ASTP at 50: A Look Inside the Historic Apollo-Soyuz Official Flight Kits

As the 50th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) approaches, new details have emerged about the contents of the mission's Official Flight Kit (OFK) and Astronaut Preference Kits (APKs), offering a fascinating glimpse into the first joint space mission between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Preparations for the ASTP OFK began approximately three months before the July 1975 launch, with the Astronaut Office submitting detailed requests for items to be flown aboard the Apollo spacecraft. While the majority of requested items made it into space, the article highlights some intriguing last-minute additions and discrepancies between initial requests and the final manifest, which has been published online for the first time.

One notable instance involved NASA Administrator James Fletcher's request for two bicentennial lapel pins and presidential and vice presidential flags just prior to launch. Curiously, while photo documentation confirms these flags did fly – with the presidential flag later gifted to Gerald Ford – they were not listed on the official OFK manifest. The manifest also omits the bicentennial pins, instead listing two Oklahoma pins and fifteen sets of wings and pins for the crew.

The original OFK request included over 20 medium-sized American flags, but the final manifest reveals none of this size. Instead, the number of small U.S. flags (3 by 5 inches) flown was significantly increased from an initial 1,560 to 2,000. These small American flags, along with 300 Soviet flags flown in the OFK, served as cherished mementos and later as retirement gifts for NASA employees. A pair of U.S. and USSR flags flown on ASTP, once presented to Congressman Carl Albert, is currently available at auction, underscoring the enduring historical value of these artifacts.

Beyond the OFK and APKs, commemorative pieces were also exchanged between the American and Soviet crews during the mission itself, separate from the items stowed until after the flight. Today, five decades later, the vast majority of the contents from both the OFK and APKs have been distributed to their intended recipients. The article provides valuable insights through images of the OFK manifest, related memos, and the manifests for the individual American crew members' APKs.

This detailed look into the flight kits offers a tangible connection to the historic ASTP mission, a landmark event in international space cooperation.

Source: ASTP at 50: Inside the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project official flight kit