Open Hatch

On the 17th of July, 1975, two mission commanders, Stafford and Leonov, exchanged the first international handshake in space through the “open hatch” of the Soviet Soyuz 7K-TM spacecraft. Nasa publicly referred to this mission as Apollo 18; respectively, the mission under the Soviet Soyuz programme was given a number designation of Soyuz 19. The Apollo-Soyuz handshake was symbolic of something much more significant than simply being the first international handshake in space; it was a symbol of détente (the easing of hostility or strained relations) between two nations that were in opposition during the Cold War. In likeness to the Apollo-Soyuz handshake, through the use of OpenHatch, users will be able to shake hands on business arrangements so as to achieve a common goal.