Soyuz Successful - an Alternate Space Program and the Cold War

January 14, 1966

Sergei P. Korolev survives the surgery that in our timeline killed him. After two weeks of absence, he returns to work over his pet project of launching a man to the Moon. He has much more political experience than Mishin, is a better leader in terms of human resources and better technical qualities.

April 23, 1967

Soyuz 1 is launched into space, with Vladimir Komarov onboard. A day later, Soyuz-2 was launched with a 3-man crew. Both spacecrafts docked and Yeliseyev was transferred to Soyuz-1. No one died here.

September 14, 1968

Instead of launching Zond-5, Soviets launch a circumlunar manned flight - Soyuz 3 with 47-years' old WW2 flying ace Georgy Beregovoy onboard. After acquiring extreme luck and performing the unsafest mission of them all, Beregovoy's craft misses initial target and lands near Madagascar island. Success is taunted by the Soviet propagandists so much that NASA tries to accelerate their own lunar projects as quickest as possible.

December 21, 1968

Apollo 8 mission starts. It suffers malfunction similar to OTL Apollo 13 - oxygen tank explodes, but due to lack of LM, astronauts die onboard, forcing incumbent president Lyndon B. Johnson to delay another planned flights of Apollo program. Haste is not profitable, even more if we are taking a spaceflight in account.

November 7, 1969

Soyuz 5 mission - Yuri Gagarin lands on the Moon thanks to dual-launch style of N-1 enforced by Sergey Korolev. October Revolution's Anniversary is observed in space, on live TV. Lunar landing is a massive propaganda tool for the Soviet Union, as Brezhnev tries to paint socialism as a modern ideology opposed to Western "neo-fascism"

January 22, 1970

Apollo 11 mission - Neil Armstrong and Harrison Schmitt land on the Moon and return safely. Mission is limited, due to fears of malfunction or astronauts' deaths.

April 19, 1971

Salyut-1 is launched as the first space station by the Soviet Union. Few days later, Sergey Korolev dies. OKB-1 is overtaken by Valentin Glushko, who plans to modify N-1 booster to push through his own plans for space exploration.

February 10, 1974

Mars 4 mission - first Martian rover - Marsokhod, manufactured by the Soviet Union lands on Mars. It will work for six months.

September 14, 1979

Mars 8 sample return mission is performed by the Soviet Union.

1970s

Soviet leadership has much more confidence in the Soviet and Eastern Bloc's engineering skills. Instead of stealing Western computer designs, they let their own engineers to do their own's. A studio for science fiction films is created, to enforce propaganda of Soviet technical, socialist successes over decadent West. Next generation of Soviet and post-Soviet citizens will be raised with a sense of even stronger nostalgia than OTL, fondly remembering golden years of 1960s and 1970s.

1959 Red Book letter arrives in Khrushchev's residence. Its author, Anatoly Kitov argues for creation of the Economic Automated Management System and sharing Red Army's resources with civillian economic planners. Institute for Cybernetics of the USSR Academy of Sciences is established in Moscow. 1961 Ministry of the Electronics Industry is established in the Soviet Union, ending primacy of the Ministry of Radio Technology in computer production. 1962 OGAS - a real-time, remote-access national computer network is proposed by Viktor Glushkov and initially accepted by Nikita Khrushchev. Due to ongoing Cuban Missile Crisis, project would be delayed by decades. 1966 Construction of Argon-11S, onboard computer of the Soyuz 7K-L1 spacecraft is completed."]

November 6, 1962

Richard Nixon, former Vice President of the United States, wins his former Senate seat after narrow victory against Richard Richards (Democratic). During next six years, he would campaign nation-wide for the Republican party and try to stop Lyndon B. Johnson's actions as President. He votes in favour of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts and heavily supports Equal Rights Amendment.

1964

Richard Nixon tries to build anti-Goldwater alliance with Nelson Rockefeller, but fails to do so.

November 8, 1966

After extensive and exhausting campaign for the Republican party and his own branch of moderate Republicanism, Richard Nixon emerges as one of the most powerful men in the Party.

In California Bill Orozco wins over incumbent George Brown Jr., Robert R. Barry over John V. Tunney.
In Colorado: David W. Enoch over Frank Evans,
In Connecticut: Abner W. Sibal over Donald J. Irwin,
In Illinois: Alfred F. Manion over William T. Murphy, I
In Indiana: Kenneth Bowman over J. Edward Roush, John W. Lewis over Lee H. Hamilton.
In Maine: Peter A. Garland over Peter N. Kyros.
In Maryland: Lawrence J. Hogan over Hervey Machen
In Montana: Dick Smiley over Arnold Olson
In New Jersey: Frank C. Osmers Jr. over Henry Helstoski
In New York: Steven Boghos Derounian over Lester Wollf, Thomas Brennan over Herbert Tenzer, Louis V. Mills over John G. Dow, Hamilton Fish Jr. over Joseph Resnick,

In total, Republican Party has 202 seats in the House, while Democratic Party retains majority with 233 seats.

