40 years of Apollo-Soyuz testing Project, First International Space Station of History

The Peace of God to all that belong to the Light,
Dear Readers,

Today 40 years ago the first International space station was tested, its name was project Apollo-Soyuz, it was a historic first coordinate space mission in between The United States of America and the Soviet Union. The Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) (Russian: Экспериментальный полёт «Союз» — «Аполлон», Eksperimantalniy polyot Soyuz-Apollon, lit. "Experimental flight Soyuz-Apollo"), conducted in July 1975, represented an extraordinary important example of the cooperation in between rival nations in benefit for humanity and also the last flight of an Apollo spacecraft.

Its primary purpose was as a symbol of the policy of détente that the two superpowers were pursuing at the time, and marked the end of the Space Race between them that began in 1957.

www.nasa.gov...

This was also a mission performed close to important political events in both sides of the world, for America was the anticipation of the 200 years of its independence declaration, and for Russia and other nations of the USSR it was the just two years before of the proclamation of the last constitution of the country that created the political framework that made possible the Perestroika.

www.nasa.gov...

Apollo-Soyuz was a visionary concept, it foresaw the era of current international cooperation in the conquest of the space and at the same time the end of the cold war that were both so costly for the economies of America and USSR.

www.space.com...

When Apollo-Soyuz was conceived both parts of the World, America and Russia in particular were suffering of stagnation in their economies, Vietnam war was a terrible nightmare for the west as well as the Arab Oil embargo and Russia was also experiencing a slow down in its productivity in addition to be affronting the possibility to be involved in the Afghanistan war due to the expansion of the Islamic fundamentalism on its borders since the Revolution in Iran.

Apollo-Soyuz was extremely important to prove that Russia and America could develop successful partnerships for the benefit of the Human civilization. It combined the technological advance of the American Space program in manned mission to other worlds, with the supremacy of the Russian program in orbital space stations.

www.youtube.com...

Today in the middle of the crisis of Ukraine it is so important to resurrect the spirit of Apollo-Soyuz partnership for peace and progress.

This same week marked by the four decades of this so important mission The diplomacy of both countries working exhaustively together made again History in the peaceful resolution of the political crisis created around the nuclear program of Iran.

spaceref.com...

The International space station of today is a project that has its roots in the scientific and technological partnership that Apollo-Soyuz started in 1975, it is a so much important achievement that went far beyond of all the projections of that time.

On February of 2014 one of the original cosmonauts of the mission Apollo-Sojuz, Valery Kubasov died at 79, he couldn't see this 40 anniversary of their historic flight.

phys.org...

One so important outcome of the Apollo-Soyuz mission was the mutual adaptation of both control and docking systems in order to make possible the rendezvous in orbit and the ulterior approximation maneuver and the assembling in space of the orbital complex integrated by the two spacecrafts that represented entirely different space technologies.

Also the bioengineering systems out to work in perfect coordination since for hours, once docked, the two spacecrafts became the same orbital laboratory in which astronauts and cosmonauts were able to circulate freely sharing the same environmental temperature , as well as air quality and pressure.

Some important experiments were carried out together by the international crew, what gave a unique opportunity for mutual feedback in their results, contrasting and unifying methods to carryout experiments on lack of gravity and comparing at the same time the different measure instrumentation.

This also was the first opportunity to try to design international space research protocols what represented a great advance toward the standardization of the way to perform scientific research in orbit and report it for the progress of science.

Here some stats of the mission:

Soyuz
Launch: July 15, 1975, at 8:20 a.m. EDT
Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Flight Crew: Alexey A. Leonov, Valery N. Kubasov
Landing: July 21, 1975

Apollo
Launch: July 15, 1975, at 3:50 p.m. EDT
Launch Site: Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Flight Crew: Thomas P. Stafford, Vance D. Brand, Donald K. Slayton
Landing: July 24, 1975

Mission
Docking Time: July 17, 1975, at 12:12 p.m. EDT
Undocking Time: July 19, 1975, at 11:26 a.m. EDT
Total Duration of Joint Activities: 19 hours, 55 minutes
Orbital Inclination: 51.8 degrees

This commemorative thread is open for the replies of all the members that are enthusiastic of the benefits of the space exploration and the era of the International Space stations, with all the advances in Science that have derived from it.

