The Handshake in Space Apollo , USSR , NASA

"From outer space our planet looks even more beautiful. It is big enough for us to live peacefully on, but it is too small to be threatened by nuclear war." — Leonid Brezhnev

The Handshake in Space — Thomas Stafford, Apollo commander, and Alexei Leonov, Soyuz commander

At a time when the United States and the Soviet Union were poised on the edge of nuclear annihilation, an improbable space mission proved that peace was possible.

Join us for this special episode of the Supercluster podcast, as we reach back into space history to bring you the story of the first ever international cooperation in space: The Apollo Soyuz Test Project.

Supercluster's own Jamie Carreiro is joined by team members and fellow space fans Amanda Burtnett and Tristan Dubin to explore the amazing story of this groundbreaking orbital collaboration.

This episode features the songs "Lobby Time" and "Oppressive Gloom" written and performed by Kevin MacLeod. (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/)

It also features “Gymnopedie,” composed by Erik Satie, and “Clair de Lune,” composed by Claude Debussy, both performed on piano by Kevin MacLeod. All songs used under the Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Header Copyright NASA / Davis Paul Meltzer (1930-2017)

Apollo as seen from the Soyuz 19 spacecraft during rendezvous.

ASTP crew atop a mockup of the docking module and Soyuz spacecraft.

The Handshake — Copyright NASA / Davis Paul Meltzer (1930-2017)

Soyuz 19 spacecraft as seen from Apollo during rendezvous.

Soviet Docking module pilot Deke Slayton and U.S. commander Thomas Stafford toast to a successful docking. The tubes appear to be Russian Vodka — but actually contain borscht.

ASTP Mission Patch