Vladimir Beilin (Russian, 20th C.) "Apollo-Soyuz Docking in Space" Original First Day Cover Watercolor painting. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the Russia Soyuz-Apollo stamp issued May 29, 1992. Its announced goal was to test a docking system designed for use in space rescue missions. But to the people of the United States and Soviet Union, the Soyuz-Apollo joint mission meant much more. First small warming in the Cold War, the mission began on July 15, 1975, with the launches of Soyuz and Apollo spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and Cape Canaveral just a few hours apart. The two crafts took two days to maneuver into position for docking 140 miles above the surface of the Earth. Then, in an intricate series of rocket thrusts, the Apollo docking module successfully latched onto the Soyuz. In awkward Russian, astronaut Tom Stafford exulted "We have succeeded!" His Soviet counterpart Alexei Leonov responded in English "Good show!" In the festive atmosphere that followed, astronauts Stafford, Vance Brand and Donald Slayton greeted cosmonauts Leonov and Valery Kubasov with the first "handshake in space." The five men remained together for approximately two days in the joined spacecraft, making space history in the process. Philatelic history was made as well, as both nations honored the event with their historic, first-ever postal Joint Issue. This final Apollo mission marked the end of a long series of U.S. successes in space. And it also signalled a new beginning for the American space program. For the next U.S. manned space flight wouldn't take place until six years later, when, on April 12, 1981, the Space Shuttle Columbia again took Americans closer to man's final frontier. Image Size: 14 x 12 in. Overall Size: 17.75 x 14 in. Unframed. (B13805)