#105.003

1965, May … 60 years ago Gemini IV astronauts James McDivitt and Edward White seen at the CNV tracking station and during procedures rehearsal in the two man McDonnell Gemini spacecraft atop Launch Complex 19 in Cape Canaveral Florida. Note the running chronograph hand! Since April 29, 1965 both McDivitt & White wore a NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster 105.003-63 chronograph as they were the first to be issued such a wrist watch from the very first batch Omega had delivered to NASA in April 1965. In fact, during Gemini, NASA never had enough Speedmaster chronographs to issue one to each astronaut on active flight status. Only 1968 onwards, NASA could do so! During the June 1965 Gemini IV mission, both McDivitt and White each wore two Omega Speedmaster chronographs as launch control Florida was on Eastern Time while mission control Texas was on Central Time. Remember, Gemini IV, 4 days, 4 Speedmaster chronographs... (Photos: NASA)

Remembering Apollo 1 ... 55 years ago! January 1967, NASA astronaut Roger Chaffee and his wife Martha posed for photographs during their end-of-year 1966-1967 holiday period as the couple spent Christmas time and New Year at their home near Houston - Texas. Aeronautical engineer Navy LtCmdr Roger Bruce Chaffee was selected in NASA group 3 (October 1963) and served as CAPCOM - Capsule Communicator during the Gemini III and IV missions. By 1966, Chaffee had received his first spaceflight assignment as the pilot in the Apollo 1 prime crew.  However, on January 27, 1967 a cabin fire destroyed the Apollo 1 Command Module during a launch rehearsal test killing the three astronauts; Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee. Photo shows Roger Chaffee wearing a NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster 105.003 chronograph on a steel mesh Jacoby Bender champion bracelet. (Photo: AP/NASA)

January 5 … we remember veteran NASA astronaut John Young Three years ago, astronaut John Young passed away, a naval aviator since 1954, Young was a veteran of two Gemini (3 & 10), two Apollo (10 & 16) and two space shuttle Columbia spaceflight missions. This post-Apollo 10 September 1969 photo shows John Young signing autographs for NASa personnel at the Mississippi Test Center. Note John Young wore a NASA-issued #40 Omega Speedmaster 105.003 chronograph on a Jacoby Bender Champion steel mesh bracelet. (Photo: NASA)

September 12, 1966 Gemini XI astronaut Charles Pete Conrad during suitup procedures for his second spaceflight mission. Gemini XI launch was at 9:42 AM (EST) on September 12,1966. Conrad and Gordon’s Gemini XI space flight, lasted almost 3 days during which they  conducted docking maneuvers and a tether experiment using an Agena Target Vehicle from a Low  Earth Orbit to a High Apogee Orbit of 1368 kilometers. Richard Gordon  performed 2 hours 45 minutes of spacewalks. Both astronauts wore an Omega Speedmaster 105.003 chronograph   and Conrad also choose to wear his personal Glycine Airman pilot wrist watch on his right arm. Conrad’s Glycine Airman, an aviator & fighter pilot favorite, which he also wore on Gemini V in August 1965. In this way, his  trusty Glycine Airman GMT pilotwatch accumulated 10 days 22 hours in space, of which 2 hours 45 minutes exposed to outer space! (Photo: NASA) 

June 1966, preparations for the 8th manned Gemini mission... Gemini X Official NASA Gemini X crewportrait, John Young & Michael Collins, note the Speedmaster chronograph on Young’s inner forearm and the colors in the dial of the spacesuit pressure valve. Main objectives were testing the AMU backpack and checking out EVA - spacewalk techniques as Michael Collins would perform the first standup EVA before using the HHMU “zipgun” on a second 40-minutes spacewalk. A wristwatch-wise interesting fact; Michael Collins was the first NASA astronaut to wear a watch underneath the spacesuit as pre-launch suitup and post-recovery photos show him wearing a NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster chronograph on his righthand wrist. Gemini X launched on July 18 and landed on July 21, 1966 recovered East of the Bahamas by the USS Guadalcanal. (Photo: NASA)

June 4, 1966 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Richard Gordon acted as CapCom - Capsule Communicator during the Gemini IX mission in MOCR - Mission Operations Control Room. Note both astronauts wore a NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster chronograph on a Jacoby Bender Champion steel mesh bracelet. (Photo: NASA)

June 6, 1966... splash-down & recovery of the Gemini IX-a mission NorthEast of the Bahamas by the Carrier Air Group of the USS Wasp. The astronauts, Tom Stafford & Gene Cernan couldn’t dock with the Agena target vehicle as its  conical nose shroud remained attached and looked like an “ angry alligator “ to the crew. On June 5, 1966 Cernan had made a 2 hours 7 minutes spacewalk but he had difficulties returning to the spacecraft and closing the hatch. Note that on this mission, compared to Gemini VI-a, Thomas Stafford only wore a single NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster 105.003 chronograph. In this image, it clearly showed 14:29 UTC with the chronograph hand running... (Photo: NASA)

55 years ago, March 25, 1965 press conference with space twins Gemini III astronauts John Young and Virgil Grissom, who illustrated the maneuvers of their “Molly Brown” spacecraft during their three orbit flight. Note that Grissom wore an Omega Speedmaster 105.003-64 chronograph on a steel mesh Komfit Forstner bracelet on the inside of his left wrist. On June 1, 1965 the Omega Speedmaster chronograph was officially announced as NASA’s flight-qualified wristwatch for all NASA manned spaceflight missions. (Photo: NASA)