New reveals about the NASA Space program watch choice

@jakeh417
Well watches got official testing time on the MA-9 Faith 7 mission of Leroy Gordo Cooper ( he compared Accutron Bulova and Omega Speedmaster CK2998 ) in May 1963...
The emergency You speak of is probably the Apollo 13 mission, during which astronaut Jack Swigert used his Omega Speedmaster to time the midcourse 14 seconds LM DPS engine burn to align the Odyssey-Aquarius spacecraft combination in the correct re-entry angle into Earth's atmosphere... The crew intended to use the onboard Command Module Interval Timer but it failed... Omega Speedmaster chronograph to the rescue in April 1970.

Well 20 months ago I decided to become an Omegaforums member in order to share my collection of old NASA photos and bringing my five cents of knowledge to the spaceflight history discussions of the Speedmaster chronograph's use...
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It all started with the rumour that Donald Slayton, Mercury 7 astronaut & NASA's first chief of the astronaut office, privately owned a Speedmaster CK2998 as Wally Schirra and Gordo Cooper did... so we started to search for photos... found a few but aren't 100% sure we found the right proof in those images... 👎
Although I believe Omega will release some detailed information during the 50th anniversary year of the Apollo 11 mission (2019), it was great to share some revelations such as:

1. Gold Apollo tribute Speedmasters were not flown during ASTP (July 1975) and 99% sure never flown on any space missions so far...

2. First Radial Dial Speedmaster Alaska III was worn by both astronauts Engle & Truly during STS-2 (Columbia - November 1981)

3. Yes there're photos of the first Speedy spacewalk during Space Shuttle program = STS-6 Story Musgrave (Challenger - April 1983)

4. Astronauts' feedback and NASA engineer James Ragan's recommendations to Omega initiated research to produce the perfect space watch... something practical as a 60 minutes bezel was appreciated by astronauts and worn during training from May 1971 (e.g. Apollo 15 CMP Alfred Worden) to July 1975 (e.g. ASTP CMP Vance Brand)

5. Finally, in 1977 the distinctive red-colored outer cases of the Alaska Project turned up to be launched in space... After a failed attempt by Soyuz 25 to dock with the Salyut-6 space station (October 1977), it was to the crew of Soyuz 26 to take a pair of Alaska Project Speedmaster chronographs to Salyut-6... and the crew stayed 96 days aboard the Salyut 6 space station, but the cases are not seen on landing recovery photos...
So more soon as we'll celebrate 1968-2018 = 50 years Alaska Project ...
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We understand the commercial aspects & reasons of drop-by-drop info releases, but 2018 & 2019 are important commemorative years for spaceflight aficionados and as I'm almost an "old" man hoping to find out full details (e.g. on the exact number of Speedmaster chronographs delivered to NASA, or how was the radial dial Speedsonic used, and the exact details & serial numbers of flown Speedmasters, etc...) in my lifetime 😗
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July 1975, astronaut Vance Brand wearing a 60 minutes bezel Speedmaster chronograph during ASTP training
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by officials as it should be....
So more soon as we'll celebrate 1969-2019 = 50 years Alaska Project ... Damn Zut... 2019 is going to be extremely busy!

As I'm reaching 1000 likes ... and made some Speedy reveals public, the best is yet to come on 27th & 29th July 2018...
But I have to refer interested readers to the Tumblr photo blog for new photos: https://moonwatchuniverse.tumblr.com/archive

December 1964 - March 1965: NASA testing different chronographs... the Omega Speedmaster chronographs survived these as the best...
March 23, 1965 : Gemini III mission both astronauts Virgil Grissom and John Young at least wore 1 Omega 105.003-64 chronograph
June 1, 1965 : NASA Gemini programme offce released its official letter of certification...
June 3, 1965 : Gemini IV mission both astronauts James McDivitt and Edward White wore a pair of Omega 105.003-64 chronographs

So how many Omega Speedmaster watches did NASA have in March 1965 ?
My best guess is the initial 4 ... the first batch NASA received had another 17 Speedmaster chronographs...
About Gemini IV and the first US spacewalk there has been a lot of discussion but time-period photos clearly show each astronaut with 2 watches ( McDivitt 1 on each wrist, White 2 on his left forearm)... so 4 watches in use!

But it was another story that caught my attention...
Accutron Astronaut watch fans stated that the tuning fork Bulova was only flown on MA-9 by Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper in May 1963, however I'm convinced it was also flown during the Gemini program on Gemini III by astronaut Virgil Grissom ( and later on by astronaut Norman Thagard aboard STS-7 Challenger in June 1983).
March 23, 1965 suit up images and photos taken near the Gemini III capsule on top of pad 19 show Gus Grissom wearing an Omega Speedmaster and an Accutron Astronaut on his right wrist...getting into the capsule. John Young wore a pair of Omega Speedmaster chronographs, on each wrist, a bit hidden by the fabric of his spacesuit.
Interesting remark: NASA photo 65-H-441 shows the astronauts before getting into the Gemini III capsule with the backup crew of Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford standing besides them and Stafford was clearly wearing an Omega Speedmaster chronograph as well !

So what am I looking for ? Exact dates with exact number of Speedmaster chronographs delivered to NASA
My best guesses ☕
1964: 4
1965: 17
1966: ?
1967: ?
1968: ? still received 105.003 non-professional ( model 6126 )
1976: 80 radial dial Speedsonic
1978: 56 ( also 12 Speedmaster quartz LCD (Alaska IV)
1990: ?
1997: 23 X-33 ( 6 flown on STS-89 to the Mir space station )
1998: 27 X-33
2014: ?

