WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?

Soviet Lunar TV Broadcast

1. 1987-01-15HIGHDIRECT EFFECTcultural
   Soviet Lunar TV Broadcast

   A live broadcast from the Soviet lunar base highlights footage of Alexei Leonov's historic 1969 landing, boosting national pride and consumer electronics sales. The event is aired on USSR television to reinforce the regime's technological superiority.

2. because
   1969-07-03HIGHDIRECT EFFECTtech
   DIVERGENCE: N1 launch succeeds — Leonov lands on the Moon

   The second N1 launch on July 3, 1969 succeeds instead of exploding. The USSR mounts a crash crewed mission: Alexei Leonov lands on the Moon in the L3 lander in early July 1969, weeks before Apollo 11's scheduled July 16 launch, and returns safely.