Liftoff of Soviet Soyuz vehicle from Baykonur Cosmodrome in Kazahstan;
July 15, 1975
Scanning credit to Kipp Teague
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ASTP at ignition on Pad 39B; July 15, 1975
credit to NASA
Scanning credit to Kipp Teague
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View from Soyuz of Apollo CSM with docking adapter
View of Soviet Soyuz spacecraft from Apollo CM
credit to NASA
Scanning credit to Kipp Teague
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The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project: Time for collaboration
After several moon landing missions there was no doubt about who had won the Space Race. That fact initiated a climate change in which rivalry between the Soviet Union and the USA became somewhat subdued. Opportunities could be created for collaboration between the two superpowers.
Manned Space programs are very expensive, so joining efforts to save costs and to become more efficient seems to be a logical step ahead. Furthermore, accidents in space like the Apollo 13 and the Soyuz ... flights had made it clear that it became important that the USSR and the USA would be able to launch mutual rescue missions. The ASTP was meant to make spacecraft systems from both countries mutually adaptable. The docking systems were the most visible parts to meet the requirements of compatibility.
The SA-210 has been used to bring an Apollo spacecraft for the ASTP mission into orbit. The docking adapter with additional life support systems and a lock chamber to overcome the differences in cabin air between the crew compartments was secured inside the SLA during launch. The docking adapter was attached to the CSM after an extraction procedure similar to the one which was used to extract the lunar module from the S-IVB stage on one of the lunar missions. The docking adapter was equipped with a newly developed symmetrical genderless docking system. It meant that it could dock with an exact copy of itself, which was not the case with the Apollo docking system.
After some manoeuvering, the Apollo spacecraft, with the docking adapter attached to it, docked with a Soyuz spacecraft which was launched a few days earlier and was already equipped with the new docking system.
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