Why four Speedmaster Watches On Gemini 4

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Omegafanman

·May 27, 2020

I know a lot has been written about Ed White wearing two Speedmaster Watches on Gemini 4. There were four Speedmasters worn on the mission and many backstories. I have been doing some detailed research in collaboration with @SpeedyPhill using the archive pictures from Moon Watch Universe. Nobody can say for sure but my current best guess is that the watches were supposed to be set to GMT and also military Alpha time (GMT+1). One watch on each astronaut also had the chronograph running to measure GET (Ground elapsed time). One thing for sure is that on these early missions time was a big deal / equipment and communication was not as reliable. These guys practised everything so any equipment was fully utilised. There is a lot of detail behind all this / still a bit of a work in progress but I will share some below. The keen eyed and interested might want to pitch in some thoughts. I am going to post a few replies now with some more details. Having high quality photos, enhancement software and good access to the NASA archives (all free resources) make this possible. I do recommend https://moonwatchuniverse.tumblr.com

Edited: May 27, 2020

 

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Omegafanman

·May 27, 2020

So this is what NASA said about time on the mission:

 

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Omegafanman

·May 27, 2020

They did have a lot to deal with - crossing many time zones, tracking stations and planning activity around rapid day/night periods, specific locations and ground elapsed time (66 orbits in four days).

Edited: May 27, 2020

 

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Omegafanman

·May 27, 2020

There were other clocks on the space craft aside from watches - but clearly the watches were very important. Findings from the mission recommended improvements to the instrumentation (an extra GMT clock had already been added to the pilot console for the Gemini 4 mission)

Edited: May 27, 2020

 

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Omegafanman

·May 27, 2020

They used GMT and military (Alpha time) which is GMT+ 1 as well as GET (Ground elapsed time). There was some confusion which, looking at the orbit charts already posted and time chart below, is understandable. This was also increased by a mission delay of 1:24 hours.

Edited: May 27, 2020

 

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Omegafanman

·May 27, 2020

I have edited this mission transcript to show some specific time references early in the mission...

 

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Omegafanman

·May 27, 2020

This time chart appears to show some errors - GMT times mixed up with Alpha / Universal time. Also an incorrect Alpha time call (which could also be a tape/transcript error). Taken from enhanced photos the chart also shows the 'estimated' actual times from the worn watches. This would seem to indicate they were attempting to set them for GMT and Alpha time + use a watch Chronograph for GET time

Edited: May 27, 2020

 

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Omegafanman

·May 27, 2020

Too many posts I know - (I am taking up your time) but the devil is in the detail. Here are some reduced quality versions of the actual wrist shots (thanks again @SpeedyPhill for the help and collaboration on this).

Edited: May 27, 2020

 

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SpeedyPhill

·May 27, 2020

Finally after 55 years the topic got some detailed research... without any help from Omega !
well done @Omegafanman !
👍
Indeed, the transcript showed the crew was awakened at 04:10 EST followed by breakfast and physical examination...
After suit-up in the trailer at Pad 16, the astronaut took the little NASA van to launch Pad 19 where they arrived at 07:08 EST...
A few minutes later both astronauts were met by a crowd of technicians & journalists, and photographed several times while walking up the ramp to the launchpad at 07:10 EST while McDivitt lefthand Speedmaster was at 10:10
.

... walkout up the ramp of launch complex 19 sequence photos are very interesting 😉

 

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Omegafanman

·May 27, 2020

SpeedyPhill

Finally after 55 years the topic got some detailed research... without any help from Omega !
well done @Omegafanman !
👍
Indeed, the transcript showed the crew was awakened at 04:10 EST followed by breakfast and physical examination...
After suit-up in the trailer at Pad 16, the astronaut took the little NASA van to launch Pad 19 where they arrived at 07:08 EST...
A few minutes later both astronauts were met by a crowd of technicians & journalists, and photographed several times while walking up the ramp to the launchpad at 07:10 EST while McDivitt lefthand Speedmaster was at 10:10
.

... walkout up the ramp of launch complex 19 sequence photos are very interesting 😉

Thanks @SpeedyPhill - Good teamwork - Castor and Polydeuces on this one :0)

 

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SpeedyPhill

·May 27, 2020

Unfortunately, we didn't find NASA photos of the watches being put on the spacesuits of both astronauts... on launchday June 3, 1965
The first NASA photo clearly showing the Omega Speedmaster chronographs is S65-29646 showing Alan Shepard talking to Ed White & suit technician Joseph W. Schmitt who put something in Ed's left knee lower spacesuit pocket...
Suit-up started at 05:35 EST and the astronaut left the trailer at 06:55 EST to step into the NASA van at 07:00 EST
Compared to other photos, we see Edward White was completely ready, finished pre-oxygenation to purge his body of Nitrogen, completely suited gloves attached but still without the Gold visor helmet of the Gemini spacesuit...
His wrist Speedmaster shows approximately 09:44 while this photo was taken at 06:44 EST ... the other forearm Speedmaster differs one hour !
.

