On July 17, 1975, the two spacecraft docked 138 miles (222 km) above Earth. Mission commanders Thomas Stafford (USA) and Alexey Leonov (USSR) performed the historic "handshake in space" through a specialized docking module.
Launched on a Soyuz U rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. APOLLO -SOYUZ - NASA
The , which took place in July 1975, was the first international human spaceflight mission and served as a symbolic conclusion to the Space Race . The mission involved the docking of an American Apollo command module with a Soviet Soyuz capsule, representing a significant thaw in Cold War relations known as détente . Mission Overview Launch Date: July 15, 1975. Spacecraft & Launch Vehicles: On July 17, 1975, the two spacecraft docked
Launched on a Saturn IB rocket from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The , which took place in July 1975,
The two crews remained docked for approximately 44 hours , conducting joint scientific experiments, sharing meals, and exchanging gifts. The Crew Members American Crew (NASA) Soviet Crew Commander Thomas P. Stafford Alexey A. Leonov Flight Engineer/Pilot Vance D. Brand Valery N. Kubasov Docking Module Pilot Donald K. "Deke" Slayton [Sources: NASA, Spaceline] Technical Innovations & Challenges Apollo-Soyuz Test Project - NASA