Apollo-Soyuz Test Project

July 15-24 years, marked its removal from the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP), the famous "Handshake in space." ASTP was the first American Soviet space flight last American Apollo spacecraft docking, then Soviet Soyuz spacecraft. This joint effort between two players at the global level was based on the 1972 agreement signed, and it set a precedent for future joint activities, such as the Shuttle-Mir program and the international space station.

Astronaut Stafford (foreground) shakes hands with cosmonaut Leonov 17 July 1975. Historic handshake kicked around 47 hours in orbit a docked in the foreground operations.The picture is presented in 16 mm televisiotuotantoon film in the field of water policy.(Credit: NASA) 

ASTP also should be taken as an opportunity to comply with the American astronauts systematically and photo from outer space, the country offers so researchers study and examination of applications-orbit of the Earth with new data. What most people do not know, the National Air and Space Museum played an important role in this aspect of the operation.

Dr. Farouk El-Baz was the Museum Center in the country and the founding CatGenie Cartridge Chairman of the planetary Studies and he was the principal investigator Earth Observations and photographic Experiment, ASTP.He had to get this test the operation on the disk. photogeology Dr. El-Baz was previously trained Apollo astronauts may wish to comment on the Visual at the same time evolved Moon (can be seen him working with the image of HBO miniseries from Earth to the Moon) and now the objective of the country.He worked as Research assistants Delia Mitchell Warner and Sue McLafferty design flyovers which astronauts perform their aircraft T-38, so that they may in practice of observing and Astrophotography with geologic features above the space, astronauts. Although took 2,000 images, of which about 750 had good quality (for example, will not cloud-below). 

Earth Observations and photographic Experiment of characteristic photo: Angola, Latin America African part of the view if the unique drainage patterns will provide comprehensive, partly vegetated dune fields.(Credit: NASA)

Dr. El-Baz researchers to analyze collected geology, Oceanography, hydrology, meteorology and more pictures of the group.Orbital with large Aerial photos, allow direct research coverage of large structures, a wide distribution of the costs of their remoteness and is available elements of the Earth if the entire field of normal makes an impractical. these photos applications are widespread, updating, and repairing maps, country resource monitoring, studying the dynamic geologic processes and end-user Ocean Properties. Regional planetary Image Facility (RPIF) the Earth and Planetary Studies Museum Center houses the ASTP images are printed in the archive.

The Museum Space Race Gallery you can see the Apollo Soyuz spacecraft docked and Assembly. command and service modules screen Apollo test vehicles. docking station module, which connects the two spacecraft to back up the flight hardware, and Soyuz spacecraft Energy Design Bureau, an association, which was built originally Soyuz full-scale model.

Apollo-Soyuz test project with a screen Space Race Gallery at the National Air and Space Museum.

Meghan Cassidy is the Center for Earth and at the National Air and Space Museum planetary Studies intern.