June 5, 1968

Richard Nixon is shot by Sirhan Sirhan but survives an assasination attempt. His rehabilitation forces him to quit from the presidential race.

November 5, 1968

Nelson Rockefeller and George H.W Bush win presidential election in the United States over Hubert Humphrey/Edmund Muskie and George Wallace/Curtis LeMay tickets. Republican Party achieves majority in the US House and begins to close the gap between parties in US Senate.

Electoral College of 1968:

Rockefeller: 299 (with New York)
Humphrey: 148
Wallace: 91 (with North Carolina, South Carolina, Tenneessee, Florida)

1969:

Nixon Doctrine gets formulated. Nixon, Secretary of State states that: "the United States would assist in the defense and developments of allies and friends", but would not "undertake all the defense of the free nations of the world." The doctrine will be used for Rockefeller's Vietnamization of Vietnam War and gradual withdrawal of US ground troops.

Operation Linebacker starts: Massive unrestricted bombing campaign against North Vietnam results in a flooding of the Red River, destruction of crops and killing approx. one hundred thousand people at the cost of massive US casualties among strategic bomber forces. US Navy mines navigable rivers of North Vietnam, while US Marines and Special Forces invade Cambodia and Laos to destroy enemy supplies areas. Hanoi government asks for help from Moscow and Beijing, but both Leonid Brezhnev and Mao Zedong fears possible American counterattack and loss of whole Vietnam.

Paris Peace Talks effect in a cease-fire in Vietnam and gradual withdrawal of US troops from Indochina.

Ideas for a Moon base and manned missions to Mars are drafted by NASA.

1970:

NASA decides to send Apollo 19 and Apollo 20 missions. In total, Americans would send nine lunar missions, while Soviets only three.

Nelson Rockefeller confirms American intention to establish stable base on the lunar surface, series of space stations and a space shuttle.

1972:

Arthur Bremer assasinates President Rockefeller.

George H.W. Bush wins against Robert Kennedy/George McGovern ticket. George Wallace wins the South.
 
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Not even a living Korolev could have got a working N-1 before Apollo 8.

Failure was already baked into the design with Glushko pushed out of the lunar program by Korolev, so the program would have to use bunches of the NK-15 Motors for 1st Stage.
That's doom right there, and the L3 Soyuz Lunar package was just too heavy, around twice that of Apollo. So you had Doom stacked ontop of another Doom.

IMO, Chelomei's proposal was the only way the Soviet had a chance at a successful Moon shot before Neil steps off the LEM onto Moondust
 
Not even a living Korolev could have got a working N-1 before Apollo 8.

Failure was already baked into the design with Glushko pushed out of the lunar program by Korolev, so the program would have to use bunches of the NK-15 Motors for 1st Stage.
That's doom right there, and the L3 Soyuz Lunar package was just too heavy, around twice that of Apollo. So you had Doom stacked ontop of another Doom.

IMO, Chelomei's proposal was the only way the Soviet had a chance at a successful Moon shot before Neil steps off the LEM onto Moondust

I'll try to fix that, thanks for mentioning.

PoD is placed in a late 1950s, so there is enough time to fix some things. OTL they got this on the launchpad in February 1969 (with a big explosion). ITTL Soviets made several things earlier than OTL - onboard computer for Soyuz spacecraft was constructed two years early, Khrushchev invested more money into computer design since 1959, Ministry for electronic design was created four years earlier than OTL. Instead of a one-shot mission, there will be two launches per mission.
 
I'll try to fix that, thanks for mentioning.

PoD is placed in a late 1950s, so there is enough time to fix some things. OTL they got this on the launchpad in February 1969 (with a big explosion). ITTL Soviets made several things earlier than OTL - onboard computer for Soyuz spacecraft was constructed two years early, Khrushchev invested more money into computer design since 1959, Ministry for electronic design was created four years earlier than OTL. Instead of a one-shot mission, there will be two launches per mission.


