Incredible flown silver-colored Kapton identification label removed from the crew compartment heat shield of the Apollo CM-111, the command module from the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. The label, which reads, “HE PRESS PNL, RCS YAW ENGINES,” measures 6.75 x 2.25, is coated with aluminum and oxidized silicon monoxide, with the reverse side of a rich gold color. The label was used to identify the location of the reaction control system (RCS), which powered a set of twelve hypergolic thrusters for attitude control and directional re-entry control. It bears unique burn patterns due to the high temperature of re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, and is clearly photo-matched to the photos taken of the CM upon Pacific Ocean recovery on July 24, 1975. Accompanied by three photos of the CM during recovery, and a signed certificate of authenticity from aerospace memorabilia specialist Ken Havekotte, affirming that the label “is an actual piece of the U.S. ASTP Command Module #111 spacecraft of AS-210 flown in space 136 orbits around the Earth on July 15-24, 1975.” In very good condition, with expected wear from presence on spacecraft. From the collection of aerospace memorabilia specialist Ken Havekotte. Flown status presumed by Havekotte. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project marked the first joint US-Soviet space flight, and culminated in the docking of an Apollo Command/Service Module with the Soviet Soyuz 19 on July 17, 1975. The first space mission to be televised live during the launch, while in space, and during the landing, the ASTP promptly ended the Space Race and did much to assuage tensions between the two Cold War superpowers—the event was hailed by both sides as 'a political act of peace.' Additionally, ASTP represents the only space flight for original Mercury astronaut Deke Slayton. Removed from the exterior of the Apollo command module following splashdown, this museum-quality identification label represents a significant turning point in the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union.