Thanks,

The Angel of Lightness

a reply to: The angel of light

Dear Readers,

Apollo Soyuz came as a way to settle down differences in between the two superpowers that shaped the major part of the Post war of XX century, it arrived on a time which both political blocks were concerned of the arise of other political forces around the world that represented a common menace for them.

The Arab world was fiercely punishing the American Economy with the Petroleum embargo, thanks to the policy in support for Israel, and although the Russian position in middle east was not bad at all, the Soviet were extremely worried of the increase of power of China in the International arena, and its closeness with America.

After the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, the tense relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union was beginning to improve. The Salt I nuclear weapons reduction agreement was signed by the USSR and USA in a first step to reduce the incredibly giant weight of the arms race for both economies.

America’s moon landing program was over, The soviets decided to give up completely in their intention to replicate such task, although they sent the first completely automated robotic spacecrafts ever reached another world, to our natural satellite, and the Apollo spacecraft was due to be retired to make way for the space shuttle program.

en.wikipedia.org...

en.wikipedia.org...

While the USSR had a lot of successful space stations already sent in to orbit, since 1971 with the Almaz and Salyut programs, America had a lot of difficulties to make work the Spacelab in 1973/74 , that suffered serious damages in the launching.

Although both countries had already space stations, never an international one was conceived, It was clear that each of the space programs had something to teach to the other.

www.russianspaceweb.com...

www.space.com...

www.space.com...

A joint U.S./Soviet space mission, first proposed in the 1960s, was finally diplomatically possible, making reality the dream to have a common project in the space for peaceful purposes.

www.space.com...

Thanks for your attention,

The Angel of Lightness

TL;DR

But just like to ask - did you just reply to your self and what God, angels and light have to do with text...

Once you reply, might read rest of the post...

a reply to: SuperFrog

Dear Superfrog,

I use to give updates in all my threads, that is to follow up the topic and bring out new details on it. Since in the system here we need to reply to add a post in appearance seems like a reply, but it is not that, it is just a new post in the thread.

Now, I'm a person that believe in God, in spite to be a Scientist and Engineer, I know there are many people here that don't believe in nothing more than themselves, but well everybody is free to have beliefs and express them openly, this is a free country my friend.

Can I ask what is your interest in this thread? do you have something to comment on the Apollo-Soyuz project ?

Thanks,

The Angel of Lightness

Most of what I remember about this little even from time back and wiki, witch seems to have nice article sums it up for me on Apollo-Soyuz test project.

en.wikipedia.org...

Interestingly, no God or Angels of light there... still good source, not really academic proofed, but not bad either.

I am sorry, but I can't just not to note that the way you post it, it looks like clear propaganda, bit of a turn-off, distraction, and your post would be well made, if did not just include those little things...

And what is your opinion on this?

a reply to: SuperFrog

Well, the international Space Station that provide right now a unique orbital laboratory for research of many countries, boosting the advance of Science and Technology is definitively a proof that the ideals that once looked to be so much ambitious and perhaps utopic when Apollo-Soyuz project was conceived were after all reachable.

www.nasa.gov...

Of course seeing from the perspective of the so sophisticate and magnificent ISS, of course the Apollo-Soyuz docking of 1975 in space look really modest, but that was the seed of what today we have.

We can see right now that the international collaboration in the Space exploration is perfectly possible and moreover has enhanced the productivity of the experimentation in space, so it is highly beneficial for all the parts involved on it.

By the way , from your comment about propaganda, as far as I noticed on the 17th of July that was the anniversary of the docking this Thread was the only one opened to commemorate in ATS the 40th anniversary of one of the crucial points of the Space exploration, after all Apollo-Soyuz was the end of the space race in between USA and the USSR.

Before to opened the thread I was astonished trying to find any thread talking about this event along all ATS without finding anyone, neither here or in the forum of Space exploration. I felt sad to see that nobody even mentioned this so crucial achievement in all ATS, but instead there were dozens and dozens of the so called WWIII threads all pointed to a possible conflict in between EU, USA and Russia for the crisis on Ukraine. It is incredible how easy is to sell negativism on these days, but how difficult is to do the contrary.

Thanks,

The Angel of Lightness