Apollo-Soyuz Emblem, Matted and Signed by All Five Prime Crew Members

The Apollo-Soyuz Emblem, measuring 7" x 7", no place, undated. Matted to the overall size of 11" x 14" and signed on the mat by both Prime Crews: Thomas Stafford, Vance Brand, Deke Slayton, Alexei Leonov, and Valeri Kubasov. Faint toning to the mat edges. All bold signatures, very fine. Provenance: From the collection of Anatole Forostenko, Chief Russian Language Instructor-Interpreter for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission.

The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project emblem was designed by the Soviets and commissioned by NASA to mark the first international manned space flight. The five-year program was conducted to establish space rescue techniques for the USA and the USSR, conduct scientific experiments, and to study the feasibility of more ambitious joint future projects.

Dr. Anatole Forostenko (b. 1939) was born in the Soviet Union and moved to the U.S. in 1949. He studied at Rutgers University and Indiana University before gaining his Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr. From 1970 to 1973, Forostenko was an Assistant Professor of Russian Language and Literature at the University of California. He then joined the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1974 and became involved in the Apollo-Soyuz test project. He became the Chief Russian Language Instructor for the NASA astronauts, preparing them to communicate with cosmonauts during the mission, and he worked closely with both crews as instructor-interpreter. Often, he worked in one-on-one situations with General Thomas P. Stafford and Vance Brand. During the Apollo-Soyuz mission, Forostenko served as one of three U.S. Air-to-Ground interpreters at the Johnson Space Center Mission Control Center. Upon completion of the mission, he traveled with the crew members and their families on the post-flight Soviet Good Will Tour and has remained in close contact with those involved.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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