Features Actual Space Flown Relic from Apollo–Soyuz The
Apollo–Soyuz Test Project was the first joint U.S.–Soviet space
flight, and the last flight of an Apollo spacecraft. The flight
launched in July 1975, and was the last manned US space mission
until the first Space Shuttle flight in April 1981. The mission
included both joint and separate scientific experiments and
provided useful engineering experience for future joint
US–Russian space flights, such as the Shuttle–Mir Program and
the International Space Station. This photograph shows the
Apollo spacecraft being recovered in the Pacific Ocean on July
24, 1975 after traveling over 3.5 million miles. In total, the
spacecraft flew 136 orbits around the earth during its nine day
mission. This photograph is matted to include a piece of flown
Kapton relic. This pressure-sensitive Kapton polyimide tape was
part of the spacecraft's thermal protection subsystem and was
removed from the heat shield after splashdown. Kapton is a
polyimide film developed by DuPont wh