On Thursday, 17 July 1975, 52 hours after the mission began, the two spacecraft successfull docked in space. Seven and a half hours later, the Apollo spacecraft was launched from LC-39B at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The ASTP mission began with launch of the Soyuz spacecraft from Baikonur Cosmodrome on Tuesday, 15 July 1975. Once the Apollo and Soyuz were docked, the docking module also served as conduit between the two spacecraft through which men and cargo could pass. Apollo used pure oxygen pressurized to 5.0 while Soyuz utilized a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere pressurized at 10.0 psia. It also functioned as an airlock since the two vehicles employed different pressurization systems. The Apollo CSM carried a special docking module that permitted the spacecraft to dock with the Soyuz. That achievement occurred in March of 1965 during the flight of Voskhod 2. Leonov held the distinction of being the first human to perform a spacewalk. ASTP was the second spaceflight for both men. It was the 19th such vehicle flown by the Soviets. The Soviet Union flew a Soyuz spacecraft as part of ASTP. ASTP was Slayton’s ultimate vindication from what he always considered to be a specious medical issue. Slayton, one of the original Mercury Seven, had been deprived of a Mercury flight due to what flight surgeons claimed was a heart murmur. This was Stafford’s 4th time in space while Brand and Slayton were space rookies. The United States flew an Apollo Command-Service Module (CSM) with three men on board Commander Thomas P. The primary objectives of ASTP were to (1) test the compatibility of rendezvous and docking systems of American and Soviet spacecraft, (2) pave the way for international space rescue and (3) set the stage for future joint manned spaceflights. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) was the first international manned spaceflight. This historic event also marked the first time that spacecraft from two nations successfully rendezvoused and docked in orbit. Thirty-seven years ago this month, the first joint United States-Soviet Union spaceflight was successfully conducted.
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