsky Baby scandal, Newt Gingrich become 43nd president of the United States.
first test Of Shuttle-Z for Lunar exploration, begin second space race to the moon and Mars
2000
The return of Buzz Aldrin to the moon with STS-100 mission
2001
9/11 attack by Hisbollah "to Punish USA for Gingrich Israel politic" so Ben Laden
US/Israel Invasion of Lebanon in order to destroy Hisbollah and get Osama Ben Laden
2003
Invasion of Iran because there support of Hisbolla and hiding Osama Ben Laden
Shuttle Columbia disintegrate during reentry over Texas,
President Gingrich terminate the Shuttle program, who replace by ARES on Titan V/Delta IV rockets
2004
Vice president Bob Dole is elected to 44nd President
2005
Launch of first part of Mars Direct mission STS-114
2007
Boris Yeltsin dies, his successor is the KGB Chairman: Vladimir Putin.
Launch of second part of Mars Direct Mission STS-116
2008
April first US astronauts land on Mars, Sunita Williams first human and woman on mars
2010
the Mars Direct Crew land save on Earth
are those POD usable for this TL ?
With economic strong USSR in 1980s, Reagan proposed 1984 a S.E.I instead S.D.I.
A huge Program with build of a space station, return to the Moon and Manned landing on Mars, with price tag of 450 Billion US dollars,
Major divergence to OTL
1968
Leonid Brezhnev is assassinated by a Policemen, Alexei Kosygin becomes new General Secretary
Kosygin start new successful economic reform program, with help of KGB Chairman Yuri Andropov
1979
Nuclear physicist Edward Teller dies of hearth attack, during watching the Movie "The China Syndrome" in a cinema in Florida.
No Red Army intervention in Afghanistan, instead deployment of observers and instructors for Afghan Army, also delivery of Weapons.
Osama Ben Laden joins the Hisbollah in Lebanese Civil War to fight the Israelis, becomes later the leader of Hisbollah
the Iranian revolution, a group of Islamist students and militants raid the US and USSR Embassys in Tehran and take personnel as hostage
1980s
the XXII and XXIII Olympic games become the "Duel of the superpowers"
1983
Reagan announce the re-activation of US ABM system (Tl version of S.D.I)
1984
Ronald Reagan announce the "Space Exploration Initiative" to counter the new soviet space program (Energia rocket, Buran shuttle, MIR space station)
But U.S. Senate & Congress are not impress by the prize tag of 500 billion US Dollars
General Secretary Yuri Andropov dies, to surprise of West the unknown Boris Yeltsin becomes the new General Secretary
1986
Soviets first launch of Energia heavy launch rocket
Shuttle Challenger explode 73 second after launch, killing all 7 astronauts on board
Reagan use the Challenger catastrophe to push S.E.I. program as Memorial for the tragic space heros
nothing happen at Chernobyl...
1990
President Bush give a speech were he declears the end of the "cold war" and begin of "new peaceful rivalry" with Soviet Union
1991
under huge media spectacle the Shuttle Enterprise is launch as first replacement.
Robert Zubrin and David Blake proposed the Shuttle-C (to used for Freedom construction) to modified to Shuttle-Z for Lunar/Mars flight
and use the station Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) and part of Shuttle OMS for new Spacecraft ARES
1996
the Space Station Freedom and Soviet counter part MIR are complete
1997
Vice President Gore is involved in a finance controversy and resign from his post
Speaker of House Newt Gingrich becomes new Vice President, in first time in US history a democrat president has republican Vice president
1998
Bill Clinton is Impeached by US congress (majority Republicans) about the Lewinsky Baby scandal, Newt Gingrich become 43nd president of the United States.
first test Of Shuttle-Z for Lunar exploration, begin second space race to the moon and Mars
2000
The return of Buzz Aldrin to the moon with STS-100 mission
2001
9/11 attack by Hisbollah "to Punish USA for Gingrich Israel politic" so Ben Laden
US/Israel Invasion of Lebanon in order to destroy Hisbollah and get Osama Ben Laden
2003
Invasion of Iran because there support of Hisbolla and hiding Osama Ben Laden
Shuttle Columbia disintegrate during reentry over Texas,
President Gingrich terminate the Shuttle program, who replace by ARES on Titan V/Delta IV rockets
2004
Vice president Bob Dole is elected to 44nd President
2005
Launch of first part of Mars Direct mission STS-114
2007
Boris Yeltsin dies, his successor is the KGB Chairman: Vladimir Putin.
Launch of second part of Mars Direct Mission STS-116
2008
April first US astronauts land on Mars, Sunita Williams first human and woman on mars
2010
the Mars Direct Crew land save on Earth
are those POD usable for this TL ?