In September 1969 Alexei Leonov is the third man on the moon.
In Moscow Leonid Breznev announces to world:
"Soviet Union is on the moon to stay.
We build a base on the moon by 1980".
How this can change the American space program?
From the looks of it, the POD is a single change in the Russian space program.
From the memories of Korolev:
"We had spies in NASA analyzing every single bit of American technology and technique used so that it could be adapted into our program and subsequently improved."
"So we replaced the overcomplicated American computers with the superior brains of our cosmonauts and reliable mechanical calculators, the shielding with titanium and ablative ceramics and the foods the astronauts were eating with easily sourced local equivalents."
"Sadly, our spies in the NASA astronaut traning program had been compromised by the CIA and fed the wrong information. By the time we found out, Comrade Leonov was the only pilot available for the crucial third Luna mission."
"On hindsight, we should have realized that it was a bit odd that nearly every meal for the cosmonauts had two large pork obzhorchiki with extra mayo."
"Nichevo. We managed to recalculate the fuel consumption for the extra forty kilos and wedged him into the capsule. It all ended well."
"Of course, except for the two agents who got us the nutrition plan. They got to think about what they'd done while cleaning the outside walls. On Vostok Antarctic Research Station. With a toothbrush."