Soviet Union Lands On The Moon First.

[Dick Cheney.]

What happens if the Soviet Union reaches the moon first? It's a good question that helps explain the historical meaning of the space race.

if the USSR reaches the Moon first, NASA almost certainly has to go to Mars. I just can't imagine the cultural horror of American history books teaching to American children the first words uttered on the moon as quoted by a Soviet astronaut. The ultimate propaganda victory over capitalism if there ever was one.

That said, space races are incredibly expensive, and the billions of dollars -not to mention human and resource capital- that goes into funding one is going to drain both countries economically and perhaps lead to an earlier collapse for the Soviets.

[hellheaven1987]

US government would send someone on moon to replace Soviet flag with US flag.

[Mamlaz]

Probably a lot more investment into Space during the 70s and the 80s by both sides, as the race would continue.

Likely larger space stations, more Moon landings by both sides, but I doubt anything else would come of it.

Permanent settlement or a Mars mission would be too much for the technology of that time.

[RangerGxi]

What happens if the Soviet Union reaches the moon first? It's a good question that helps explain the historical meaning of the space race and adds helpful insight about a future space race to Mars.

if the USSR reaches the Moon first, NASA almost certainly has to go to Mars. I just can't imagine the cultural horror of American history books teaching to American children the first words uttered on the moon as quoted by a Soviet astronaut. The ultimate propaganda victory over capitalism if there ever was one.

That said, space races are incredibly expensive, and the hundreds of billions of dollars -not to mention human and resource capital- that goes into funding one is going to drain both countries economically and perhaps lead to an earlier collapse for the Soviets.

The space race was doomed to die. Nazi and Stalin era scientists can't live forever.

[Heathen Hammer]

If that happen I can imagine Jimmy Carter holding a secret meeting with NASA officials and astronauts, informing them of a new secret project to out-do the Soviets:
"You will land on the sun!"
"But sir, it is too hot to even approach it!"
"What, do you think I'm an idiot? You will fly at night!"

[conon394]

@HH - why the crack at Carter?

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I would guess doubling down by the US in terms of resources. Mars seems the obvious stated goal but I think more likely is Dyson gets his funding and Project Orion gets a green light. A flag planting on Alpha Centauri in 2 centuries or so does not really work for the now... So maybe a flag planting on Titan would be dramatic enough and show off the fancy speed potential of Orion.

[Ἀπολλόδοτος Α΄ ὁ Σωτήρ]

In order for the Soviets to reach the moon first they would need a more powerful rocket than the same one they've been using fo previous missions. The main Soviet engineer, sadly I can't recall his name, had repeatedly requested funding for this project, but Khrushchev kept rejecting him in favour of public housing and infrastructural funding.

Eventually Khrushchev agreed, the main engineer had died before or shortly after getting funding, again I don't recall exactly, but the US had already landed on the Moon. In order to be the first again, the Soviets, instead of following the Americans, decided to build the first space station. Nevertheless the Soviet economy was in shambles and they were unable to fund any new breakthroughs on their own.

With them out of the race "doing what was hard, to paraphrase Kennedy, was no longer necessary, and that is why no Human has landed on Mars to this day.