The Cold War handshake in the heavens - the Apollo-Soyuz mission (210)

Cold War Conversations

On 17 July 1975 the first manned international space mission, carried out jointly by the United States and the Soviet Union. Millions of people around the world watched on television as a United States Apollo module docked with a Soviet Union Soyuz capsule.

The project, and its memorable handshake in the heavens, was a symbol of détente between the two superpowers during the Cold War, and it is generally considered to mark the end of the Space Race.

Unthinkable only years earlier the Apollo–Soyuz mission was made possible by the thaw Soviet-US relations. According to Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, "The Soviet and American spacemen will go up into outer space for the first major joint scientific experiment in the history of mankind. They know that from outer space our planet looks even more beautiful. It is big enough for us to live peacefully on it, but it is too small to be threatened by nuclear war.”

Our guest is Cold War Conversations favourite, author Stephen Walker, the author of Beyond: The Astonishing Story of the First Human to Leave Our Planet and Journey into Space.

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Do check out our two previous episodes with Stephen. Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode172/ and the Forgotten Cosmonaut here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode192/

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I am delighted to welcome Stephen Walker back to our Cold War conversation…

There’s further information here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode210/

Thank you very much for listening. It is really appreciated – goodbye.

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0:00 Introduction and historic narration of the Apollo-Soyuz mission

1:24 Significance of the Apollo-Soyuz mission in the Cold War context

5:44 Detailed discussion on the Apollo-Soyuz mission: technological, political, and human aspects

10:17 Beginning of the thawing of Cold War tensions and the role of Apollo-Soyuz mission

20:06 Challenges encountered during the Apollo-Soyuz mission: Language and technology

24:38 Profiles of Apollo-Soyuz mission crew members

32:23 Training, first impressions, and cultural exchange between the American and Soviet teams

44:51 The launch of the mission and the first-ever televised Soviet launch

50:23 First meeting in space, exchange of gifts, shared journey, and near disaster

57:41 Troubled return of the Apollo and the aftermath

1:01:53 Legacy of the Apollo-Soyuz mission and the changing dynamics of space travel

1:08:05 Reflections on the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall

1:08:49 Introduction to Stephen Walker's book "Beyond"

1:11:23 Acknowledgement of the show's patrons and supporters

1:12:29 Closing remarks and promotion of the Cold War Conversations store

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