Hidden gems from the NASA photo archive

Archer · Mar 22, 2016

ngreenusc
I believe that's half of a canned peach being eaten by Neil Armstrong in that pic. Nothing like reading mail, glancing over the Wall Street Journal, eating chicken and canned peaches, wearing a Speedy. Looks like leftovers after a long day.

Movin' to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches...

"Peaches come from a can,
they were put there by a man
In a factory downtown
If I had my little way,
I'd eat peaches every day
Sun-soakin' bulges in the shade"

My favourite song by TPOTUS...and I also love peaches, but not the canned variety...

dx009 · Mar 22, 2016

I had canned peaches once. I liked them. 😬

AAAKK · Mar 22, 2016

Archer
Movin' to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches...

"Peaches come from a can,
they were put there by a man
In a factory downtown
If I had my little way,
I'd eat peaches every day
Sun-soakin' bulges in the shade"

My favourite song by TPOTUS...and I also love peaches, but not the canned variety...

Thanks Al, now I can't get this song out of my head!

TLIGuy · Mar 23, 2016

Better a day late than never...

The Oklahoma State Legislature declared today (March 22) "General Thomas Stafford Day" and dedicated a new original oil-on-canvas portrait of the Gemini and Apollo astronaut painted by renowned local artist Mike Wimmer.

One of the best wrist shots out there. Stafford's Gemini 9 Speedmaster.

Screen Shot 2016-03-23 at 7.44.52 AM.jpg

scv55 · Mar 23, 2016

Stunning collection of photos, thanks for taking the time to share them. This is the basically the whole reason I bought a Speedy! So cool!

Jones in LA · Jun 9, 2016

Here's another hidden gem of a gem, captured prior to vehicle ingress for what turned out to be an aborted launch of Gemini 6. That's Tom Stafford (present-day Omega Ambassador) behind Schirra.

Look at Schirra's facial expression. He's on his way to kick some serious a**. Man, those guys were tough.

Schirra's Speedmaster is apparently missing its bezel, as pointed out by @TLIGuy in an earlier post.

Official NASA photo caption:
(12 Dec. 1965) --- Astronauts Walter M. Schirra Jr. (foreground), command pilot; and Thomas P. Stafford, pilot, arrive at Pad 19 during the Gemini-6 prelaunch countdown. NASA has planned Gemini-6 as a two-day mission in space. An attempt was made to launch Gemini-6 at 9:54 a.m. (EST) on Dec. 12, 1965. However, seconds after ignition, the first stage engine of the Gemini-6 launch vehicle shutdown due to a faulty release of a liftoff umbilical plug.

Image credit: NASA

oddboy · Jun 9, 2016

yup, looks like a 2998-4 to me.

proximal · Jun 9, 2016

AAAKK
Today's the 50th anniversary of the Gemini V splash down. A cool shot of Cooper and Conrad:

I was going through some old bookmarks on my computer and came across this really neat gallery again.

"My grandfather, Pete Conrad, was an American astronaut and the third man to walk on the moon. Here is part of my dad's personal NASA memorabilia collection": http://imgur.com/gallery/G3oj0

Kazyole · Jun 9, 2016

That power ranger/NASA crossover action figure set is amazing.

TLIGuy · Jun 10, 2016

Jones in LA
Look at Schirra's facial expression. He's on his way to kick some serious a**. Man, those guys were tough. Schirra's Speedmaster is apparently missing its bezel, as pointed out by @TLIGuy in an earlier post.

I think @oddboy has a real good summary of the missing bezels from his talk with Jim Ragan a few pages back.

I have taken a bit of interest in finding out more about the missing bezels and have run across a few images in the past few months.

Here is one you probably have not seen before. Schirra and Stafford taking questions at a news conference on October 28, 1965. You think Schirra looks serious above check out Stafford here. Notice the nice view of the missing bezel on Schirra's watch.

I found this one interesting. Slayton sitting for his official Apollo-Soyuz photograph wearing his gold Speedmaster with missing bezel.

And just because it warms my heart to see it....the little metal foldable calendar around the bracelet. First time I've see one on something other than the JB Champion bracelet.

Screen Shot 2016-06-10 at 10.36.26 AM.jpg

And finally the trifecta image.....Rolex GMT, calendar, and Speedmaster with missing bezel.

Jones in LA · Jun 10, 2016

While on the subjects of gold Speedmasters and Tom Stafford...

image credit: NASA

image credit: NASA

Spy · Jun 10, 2016

Jones in LA
Not a Speedmaster gem, but an important follow-up to the crew breakfast photo. The official record identifies the individual in the background as "Fourth Crewmember".

Is that fourth crewmember alive or dead?

TLIGuy · Jun 10, 2016

Spy
Is that fourth crewmember alive or dead?

He is alive and well....

Jones in LA · Jun 10, 2016

Spy
Is that fourth crewmember alive or dead?

Could be evidence of some nepotism going on at NASA, as there is a strong resemblance to astro-chimp Ham who flew on a Mercury rocket in 1961. Here's a pre-flight photo of Ham. I was going to lament the fact that Ham hadn't been issued a Speedmaster for his flight, but then remembered that NASA did not make it part of the astronauts' official kit until a couple of years later.

rcs914 · Jun 10, 2016

Jones in LA
While on the subjects of gold Speedmasters and Tom Stafford...

image credit: NASA

image credit: NASA

So looks like a replacement bezel - shouldn't it be red?

Jones in LA · Jun 13, 2016

This chart came to my attention via Pinterest. It's quite remarkable as it contains an enormous amount of information on manned NASA spaceflight from Project Mercury to the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, all on a single graphic.

Click on the image twice to view it full-size.

image credit: Matt Baker, UsefulCharts.com

Jones in LA · Jun 21, 2016

Here's a shot of NASA astronaut Tim Kopra emerging from the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft after he and Yuri Malenchenko of Roscosmos and Tim Peake of the European Space Agency landed in Kazakhstan on Saturday, June 18, 2016. The original hesalite Speedmaster logs yet another successful mission.

[and it looks like Kopra was Mad-dogging* an X-33 Speedmaster inside his spacesuit]

* © @Mad Dog

image credit: NASA

cwindham · Jun 21, 2016

Why do they wear those bulky suits, they never made it to the moon or even close. The earth is flat dont you guys know that?? According to YouTube anyway! 😀

blubarb · Jun 21, 2016

Jones in LA
While sitting at my desk during the lunch hour, I did a cursory search for photos in the official NASA image library that may be of interest to members of this forum. I was a bit surprised by how quickly I struck gold. As I search deeper in this vast library I'll post images that I consider to be true gems. Wherever possible I'll post full-resolution images, as it's often the smaller details that will be the most interesting.

I encourage other prospectors to join in the search and post your gems here!

Gem #1

Official description in image library:

Neil examines a rock sample during the Sierra Blanca trip. He is holding a geology hammer in his left hand and is wearing an Omega Speedmaster watch. Journal contributor Dan Buchan notes "his watch shows 1:12:33." 24 February 1969.

The consensus, I think, has been that Armstrong wore a JBC with horned end pieces, but to me they look like straight end pieces. Anyone been able to enlarge this pic enough to confirm exactly what end pieces are on that JBC He's wearing?

TLIGuy · Jun 21, 2016

blubarb
The consensus, I think, has been that Armstrong wore a JBC with horned end pieces, but to me they look like straight end pieces. Anyone been able to enlarge this pic enough to confirm exactly what end pieces are on that JBC He's wearing?

I have never seen Armstrong wearing anything other than the JBC with straight end pieces.

Here is the first image in the thread.

Screen Shot 2016-06-21 at 7.37.17 PM.jpg

Here is an image I was forwarded a few months ago that I posted earlier. Here it is enlarged and I clearly see the straight end piece.

Screen Shot 2016-06-21 at 7.36.09 PM.jpg

Hidden gems from the NASA photo archive

Archer

dx009

AAAKK

TLIGuy

scv55

Jones in LA

oddboy

proximal

Kazyole

TLIGuy

Jones in LA

Spy

TLIGuy

Jones in LA

rcs914

Jones in LA

Jones in LA

cwindham

blubarb

TLIGuy

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