1969-2019 = 50 years Alaska project

Have to say I’m a great fan, and I think our paths crossed at the Jan 8 GTG in Bienne (Andy from California) - I was wearing my AP on an original white NOS Tropical.

My son asked me about the AP, and if I knew how many Alaska Project II prototypes/production 861 were made ?
I think the I and IIII production numbers have been established.
Be interesting to know...

can you buy the 'rocket' sub-dial hands from Omega? part#?

Tempus Fugit and as it looks like Omega shows no signs of celebrating the half-century anniversary of the their pioneering perfect space watch, a group of watch & spaceflight enthusiasts has contacted me to bring the complete story...
Although I await the reopening of the Omega museum, where IMHO the Alaska Project should get an important display, it remains interesting to find out why the original Alaska Project, ready by 1969 and available by 1970, intended for use on the longstay-scientific Apollo J-missions (carrying a Lunar Rover) wasn't used after all on Apollo 15 (August 1971), Apollo 16 (April 1972) and Apollo 17 (December 1972).
Apollo 20 was cancelled in January 1970, Apollo 18 & 19 cancelled by September 1970, almost a year ahead of the Apollo 15 mission so the Alaska Project could still have made it to the remaining Apollo J-missions !?
Anyway by 1973, the Alaska II Project was shown & official proposed to the Soviet-Russians as the perfect space watch (Aleksei Yeliseyev visited Bienne HQ in 1973) and soon afterwards cosmonauts were seen using the Omega Flightmaster (Soyuz 14 & 21), the Mark III Speedmaster (Soyuz 15 & 24)... culminating to the Alaska II Project white dial timepieces on the wrists of Soyuz 25 & 26 crews destined to the Salyut-6 space station...
I've enjoyed meeting several people (from both sides of the former iron curtain) interested in Omega's pioneering research to create the perfect space watch and as I'm convinced we can accomplish to tell the whole story as nobody really cares who gets the credit... it would be amazing to research & see the actual paperwork at Omega in order to find out more details how the Alaska Project ended up in space by the end of the Cold War, appreciated by astronauts & cosmonauts!
The 50th anniversary would be the right time to do so...

One year ago…
The Omega heritage team gave some guesstimates on the numbers produced... to keep the fun going amongst informed collectors and Alaska Project Speedmaster fans:
https://www.revolution.watch/the-alaska-project-speedmasters-the-future-of-omegas-space-watch/

For those who didn't do the effort to read the article:
1969 Alaska I = 4 made in Ttianium case ( 3 went to NASA Houston )
1972 Alaska II = about 15 made ( some with Tachymètre bezel, others with 60-minutes bezel )
1978 Alaska III = 56 Radial dial Speedmaster chronographs for NASA
2008 = 1970 commemorative pieces

1979 Alaska IV = 20 produced and 12 sent to NASA

Half-a-century Alaska Project Speedmaster ... 🍿

A last try to ask what You see... know there's a white valve on the left forearm of the 1977 Orlan-D spacesuit !
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July 29, 1978... Soyuz-29 cosmonaut Aleksandr Ivanchenkov ventured completely outside the Salyut-6 space station while his colleague cosmonaut Vladimir Kovalyonok stood in the open hatch, performing a standup EVA.
In the lower right of the gold visor of the Orlan-D spacesuit, we see the left arm and hand of Vladimir Kovalyonok and the white valve of his spacesuit.
We also see the complete figure of Aleksandr Ivanchenkov, who I believe has a red outer case wristwatch strapped over his right glove...
I have added a white circle for Kovalyonok white valve and a red circle for Ivanchenkov strap & red outer case
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The actual photo of the July 29, 1978 spacewalk outside Salyut-6
The whole events was filmed in detail in order to instruct cosmonauts for future spacewalks... wish we could see that film !
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Tempus Fugit ... celebrating 45 years Omega ex-Alaska II project Speedmaster in space... was it the first watch worn on the Orlan space suit?
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Ad Astra cosmonaut Valeri Viktorovich Ryumin ( August 16, 1939 - June 6, 2022 )
🙁
Despite a difficult geopolitical situation, aerospace news gets through from Russia...
Wrist watch-wise important news as Ryumin was onboard Soyuz 25, first crew seen wearing the ex-Alaska II Project Speedmaster chronographs, ordered from Omega Bienne via fax to be used on the new Orlan space suit onboard Salyut-6 in 1977 & 1978.
Although we had contact with cosmonauts Vladimir Kovalyonok and Yuri Romanenko about those chronographs, we didn't have the opportunity to speak to Valery Ryumin.
MoonwatchUniverse will dedicate an article about what the cosmonauts really remembered in our " Of Time and Space " article series.
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The title might be more correct if I call it... 1977 - 2027 = 50 years ex-Alaska II Project Speedmaster in space 😁

As the 50th anniversary is coming up... MoonwatchUniverse completed our/my final Omega-related project, bringing the wrist watch feedback given during the 31st planetary congress of the ASE - Association of Space Explorers (September 2018 - Minsk Belarus) by the actual cosmonauts who wore the ex-Alaska II Speedmaster chronographs on Soyuz 25 & Soyuz 26 in 1977 - 1978 !
We got feedback from both cosmonauts Vladimir Kovalyonok (S25) and Yuri Romanenko (S26 commander)
(Grechko passed away April 8, 2017 and Ryumin passed away June 6, 2022)
Free lecture/talk coming to a town near You, September 2022 onwards !
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incomplete preview (MoonwatchUniverse)

Autumn & the academic year are here... sharing our knowledge about what Kovalyonok & Romanenko had to say about the ex-Alaska II project

50 years ago... Omega Speedmaster Alaska Project for the Soviet-Russian spaceflight program!
Tuesday May 22, 1973 a delegation of Russian cosmonauts lead by cosmonaut/flight director Aleksei Yeliseyev and Star City director Georgi Beregovoy visited the Omega HQ in Bienne - Switzerland.
We can assume that during this visit, they were shown several Omega pilot watches (flightmaster) and the Omega Speedmaster chronographs as used by NASA astronauts. Moreover, they were proposed the Alaska II Project Speedmaster chronographs in their protective red outer cases!
On May 24, at the Paris Air show, the Russian cosmonauts Alexei Leonov and Valeri Kubasov were announced as Apollo-Soyuz prime crew for the 1975 ASTP - Apollo Soyuz Test Project mission.
I would like to find out which were the other cosmonauts invited at Omega HQ, but we can be sure about these facts:
June 1973: Both Alexei Leonov and Valeri Kubasov both wore an Omega flightmaster during Soyuz training at Star City - Moscow
August 1973: Star city director Georgi Beregovoy wore an Omega Speedmaster overseeing Soyuz 12 training
Last but not least, via fax to Omega HQ the Russians ordered some Omega Speedmaster Alaska II Project chronographs, which were worn during Soyuz 25 and Soyuz 26 to the modern Salyut-6 space station... December 1977.
I'm convinced these Omega Speedmaster ex-Alaska II Project chronographs were worn during the July 29, 1978 spacewalk by Aleksandr Ivanchenkov and Vladimir Kovalyonok !
(Photos: MoonwatchUniverse)
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