Apollo–Soyuz Test Project

Apollo Soyuz Test Project or Soyuz Apollo Project, as you wish, or where you come from, or what you are used to it, was the first joint U.S. Soviet space flight in July 1975. 
ASTP
On June 7, 1971 Soviet Union launched the first piloted orbital station Salyut 1. Meanwhile the U.S. launched Apollo 14. 

 By April 1974 both sides signed an Agreement Concerned Cooperation in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes, and committed to launch Apollo–Soyuz Test Project in 1975.

 The joint crew consisted of 3 Apollo astronauts and 2 Soyuz cosmonauts:

 Commander was Thomas P. Stafford 
Command module Pilot was Vance D. Brand 
Docking Module Pilot was Donald K. "Deke" Slayton

 Backup crew was Alan Bean, Ronald E. Evans, Jack R. Lousma

 Commander was Alexey Leonov
Flight Engineer Valeri Kubasov

 Backup crew was Anatoly Filipchenko, Nikolay Rukavishnikov

 The project aimed docking of Apollo Command/Service Module (CSM) with Soyuz 7K-TM. In Soyuz program Soyuz was named as Soyuz 19, but for the mission was used call sign Soyuz. Apollo was used as a call sign for Apollo part of the program, while for some press was used Apollo 18, but do not confuse it with cancelled lunar program.

The Soyuz and Apollo flights were launched seven and half hours apart each other on July 15, and docked on July 17. After three hours the two mission commanders, Stafford and Leonov, exchanged their handshake in space through the open door of the Soyuz. They have made joint scientific experiments and exchanged flags and gifts. They have also practised docking and redocking maneuvers. After 44 hours together ships separated. The Soviets remained in space for another five days, and the Americans for another nine days, during which the Apollo crew accomplished Earth observation experiments. 
The historic handshake

National Air and Space Museum
The ASTP was the final flight of an Apollo spacecraft. After the launch of the Apollo spacecraft, preparations began to convert Launched Pad 39B and the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center for use by the Space Shuttle, the next manned spacecraft program. Launch Pad 39A had already been closed after the launch of Skylab.

 A minor planet 2228 Soyuz-Apollo was discovered in 1977 by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh and was named after the mission. 


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