Sometimes I think Korolev dying sooner would have been better for the program, say in 1963

Here's the UR-700, pretty much a bunch of Protons strapped together
r2miap.jpg
 
The Biggest problem here that Korolev was Terminal ill as operation happen, he would only survive several month and died of cancer
The N1 far from ready as Korolev died and Mishin was not the genius to fix the Issues with N1, i think that his modifications for more needs payload made things worst for N1, next the issue of quality control on NK-15 engines...
The unmanned Soyuz tested, had different parachute containers and it ejection systems as Soyuz 1 that killed Vladimir Komarov
They found this design fault after Soyuz 1 crash, and modified the Soyuz for bigger parachute container and better ejection systems and still the Soyuz has several deadly issue
The Soyuz-LOK was far from ready in 1968

One option is let die Korolev in early 1960s of Hearth attack
And let Vladimir Chelomei become the Soviet chef rocket designer early 1960s if Khrushchev's overthrow happen, then Leonid Brezhnev is forced to keep him.
With Proton and UR-700 he could manage to beat NASA (with a very Small chance)
But still the Soviet as second on Moon, President Nixon has to find a response to that and a Space Shuttle is not solution to that...
 
1952

Anatoly Kitov finds copy of Norbert Wieners' book Cybernetics in a secret library of the Special Construction Bureau in the Ministry of Machine and Instrument Building.

1957

"Red Book letter" is formulated by Anatoly Kitov and sent to the General secretary Nikita Khrushchev. He proposes to "wire the national economy with networks" and create semi-civillian national computer network. Khrushchev, interested in repairing the Soviet economy, agrees with him. Institute for Cybernetics of the USSR Academy of Sciences is established in Moscow. (March)

Sputnik 1 (OTL Sputnik 3 device is used) is launched by the Soviet Union as the first artificial satellite of Earth. The probe discovers existence of radiation belts, named "Vladimir I. Lenin's Radiation Belts" by Soviet researchers, much to the dismay of their American counterparts. (October 4)

Vanguard 1 is launched as the first American artificial satellite. Nikita Khrushchev names it a "grapefruit probe". (December 6)

1959

Ministry of the Electronics Industry is established in the Soviet Union, ending primacy of the Ministry of Radio Technology in computer production. (January)

1960

Korabl-Sputnik 2 mission - two space dogs named Chayka and Lisichka are launched into orbit and successfuly returned. (July 28)

Korabl-Sputnik 3 mission - Belka and Strelka are successfuly sent to and recovered from Earth's orbit following the 26-hour spaceflight. (August 19)

R-16 rocket is successfuly tested and replaces Korolev's R-7 as a Soviet ICBM. (October 24)

Vostok-1 mission - Valentin Bondarenko is launched into Low Earth Orbit. Retrorocket engine fails and first cosmonaut in space is forced to fly for 10 days over the Earth, frightening Flight Command and Americans, while pleasing Soviet propagandists. True reason of a long stay in orbit are classified by the Soviet government, but not to the CIA, which managed to get some truths about unprepadness of Soviet space program to calm down President Eisenhower and President-Elect Kennedy. Sergey Korolev's blood pressure skyrockets. (November 28)

Sergei Korolev suffers heart attack and dies, shortly after hearing about Bondarenko's successful landing. (December 8)

1961

Freedom 7 mission - John Glenn becomes the first American in space, after completion of a suborbital flight. (February 21)

Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union assigns Chelomei with a mission of performing manned lunar flyby (1966) and landing (1967). He will have almost no opposition inside Soviet rocketry engineering field - Valentin Glushko agrees to cooperate with him, Mikhail Yangel is assigned to build ICBMs for the Soviet Armed Forces, while Sergey Korolev, major contender for an assignment is dead. Ministry of Heavy Tractor Machinery is created as civillian governmental organization to control Soviet space program, detached from military forces and unified under one man. (March)

Bay of Pigs Invasion - US direct troops manage to establish foothold on Cuba but are withdrawn when Khrushchev orders blockade of West Berlin and threatens to use ICBMs against United States' soil. (April)

1965

First unmanned flight of the Soyuz spacecraft occurs. First Soviet docking in space. (October 3)

1966

Vladimir Komarov is launched onboard a Soyuz-1 spacecraft. (April 26)

Soyuz-2, Soyuz-3 dual mission - first Soviet manned docking mission. (October 28)
 
Sputnik 1 (OTL Sputnik 3 device is used) is launched by the Soviet Union as the first artificial satellite of Earth. The probe discovers existence of radiation belts, named "Vladimir I. Lenin's Radiation Belts" by Soviet researchers, much to the dismay of their American counterparts. (October 4)

Launching a useful 1.5 Ton Satellite as first effort is a lot different from launching a 200 pound beeper like Sputnik I, US changes for Space will be very extensive.
You will see von Braun get an OK for a Redstone/Jupiter C launch, as Ike could not go with the cobbled Vanguard, since that was mostly civilian Sounding Rockets staged together with a 'Grapefruit' ontop.

I don't see your PoD as changing the USSR OTLs problems of returning living things back to Earth's surface, either

You are going into the problem of some TL, were one side acts smart, and other side plods as OTL.

All actions have effects.
 
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