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Hidden gems from the NASA photo archive

SpeedyPhill
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#SpeedyTuesday bump
55 years ago... October 1963, the third NASA astronaut group " The Fourteen " was presented to the general public and USAF pilot David Scott was the first of that group to get a prime crew assignment on Gemini VIII... with Neil Armstrong, NASA group 2 " The New Nine ", who became the first American civilian in space...
Here's an interesting photo showing Neil Armstrong during a weight & balance check for Gemini project, wearing an Omega Speedmaster 105.003 chronograph on a long black velcro which looks hastily turned around his left forearm...
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GeminiVIII.jpg GeminiVIII_velcro.jpg
 
TLIGuy
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I have always found this Armstrong image interesting. Where you see the Velcro strap possibly attached to a Speedmaster I see what appears to be a second leather strap under the Velcro one with what appears to be an large Omega symbol buckle.

Rotate the image and compare what is exposed to this second image of an original Omega leather strap with a wide keeper that came on the 1962 Omega Seamaster.

Most likely that the Velcro strap has a Speedmaster on it but it maybe possible it was used to hold another watch in place since at the way they intercect the Velcro one would cross over the top of the other.

E9333BD2-C8A5-41FA-B0A4-37EB7EAD76B0.jpeg A767C5DC-63B0-4202-9FFD-7B1759B39236.jpeg
 
SpeedyPhill
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Indeed, that's the reason why I've added the enlargement... a neat photo in these " First man " weeks... still have to go & see the movie ...
 
DesignerV
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I would guess that there was a leather strap (possibly from a Seamaster?) on the watch (Speedmaster?), and rather than remove it, the velcro band was just fed into the gap between the existing strap and the case for the test. Hence the overlap. 😕
 
gdupree
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DesignerV DesignerV
I would guess that there was a leather strap (possibly from a Seamaster?) on the watch (Speedmaster?), and rather than remove it, the velcro band was just fed into the gap between the existing strap and the case for the test. Hence the overlap. 😕
I'm not sure whether the below 105.003 is fitted with exactly the same strap as above, but it does look plausible that there could have been enough gap present to feed a Velcro strap over the existing strap, depending on some variables. I like the theory at least.

105.003 lug gap.jpg
 
TLIGuy
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DesignerV DesignerV
I would guess that there was a leather strap (possibly from a Seamaster?) on the watch (Speedmaster?), and rather than remove it, the velcro band was just fed into the gap between the existing strap and the case for the test. Hence the overlap. 😕

Maybe the Gemini 8 crew photo with Dave Scott answers the question.

Here is Armstrong (‘65) wearing his Speedmaster on a black leather strap. I’m of the belief now that the strap I suggested was possibly a second watch was in fact on his Speedmaster as @DesignerV pointed out and the Velcro strap was used to hold it in place for the weight and balance test either over the top, or less likely but possible, fed through the lugs.

87DC6452-5B3B-4E38-9738-E6FBE8A27B35.jpeg
 
SpeedyPhill
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Here's another view of Armstrong's Speedmaster from the Gemini VIII prime & backup crew photo ( NASA S65-58502 )
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GemVIII.jpg GemVIII_.jpg
 
SpeedyPhill
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Once more a flashback going back to the very first post in this topic... Apollo 11 geology training in El Paso Texas, Neil & Buzz wearing an Omega Speedmaster... Note the steel mesh JB Champion bracelet
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1969_A11_6925191Feb24.jpg
 
SpeedyPhill
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November 6, 1985... German DLR mission specialist Reinhard Furrer wore a Sinn 142 wrist watch and a Seiko A829-6019 alarm chronograph aboard space shuttle Challenger during the European Spacelab "D1" mission...
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Sinn.jpg

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Furthermore, as it's the first #SpeedyTuesday of November, we keep pace at MoonwatchUniverse with Apollo program related events, taking place exactly 50 years ago... Check: https://moonwatchuniverse.tumblr.com/archive
😉
 
SpeedyPhill
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Another #SpeedyTuesday today as we are selecting some Apollo 11 training photos, showing both Aldrin & Armstrong training together and both clearly wearing an Omega Speedmaster 105.012 chronograph... more soon as we work towards July 2019
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A11_SpeedyTuesday.jpg
 
SpeedyPhill
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This topic could go on & on but I guess Omega doesn't need an extra awareness campaign about the use of their Speedmaster in space...
Just wondering if Omega will publish a decent book on the subject as they did in 1994, for the 25th anniversary of Apollo 11 ...
Talking of which my final contribution has to be about the third man, who circled the Moon while Armstrong & Aldrin became "famous"
Third group astronaut and Apollo 11 CMP Michael Collins... a remarkable man who recently celebrated his 88th birthday !
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A11_Omega.jpg
 
TLIGuy
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Always found it interesting that Collins wears a straight lug Speedmaster on the JB through much of the training and then wears the 145.012 on the mission just a few days later.

Only a few JB bracelets to be seen here but the picture is too good for it not to be somewhere. This might be Gus' thoughts on the whole topic.

UjdrnXmkdwPW4eNs-lVsgxBIgAoPy2sXbiUg1LztuTo.jpg
 
madjestikmoose
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Only just discovered this thread... wow, hidden gems indeed!!

I’ve always been partial to this one of Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut, whom I had the pleasure of meeting last summer 😀
 
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SpeedyPhill
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50 years ago...
Apollo 8 backup crew would become Apollo 11 prime with Fred Haise swapped for Michael Collins.
Look at those shiny steel mesh JB Champion bracelets...
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JB_Champion.jpg
 
SpeedyPhill
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28 years ago... It looks like Lloyd Blaine Hammond was the first astronaut to wear his personal Rolex aboard a space shuttle mission... He also wore his Rolex GMT-master Pepsi during his second mission aboard the space shuttle Discovery...
Next year we'll celebrate 100 years Rolex in Switzerland ... so stay tuned
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Hammond_GMT.jpg
 
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