Apollo–Soyuz Test Project

The Apollo -Soyuz Test Project ( ASTP ) ( erroneously also Apollo 18 ) was the first American- Soviet cooperation in space exploration. An Apollo and a Soyuz spacecraft docked on July 17, 1975 in Earth orbit each other, so that the astronauts were able to change to another of a spaceship. The mission represented a turning point in the hitherto strictly separate and competing space programs of the superpowers represents the missile technology became a major base of the arms race, and so peaceful cooperation was in space a political publicity success and a pacifist signal.

Space ships and crews

Soyuz 19

The Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 19 was launched by a Soyuz -U rocket. On board were commander Alexei Leonov, Voskhod 2 with the already had experience in space and had taken the first spacewalk, and flight engineer Valery Kubasov, who had been with Soyuz 6 in space.

As a replacement team Anatoli Filipchenko and Nikolai Rukavishnikov were ready. Seven months earlier, she had flown a test flight in the same configuration as Soyuz 19 Soyuz 16.

The support team consisted of Boris Andreyev, Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Alexander Ivanchenkov and Yuri Romanenko. All four were already in Soyuz 16, the replacement or support team.

Apollo

The American Apollo spacecraft had no official number. Since the last Apollo mission to the moon was Apollo 17, Apollo 18 was the name mistakenly used often.

In contrast to most other Apollo missions had the spacecraft while a serial number (CSM -111 ), but no own call. Originally this ship was intended for Apollo 15. However, after the lunar program was cut, Apollo 15 was launched in July 1971 with an expanded spacecraft CSM - 112. The specimen CSM -111 was postponed until there was a mission with the Apollo - Soyuz mission, which was suitable.

As a Saturn 1B rocket served with the serial number AS- 210. The launch took place from the modified ( and increased by an essay ) launch platform.

Aboard the Apollo commander Thomas Stafford were the pilot Vance Brand and the docking module pilot Deke Slayton.

Stafford was previously in already with Gemini 6, Gemini 9 and Apollo 10 space. With his fourth space flight, he now drew equal with Jim Lovell, John Young and Pete Conrad, who had reached that mark earlier.

Fire had taken support tasks throughout the Apollo program, among other things, he had taken a week's duration test of the Apollo spacecraft. Most recently, he was a reserve commander for the Skylab space station.

Slayton had heard for the very first group of astronauts, but could not start as planned with a Mercury spacecraft for health reasons. He was then for many years responsible for the selection of the Apollo crews until he could actually fly itself for the first time into space the last Apollo flight. He at first had even been nominated for this flight as commander ( with Jack Swigert as a pilot and Vance Brand as a docking module pilot ), thus had but can not enforce within NASA.

The backup crew consisted of Alan Bean, Ron Evans and Jack Lousma. Bean and Lousma previously Skylab 3, Evans was pilot of the command module of Apollo 17 Since NASA should take a break in manned space flight after this flight, were selected as replacements experienced astronauts, requiring little additional training.

The support team consisted of four astronauts who were taken over by the U.S. Air Force in 1969: Karol Bobko, Robert Crippen, Robert Overmyer and Richard Truly. These four worked on the part of NASA as a connection from speaker ( Capcom ) Overmyer of Moscow.

Between the announcement of the team in early 1973 and the launch in July 1975 were almost 2.5 years, that is by far the longest preparation time an Apollo crew at all.

The docking module

Since the American and did not fit each other, the Soviet coupling system and also the spaceships different atmospheres on board had (air pressure and breathing mixture) could not directly couple Apollo and Soyuz. Both sides used systems in which each spacecraft was the active and the passive side of the coupling process already assigned constructive solid at the other. For this use a universal coupling system has been developed wherein each of the two sides of both the active and could take a passive role. The centering when docking was no longer guaranteed by a Andockdorn on the active and a matching funnel on the passive side, but by three inclined metal plates, which intervened between that of the counterpart. During this universal docking port was installed directly on the Soyuz orbital section, the modification of the Apollo command unit was considerably more complex. To the commando unit at the last planned use not having to completely redesign, let NASA a coupling adapter with the recent Lunar Lander docking port on one side and the universal docking port on the other side develop. This adapter also functioned as an air lock for the transition from one to the other cabin atmosphere. During startup, the docking adapter was stowed in the upper stage of the Saturn IB rocket. In Earth orbit then the Apollo pulled the adapter as the lunar module in the previous lunar missions from the cowling. The docking adapter was thus at the head of the Apollo Command Module.

