Space race in the 70s after a Tie to the moon?

Throwing out a hypothetical. Handwave a world in which America lands astronauts in 1969 with the Soviets just a few months behind.

Let's pretend the Soviet effort is more minimal and far more risky. But they do it and the world sees them do it.

What happens next? A race for a Moon base? More money diverted into both nations' space coffers? Does the Moon treaty get signed? The Outer Space Treaty scrapped?
 
Many of the decisions were made in 1968, so if the Sovs were looking like they could get to the moon dirty and cheap the US would have to react. I could see long stay Apollo missions as a sort of occupation strategy, a bit of like the situation in Antarctica.
 
My opinion of a competitive space race post-1969: competition over immediate goals such as space-stations and lunar bases (even if legalities may be a problem, they could get away with saying they own the facilities that make up the base rather than the soil or something like that), followed by long term goals of a Mars landing, and possible exploration towards the outer planets.

Then again, a problem here is cost. But competition might allow the fires to burn, and the jobs and so forth such would create (not to mention mineral extraction on the moon which would likely come at some point) could very well make up for the costs in the long run. Plus, if you couple this with a detente, you could take funds spent on building increased weaponry, and put it instead to use in the space race, further allowing it.
 
It would be nice t suck some money out of the military aspects of the Cold War and put it into Space.
 
Let's pretend the Soviet effort is more minimal and far more risky. But they do it and the world sees them do it.

Let's pretend ?
the Soviet effort WAS more minimal and far more risky!

N-1 unsave, had needed 5 test launch until 1973 (N-1 canceld after 4 Launch in 1972)
the L3 Hardware like Soyuz 7K-OK and LK landere were not tested in filght

backt to TL
if USSR landet on Moon had change Space Race
Nixon were forced to ceep Apollo programm runnig :cool:
victim: No Space shuttle !
after Apollo 17, Skylab and ASTP came the Apollo Applications Program
return to Moon with dual launch Saturn V one: unmanned LM Base, second: CSM&Manned LM Taxi
2 Astonaut stay up 90 days on Moon, one for 90 day in Orbit ?

simelar project had USSR also : L3M in 1970
Dual launch N-1 one: Block R TB braking stage. second: L3M
they rendezvous in lunar orbit, dock and land on moon
2 cosmonaut stay up to 90 days on Moon

after that a Moon base
there Zilion proposal for US Base
just keep on those with Apollo Hardware like
LESA (Lunar Exploration System for Apollo)
Moonlab by Stanford-Ames

they had even idea for Lunar Skylab for AAP mission
 

Archibald

Banned
Browse "it looks like a dirty beach" on google :)

This scenario looks a bit similar to Mark W. "Children of Apollo", too.

As Michel said, the space shuttle is the first collateral victim. No retreat to LEO. Apollo die because of lack of competition after Kennedy deadline was met. If the soviet persists, Apollo may continue.

they had even idea for Lunar Skylab for AAP mission

Chelomei may have send Almaz around the Moon :)
 
Chelomei may have send Almaz around the Moon :)

He had plans to send Almaz in Moon orbit with UR-700 rocket
His the KLE (Complex Lunar Expedition) study
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/kleition.htm

but we need allot Butterflies to replace N-1 with UR-700
because Chelomei got’s support by Khrushchev
Chelomei also had made a critical error of slighting Ustinov, Chairman of the Military-Industrial Commission,
as Khrushchev was ousted from power by a retrograde clique headed by Brezhnev.
Ustinov became Secretary for Defence and Space.
his first victim Chelomei
http://www.astronautix.com/astros/chelomei.htm
 
Perhaps the UN forces the US and USSR to cooperate in running a Moonbase?

Using the mind-control rays on board their black helicopters? :)

Seriously, OTL there were some gestures towards cooperation in space (the Apolo-Soyuz missions, etc.). Given the expense and difficulty in setting up a Moon base, a cooperative effort might be in the works if Detente is continued. (And I bet the US ends up footing most of the bill).

Bruce
 
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