MISSION COMPLETE, HOUSTON. ATLANTIS HAS EARNED ITS PLACE IN HISTORY. FINAL WHEELS STOP.

I really like the new addition. Skylab doesn't get much visibility, but not only was it a test of long duration space flight, but some very serious astronomical science was done on the station too.

I have updated the Apollo 17 mission with a fantastic new short documentary "The Last Steps" that takes a look back at the Apollo 17 mission and their final voyage to the Moon.

At exactly 05:34 GMT on December 14, 2016, 44 years after Gene Cernan took his final step off the Moon, I realized I made a mistake in calculating the time Cernan stepped off the Moon. This mistake needs to be acknowledged and corrected, and below is the story of how the mistake was made.

Here is a screen shot from Apollo 17.org which follows the mission of Apollo 17 as it happen 44 years later. In the highlighted time block, the exact time Cernan makes his final speech and steps off the Moon is 05:34 GMT (6:34:17 AM GMT +1). In the highlighted block at the bottom, you can see that his final speech begins at 170:41 Mission Elapsed Time (MET).



This is the piece signed by Captain Cernan. The date and time signed was provided by me and was calculated using the 170:41 MET as documented in the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal. You can see my time calculation marks Cernan stepping off the lunar surface at 08:14 GMT. The math is simple -- 170:41 MET = 7 days 2 hours 41 minutes. By adding this to the 05:33 GMT launch time, the final step and speech has to happen at 08:14 GMT 7 days later. Why then does my time not match to the 05:34 GMT time above and where is the missing +2:40?



Apollo 17 was scheduled to launch at 9:53 pm EST, December 6, 1972, but was delayed 2 hours and 40 minutes because of a technical malfunction. It finally launched at 12:33 am EST or 05:33 GMT, December 7, 1972. While en route to the Moon, the original flight plan times are off +2:40 because of the launch delay. In order to get the mission times back in synch to the mission plan, mission control decided to add the +2:40 to the MET to bring the MET in line with the planned upcoming mission events. At +65:00 hours into the mission, the time was adjusted as seen below. What does this mean? It means the correction was noted but not added to the rest of the timeline below it. As you can see at the bottom, the third extravehicular activity ends at 168:07, about 6 minutes after Cernan leaves the surface and the LEM cabin is pressurized. By taking out the 6 minutes, the last speech and step actually took place 168 hours and 1 minute into the mission. Using the actual MET of 168:01 versus the adjusted MET of 170:41, the math is 7 days + 1 minute later. If the +1 minute is added to the launch time, then the time Cernan left the surface becomes 05:34 GMT which is the exact time in the Apollo 17.org screen shot and shows exactly how the +2:40 time difference ends up in my original calculation.



I was aware of the launch delay but not aware of how the time was adjusted by mission control or noted in the various timelines available. When I wanted to know the MET of the Cernan speech, I found the speech in the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal and used the corresponding MET for my calculation. As you can see below, his speech occurs at 107:41 which uses the +2:40 adjusted time. Not seeing any notations that 2:40 needed to be deducted from the times to arrive at the actual MET I made the calculation.



While I'm disappointed that the time I provided Captain Cernan was incorrect, it is still signed by the last man to walk on the Moon and a true American hero.

Undeniable.

Great detective work but be happy with your above conclusion.

Just "Out of this world" quite literally

What a great idea and a great thread showcasing it

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Superb new short documentary "The Last Steps" on YouTube: in fact at 17:34 in that video the exact above Apollo 17 roadsign pin can be seen;
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This has been a great thread to follow. Thanks for all the work to create and update it. I find it interesting that so many space exploration collectors (cS) are also watch collectors. I guess the obvious link is the Omega Speedmaster.

Thanks TLIguy for starting the thread.

It's so cool when this thread gets bumped, I can read it over and over.

Best thread ever! This should be properly published or at least have its own blog!
Maybe an addition to the next MWO...

MWO = MoonWatchOnly (book) http://moonwatchonly.tumblr.com/
MWU = MoonWatchUniverse ( blog) http://moonwatchuniverse.tumblr.com/archive
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What better way to kick off what should be another good year for the collection than by sharing a few images of the steely eyed missile men with their respective pieces.

2017 should be a great year with the continued addition of new pieces and a new home for the collection.

Thank you for your continued support and interest in my project.

Great thread. It is such thread which adds value to why I will continue enjoying immensely my speedmaster.

Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk

TLI, keep up the good work.

Love it excellent post/trip down memory lane.

I would like to share the new art work created for my Speedmaster Signature Collection. The new mission patch design reflects my mission of documenting the historic moments during the manned space program and the use of the Omega Speedmaster during man’s greatest adventure.



The new mission patch design was created with the help of artists Tim Gagnon and Dr. Jorge Cartes. They have designed mission patches for numerous Space Shuttle and ISS Expedition crews. Together they have designed patches for Expeditions 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 34, One Year, 47, and 48, and for the Space Shuttle program's STS-126, STS-129, STS-132, and STS-133. I thank Tim and Jorge for their time and effort to artistically translate the ideas the Speedmaster Signature Collection represents into a remarkable piece of art.

The mission patch design was chosen to tie all the pieces in the collection into one coherent piece of art. Because each piece in the collection is photographed with its corresponding mission patch, the use of the mission patch design was a logical choice. The challenge was then deciding what to include and how to arrange the patch in a way that fully represented the collection. I believe the astronauts, their missions and accomplishments, and the Speedmaster are honorably represented in the final design.

While the patch appears overtly American, it's because the focus of the collection is clearly centered around the US manned missions and follows some of the traditional designs found on past and present mission patches.

I hope you find the new Speedmaster Signature Collection mission patch and what it represents enjoyable and interesting.

Thank you for your continued interest in my project.

Superb design... will this actually be made into real cloth mission patches (availability to collectors) ?

I have added a new addition to the collection from Skylab 3 Pilot Jack Lousma.

Jack Lousma was selected as an astronaut by NASA in April 1966. Prior to his first mission while serving as the CAPCOM for Apollo 13 he was the recipient of the famous "Houston, we've had a problem" message.

He was the pilot for Skylab 3 from July 28 to September 25, 1973, during which time he spent 11 hours outside the Skylab Orbital Workshop during two extravehicular activities. He also served as backup Docking Module Pilot of the United States flight crew for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) mission in July 1975 and later Commanded STS-3, from March 22 until March 30, 1982, and has spent a total of 1,619 hours in space.

Today I have added a new video to celebrate the Gemini IV mission and the First American Spacewalk by Ed White. The newly added video can be viewed at the beginning of the Gemini missions right after Jim Ragan's piece or directly on YouTube here.

To celebrate the 52nd anniversary of the Gemini IV mission I would like to share with you a new way to present the Speedmaster case back signed by Jim McDivitt, who as the Command Pilot of Gemini IV photographed that historic event.

I always thought it would be interesting to combine my original image with video, photographs, and audio to better tell the story of what the piece represents. With the help of Animator Neil Smith, whose talents are beyond words, I believe I have finally been able to do just that. Neil’s vision and creativity along with his image and video editing skills have brought Jim McDivitt’s piece to life in a way that beautifully captures the meaning of the piece. I am thankful for Neil’s interest in my project and his effort working with me to make this happen. Also, for those interested in learning more about Neil’s fantastic work, more can be seen here.

Turn up the volume and I hope you enjoy my tribute to Jim McDivitt, Ed White, and the Gemini IV mission.