Delta Force
Banned
Space exploration was one area in which the superpowers peacefully competed against each other for prestige. The end of the Cold War saw the end or redesign of some programs. The Soviet Buran and Energia programs were canceled, and in the 1990s Russia and the United States decided to partner on developing a next generation space station, combining elements of the Mir expansion/replacement and Space Station Freedom proposals. The European Space Agency canceled the Hermes space shuttle program meant for the Ariane 5, and NASA canceled the VentureStar space shuttle replacement program, with both agencies deciding to use a combination of the Space Shuttle and Soyuz for their manned spaceflight needs. There were even more ambitious programs proposed in the 1980s and 1990s, such as manned missions to the Moon and Mars.
If the Cold War had continued, what might have happened to some of these proposals? Would more innovation have been done with space exploration? Would NASA have moved to encourage the development of the private space industry, or would spaceflight in the United States have remained more closely linked to the government?
If the Cold War had continued, what might have happened to some of these proposals? Would more innovation have been done with space exploration? Would NASA have moved to encourage the development of the private space industry, or would spaceflight in the United States have remained more closely linked to the government?