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The 12 Apollo Astronauts (and their trusty Speedmasters)
Today, to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the Apollo 11, we remember the 12 men who have walked the moon, and the faithful Speedmasters that accompanied them on their celestial voyages.
Apollo 11
On July 16, 1969 the Saturn V rocket carrying the Apollo 11 team took off from the Kennedy Space Center on man’s virgin attempt to land on the Moon. The takeoff was largely televised and celebrated, although the full magnitude of the importance of the mission would take another 3 days to kick in.
The two astronauts who landed on the moon were Armstrong and Aldrin, and you’ve probably seen footage where Armstrong steps off the footpad of the Eagle and onto the moon’s surface, declaring “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
On their wrists were the reference 105.012 Omega Speedmaster chronographs. Actually, Aldrin had his on-wrist (being a self-proclaimed watch guy) while Armstrong left his on board as a backup for the faulty Lunar Module timer. Years later, their watches (being property of the US government) were donated to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum where Aldrin’s watch unfortunately went missing in transit.
Apollo 12
Conrad, being a man of lighthearted nature parodied Armstrong and announced “Whoopie! Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that’s a long one for me” as part of a bet with a reporter (he mentioned that he never collected the money). Speedmasters with the reference 105.012 as well were on their wrists throughout the mission.
Conrad passed in 1999 and Bean in 2018. It is worth noting that Bean, being an avid painter was the only artist to have gone to space. This influence is greatly reflected in his work, which can be viewed here: https://www.alanbean.com/
Apollo 14
On January 31st 1971, a little less than a year after the infamous tale of Apollo 13 (where Jack Swigert’s Speedmaster saved the pilots), the crew of Apollo 14, consisting of Commander Alan Shepard, Command Module Pilot Stuart Roosa, and Lunar Module Pilot Edgar Mitchell embarked on a redemption journey to the moon.
Apollo 15
Following the success of Apollo 14, NASA carried on with Apollo 15 just 6 months later, on 26th July 1971 with a crew consisting of Commander David Scott, Command Module Pilot Alfred Worden and Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin. With confidence earned from prior missions, Apollo 15 was more ambitious, with a greater focus on science with breakthroughs such as a longer stay on the Moon and the inaugural use of the Lunar Roving Vehicle.
Irwin, who was a devout Christian, spent his retirement leading expeditions in search of Noah’s ark. He passed in 1991, the first of the Apollo astronauts. Scott is currently spending his retirement in Los Angeles.
Apollo 16
On April 16th 1972, NASA sent the Apollo 16 team, consisting of Commander John Watts Young, Command Module Pilot Thomas Mattingly III and Lunar Module Pilot Charles Duke Jr. once again to the Moon, with the intention to collect geologically older lunar material and specimens to learn more about the history/origin of the moon.
Apollo 17
Fast forward 12 months to Apollo 17, the final mission of the Apollo program, and the last NASA mission involving a moon landing. The mission, which started on December 7th 1972 consisted of crew members Commander Eugene “Gene” Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt. The mission broke several crewed spaceflight records: the longest Moon landing, longest total extravehicular activities (moonwalks), largest lunar sample, longest time in lunar orbit, and, at 75, most lunar orbits.
Cernan passed on in 2017. His legacy lives through the Cernan Earth and Space Center, a planetarium in Chicago. Schmitt went on to pursue a stint as a Republican senator, he has held a position as a professor in the University of Wisconsin since 1994. Both astronauts are also portrayed in the 2014 film, ‘The Last Man on the Moon’.
While the moon remains unvisited for nearly 5 decades, the Omega Speedmaster serves as a trusty reminder of the courage and bravery of the 12 men who have walked the moon and showed us that the sky is never the limit and to always chase the impossible.