Oct 25

Space Rocket History #450 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Round 3 with the Soviets

Finally Kraft and Gilruth told the Soviets that if they were unwilling to agree to the telephone conversations then the NASA delegation might as well pack up and go back to Houston. After some hesitation, the Soviets decided to try the telephone telex approach.

Proposed Docking Mount

Proposed Docking Mount

Lunney’s Schedule for early 1972

Oct 11

Space Rocket History #449 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Apollo-Salyut Test Mission Planning

The spacecraft designers led by Caldwell Johnson faced a demanding task. Director Gilruth urged them to accelerate the development of the docking adapter design, aiming to have a functional model ready for the upcoming November meeting with the Soviets.

Apollo-Salyut Hardware

Present & Future Docking System

Docking Module Concept Design

Sep 28

Space Rocket History #448 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Soyuz/Skylab & Apollo/Salyut

Two options were presented: Apollo docking with Salyut/Soyuz or Soyuz with Skylab/Apollo. Caldwell Johnson was taken aback by the Soviets’ eagerness to immediately pursue the development of a universal docking mechanism.

Concept Apollo/Soyuz. Credit Astronomy.com

Concept Soyuz/Skylab

Concept Apollo/Salyut

Sep 14

Space Rocket History #447 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Creating a Partnership

On January 20th, 1971 in private negotiation, Low and Frutkin met with Keldysh and Feoktistov to discuss rendezvous and docking. NASA proposed developing compatible systems for Apollo and Soyuz rather than future spacecraft, aiming to give specialists something concrete on which to work.

Academician Aleksandr Vinogradov, left, examines a lunar rock from Apollo 12

At the Soviet Academy of Sciences, the Soviet and U.S. negotiators face one another in January 1971

Academician Keldysh, right, headed the delegations and signed the agreements