Web posted Friday, September 28, 2001
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The Apollo crew included, from left, Donald
'Deke' K. Slayton, Vance D. Brand and Mission Commander Thomas P. Stafford.
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Brand named hall of famer
By Jay Levine
X-Press Editor
It was during the heart of the Cold War when two rival nations embarked on a historic flight that is considered a major building block to international cooperation in space.
That historic mission, which occurred 26 years ago, had U.S. astronauts and Russian cosmonauts meeting in space during the historic 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission. The mission was not only a political success and a building block to international relations, but it also validated docking systems that are used today on the International Space Station.
Those five men, three Americans and two Russians, were honored this spring with membership into the San Diego Aerospace Museum's International Aerospace Hall of Fame.
The three American astronauts included Dryden's Deputy Director of Aerospace Projects Vance Brand, Apollo Commander Thomas P. Stafford and the late Donald "Deke" K. Slayton (his widow Bobbie Slayton accepted the honor). The two Russian cosmonauts were Soyuz Commander Alexi A. Leonov and Valery N. Kubasov.
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Apollo Commander Tom Stafford and Vance Brand are captured in this image of the historic mission.
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Brand and the Apollo-Soyuz honorees each received a glass statuette in the shape of a medallion and certificates bound in a portfolio. Inside the portfolio are a certificate and a copy of a portrait that will be part of a display in the museum Hall of Fame. In addition to a full-size portrait of the five men, the display also will include two plaques with their names.
"Back then it was a foot in the door between East and West with what was then the Soviets," Brand said. "We thought it worked out well. The space partnership's long-term value and impact is hard to know, but I hope it was useful in making the world a safer place and helped open the door for international cooperation. I hope continuing cooperative efforts will be as positive as that mission."
Back then, it was hard to know if there would be future cooperation.
"I did not envision the International Space Station. Tensions were high between the countries following the 1975 mission with the international tensions over Afghanistan and the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics," Brand said.
For Brand, the Apollo-Soyuz mission was his first of four space missions and he took Russian language lessons in an attempt to get a leg up on his competition for selection to the mission. In addition to Apollo Soyuz, he also had three Space Shuttle missions during his astronaut career.
Brand's honors include two NASA Distinguished Service Medals, two NASA Exceptional Service Medals, an Federation Aeronautique International (FAI) honor, the Yuri Gagarin Gold Medal, three NASA Space Flight Medals, the Harmon Trophy, induction into the International Space Hall of Fame and U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame and Meritorious Executive, U.S. Senior Executive Service.
The museum has honored more than 100 people who have made lasting impacts on aviation and aerospace during 23 annual investiture ceremonies. The museum was the first aero-themed museum accredited by the American Association of Museums in 1986, said Melissa Dennison, museum public relations coordinator.
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