When I saw this thread I figured it would be another group of Rolex and other brand fans pointing out that some astronaut MAY have worn his own Timex or Bulova or GMT or stopwatch (which Glenn did, I think) under his space suit or under his boxers or in his hip pocket. It's been difficult for non-Omega people to accept for a very long time that the Speedmaster is and was the only watch ever qualified for space flight, etc etc etc. And if you haven't read the articles detailing the attempts Bulova (including putting their name on a bunch of watches made by other makers) made to get their names on a flown watch, you should. It's very interesting reading.

We can concede that any of the Mercury, Gemini, or Apollo guys might have slipped on their favorite Mickey Mouse watch out of habit on the day of a flight, and Mickey may have actually been "flown." 😉

Doubtful ... after half-a-century collecting & thoroughly screening old NASA photos we would have noticed... as both Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo era suit up photos clearly show astronauts' wrists and any watches ready on a nearby table...
1981 onwards, the Space Shuttle era is a total other matter though 📖

September 1964
Based on Mercury astronauts' feedback, Donald Slayton, expressed the need for an "off the shelf" durable accurate wrist chronograph for use in the hostile space environment and on the the lunar surface. In September 1964, this memorandum landed at the desk of NASA engineer James Ragan...
December 1964
Rigorous NASA qualification testing lead by NASA Engineer Jim Ragan began on 4 brands of chronograph wrist watches...
March 1965
The Omega Speedmaster survived the test and was chosen by NASA for the upcoming Gemini & Apollo projects...
April 1965
NASA ordered an additional 17 Omega Speedmaster chronographs...
June 1, 1965
NASA Gemini program office issued its Letter of Certification and that same week the highlight of the Gemini program occurred during the Gemini IV mission, during which astronauts James McDivitt and Edward White both wore two Speedmasters to keep track of mission events elapsed time... White made the first US spacewalk...
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When did Gemini astronauts started to wear the official issued Omega Speedmaster chronographs ?
Training for the Gemini III mission began in November 1963 and time-period NASA photos show astronaut John Young wearing a pair of Omega Speedmaster chronographs since March 1965. Here's a photo taken March 3, 1965 showing John Young during weight & balance checks in full pressure suit but wearing only 1 Omega Speedmaster 105.003 chronograph... I believe this is the earliest photo showing the watch on a Gemini space suit...
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@M'Bob
Certainly looks like an elastic strap... as seen in later photos
For the actual mission another watch strap was used (check March 2018 at https://moonwatchuniverse.tumblr.com/archive )

I believe it is an Omega flat link bracelet modified to accommodate the diameter of the glove like the modification made to lengthen the JB Campion mesh strap worn by Cooper on his Mercury flight.

You can clearly see the light reflecting off the metal surface in the other images of Young at @SpeedyPhill ’s blog.

Still hoping to get this information before the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission...
Exact dates with exact number & type of Speedmaster chronographs delivered to NASA
My best guesses☕
1964: 4
1965: 17
1966: ?
1967: ?
1968: ? still received 105.003 non-professional ( model 6126 )
1976: 80 radial dial Speedsonic
1978: 56 ( also 12 Speedmaster quartz LCD (Alaska IV)
1990: ?
1997: 23 X-33 ( 6 flown on STS-89 to the Mir space station )
1998: 27 X-33
2014: ?
...

On the next upcoming SpeedyTuesdays , MoonwatchUniverse will share a batch of photos which show the very first test of a Gemini crew in full space suit attire with the Omega Speedmaster 105.003-64 chronograph... Here's a preview of what we have available:
March 1965, astronaut John Young enters the weight & balance setup to check astronaut's ergonomic position & weight distribution...
Of course by now we know both Grissom & Young wore 2 wrist watches on the March 1965 Gemini III mission...
Nevertheless this is the first use of officially flight-qualified accepted Omega Speedmaster watches by NASA astronauts...
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Detail of the left March 03, 1965 NASA image seen here above in the leather photo folder, clearly shows some flat link "elastic" bracelet
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And another March 08, 1965 NASA image still shows the same bracelet used in training for Gemini III mission...
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While this March 19, 1965 NASA dress rehearsal image shows John Young wearing 2 Omega Speedmaster chronographs on a steel mesh bracelet
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Launch day, March 23, 1965 NASA images clearly show both astronauts preferred the steel mesh bracelets... probably Komfit Forstner as the firm was taken over later that year by Jacoby Bender Champion... anyone can chime in on this ?
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Three months later, the Gemini IV astronauts both wore a pair of Omega Speedmaster chronographs attached on long velcro straps for the historic US spacewalk mission... and the steel mesh bracelets were primarily worn during training and every day life... Until the Apollo days !

So the JB Champion steel mesh bracelet types, although used by Schirra & Cooper during Mercury program, an astronaut favorite in daily life and training, were only space flown on 5 official pre-shuttle era NASA missions:
Gemini III (Grissom & Young) and later on Apollo 10 (Young & Cernan), Apollo 12 (Gordon), 14 (Roosa) and 17 (Cernan)

Reviving this topic to acknowledge that astronaut Donald Deke Slayton had an Omega Speedmaster in his collection from early 1962 onwards... just as Wally Schirra and Leroy Gordo Cooper had.
By the Mercury 8 flight of Wally Schirra (Sigma 7), Deke Slayton was grounded for medical reasons and became NASA's first chief of the Astronaut Office. Here, June 1963, Slayton is seen during jungle survival training near Albrook Air Force Base on the east-side of the Panama canal, wearing an Omega Speedmaster... without bezel.
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Good eyes. I wonder if it just got knocked off during the rigorous training. I imagine those watches got bashed around quite frequently. Or maybe he just wanted to save a few grams.

Maybe he just popped it of with a screwdriver after a few drinks while ridiculing the need for a tachymeter in space...

Hah, that is true!