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National Aeronautics and Space Administration Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas 77058 AC 713 483-5111

Rh Billie Deason Release No. 90-038

APOLLO-SOYUZ TEST PROJECT REUNION TO BE HELD AT JSC

American and Soviet crewmembers of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) will return to the Johnson Space Center on July 24 fora reunion observing the 15-year anniversary of their historic mission.

Astronauts Tom Stafford and Deke Slayton, both now retired, and Cosmonauts Alexei Leonov and Valery Kubasov will join in a tour of three NASA Centers to celebrate history's first international joint space mission. Astronaut Vance Brand, commander of upcoming Shuttle mission STS-35 and a member of the ASTP crew, will participate in the JSC events if schedules permit. Spouses and family members of the crew will take part in the reunion activities. The party will arrive the morning of July 24 at Ellington Field where Center Director Aaron Cohen will welcome them.

A press conference will be held at 10:45 a.m. in the JSC press briefing room, building 2, room 135. Following the press conference, the ASTP crews and their families will be guests of Stafford and Cohen for a luncheon at the Gilruth Center.

In the afternoon, the group will tour the Weightless Environment Training Facility, Mission Control, the Shuttle trainer and the Space Station Freedom full-scale mockups.

At 3:45 p.m., the party will return to the press briefing room for the signing of a letter of agreement between the Soviet Soyuz All-Union Aerospace Youth Society, acting on behalf of Gosteleradio (USSR television) and the producers of Houston Public Television's new PBS children's space science series, "The Spacewatch Club." The agreement finalizes arrangements for two television projects to be jointly produced by the Soyuz Society, Gosteleradio, PBS and Spacewatch.

Kubasov will sign for the Soyuz Society and James S. Miller, executive producer of "The Spacewatch Club" series, will sign for Houston Public Television.