Vance DeVoe Brand is an American former naval officer and aviator, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. He served as Command Module Pilot during the first U.S.-Soviet joint spaceflight in 1975, and as Commander of three Space Shuttle missions. His flight experience includes 9,669 flying hours, which includes 8,089 hours in jets, 391 hours in helicopters, 746 hours in spacecraft, and checkout in more than 30 types of military aircraft. Vance Brand Airport in Longmont, Colorado, is named in his honor.

Saturn IB | Apollo-Soyuz Test Project

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
July 15, 1975, 7:50 p.m.

Status: Success

Mission:

The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was the first joint US-Soviet space flight and the last crewed US space mission until the Space Shuttle program. The US side of mission began on July 15, 1975, 19:50:00 UTC, launching Commander Thomas P. Stafford, Command Module Pilot Vance D. Brand and Docking Module Pilot Donald K. Slayton into orbit. Two days later, they docked with the Soyuz 19 spacecraft. American and Soviet crews visited each other's spacecrafts, performed docking and redocking maneuvers, conducted joint scientific experiments, exchanged flags and gifts. Crews spent more than 44 hours together, and after final parting of the ships on July 19, Apollo crew spent nine more days in orbit, conducting Earth observation experiments. The Apollo crew returned to Earth on July 24, 1975, 21:18:0 UTC with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Low Earth Orbit

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Space Shuttle Columbia / OV-102 | STS-5

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Nov. 11, 1982, 12:19 p.m.

Status: Success

Mission:

STS-5 marked the first fully operational mission of the Space Shuttle program, launched by the Columbia shuttle with four crew members. Known as the first satellite deployment mission, it successfully deployed two commercial communications satellites into orbit. STS-5 not only advanced satellite deployment techniques but also demonstrated the Space Shuttle's role in supporting commercial and scientific endeavors in space.

Low Earth Orbit

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Space Shuttle Challenger / OV-099 | STS-41-B

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Feb. 3, 1984, 1 p.m.

Status: Success

Mission:

STS-41-B was the tenth Space Shuttle mission and the fourth of the Space Shuttle Challenger. It deployed 2 communication satellites and inluded the first untethered spacewalk. It was also the first shuttle mission to land at Kennedy Space Center.

Low Earth Orbit

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Space Shuttle Columbia / OV-102 | STS-35

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Dec. 2, 1990, 6:49 a.m.

Status: Success

Mission:

STS-35 was the tenth flight of Columbia and the 38th of the shuttle program. Its mission was devoted to astronomical observations using ASTRO-1, a spacelab observatory consisting of four telescopes.

Low Earth Orbit

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