As the atmosphere on board of the Apollo pure oxygen at a pressure of 34% of the earth's atmosphere was used. On board the Soyuz contrast, normal air (nitrogen -oxygen mixture ) is inhaled under normal pressure. The usual pressure of 100 % of the earth's atmosphere has been reduced to 68% for this mission at an increased Sauerstofanteil so that the breathing was easier to adjust when transferring from one spacecraft to another. Thus, the estimated beginning two hours connection time reduced to just one hour.

Mission overview

• The Soviet Soyuz 19 was launched on July 15, 1975 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. It was the first Soviet rocket launch, which was broadcast live on television internationally.
• Exactly seven and a half hours later launched in Cape Canaveral, the Apollo spacecraft. Since there were two other cosmonauts aboard the Soviet space station Salyut 4 at this time, so there were seven astronauts in space at the same time.
• In orbit, the Apollo spacecraft pulled the docking module from its mounting.
• Visual contact of the two spaceships on July 17.
• The coupling of the two spaceships Apollo took over the active role.
• On several occasions, the spaceman changed in the respective other spacecraft. Here, each spacecraft remained at all times occupied with at least one astronaut.
• After 44 hours shared flight Apollo and Soyuz separated for half an hour. Apollo moved in front of the sun to create an artificial solar eclipse for the Soyuz cosmonauts.
• Second docking, this time was the active Soyuz spacecraft. The spaceman but no longer increased while into the other ship.
• Three hours later, the two spacecraft decoupled final.
• Soyuz 19 left orbit and landed on July 21, 1975 in the desert of Kazakhstan. The landing was first televised.
• The Apollo landing capsule splashed down on July 24, 1975 at the Pacific Ocean at 21 ° 52'N and 162 ° 45'W and was salvaged from the USS New Orleans.

Near disaster on the Apollo landing

Faulty operation and a series of unfortunate circumstances, it would almost have come to the death of three astronauts at the landing of the last Apollo landing capsule.

From a no longer apparent reason two switches were not operated after the re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, which should trigger the automatic landing system. As in around seven kilometers above the auxiliary braking parachutes were not triggered automatically as intended, it took the astronauts manually. The stabilization nozzles that would automatically will be disabled, but set fire because the location of the landing capsule no longer coincided with the preset. Thus, the capsule came into a tailspin. After about half a minute, the nozzles were turned off by the astronauts. During this time, but penetrated unburned gases through a counter balance valve in the capsule. Since the main parachutes were also not triggered automatically operated fire also it manually at a height of 2700 meters. After some hard splashdown the capsule floated upside down and fire had to operate the pop-up system manually to bring them in an upright position.

Brand was unconscious for about 40 seconds. Stafford was able to impose him an oxygen mask. After the capsule had set up and the hatch could be opened, rolled in fresh air and the gases volatilized. The crew had to stay in hospital for observation after recovery two weeks.

Flown landing capsule is located in the California Science Center in Los Angeles. The Apollo landing capsule that was used for the interface and crew tests is exhibited at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor 's Complex.

The effects

It was the last flight of the Apollo spacecraft and the Saturn IB launch vehicle. At the same time it was up to the mission Dragon COTS1 in 2010, also the last U.S. spacecraft splashed down on a parachute. This graduated from a U.S. perspective, the ASTP the era of manned space flight with loss missiles. There followed a period of six years in which there were no manned American space flights until 1981, the Space Shuttle became operational.

The ASTP was a one-time action of the two space powers, USA and USSR. Twenty years later, the Shuttle -Mir program was launched, however, the USSR was at that time already collapsed.