Legendary cosmonaut Alexei Leonov’s flown logbook for the historic Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission, personally used and extensively annotated by Leonov as the commander of the Soviet Soyuz 7K-TM spacecraft. The ring-bound logbook, 8.5˝ x 6.25˝, contains green boards with the front gilt-stamped with the Soviet Union emblem and title in Russian [translated]: “On-Board Flight-Manual of the Commander.” The logbook contains 135 leaves, a total of 19 tape-covered tabs, and 13 different sections, the first seven of which relate to each day of the week-long mission, and the balance for “Forms of Radiograms,” “Flight Program Abnormalities,” and sections for several starting opportunities. The commander's detailed operational manual contains minute-to-minute instructions for the flight. Among these instructions are numerous annotations and instrument readings, which are interspersed with comments, complaints, observations, and careful pencil drawings. Highlights include:
Page 1-91: Leonov notes that the glass container for the fish has broken and the fish have died. He writes: “Ah, it's a pity!”
Page 2-9: Notations stating that a poor design means loose batteries and a machine that will not work properly.
Pages 6-11 and 6-12: Leonov makes two shaded pencil sketches of a thin band of light he sees at the Earth's edge. With no other scale at hand, he uses the Moon, only a quarter full, to measure the width of the band. The sketches are dated July 20, 1975, and timed at 12:20 and 13:34. They both show pale bands, “1/2 a moon” wide, with notations “smooth transition and blank” and “blue belt.”
8-4 and 8-5: (includes six total pages): Each orbit is listed and detailed ballistic measurements are supplied.
8-6: A lengthy description in pen of an on-board problem with electrical wiring.
8-6 and 8-7: Leonov is looking at the Earth's horizon again. He pencils a sketch, writing “In the band that is half the size of the moon there are shapes.” These are almost certainly enormously high thunderheads. Another sketch shows the Soyuz spacecraft itself, with the Moon on one side and stars on the other. He writes: “In the shadow of the spacecraft the stars are visible.” Also of interest is the manual’s inner front cover, which contains a replica of the Soyuz control panel, which shows prompts for communication modes, life-support systems, assembly of docking, orientation and landing preparations, and more. In fine condition.
Provenance: Sotheby's, December 1995.
