Cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov shared his recollections about the initial difficulties faced by Soviet specialists during the early stages of cooperation with the American agency NASA. He described the welcome at NASA as less than friendly, citing an instance where he saw a drawing on a classroom board of an American «Space Shuttle» depicted upside down, with bombs falling from its cargo bay onto a map of the USSR.
«The beginning of our meetings was not easy. At NASA, the reception was not very friendly, I would say… There was a classroom board (in the open offices – ed.), with a chalk drawing of an inverted `Space Shuttle`, and bombs were raining down from its cargo bay onto a drawn map of the USSR,» Dzhanibekov stated at a press conference marking the 50th anniversary of the `Soyuz-Apollo` mission.
He also mentioned that Soviet cosmonauts noticed signs warning «Caution, Russians» and faced unexpected checks of their personal belongings. «I would go out for a run, and a specialist from the neighboring building would jump out behind me and try to keep up or run at a certain distance. All the walls were filled with tape recorders, recording everything we said among ourselves,» Dzhanibekov added.
The cosmonaut noted that over time, the USSR and the USA began to grow closer in the space field, leading to more contacts and joint programs. He highlighted the role of the creation of the international Association of Space Explorers in fostering this convergence.
The joint mission of the Soviet spacecraft `Soyuz` and the American `Apollo` took place from July 15 to 24, 1975. It became known historically as the «handshake in space» and served as a powerful symbol of the easing of international tensions.
