May 09

Space Rocket History #463 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Joint Operations

“I had thoughts I couldn’t express at the time. It felt like we weren’t just opening a hatch in space, but opening the door to a new era on Earth.”  Tom Stafford.

A diagram of the artificial solar eclipse experiment (Photo by Space Frontiers/Getty Images)

Second Docking of Apollo Soyuz

Soyuz View of Apollo Solar Eclipse

Soyuz View of Apollo Solar Eclipse

Apr 25

Space Rocket History #462 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Handshake

On July 17, 1975, orbiting in space high above the French city of Metz, the American and Russian commanders shook hands. Their conversation, a mix of personal and technical remarks, reflected a casual familiarity, reminiscent of their simulator training sessions. There were no dramatic declarations—just a cordial exchange between professionals who seemed to be doing what they had practiced countless times.

Stafford-Leonov handshake

Slayton-Leonov embrace.

Stafford-Leonov handshake

Apr 11

Space Rocket History #461 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Rendezvous

CapCom Truly radioed at 10:46 with the go-ahead: “I’ve got two messages for you: Moscow is go for docking; Houston is go for docking. It’s up to you guys. Have fun.”

Separated From the S-IVB to dock with the Docking Module

Improperly Installed Connection on the Docking Latch

AI Image of Apollo-Soyuz Docked

Dec 19

Space Rocket History #328 – Soyuz 11 – The Replacement Crew – Dobrovolsky, Volkov, and Patsayev – Part 1

Dobrovolsky was blond, tall, broad-shouldered, and tough. He was kind-hearted and had a contagious belly laugh. At the Air Force school, his friends nicknamed him `Odessa’, and he was proud of it.