A shame…the collapse, the vandalism. But had the USSR become more like China is now…and had China been backward like the DPRK…things might have been different.
Let us say the USSR stayed out of Afghanistan, did not build the Baikal Amur Mainline…embraced the NEP of years earlier…the Soviet Union could have funded Energia Buran as easily as we funded shuttle.
What should have happened is that Zenit replaced R-7, and a three-core Zenit replaced Proton.
Energia launches Moon/Mars ships, and space stations. Buran docks to these, leaves 20 tons of raw materials in one end and takes home a 20 ton container of processed goods at the other.
Zenit occasionally takes a Soyuz to the station when a full Buran is not needed.
Energia cores are expended at first…but later stretched and used as wet workshops.
Large hypersonic boilerplates released from AN-225 for low speed tests, and side launched from Energia for high speed tests…this leads to Buran 2 and reusables that actually have a destination to fly to. Russia and Ukraine work together, now freely.
The West responds, a Bering Strait Bridge is built, and the Cold War ends on more equitable terms with the Slavic States and America all rich from space exploration.
Oh…there is one other condition that has to happen for this scenario to play out:
Putin’s mother has an abortion.
There is no place for him here…
In this timeline, I am “Q” from Star Trek: The Next Generation. The Mossad never shoots Gerald Bull, because America funds him. The Avro Arrow flies and the F-111 doesn’t. I don’t dare do much more, lest I spoil you, selah.