美苏自从1975年7月阿波罗—联盟对接飞行之后,双方曾打算进行航天飞机与礼炮号对接飞行。但自从苏联入侵阿富汗,导致了美苏空间合作以及空间专家互访完全中断。1984年初苏联空间研究所所长萨格德耶夫院士访问了美国空间研究中心,并参观了美国旅行者宇宙飞行器跟踪站,他在接见美国《新闻和世界》杂志记者采访时说:“苏联愿意 Since the Apollo-Union docking flight took place in July 1975, both the United States and the Soviet Union intend to conduct shuttle and salute docking flights. However, since the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, it has resulted in the complete suspension of space cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union and the exchange of visits by space experts. In early 1984, academician Saggeev, the director of the Soviet Space Research Institute, visited the Center for Space Studies of the United States and visited the United States Spacecraft Tracking Station. In an interview with a reporter for the News and World magazine in the United States, he said: "The Soviet Union is willing