Baxter, Stephen. "War Birds"
What if: Apollo 11 blew up shortly after landing on the lunar surface, apparently the victim of a Soviet attack.
Summary: The Cold War heats up, with the space shuttle project receiving major backing for military purposes. But with Reagan's election in 1980, the use of nuclear weapons becomes ever more common until by 1997, the world is on the verge of being uninhabitable.
Published: In Interzone #126 (December 1997); and Phase Space, Collins 2002 (0002257696).
Awards: Winner: 1998 BSFA Award for best short fiction.