This medal commemorates the first international manned spaceflight mission. In July 1975, two manned spacecraft were launched into Earth orbit--one from Kazakhstan, the other from Florida. Their rendezvous in orbit fulfilled a 1972 agreement between the Soviet Union and the United States to participate in a joint venture in space. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project marked a brief thaw in the Cold War and the first time that the two rivals cooperated in a manned space mission. Engineering teams from both sides collaborated in the development of a docking module to link the spacecraft. Control centers in Moscow and Houston exercised joint duties through a cooperative exchange of tracking data and communications. The crews visited each other's spacecraft, shared meals and worked on various tasks during several days together in space. This commemorative medal depicts this historic international mission. On one side, the mission is presented from the Russian perspective; with the Soyuz spacecraft in the foreground, and the crew listed by name in Russian. On the reverse, the mission is depicted in English, and the Apollo spacecraft is most prominent.
The manufacturer, Medallic Art Company, donated this medal to the museum in 1976.
Display Status
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Country of Origin
United States of America
Type
AWARDS-Medals & Ribbons
Astronaut
Aleksei Arkhipovich Leonov
Donald K. Slayton
Thomas P. Stafford
Valerii Kubasov, 1935-2014
Vance D. Brand
Manufacturer
Medallic Art Company
Dimensions
3-D: 0.7 x 6.2cm (1/4 x 2 7/16 in.)
Materials
gold colored metal
Inventory Number
A19760741000
Credit Line
Gift of Medallic Art Company
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
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