Space Rocket History #445 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – A Kind Invitation

In 1969, NASA Administrator Thomas O. Paine saw an opportunity for a paradigm shift in Soviet-American space relations. Given the United States’ clear lead in the race to the moon, he believed an offer of cooperation would not jeopardize the US lunar aspirations. Remarkably, the Soviet Union now had more to gain from such a partnership.