#alaskaproject

On this day... October 20, 1995 Three decades ago, space shuttle Columbia was launched for mission STS-73 carrying a crew of 7 astronauts and the ESA/NASA SpaceLab in the cargo bay. It was the 7th launch attempt for this mission! It looks like mission specialist Michael Lopez-Alegria became the last to wear a NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster 145.022-78 "Radial Dial" Alaska Project III chronograph. These radial dial Speedies were delivered to NASA in October 1978 and used during the Space Shuttle program between November 1981 & November 1995. 1996 onwards, NASA/ESA astronauts started to wear the Omega Speedmaster X-33 prototypes during space shuttle missions! (Photo: NASA)

Omega ex-Alaska Project II Speedmaster... December 1977, the 2nd Soviet-Russian Soyuz mission to the brand new Salyut-6 space station. A major innovation was the fact the space station had two docking ports, allowing two craft to visit simultaneously, being a manned Soyuz or unmanned logistics Progress spacecraft. The Soviet-Russian space program equiped Salyut-6 with the latest technology such as the brand new Orlan EVA - spacewalk spacesuits supplemented with the ultimate space wrist watches. Since in 1973 the Soviet-Russians visited Omega HQ, cosmonauts have always been interested in the more bulky flightmaster & Speedmaster chronographs. The first Omega in space on Russian side was aboard Soyuz 14 in July 1974, the Speedmaster followed aboard Soyuz 16 in December 1974. However, by the summer of 1977 the Soviet-Russian space agency had ordered a pair of the ultimate Omega Speedmaster chronographs by fax and two ex-Alaska Project II Speedmaster chronographs with distinctive red outer case made it to StarCity and Baikonour launchsite. Join MoonwatchUniverse during our end-of-year season GTG with lectures on how the Omega Speedmaster got behind the Iron Curtain and into the Soviet-Russian space program! (Photos: TASS photo-collage MWU)

45 years ago... ex-Alaska II Project Speedmaster in space July 29, 1978 TV image showing a reflection of Soyuz 29 commander Vladimir Kovalyonok in the gold visor of the red-lined Orlan-D spacesuit of flight engineer Aleksandr Ivanchenkov outside the Salyut-6 space station. In the visor, note the red TV camera cable and more important, a very distinctive red-colored outer case at his right forearm of Kovalyonok wearing the blue-lined Orlan-D spacesuit. The EVA - spacewalk lasted 2 hours 5 minutes. Although Omega’s Alaska Project to develop the ultimate space watch, came too late for the Apollo 18 to 20 missions (cancelled in 1970), it looks like these remarkable time pieces made it to outer space with the Russians! During their May 23, 1973 visit to Omega HQ in Switzerland, the Russian cosmonauts were shown Omega's toolwatches Speedmaster and flightmaster. In 1977 they ordered the ex-Alaska II Project Speedmaster chronographs with red outer case via fax to be used onboard their Salyut-6 space station! (Photo: RKA/TASS)

45 years ago... Omega Alaska Project July 1978, the Soyuz 29 cosmonauts Vladimir Kovalyonok and Aleksandr Ivanchenkov prepared for a scheduled EVA - spacewalk aboard the Salyut 6 space station. On 27th July they rehearsed the complete procedures in order to perform the spacewalk on 29th July 1978. This color TV image shows flight engineer Ivanchenkov wearing the red lined Orlan-D spacesuit. Commander Kovalyonok filmed the complete spacewalk to document the event and to use the footage to train future crews. Note that the cosmonaut wore Omega’s ex-Alaska II Speedmaster time piece in its distinctive red-colored outer case on the left sleeve of the Orlan-D space suit. It looks like we can distinguish the black Gemini-capsule sub-dial hands and the white bezel on the red aluminium outer case. The EVA lasted 2 hours 5 minutes as the cosmonauts retrieved samples and experiments from the outside of the Salyut-6 space station. By that time both Alaska II Project Speedmaster chronographs had been 7 months aboard the space station! (Photo: RKA/TASS)

Of Time and Space ... Exhibition wrist watches in art by MoonwatchUniverse. Posters and brochures for our upcoming exhibition, showcasing a dozen examples of wrist watches depicted in artworks, the focus lays at the Omega Speedmaster chronograph, known for its use during both American and (Soviet-) Russian spaceflight missions. Exactly 45 years ago, Omega’s ex-Alaska Project II Speedmaster chronographs in distinctive red outer cases found enthusiastic customers on the other side of the Iron Curtain. Combing through photographs, providing some exceptional counsel on the subject, MoonwatchUniverse clarifies the “mystery” enshrouding the use of these time pieces onboard the Salyut-6 space station in 1977. (Photo: MoonwatchUniverse)

🤩 Probably the most fun speedmaster set ever made😍 🔥 PRE-ORDER NOW 0745840109 🔥 #tropicalwatch #speedmaster #omega #alaskaproject (at Koinange Street) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdnAFrdqb-Q/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

October 1977... Omega Alaska Project II Speedmaster into space! October 9, 1977 the Soyuz-25 cosmonauts Vladimir Kovalyonok & Valery Ryumin wore the large Omega Alaska Project II Speedmaster chronograph with red distinctive outer case. The crew was destined to Russia's new Salyut-6 space station but they failed to hard dock and returned to Earth after 2 days 44 minutes in space... Originally, Omega had designed the Alaska Project Speedmaster as the ultimate space wristwatch to be worn by the Apollo astronauts on a bumpy Lunar Rover in the radiation-rich & dusty lunar environment. However, by September 1970 the Apollo 18 to 20 missions were cancelled and Omega management proposed the Alaska Project Speedmaster to the Soviet-Russian space program, during which it was used at least twice and possibly on the July 29, 1978 spacewalk ! (Photo: TASS)

In the renewed Omega museum in Bienne Kanton Bern – Switzerland, the most important & space-flown Speedmaster chronographs are housed in large metal domes. The watches can be seen through a porthole and each dome has a little diorama in the bottom. In this case Omega Alaska Project parts. Example of an Alaska 1 Project Speedmaster with red Gemini capsule shaped hands for the minutes & hours subdials. The red anodized Aluminium outer case came without 60 minutes bezel. The Alaska Project was Omega’s effort to create the ultimate space watch. Designed to be worn during Moonwalker excursions with the Lunar Rover, it came too late, as Apollo 18 to 20 got cancelled. However, Soviet-Russian cosmonauts wore it on the Soyuz 25 & 26 missions to the Salyut-6 space station in 1977. (Photo: MoonwatchUniverse)