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Hidden gems from the NASA photo archive

  1. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Jan 4, 2020

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  2. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Jan 8, 2020

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    Did You all note those slider-top springbars on the NASA-issued Speedmaster 105.003-64 for James Lovell worn on Gemini XII in November 1966 ...
    . photo: NASA/NASM
    105003-64_Lovell.jpg
     
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  3. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Jan 24, 2020

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    Based on a recent topic about little ladies wrist watches... I have always wondered which little gem of a watch was worn by the well-known Mercury & Gemini astronauts' nurse miss Dolores "Dee" O'Hara ...
    Remember in 1970 she was involved in the decision to ground astronaut Ken Mattingly due to the concern he might have contracted German measles... On Apollo 13 he was replaced by John Jack Swigert... (Photo: NASA)
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    Mercury_Nurse_DeeO'Hara.jpg
     
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  4. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Jan 26, 2020

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    Dee O'Hara's wristwatch in the photo here above was a "Lady Elgin" Diamond 14K White Gold women's watch (1962)
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    1961 Lady Elgin Diamond watch like Dee O'Hara.jpg
     
  5. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Feb 2, 2020

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  6. fbf Feb 2, 2020

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    amazing post. Really enjoyed the groupy pictures of all the speedmasters outside the suit
     
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  7. 101010oxo Feb 3, 2020

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    Such a great thread! Thank you very much, most enjoyable!
     
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  8. DesignerV Feb 3, 2020

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    Interesting notice. I have had these same bars on a couple un-touched Speedmasters and Seamasters of the same era. It's a real pain to take them off when the little tab has disappeared. I would guess they could be original, but I'm not an authority on that.
     
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  9. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Feb 17, 2020

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    1962_moonwatchuniverse.jpg
    Summer 1962 photo showing Mercury astronaut Leroy Gordon Cooper discussing the Vostok 3 spacefight by cosmonaut Nikolayev...
    Thus far, NASA had never performed a 95 hours long spaceflight mission and Cooper hoped for a 30 hours+ MA-9 mission in 1963...
    Note that Cooper wore an Accutron tuning fork wristwatch with just the single line of text as the word " Astronaut " was only added by 1963....
     
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  10. CMD_OVRD Feb 19, 2020

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    F671A946-008A-41E7-AC85-5947CBB798D2.jpeg Hello!

    New here, but I’ve been looking at these great photos for a while. I’m always looking for the rare photos of astronauts and their watches, and this thread never disappoints!

    Anyway...here’s my current dilemma. I came across this photo of Astronaut Gerald Carr after returning from the last Skylab mission. I can’t quite put my finger on this watch so I figured I’d throw it out here to see if someone could identify it.

    Thanks!
     
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  11. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Feb 19, 2020

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    @CMD_OVRD
    Timely contribution as Skylab-4 returned exactly 46 years ago...
    Indeed, moonwatchUniverse already noticed that Gerald Carr was wearing two wristwatches after splash-down & recovery aboard the US Navy amphibious carrier USS New Orleans - February 1974.
    So far I couldn't determine which reverse Panda chronograph he was wearing (Breitling, Universal Compax,...) but we're working on it as it's the very last piece of info for completion of our space-flown wristwatches on NASA missions from Mercury 1962 to ASTP 1975... draft available on moonwatchuniverse.tumblr.com/archive
    Here's another photo clearly showing Carr wearing both wristwatches:
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    Carr_moonwatchuniverse.jpg
     
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  12. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Feb 19, 2020

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    This time I've started a campaign to find out the exact make of the chronograph, which looks like a blue dial reverse Panda with a bezel broken up in white & black sectors... NASA astronaut Gerald Carr already wore this chronograph during Skylab space station training in 1972 and more than probably took it up aboard Skylab-4 between November 1973 and February 1974... All help appreciated :thumbsup:
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    Carr_1972.jpg
     
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  13. CMD_OVRD Feb 19, 2020

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    35BC75C0-FC3C-4FB8-8E3F-936D4B918829.jpeg
    C8450A56-E2C3-4BB9-8BA5-35F3C5BFB7EB.jpeg @SpeedyPhill
    Great photo! The one that I posted is later after splashdown...possibly from when the crew arrived back in Houston. My next issue was going to be determining if the watch was flown or not. Your photo seems to suggest that it was since this shows Carr on the carrier immediately after splashdown.

