In the summer of 1975 a fresh wind blew over the world. At a distance of 225 km, in orbit around the Earth, the USA and the USSR made contact as two spacecraft docked together in a sign of peace. In an instant it lightened the spirit of all of those caught up in the Cold War. It showed us the potential of good will and made us realize that we are all citizens of the same planet.
I would like to commemorate this historic moment, that like so many other milestones of peace, are soon forgotten. I want to reconstruct the atmosphere of the moment so that we can relive this much needed experience today. To do this I will build scale models of the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft showing them seconds before contact, exposing their intrinsic potential.
The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) was the first joint space flight between the USA and the USSR. The mission entailed the docking of an American Apollo spacecraft with the Soviet Soyuz spacecraft in orbit around Earth. The project included several scientific tasks, and generated useful engineering information on American and Soviet space technology, but the primary purpose of the mission was a symbolic one in very troubled times.
The Soyuz and Apollo flights were launched on July 15. After two days of manoeuvers the Houston command center informed the crews that they were ready for docking. On television screens around the world Soyuz was seen through Apollo's color camera as the two spacecraft came closer and Commander Stafford called out: "Less than five meters distance … three meters …. one meter … contact."
On July 17th 1975, Stafford opened the hatch to the Soyuz module and exchanged the first international handshake in space with commander Leonov to the thunderous applause filling both control centers. The two spacecraft remained linked for 44 hours, long enough for the three American and two Soviet astronauts to do televized interviews, exchange flags and gifts, pay visits to each other's spacecraft, eat together and converse in each other's languages.
The mission was a great success, both technically but more so as a symbol of the policy of détente that the two superpowers were beginning to adopt at the time, and as a fitting end to the tension of the cold war.
‘Contact’ is a 1/5 scale reconstrution of the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft a second before docking. The spacecraft will be lightly stylized and consist of a light-weight frame covered with Mylar film and painted with original graphics. The structures will be both dynamic and performative for they will be filled with helium and flown through the streets of Berlin, creating a procession and culminating in their rendez-vous at the exhibition venue. Collaboration will be sought in the people of Berlin in an open dialogue aimed at organizing the procession and fine-tuning the project.
In the summer of 1975 a fresh wind blew over the world. At a distance of 225 km, in orbit around the Earth, the USA and the USSR made contact as two spacecraft docked together in a sign of peace. In an instant it lightened the spirit of all of those caught up in the Cold War. It showed us the potential of good will and made us realize that we are all citizens of the same planet.
I would like to commemorate this historic moment, that like so many other milestones of peace, are soon forgotten. I want to reconstruct the atmosphere of the moment so that we can relive this much needed experience today. To do this I will build scale models of the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft showing them seconds before contact, exposing their intrinsic potential.
The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) was the first joint space flight between the USA and the USSR. The mission entailed the docking of an American Apollo spacecraft with the Soviet Soyuz spacecraft in orbit around Earth. The project included several scientific tasks, and generated useful engineering information on American and Soviet space technology, but the primary purpose of the mission was a symbolic one in very troubled times.
The Soyuz and Apollo flights were launched on July 15. After two days of manoeuvers the Houston command center informed the crews that they were ready for docking. On television screens around the world Soyuz was seen through Apollo's color camera as the two spacecraft came closer and Commander Stafford called out: "Less than five meters distance … three meters …. one meter … contact."
On July 17th 1975, Stafford opened the hatch to the Soyuz module and exchanged the first international handshake in space with commander Leonov to the thunderous applause filling both control centers. The two spacecraft remained linked for 44 hours, long enough for the three American and two Soviet astronauts to do televized interviews, exchange flags and gifts, pay visits to each other's spacecraft, eat together and converse in each other's languages.
The mission was a great success, both technically but more so as a symbol of the policy of détente that the two superpowers were beginning to adopt at the time, and as a fitting end to the tension of the cold war.
‘Contact’ is a 1/5 scale reconstrution of the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft a second before docking. The spacecraft will be lightly stylized and consist of a light-weight frame covered with Mylar film and painted with original graphics. The structures will be both dynamic and performative for they will be filled with helium and flown through the streets of Berlin, creating a procession and culminating in their rendez-vous at the exhibition venue. Collaboration will be sought in the people of Berlin in an open dialogue aimed at organizing the procession and fine-tuning the project.