Hidden gems from the NASA photo archive

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Thought I would post a photo of Captain Bean some years later with his gold Speedmaster at an autograph show. A truly nice person who was very generous with his time. He will be missed.



 
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1962 Bulova made it into the newspapers for producing a 44 cm nylon webbing strap so the Accutron could be worn over a pressure suit...
1996 ESA/ASI astronaut Umberto Guidoni about to board Space Shuttle Columbia for the STS-75 mission...
Look at the size of that black plastic strap for his CASIO G shock 馃憥
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Focusing on the historic Apollo missions... 50 years ago, intensive training for Apollo 7 was 6 months underway...
Command Module Pilot Donn Eisele training in the Apollo Command Module Procedures Simulator wearing an Omega Speedmaster 105.012 on a steel mesh Jacoby Bender Champion bracelet...
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Choose one image from another superb NASA photo series; presentation of the Apollo 7 crew in February 1968
Each astronaut wore an officially NASA issued Omega Speedmaster chronograph on a steel mesh JB Champion bracelet
CMP Donn Eisele on the left was holding a 16mm Maurer camera and Commander Wally Schirra held a 70 mm Hasselblad 500C camera with 80 mm lens. In the middle, LMP Walter Cunningham was a former USMC fighter pilot and became the second civilian to fly in space aboard an American spacecraft... Neil Armstrong was the first civilian to do so, aboard Gemini 8 in 1966...
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@Looneytoons
March 16, 1966... Gemini VIII command-pilot Neil Armstrong decided to wear a wristwatch which belonged to his childhood hero aviator James "Jimmie" Mattern (1905-1988). It's a Longines-Wittnauer Weems, a wonderful vintage watch!
Where did you get that info? I have always seen it 'reported' that Jimmie Mattern's watch was a Wittnauer Allproof.
 
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The month of June will always be Gemini IV month...
June 7, 1965 the Gemini IV crew, Pilot Edward White and Commander James McDivitt relax post-recovery aboard the US Navy ship USS Wasp. Both astronauts wore a pair of Omega Speedmaster 105.003-64 chronographs during this 4 days 1 hour mission. Note White鈥檚 Speedmaster on a velcro strap is clearly visible at his left wrist.(Photo: NASA)
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IMHO the summum of Omega watches ready for spaceflight:
STS-46 suitup shows Italian astronaut Malerba ready to get into the astrovan towards the launchpad where space shuttle Atlantis awaits... I believe he was wearing his personal wristwatches, a classic black dial Speedmaster and his Flightmaster
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Edit to the photo above... Although Malerba is a true watch guy ( I saw him wearing his personal classic black dial Speedmaster ) the Speedmaster he wore on STS-46 was clearly a Radial Dial " Alaska III " Speedmaster version as this Atlantis inflight image confirms:
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26 years ago... June 1992 ... the STS-46 crew is briefed in the white room of the space shuttle launchpad 39B in Florida
Note that Italian mission specialist Franco Malerba had put an elastic over his Omega Flightmaster in order to protect it whenever he should by accident bump into some metal structure during launchpad training exercises...
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A last one of the ASI astronaut wearing both Speedmaster & Flightmaster for STS-46 Atlantis in 1992... that's promised 馃榿
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Mercury-Atlas 9 ... Astronaut Gordon Cooper seems to say " My CK2998-4 is A-OK " 馃槈
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Summer 1979... Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong toured Europe to give a few talks on the 10th anniversary of the 1st Moonlanding.
Here he is seen in Paris, wearing his gold Apollo tribute 145.022-69 Speedmaster chronograph
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Edited:
 
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There're a lot of gems in the NASA crew photos... I have all crew-photos, also these made for cancelled missions. Moreover, most crews also had a gag-photo reflecting the hobbies of each crew member. Additional crew-photos were made to pose in their military uniform as well...
The official crew-photo for STS-51G ( 1985 shuttle Discovery ) was made several times, due to changes in the crew setup.
Here's a part showing commander Daniel Brandenstein wearing an Alaska IV radial dial Speedmaster and pilot John Creighton wearing a black & red bezel version of the SEIKO A829-6020 alarm chronograph.
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please keep them coming! This is such a good thread.

And now back to those " 50 years ago " NASA gems !
 
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Exactly 50 years ago... July 1968
Apollo 7 LMP astronaut Walter Cunningham seen wearing an Omega Speedmaster over the left forearm of his A7L spacesuit after a simulated test of the spacecraft in the altitude chamber at the Kennedy Space Center - Cape Canaveral, Florida USA. Astronaut John Young can just be seen on the right...
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Exactly 50 years ago... July 1968
Apollo 7
LMP astronaut Walter Cunningham seen wearing an Omega Speedmaster over the left forearm of his A7L spacesuit after a simulated test of the spacecraft in the altitude chamber at the Kennedy Space Center - Cape Canaveral, Florida USA. Astronaut John Young can just be seen on the right...
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Based on his facial expression...the altitude chamber kicked his ass.

have fun
kfw