Apollo-Soyuz Symbolic Flight Activities

Creator

Southwestern Oklahoma State University
NASA

Preview

Creation Date

7-17-1975

Description

APOLLO-SOYUZ SYMBOLIC FLIGHT ACTIVITIES

FIRST INTERNATIONAL MANNED SPACE MISSION

APOLLO-SOYUZ TEST PROJECT (ASTP) ONBOARD PHOTOGRAPHS – The photograph at top shows Astronaut Thomas P. Stafford, Apollo commander (right) and Cosmonaut Aleksey A. Leonov, Soyuz commander (left) greeting each other for the first time in space with a traditional handshake. Astronaut Donald K. Slayton’s hand can be seen in the lower right corner of the photo. Astronaut Vance D. Brand remained behind in the Apollo command module while Stafford and Slayton moved through the docking module and into the Soviet spacecraft on July 17, 1975. Brand and Soyuz flight engineer Valeriy N. Kubasov participated in subsequent transfers between the two spacecraft. The photo was enlarged from a frame of 16mm motion picture film taken by a Maurer data acquisitions camera mounted at the Apollo end of the docking module looking through the recently opened hatchway into the Soyuz spacecraft.

The lower left photograph shows Cosmonaut Valeriy N. Kubasov placing his signature to a document for the International Aeronautical Federation authenticating the mission. The document is in both English and Russian languages and is signed by all five crewmen. The hands at the left are those of Astronaut Donald K. Slayton.

The lower right photograph is a view of one of two Apollo-Soyuz commemorative plaques which were assembled in space by the two crews. Each crew carried two halves of the plaque into orbit, which, when assembled, provided each side with a complete commemorative artifact. This closeup photograph was taken in the Soyuz orbital module by a member of the USA crew using a Nikon F 35mm camera with a 35mm lens.