If we are going to celebrate anniversaries let's not forget 47 years ago today Apollo 12 heads to the Moon. SCE to AUX!
^^^ And interestingly, Apollo 12 crew member Pete Conrad was featured prominently in the Gemini 12 video posted above: he was CapCom for Gemini 12.
Mission number 12 ... More Gemini XII and Apollo XII Speedmaster photos at MoonWatchUniverse http://moonwatchuniverse.tumblr.com/archive
As a follow-up to an earlier post of mine, here's some remarkable video from the return of China's Shenzhou-11 spacecraft earlier today. The video shows orbital module separation, propulsion module separation (from the vantage point of the propulsion module itself), and ground-based shots of atmosphere re-entry.
And in other non-NASA, non-Speedmaster news -- here's something you don't see every day: an Ariane 5 rocket blows a pair of smoke rings at SRB ignition, during this morning's launch from French Guiana. image credit: ESA Here's video from the same launch [sans smoke rings]. There are some on-board shots of SRB separation and fairing separation.
Reviewing Apollo 14 images today I ran across this image labeled "Watch Detail" from NASA image AS14-66-9229 Image Caption: Lennie Waugh has captured a detail which gives us an excellent view of Al's Omega Speedmaster, which reads approximately 9:00. Waugh notes that the picture was taken at about transcript time of 113:52. This time does not reflect a 40 minute 2.9 second mission clock update performed at 54:53:36 but, rather, is the time since the actual launch at 21:03 GMT/UTC on 31 January 1971. Consequently, the photo was taken at about 14:55 GMT/UTC on 5 February, or 08:55 US Central Standard Time. The astronauts kept their watches on Houston time, as confirmed by this detail.
Cooper - "Wally, what do you mean you can't find the bezel for your watch?" Schirra - "I don't know Gordo, it was just here a minute ago." Stafford - "O'Hell, this is going to get ugly. Navy guys" S65-61789 (12 Dec. 1965) --- Astronauts Walter M. Schirra Jr. (right), Gemini-6 command pilot; and Thomas P. Stafford (center), pilot, enjoy a prelaunch breakfast on the morning of the proposed launch of NASA's two-day Gemini-6 spaceflight. At left is astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr., command pilot of the Gemini-5 space mission. An attempt was made to launch Gemini-6 from Pad 19 at 9:54 a.m. (EST) on Dec. 12, 1965. However, seconds after ignition, the first stage engine of the Gemini-6 launch vehicle shut down due to a faulty release of a liftoff umbilical plug. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration
First fifteen days of December are Apollo 17 weeks: http://fuckyeahgenecernan.tumblr.com/ & http://moonwatchuniverse.tumblr.com/
44 years ago... Apollo 17 training was over and the crew was readied for the only night launch of a Saturn V launch vehicle ! http://moonwatchuniverse.tumblr.com/archive .
Now for something completely different... 55 years ago, although he was a Rolex man, astronaut & naval aviator Scott Carpenter clearing wearing his Breitling Navitimer chronograph which would fly onboard Aurora 7
Carpenter wears two watches during his Mercury days. The Bulova Accutron and the Breitling Cosmonaut which is part of the Navitimer line. The 24 hour watch is technically called the Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaut. He later wears the Rolex Sea Dweller as a Navy Sealab Aquanaut.
Exactly 44 years ago, Apollo 17 Lunar Lander Challenger took off from the Moon to join up with Command Module America... Just noticed a nice Apollo 17 tribute at MWU - MoonWatchUniverse : http://moonwatchuniverse.tumblr.com/