Apollo-Soyuz

Overview

The final mission of the Apollo era, in July 1975, was the first in which spacecraft from two nations rendezvoused and docked in orbit. The idea for this U.S./Soviet “handshake in space” had been initiated three years earlier with an agreement signed by U.S. President Richard Nixon and Soviet President Aleksey Kosygin.

The American crew for this goodwill flight included Thomas Stafford, a veteran of three flights,Vance Brand, who had never flown in space, and Mercury astronaut Deke Slayton, the only one of the original seven astronauts who had never flown (due to a heart condition). The American astronauts traveled into orbit inside a three-person Apollo spacecraft.

Internal arrangement of docked configuration. (S74-05269)

Similar in function to the Apollo Command Module, the two-person Soyuz capsule flown by the Soviets had debuted in 1967. Aboard the Soviet spacecraft were Alexei Leonov, who had made history’s first spacewalk in 1965, and rookie Valery Kubasov.

The Apollo-Soyuz mission, aside from its political significance, resulted in a number of technical developments, including a common docking system, which had to be specially designed so that the different spacecraft could connect in orbit. The joint mission also gave both “sides” a view of one another’s space programs. In preparation for the flight, Soviet cosmonauts and their backups visited and trained at the Johnson Space Center, and the American crew and their backups paid visits to Moscow. Flight controllers from both nations also conducted joint simulations.

Artist’s concept of Apollo-Soyuz. (MSFC-73A-S1905B)

Although Apollo-Soyuz was a one-time-only event, it created a sense of goodwill that transcended the simple “handshake in space” that was its most visible symbol.

Apollo-Soyuz Statistics

Dates: 1975
Vehicles: Saturn IB launcher, Apollo Command Module
Number of People Flown: 3
Total Time in Space 9 days
Highlights: First international space mission

Bibliography

NASA Sources

Dawn breaks behind the ASTP Saturn IB launch vehicle during the Countdown Demonstration Test. (75PC-0332)

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project

15–24 July 1975

Crew: Thomas P. Stafford, Vince D. Brand, Donald K. “Deke” Slayton

The Soyuz 19 and Apollo 18 craft launched within 7.5 hours of each other on 15 July and docked on 17 July. Three hours later, Thomas Stafford and Alexei Leonov exchanged the first international handshake in space through the open hatch of the Soyuz. The two spacecraft remained linked for 44 hours, long enough for the three Americans and two Soviets to exchange flags and gifts (including tree seeds that were later planted in the two countries), sign certificates, pay visits to each other’s ships, eat together, and converse in each other’s languages. There were also docking and redocking maneuvers, during which the Soyuz reversed roles and became the “active” spacecraft. The Soviets remained in space for five days and the Americans for nine, during which time the Soviets also conducted experiments in Earth observation.

The Apollo commander, astronaut Thomas P. Stafford (in foreground), and the Soyuz commander, cosmonaut Alexei A. Leonov, make their historic handshake in space during the joint Russian-American docking mission known as the ASTP, or Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. (S75-29432)
Astronaut Deke Slayton (left) and cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov are photographed together in the Soyuz Orbital Module during the joint U.S.-USSR ASTP docking in Earth orbit. (AST-05-298)