The historic meeting of the U.S. and Soviet Union in space -- a major symbol of détente in the Cold War. The final flight of the Apollo Program signaled the first part of a still-active cooperation and collaboration between the two world powers in space. The Apollo element of the mission launched second and carried the majority of the docking equipment. The joint mission included the world-famous American-Soviet handshake in space. The two countries would now solely focus on developing new scientific research capabilities in space while learning how to regularly travel to, live, and work in microgravity. Twenty-years later, the U.S. and post-Soviet Russia would come together once more to form the backbone of the International Space Station. This was the final U.S. human spaceflight for nearly six years until the Space Shuttle began flying.