As we speak within the historical past of astronomy, an astronaut and a cosmonaut shake palms in area.
The fruits of years of worldwide negotiations and coaching, Apollo and Soyuz linked up in area in July 1975. When the hatches opened, their respective commanders, Thomas Stafford and Aleksey Leonov, shook palms. Credit score: NASA
After years of planning, coaching, and worldwide negotiation, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission culminated in 1975 when spacecraft from the U.S. and the Soviet Union docked in area. On July 17, the Apollo and Soyuz capsules locked collectively, using an “androgynous” system of petal-shaped plates, and their commanders, Thomas Stafford and Aleksey Leonov, shook hands. Two days of joint tech and science experiments adopted. The mission set excessive targets for cooperation on future initiatives, together with the flexibility to carry out worldwide area rescues and the long run House Shuttle-Mir docking.
