OTD…June 5 and STS-40

American and Soviet crews were launched today in 1975 for the first handshakes in space between the two superpowers as part of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.

#OTD in 1997…Atlantis launched on the seventh joint docking mission with Russia’s space station Mir

#OTD in 1985…Discovery launched on the first classified space shuttle mission for the Department of Defense. Watch the liftoff: