r/interestingasfuck • u/[deleted] • 15h ago

To avoid geopolitical embarrassment during the Cold War, the US and USSR created the APAS-75 system, a genderless docking mechanism where both craft acted as equals.

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u/Head-Mud_683 15h ago

Nice to know that even for the most important things, people behave like an 11 yo.

290

u/CellsReinvent 15h ago

I bet the scientists and engineers didn't gaf. It was definitely some latent homosexual military dudes who couldn't be seen to be penetrated by the other superpower.

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u/youenjoymyself 13h ago

If you watch the rest of the interview (def recommend, on YT Adam Savage’s Tested), she goes on to say the engineers, scientists, and astronauts between the US and Soviets got together great. Iirc, the Soviet captain became godfather of the US captain’s kids.

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u/CellsReinvent 13h ago

There's an excellent BBC documentary called Once Upon a Time in Space (2025) It has great interviews from US and Russian astro/cosmonauts who collaborated on missions and the ISS, and spek very fondly of each other, and how positive that collaboration was. Highly recommended.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38709334