At the height of detente in the early 1970s, George Low, Deputy Administrator under Thomas Paine, began negotiating with Soviet space officials for a joint endeavor in space. After the appointment of James C. Fletcher as Administrator in April 1971, Low continued the negotiations until an agreement was reached and signed by President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin as part of the SALT accords of 1972.

The Apollo Soyuz Test Project flight took place in July 1975. Three U.S. astronauts and two Soviet cosmonauts exchanged these flags as a symbol of the first international manned space venture.
Flags exchanged on Apollo Soyuz Test Project mission:
American Flag
Soviet Flag

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-- -- TIMELINE -- --


Racing to Space
The Moon decision
To reach the moon
Apollo 11
Later Apollo missions
What we learned about the Moon
After the Apollo Program


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Created: 7/99