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Chronology

ASTP Preflight Chronology

  • 24 October 1970
    American delegation met with Soviet officials in Moscow for the first talks of a joint U.S.-USSR human mission.
  • 16 January 1971
    George Low, NASA Deputy Administrator, and his party arrived in Moscow to turn talks into specific proposals.
  • 24 May 1972
    Nixon-Kosygin agreement-work on ASTP began.
  • 30 June 1972
    Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) became the official name of the mission.
  • 6 July 1972
    Soviet officials arrived in Houston for talks.
  • 9-19 October 1972
    U.S. and USSR representatives met in Moscow and agreed on the 15 July 1975 date.
  • 1 February 1973
    Glynn Lunney, NASA Technical Director of ASTP, announced the American crewmembers.
  • 24 May 1973
    The Soviet crew was announced by Konstantin Bushuyev.
  • 4 March 1974
    NASA and the Soviet Academy of Sciences announced the selection of the emblem.
  • 22 May 1975
    Flight Readiness Review for Soviets took place in Moscow.
  • 12 June 1975
    Flight Readiness Review for Americans took place at Kennedy Space Center.
Timeline of ASTP Flight: 15-24 July 1975
    All times are in Central Daylight Time (CDT), the time zone of Mission Control in Houston.
  • 15 July
    -7:20 a.m.-Soviet launch took place.
    -2:50 p.m.-U.S. launch took place.
  • 16 July
    -Soyuz crew broadcasted their first pictures through a color TV camera.
    -Apollo crew conducted various experiments.
  • 17 July
    -7:56 a.m.-Apollo crew attempted to radio Soyuz crew. Voice contact was established 5 minutes later.
    -10:17 a.m.-A 0.9-second terminal phase engine burn brought Apollo within 35 kilometers of Soyuz.
    -11:10 a.m.-The two spacecraft joined in space. (Click here to view videos)
    -2:17 p.m.-Astronaut Tom Stafford opened hatch leading into the Soyuz orbital module. Greetings and gifts were exchanged between the two crews.
    -3:37 p.m.-President Ford called to hold a personal interview with the crewmembers.
    -5:47pm-The two crews closed their hatches, separated, and slept after a successful day.
  • 18 July
    -More television broadcasts occur.
    -Crewmembers of both spacecraft take turns moving back and forth between the two spacecraft.
  • 19 July
    -Docking exercises are performed.
    -9:25 p.m.-Russian version of "Hello Darlin'" song is played. (Click here to read the story)
    -10:17 p.m.-The two spacecraft undock.
  • 20 July
    -Independent activities occur.
  • 21 July
    -Soviet Soyuz module landed in Kazakhstan.
    -5:51 a.m.-Valeriy Kubasov is the first to exit the craft.
    -The American crew continues to conduct experiments until July 23.
  • 24 July
    -4:18 p.m.-Apollo splashes down 7,300 meters from the recovery ship New Orleans.
    -The failure to throw the Earth Landing System switches led to a two-week hospital stay for the Apollo crew after breathing noxious gases. They fully recovered.
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