Hidden gems from the NASA photo archive

Artemis crew members received their NASA-issued Omega X33s in August 2025 !

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50 years ago...
1976, January 1, US Air Force Colonel Apollo 16 LMP Charles "Charlie" Duke retired from NASA.
Selected a NASA astronaut in Group 5 ("The Original Nineteen" - April 1966), Duke had to wait almost five years before being issued a Speedmaster wrist chronograph.
During Apollo 16, Duke stayed 71 hours on the Moon, performing three EVAs becoming the tenth and also youngest Moonwalker.
The incident with his NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster 105.012-66 S/N 54, hesalite plexiglass pop-off during EVA-3, is well-described in the official A16 mission report.
Promoted USAF Brig General in 1979, Duke became an Omega ambassador in 2017 and fulfills this task with great success to this day.
(Photo: NASA portrait S71-51288)

45 years ago... 5th NASA administrator
Already in October 1980, NASA administrator Robert Frosch (May 22, 1928 - Dec 30, 2020) informed President Carter of his intention to leave NASA on Jan. 20, 1981, to become the first president of the newly formed American Association of Engineering Societies.
Robert Frosch had been NASA administrator from June 21, 1977 to January 20, 1981.
In January 1981, Frosch was replaced as US President Ronald Reagan appointed and the US Senate confirmed James Beggs as the 6th NASA administrator.
Interesting 1978 NASA photo of Neil Armstrong, who retired from NASA in 1971, visiting JSC Houston TX with NASA admin Robert Frosch in the middle. Note, how for Armstrong's ID badge, NASA had used his 1964 official portrait photo (S64-31452).
Another good example of adding official NASA photo numbers when posting such images to counter AI...
(NASA photo S78-34131)
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As this is OmegaForums, NASA Speedmaster image remembering NASA astronaut John W. Young who passed away on this date, January 5, 2018 (aged 87).
Apollo 10 preflight briefing, April 8, 1969 at the Kennedy Space Center FL, during which all three astronauts wore a NASA-issued Speedmaster on JB Champion steel mesh bracelet.
(NASA photo 69H-632)
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NASA astronaut but US Air Force photos !
55 years ago... USAF Colonel Edwin Aldrin.
In May 1951, Edwin Eugene Aldrin graduated from the US Army West Point academy and choose to be commissioned as a pilot officer in the US Air Force.
In October 1963, Aldrin was selected a NASA astronaut in Group 3 and flew on Gemini XII (1966) and Apollo 11 (1969), accumulating 12 days 1 hour in space.
In July 1971, Aldrin returned to the US Air Force and became Commandant of the Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards AFB - California.
On March 1, 1972 Edwin Aldrin retired as a USAF Colonel and this official colour portrait shows him wearing a Hamilton "Mickey Mouse" dial wrist watch.
In 2017, Lima watches brought out a commemorative version of the Mickey Mouse watch.
Between April 1965 and October 1968, NASA purchased 97 Omega Speedmaster chronographs to be issued to the manned spaceflight program. Aldrin, selected in 1963, had to wait until 1966 to get his NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster 105.003-64 but wore a Speedmaster 105.012-65 during Apollo 11. This NASA-issued Speedmaster S/N 43 became the first watch worn on the Moon as Aldrin wore it on his righthand wrist over the space suit.
Unfortunately this historic time piece S/N 43 was lost in transit between NASA and the NASM in Washington D.C.
On May 5, 2023, Aldrin received an honorary promotion to USAF Brigadier General.
(Photos: US Air Force)
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"For you civilians, the time is now one o'clock PM. For you US Navy personnel, it's now thirteen hundred hours. And for you US Marines, it's when Mickey's little hand..."
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#Speedytuesday 20 JAN 2026... Edwin Buzz Aldrin's 96th anniversary !
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Crew 11 back to Earth...
A medical emergency forced an early return of the Crew 11, after 166 days in space
Did we already talk about the wrist watch worn by NASA Commander Zena Cardman?
NASA 38 mm 46 hrs power reserve by Clement Design Studio
The Orbital Chronograph comes in two variants, the Flight Version in an edition of 3 and the Terra Version in an edition of 9.
(Photo: NASA)
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55 years ago... Apollo 14
February 9, Upon their return onboard USS New Orleans, the Apollo 14 astronauts were the last to go in quarantine, returning to Houston Texas via Samoa in the MQF. Released on February 27, 1971.

Apollo 14 Moonwalkers, Shepard and Mitchell conducted two lunar EVAs, the first 600 m westwards from LM and a second 2900 m roundtrip eastwards from the Lunar Module Antares. They stayed 33 hours on the lunar surface and collected 42 kilograms Moon rocks & samples.
In February 1971, Edgar Mitchell became the first astronaut to wear extra wrist watches on the Moon, wearing one for each of his two daughters. His beloved Rolex GMT-master 1675 "Pepsi" pilot watch on the righthand wrist.
In October 1972, Mitchell left NASA and the US Navy, co-founded the Association of Space Explorers and spent the rest of his life in Florida, the Sunshine State. Mitchell passed away, February 4, 2016.
All three Apollo 14 astronauts were often wearing their Rolex GMT-master 1675 pilot watches during NASA training, but only Edgar Mitchell and Stuart Roosa actually wore theirs during the 9 days long Apollo 14 mission.

Note Commander Alan Shepard had the chronograph running on his NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster 145.012 S/N 75 chronograph.
(Photo: US Navy/NASA/UPI)