    I’ve been diving into this a little myself. I’ll throw this suggestion out there to see what everyone thinks.

    Is it possible that this could be a Heuer Autavia? The Tonneau case shape, panda dial, and indexes seem to match. The bracelet links are similar, although I can’t see the center “mesh” style in the photos.
     
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  14. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Feb 19, 2020

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    @CMD_OVRD
    Check Your envelope in the upper right of the Omegaforums.net overview page...
    It looks like this 1970s chronograph:
    1. has a light blue reverse-panda dial
    2. has a bezel with 2 sectors: half black and half white

    Edit: posted some better resolution pictures at: https://moonwatchuniverse.tumblr.com/archive
     
    Edited Feb 19, 2020
  15. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Feb 19, 2020

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    Here's another NASA photo showing the reverse-panda blue dial chronograph worn by Skylab-4 commander Gerald Carr...
    As the astronauts just got out of the command module after splashdown southwest of San Diego, we can be sure this chronograph was space-flown during the 84 days 1 hour Skylab-4 mission... so each of the Skylab-4 astronauts took an extra wristwatch:
    Gerald Carr: this to be identified blue dial chronograph
    William Pogue; Seiko automatic 6139
    Edward Gibson: Omega Speedmaster (probably a Mark II)
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    NASA_Skylab4_moonwatch.jpg

    Edit:
    It looks like this might be a Movado Datron El Primera chronograph... as established in this topic:
    https://omegaforums.net/threads/please-help-to-identify-the-wrist-watch-spaceflight.76337/
     
    Edited Feb 19, 2020
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  16. CMD_OVRD Feb 19, 2020

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    Incredible shot @SpeedyPhill! It looks like my guess was wrong!
     
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  17. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Feb 20, 2020

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    Thanks to Omegaforums.net we can be 99% sure that US Marine Corps aviator LtCol Gerald Carr took a Movado Datron chronograph aboard SL-4 mission... 46 years ago!
    Going a bit deeper on this topic, I always mentioned that the 3 manned Skylab missions have been a bit neglected by both spaceflight & horology aficionados.
    Unfairly as already on Skylab-3 Owen Garriott was rumoured to have taken extra Seiko wristwatches aboard America's first space station.
    Of course during Skylab-4 William Pogue wore the well-known Seiko 6139 automatic chronograph, and commander Gerald Carr a Movado Datron.
    Preflight suit-up photos revealed that science pilot Edward Gibson also wore an extra wristwatch underneath the spacesuit. MoonwatchUniverse tends towards a Speedmaster Mark II as Gibson was wearing a Mark II Speedie during training between October 1972 and November 1973.
    Post-mission Gibson was also pictured with his personal Omega Speedmaster MkII chronograph although I yet have to find an actual spaceflight mission photo showing the Mark II in space... US Navy recovery photos also don't show the Mk II... thus far...
    .
    December 1972 SL-4 preflight press conference
    Mark2_Speedmaster.jpg
     
  18. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Mar 2, 2020

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    Young_Omega1965.jpg
    ...
    55 years ago, March 3, 1965 naval aviator & Gemini III astronaut John Watts Young wearing the new white G3C spacesuit during a weight & balance checkup in vertical position for the upcoming 2-men Gemini III mission. Note John Young was wearing an Omega Speedmaster 105.003-64 chronograph on an elastic bracelet.
    The Speedmaster had just successfully passed NASA testing by engineer James Ragan and would be announced in June 1965 as flight-qualified for all NASA manned space missions. However, on Gemini III, both astronauts Grissom & Young each wore a Speedmaster and an Accutron Astronaut tuning fork wristwatch.
    More on: https://moonwatchuniverse.tumblr.com/archive
     
  19. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Mar 5, 2020

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    March 1969... Apollo 9 tested both the CSM "Gumdrop" and LM "Spider" in Low Earth Orbit....
    This NASA-photo shows Apollo 9 CMP David Scott demonstrating docking procedures with scale models with commander McDivitt and LMP Schweickart looking on... Note the foldable "Timely" wrist calendar for January 1969 wrapped around the JB-champion steel mesh bracelet on Scott's Omega Speedmaster...
    More on these "Timely" calendars:
    https://omegaforums.net/threads/the...ter-jb-champion-combination-has-arrived.7402/
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    Apollo9_steelmesh.jpg
     
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  20. High Hope Mar 5, 2020

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    What a wonderful thread, thanks to all for posting. I really appreciate the effort!
     
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