"Astronaut Thomas Stafford, Pioneer of Space Exploration, Passes Away at 93"

Thomas Stafford, an experienced NASA astronaut, faced unique communication challenges as the American commander during the first joint crewed mission between the US and the Soviet Union. Training for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, Stafford's distinct Oklahoma drawl posed a language barrier with his Russian counterpart, Alexei Leonov, who humorously referred to the mission as involving three languages: English, Russian, and "Oklahomski." Despite finding the technical aspects of the mission relatively simple, Stafford considered learning the Russian language to be the most difficult aspect of all the missions he flew.