 

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SpeedyPhill

·May 27, 2020

By The Way... did You notice ?
It looks like in the photo here above, the chrono hand was running on the White's forearm Speedmaster...
☕
But why 4 wristwatches ?
Launches took place at KSC Cape Canaveral on the eastcoast of Florida... in the EST - Eastern Standerd Time time zone
Gemini IV was the very first spaceflight mission with a fully operational Mission Control Center in building 30 at the Manned Spacecraft Center (nowadays Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) ) in Houston Texas...
1000 miles away and in another time zone... CST - Central Standard Time for the continental USA
So we assume the one hour difference on their Speedmasters was set to keep both EST Florida and CST Texas...

 

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SpeedyPhill

·May 27, 2020

☕
Moreover, the Mission Control Center was equiped with a Real-Time Computer in order to keep track of telemetry data & mission events stored in the little computer of the Gemini capsule. As suggested by the Gemini III crew, the Gemini cockpit got a clear GMT clock at the leftside control panel of the command pilot, in this case James McDivitt.
NASA photos of the windowless Mission Control Center in Houston do not show any analog clock on the wall...
Instead digital information displayed GMT - Greenwich Mean Time ( "Zulu" time ) on a worldmap with the track of the spacecraft and the radio ranges of each of the tracking stations... so every tracking station used GMT for the whole flight !
☕
Cape Kennedy launch control - Florida
Armstrong, Borman, Conrad, Lovell, Shepard and Williams
Mission Control Center - Texas
Cernan, Chaffee, Grissom, Schirra, Slayton and Young
Tracking stations in Australia:
Carnarvon (David Scott), Muchea - Perth and Woomera (450 Km Northwest of Adelaide)
Besides 5 tracking stations in the continental USA, other stations included:
Ascension island, Bermuda islands, Canary islands, Grand Turk island, Kauai - Hawaii, Guaymas - Mexico, Nigeria, South-Africa, ...
And besides a Navy recovery fleet in the Atlantic Ocean... at least 4 NASA-Navy tracking ships distributed over Earth's large Oceans...
So GMT was appropriate to coordinate the whole mission !

 

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BlackTalon

·May 27, 2020·This Space for Rent

That is an amazing amount of research and a great write-up. Thank you for sharing your hard work.

 

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Martin_J_N

·May 27, 2020

Just superb, a fantastic read, thanks pulling all this together.

👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍

 

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SpeedyPhill

·May 27, 2020

There's more to come... gratefully the Gemini IV mission was covered extensively, both by NASA and other journalists...
Thanks to the "Early Bird" satellite, "live" TV-images were broadcasted to 12 European countries... worldwide interest for the EVA was immense!
June 3, 1965 06:56 EST James McDivitt & Edward White left the suit-up trailer at Pad 16 to board the NASA van for the drive to Launch Pad 19...
Note White's helmet has the Gold over-visor clipped on... a design that would be changed post-mission to a single visual-protection visor unit.
📖

...
more to come soon !

 

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vbrad26

·May 27, 2020

Love these threads.
Keep it coming!

 

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SpeedyPhill

·May 28, 2020

Command pilot James McDivitt arriving in the tiny "white room" around the Gemini IV capsule atop Launch Pad 19...
Note this is a June 3, 1965 launchday photo as he wore the US flag "Stars & Stripes" on his spacsuit, and 2 Omega Speedmaster 105.003
(NASA photo S65-29641)
.

 

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SpeedyPhill

·May 29, 2020

Five years ago, when MoonwatchUniverse launched the artwork commission for a "" 50 years Gemini IV "" painting, we gave full artistic freedom and the finished work became available early 2017, the artist beautifully put the hands on both Speedmaster chronographs in the laughing 10:10 position... something we could correct in photoshop so there's a one hour difference between the two NASA-issued Speedmaster chronographs.
"" 55 years Gemini IV "" and we had to update our lecture slides, etc... as it looks like these were 105.003-63
.

 

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SpeedyPhill

·Jun 1, 2020

Anno 2020, 55 years after the first US Spacewalk, MoonwatchUniverse once more draws attention to the fact that 4 NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster 105.003 chronographs were worn during the Gemini IV mission… mnemonic “ 4 on IV “ !