This Saturday (17 July) sees the 35^th anniversary of a historic and symbolic meeting in space of two superpowers which, for decades, had been locked in ideological and political battle.

 

On July 17^th 1975 an American Apollo command module docked with a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in Earth orbit. It signaled the thawing of the Cold War which had resulted in America’s triumph in winning the race to land a man on the moon, but had also brought the world to the brink of destruction with the Cuban Missile Crisis. An American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut shaking hands in space was reason enough to fly this unique mission.

 

The Apollo-Soyuz linkup was the start of a collaboration that ultimately resulted in the construction of the International Space Station, mostly built by Russia and the United States, the greatest feat of engineering ever accomplished. Russians have flown to it on the US space shuttle, and Americans and other nationalities often get there by using Russian rockets.

 

Things were very different in the 1970’s. For the first time both sides would have to reveal to the other its technology, and both had taken different approaches to spacecraft design. For a start, a docking adaptor had to be manufactured that would safely join the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft together. Even then, each spacecraft used a different atmospheric mixture, at a different pressure!

 

But these and other huge technical challenges were solved and on July 17^th 1975, following two days of intricate manoeuvring, the American and Russian craft docked. On board the Apollo craft were Deke Slayton, Vance Brand and mission commander Tom Stafford, who knocked on the hatch. Veteran cosmonaut Alexei Leonov knocked back. Stafford couldn’t resist asking in Russian “Who’s there?”

 

“After a perfect docking, we both put our hands together,” recalls Stafford. “It was a handshake not only of two people working together, but also a symbol of our two countries working together.”

Leonov’s fellow cosmonaut for this adventure was engineer Valery Kubasov

 

Swiss watchmaker Omega has long been associated with manned spaceflight. Its Speedmaster wristwatch was adapted by the company for use in space during the Apollo missions and to this day remains the only type of watch to have been worn on the moon.

 

To commemorate the momentous occasion of the Apollo-Soyuz linkup, Omega has released a limited number of unique Speedmaster watches. The back of the case has a beautifully embossed representation of the Apollo-Soyuz uniform patch, with the names of all five American and Russian crew, and of course the all important serial number. Only 1,975 of these very special timepieces will be produced, and south west independent jeweller Michael Spiers has two of them.

 

Director Adam Spiers is very proud to be able to display two of the limited edition moonwatches in the company’s Truro and Plymouth showrooms. He said:

 

Photo: One of the commemorative Apollo-Soyuz Omega Speedmaster watches, a limited edition of 1,975. (Photo: Omega)

  

www.michaelspiers.co.uk.