Yep - escaped my mind.
Did the collapse have any positive sides or was it just cosmetic?
Depends on what side you look at it from.
From American point of view it had huge positive aspect; no one left around you should really compete with, no one stopping Americans from taking over the world etc.
From the other side, at least for now it has been more a catastrophe than an advantage - time will tell, whether it was good thing in long run or still just a catastrophe.
On the other hand, either side would have probably already been in Mars if the cold war had continued.
It was time of many great inventions on both sides. Competition is almost always good for development.