No Khrushchevism

After the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953, after a short power struggle, Nikita Khrushchev emerged victorious and led Soviet Union through period of liberalization of economy. This "givining in to capitalism" wasn't appreciated by many orthodox Marxist-Leninists, notably the so called "Anti-Party Group". This timeline explores the possibility of Khrushchev being ousted and power being held by radical communists.
==Anti Party Coup==
On 1957 Khrushchev was ousted by the Anti-Party Group.
In the meantime, Korolev manages to escape the Soviet Union after a sustained persecution and defects to the United States. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience in rocketry and spaceflight.
The US government, keen to gain an advantage in the Cold War "space race" with the Soviet Union, quickly puts Korolev to work on their own space program.
With Korolev's guidance, the US is able to quickly develop and launch its first satellite, Explorer 1, in 1958. This event is a major embarrassment for the Soviet Union and a major propaganda victory for the US.
In 1961, Korolev works with NASA to launch the first American astronaut, Alan Shepard, into space aboard the Freedom 7 spacecraft. This event is a major milestone for the US and a further blow to Soviet prestige.
Korolev continues to work on American space program, leading to many more successful launches and missions. In 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong becomes the first human to walk on the Moon, a feat that the Soviet Union was never able to accomplish.
The successful American space program, led by Korolev, helps to secure US dominance in space during the Cold War and solidifies American scientific and technological superiority over the Soviet Union
==Aftermath==
The failure of the nascent Sputnik Program forced the US to accelerate the space program by a bit, resulting in more space race victories while USSR languished behind.
At some point, anti-semitism took hold of USSR.