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Cosmonaut / Astronaut

Vance Brand

American astronaut and command module pilot on the 1975 Apollo–Soyuz mission — his first spaceflight. He later commanded three Space Shuttle flights.
Spaceflights
Portrait of astronaut Vance Brand in a spacesuit.
Spaceflights
1
Time in space
≈ 9 days

Biography

Before NASA he was a test pilot and aeronautical engineer. He was selected as an astronaut in 1966. During the Apollo–Soyuz return, toxic nitrogen tetroxide entered the cabin and Brand briefly lost consciousness; the crew nonetheless landed safely. He later commanded STS-5, STS-41-B and STS-35.

Missions

Spaceflights

Official Apollo–Soyuz mission patch: the words APOLLO and СОЮЗ around a globe with the docked spacecraft.

15 July 1975

Apollo–Soyuz

Apollo–Soyuz (ASTP) was the first joint Soviet–American crewed flight, on 15–24 July 1975. The American Apollo docked with the Soviet Soyuz 19 and Tom Stafford shook hands with Alexei Leonov — the first international docking and a symbolic end to the space race.

9 daysOpen article →

Facts

Things you may not know

  1. Apollo–Soyuz was his first spaceflight.

  2. During the return he briefly lost consciousness because of toxic fumes in the cabin.

  3. He later commanded three Space Shuttle flights.

Crews

Flew together

Tom StaffordCosmonaut / AstronautTom StaffordApollo–SoyuzDeke SlaytonCosmonaut / AstronautDeke SlaytonApollo–SoyuzAlexei LeonovCosmonaut / AstronautAlexei LeonovApollo–SoyuzValeri KubasovCosmonaut / AstronautValeri KubasovApollo–Soyuz
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