posted 07-15-2020 11:11 AM               

As most of us know, it was the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP), the first joint U.S.-Russia human spaceflight from July 15-24, 1975. An Apollo spacecraft, with a docking module attached, launched three U.S. astronauts for a historic space union with a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and its crew of two.

First on the launch pad to fly was Soyuz 19 from Soviet Kazakhstan on July 15 with cosmonaut commander Aleksey Leonov, the first spacewalker, and flight engineer Valeriy Kubasov, twice space-flown before.

Seven-and-one-half hours later, Apollo with her crew of mission commander Tom Stafford, a veteran Gemini and earlier Apollo astronaut, original first seven astronaut and the mission's docking module pilot Deke Slayton, and command module pilot Vance Brand — both first-time space fliers — launched on a Saturn 1B rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. It was last Apollo Apollo/Saturn liftoff after 14 crewed Apollo flights since 1968.

Two days later, on July 17, both spacecrafts were docked together in space for two days of joint on-orbit operations including tests of a new type of docking mechanism which might be used in future international space flights and rescue missions. During nearly two days of joint activities, the mission's flight crews carried out five joint experiments and exchanged commemorative souvenirs, one of which, is depicted above from one of the mission cosmonauts.

The Soyuz was the primary Soviet spacecraft used for crewed spaceflight since its introduction in 1967. The docking module was designed and constructed by NASA to serve as an airlock and transfer corridor between the two vehicles.

The nine-day ASTP space venture brought together two former spaceflight rivals: the United States and the former Soviet Union, forming the building blocks of a new era in space cooperation. The successful Apollo-Soyuz Test Project paved the way for many future international partnerships, especially with today's International Space Station of 15 nations all working together on the same long-term project.

For this wide-eyed teenage space enthusiast just out of high school, ASTP was my first crewed launch as a rookie news media reporter. Just a month later, another press coverage for the twin Viking Mars launch activities along with some of my first in-depth visits and tours of the nearby space center, including opportunities in seeing the first preparation developments for 3rd Century America, our nation's only Bicentennial Exposition on Science and Technology sponsored by the U.S.government in 1976.

Displayed are several panel presentations as an astrophilately and memorabilia tribute, or salute, to ASTP 45 years ago, with the first featuring all crew signed postal covers (except 2) of several different cachet types. The earliest related cover would be in May 1972 with the signing of a space treaty between the U.S. and Russia to dock Apollo and Soyuz spacecrafts in 1975.

posted 07-16-2020 12:28 PM               

In regards to the flown Kubasov cover, I think this may be the only one released by the mission's flight engineer cosmonaut. I don't recall any from Leonov, nor any that I knew of or was told about from the the American crew. But if I am not mistaken, I believe that flown space cover authority Walter Hopferwieser may have one as well.

Actually, though John, I've got hundreds of ASTP cover issues, many signed, going back to 1971 when an initial discussion meeting for a joint docking space mission took place in June 1971 at MSC-Houston (see actual cover at extreme top left of the display cover panel below). Those represented here contain more than 150 signatures of key ASTP program leaders, planners, directors, top engineers, flight controllers, support astronauts, military officials, and aerospace contractor personnel. Included are even several autographs of visiting Russian/ASTP delegation teams as they first arrived at the Houston space center for joint-project talks.

While the covers exhibited here only represent a small selection of those that I have assembled from 1971-75, ASTP was a big collecting project of mine for a number of reasons. After all, it was my first "live" manned space shot coverage from Press Site 39 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for almost two weeks.

All of the covers depicted in this arrangement are U.S.-issued, however, there are many more not shown from the former Soviet Union, and of many worldwide tracking stations, among others, too, not included in this posting. It's just too many!

The launch date of the U.S. Apollo-Soyuz Saturn (AS-210) on July 15, 1975, coincided with a first day issue by the U.S. Postal Service of two released Apollo-Soyuz 10-cent first class postage stamps. A pair of similar stamps, though printed in Russian, were also released for the first time on the same day in Moscow when Soyuz 19 was launched as the Soviet counterpart of the joint rendezvous-docking partnership.

Accomplished space artist Robert McCall designed the "after link-up" se-tenant stamp image (Scott 1569) for the U.S. and Anatoly Aksamit, well known for his Russian aviation renderings, designed the "before link-up" image (Scott 1570). The Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C., produced the multicolored stamps on the Andreotti press in sheets of 96 stamps in pairs of 24.

I can well remember purchasing thousands of the new U.S. space stamps at Titusville, FL, early that morning and having to affix them to countless numbers of covers and other items for KSC-FDI cancels. Philatelic services at the main Titusville post office had been provided by USPS for the new stamp purchases and first day KSC-cancellations since the on-base KSC post office is not open to the general public.

posted 08-05-2020 11:11 AM               

Depicted here are about a dozen of them along with a rare set of AB Emblem-produced special ASTP oversize (4 3/4") patches made with the initials of each astronaut crewman. There were only 150 of them made for each flight crew member and were never available to the public.

posted 12-07-2020 03:37 PM               

Mine came from the estate of Kubasov, as I was told, that included a complete set of all five crewmen.