Apollo–Soyuz

In July 1975, three NASA astronauts and two Soviet cosmonauts embarked on a mission that would have been unthinkable just a decade earlier—one that would pave the way for future international partnerships in space: the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. The first international partnership in space wasn’t the International Space Station. It wasn’t even the Shuttle-Mir series of missions. It was the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. On July 15, 1975, an Apollo spacecraft launched carrying a crew of three and docked two days later on July 17, with a Soyuz spacecraft and its crew of two. Designed to test the compatibility of rendezvous and docking systems and the possibility of an international space rescue, the nine-day Apollo-Soyuz mission brought together two former spaceflight rivals: the United States and the Soviet Union. The United States launched an Apollo command and service module on a Saturn IB rocket. The Apollo spacecraft, while nearly identical to the type that orbited the moon and later carried astronauts to Skylab, was modified to provide for experiments, extra propellant tanks and the addition of controls and equipment related to the docking module. The Soyuz was the primary Soviet spacecraft used for manned flight since its introduction in 1967. The docking module was designed and constructed by NASA to serve as an airlock and transfer corridor between the two craft. During nearly two days of joint activities, the mission’s two Soviet cosmonauts and three U.S. astronauts carried out five joint experiments and exchanged commemorative items. The successful Apollo-Soyuz Test Project paved the way for future international partnerships. After more than 3 years of planning and preparation, an Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft met in space for an unprecedented event: docking together in orbit. For nearly two days, the two ships remained docked for joint activities and experiments. The joint U.S.-USSR crew for the Apollo Soyuz Test Project. Astronaut Thomas P. Stafford (standing on left), commander of the American crew; Cosmonaut Aleksey A. Leonov (standing on right), commander of the Soviet crew; Astronaut Donald K. Slayton (seated on left), docking module pilot of the American crew; Astronaut Vance D. Brand (seated in center), command module pilot of the American crew; and Cosmonaut Valeriy N. Kubasov (seated on right), engineer on the Soviet crew. Most of us take it for granted today that American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts live and work together in Earth orbit. They've been doing it for years, first in the Shuttle-Mir program, and now on the International Space Station. This orbital cooperation has grown to include partners in the Canadian, European and Japanese space agencies, and will continue well into the next decade, as humanity learns about living off the home planet to prepare for longer journeys beyond Earth orbit. But before the two Cold War-rivals first met in orbit in 1975, such a partnership seemed unlikely. 50 Years Ago: NASA Names U.S. Crew for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project This 580-page in-depth history of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project by Edward Clinton Ezell and Linda Neuman Ezell was published in 1978, and is essential reading for those looking to learn more about the project. A symbolic painting by artist Bert Winthrop of Rockwell International Space Division, Downey, California commemorates the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP). The artwork is composed of the ASTP mission insignia, the docked Apollo-Soyuz spacecraft, and portraits of the five ASTP prime crewmen, all superimposed against Earth’s sphere in the center of the picture. The launches of both the American ASTP space vehicle (on left) and the Soviet ASTP space vehicle are depicted in the lower right corner. The five crewmen are, clockwise from the ASTP emblem, astronaut Thomas P. Stafford, commander of the American crew; astronaut Donald K. Slayton, docking module pilot of the American crew; astronaut Vance D. Brand, command module pilot of th