Apollo-Soyuz Crew Members to Reunite
Thirty five years ago, in 1975, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission took place. It was the first international space mission, and in order to commemorate the event, the surviving crew members both from the United States of America and the former Soviet Union, gathered together. A commemorative edition of the watch they wore in space during that mission has also been released.
Thomas Stafford and Vance Brand from the United States reunited with Alexei Leonov and Valery Kubasov from Russia, at the Omega Watches Boutique in New York City. The American crew was composed of three members, but Donald “Deke” Slayton, who was also present in the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, has passed away.Leonov was not able to attend the evening panel discussion which took place at the Omega store because he was ill. On July 15, 1975, the Soviet Soyuz took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, while the U.S. Saturn IB rocket took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida . Two days later the capsules got together and managed to connect. They used a specially-designed dock adapter which was launched together with the US rocket. Stafford, the U.S. commander for the ASTP mission, said that he still remembers the events precisely. He was the one who flew the ship. He remembers that there were no problems at the docking, because of the revolutionary system of that time. He remembers that the American team greeted their Soviet colleagues in Russian, whereas the Russian team greeted them in English. After the proper greetings were made, all of them moved into the hard lock, and the connection was made. Three hours after the docking was made, the hatches opened, and the people had the opportunity of greeting each other.
All of them remember the moment when the hatched opened and they were able to shake the hands of their fellow crew members. It was a unique moment for all of them, a moment which has been planned for years prior to happening. During that time, the US and the Soviet Union were in a conflict: they were in the so called, space race. It all started twenty years prior to the meeting, and the fact that people from the two countries which were in the Cold War for such a long period of time were able to sit together, and work together, was a great thing. This gathering showed everybody that no matter the differences, two countries can still join forces in order to reach a common goal. The language was different, the measure units were different, and the political systems were different, yet even so, the Soviet Union and the United States of America managed to work together.
Brand, who was the Apollo command module pilot, stated that the Apollo-Soyuz mission was a trend-setter; it was a mission which opened the gates for many other missions. It was the first mission of its kind, where people from different countries worked together, and since then many similar missions occurred. One of the greatest results of the mission was the creation of the International Space Station. The program has more than 15 countries involved, and they all manage to cooperate with ease. This type of cooperation was unexpected in 1970, but the Apollo-Soyuz managed to prove that it was possible. Thirty-five years later, everything has changed. Cooperation between people from different countries is something common, as they work in different areas and domains, such as medicine, architecture, and so on.
The two teams spent two days together in the ship. During this time, they exchanged various ceremonial gifts such as the flags of the two countries involved in the mission, medallions, and commemorative plaques. They also conducted various experiments together. The teams performed visited the two rockets, they had meals together, and they shared stories. It was a unique experiment for both of them. One thing which was remarkable for the astronauts and cosmonauts was to observe the two countries involved in the mission from outer space. The Americans was amazed by the size of the Soviet Union and by its diversity. The crew members who were involved in the missions believe that they are the ones who have initiated a trend for the international space projects. Three decades have passed since then and hundreds, if not thousands of similar collaborations have been made. They have proven that people from different country can get along, and the ones involved in the mission are proud that they have behaved in the proper manner, especially since the situation was tense between the two countries.
Kubasov stated that the crews who are performing similar missions have all learned something from the Apollo-Soyuz mission, or Soyuz-Apollo mission, as they call it in Russia. Kubasoz was involved in another international space mission, some year later after the one from 1975. The next Soyuz mission will take place this October, and the Russian who will take place to it, stated that he remembers about the mission from 1975. Alexander Kaleri was a student when the mission from 1975 took place, and according to him, the mission changed his life. The mission made him to want to become a cosmonaut, and to be able to participate in similar missions. He mentioned that he had the opportunity of meeting all the people who were involved in the mission. He also mentioned that back then, no one expected the mission to have such a huge impact. All of the astronauts who have been involved in the mission are surprised by the fact that they have inspired so many people, and that they gave them the desire to become astronauts. Leonov remembers that the Soviet Union called the mission as being perfect, and that was a huge surprise for them, since the government was not very generous when it came to the praises. The astronauts wore Omega watches when they performed the mission, because they are very durable and accurate. They still have those watches today and they are all in perfect condition.
