 |
|
 |
 advertisement
| |
|
|
|
|
|
On July 15, 1975, three astronauts and two cosmonauts set forth on the first U.S. and Soviet joint effort in space.
By Glen Golightly
Houston Bureau Chief
posted: 08:00 am ET
15 July 2000
|
astp_crew_000714 HOUSTON On July 15, 1975, three astronauts and two cosmonauts set forth on the first U.S. and Soviet joint effort in space. Their mission was to dock an Apollo command module with a Soyuz module and conduct two days of scientific experiments and goodwill exchanges. Their efforts, along with the thousands of scientists, engineers and flight directors, helped set the stage for further cooperation. Years later, seven U.S. astronauts flew aboard the Russian Mir space station in the late 1990s, followed by the current efforts to build the International Space Station. 
From left, standing, Gen. Thomas Stafford, Apollo mission commander and Alexei Leonov, Soyuz commander. Seated from left, Donald K. "Deke" Slayton, Apollo docking module pilot; Vance Brand, Apollo command module pilot and Valery Kubasov, Soyuz flight engineer. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) also marked the end of an era in human spaceflight. This was the last flight of a Saturn-series rocket and the Apollo capsule. It would be almost six years before the U.S. sent anyone else into space, this time aboard Space Shuttle Columbia. Aboard Apollo: Gen. Thomas P. Stafford An Air Force test pilot, Stafford flew twice in the Gemini program and twice in Apollo. He also took part in the first rendezvous in space while aboard Gemini 6. Stafford was selected as an astronaut in 1962. In 1969, he became chief astronaut and played a role in selection of crews for Apollo and Skylab missions. In 1973, he was named commander of the Apollo portion of the Apollo-Soyuz Test project. Following the ASTP flight, he left NASA to command the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California. He retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant general in 1979. Stafford has also acted as an advisor to the space agency several times. In the early 1990s, he served on a panel studying future exploration options of the moon and Mars. In 1997, he conducted a safety review of Mir after a Progress supply ship collided with it. He currently acts as vice chair of the aerospace consulting firm Stafford, Burke and Hecker Inc. Stafford also serves on the board of advisers for SPACE.com Inc. Donald K. "Deke" Slayton One of the original seven Mercury astronauts, Slayton was grounded in 1962 shortly after John Glenns orbital flight because of a heart condition. He resigned from the Air Force in 1963 and took on the duties of NASA flight crew director. He supervised selection of and crew training for the Gemini and Apollo flights. In 1972, Slayton was certified to fly again and won assignment to the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1973. Slayton was assigned the role of Apollo docking module pilot. His tasks included maneuvering the Apollo capsule to retrieve the docking module from the Saturn 1-Bs third stage and to dock with the Soyuz. He retired from NASA in 1981 and joined Space Services Inc., a private launch firm that successfully launched its Conestoga rocket in a 1983 test. Slayton died of brain cancer in June 1993. Slaytons autobiography, Deke!, was published in 1994. Vance Brand Former Marine Corps fighter pilot and civilian test pilot Brand made four flights in space, one in Apollo and three aboard the space shuttle. Selected as an astronaut in 1966, Brand served as a backup astronaut for Apollo and Skylab missions. He was selected for ASTP when Apollo 13 astronaut Jack Swigert was removed from the crew following a minor scandal concerning signed envelopes being taken into space and then sold to collectors. Brand acted as the command module pilot during ASTP. In 1982, Brand commanded the first space shuttle mission following test flights. He and his crew successfully released two communication satellites. Brand left the astronaut corps in 1991 to work on National Aerospace Plane program before it was cancelled. After that, he transferred to NASAs Dryden Flight Research Center in California. 
The four surviving Apollo-Soyuz Test Project astronauts and cosmonauts at a recent party held for them in Moscow. From left, Gen. Thomas Stafford, Valery Kubasov, Vance Brand and Gen. Alexei Leonov. Apollo docking module pilot Donald "Deke" Slayton died in 1993. Aboard Soyuz: Gen. Alexei Leonov Former Soviet fighter pilot Leonov became the first spacewalker in 1965 when he floated for 10 minutes outside the Voshkod 2 capsule. Leonov faced a tense moment when he found he could not fit back inside the hatch because his pressure suit was too stiff. He bled air from it and climbed inside. In 1966, he began training as commander of a Soviet mission to orbit and land on the moon. In 1968, as he prepared for a lunar orbital mission, it was cancelled. In 1973, Leonov was tapped to command the Soyuz portion of ASTP. He made frequent trips to the United States to visit NASA facilities. He retired from the Air Force in 1992. Leonov is also well known as a painter and has published four art books. Currently he serves as president of Alfa Capital, a Moscow-based investment company. He also serves on SPACE.com Inc.s board of advisers. Valery Kubasov Four-time space traveler Kubasov tested a prototype welding unit during a 1969 Soyuz flight. He operated it by remote control from a Soyuz reentry module. Kubasov, a civilian aerospace engineer, was accepted for cosmonaut training in 1964. He served as the Soyuz flight engineer for the ASTP. Prior to a 1971 launch, he was removed from a flight crew days before launch after he developed a lung ailment. He was later returned to flight status after the ailment was diagnosed as an allergic reaction to pesticide sprayed near the Baikonur Cosmodrome. In the late 1980s, he directed work on long-duration life-support systems at NPO Energiya. Kubasov retired from the astronaut corps in 1993.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
