How An Astronaut Uses The Omega Speedmaster X-33 in Space

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Spending Time with Astronaut Terry Virts

June 21, 2020

by Zach Pina

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/spendin...edmaster-x-33/

Three… Two… One… Zero… Ignition. There’s a distinct shift in tone as the voice of launch control breaks its stoic delivery to exclaim “liftoff”! — introducing a mixed air of relief and jubilance that fits the magnitude of the scene being broadcast live to the world. There is a loud hiss accompanied by a column of white steam, then a fiery blast at the base of the rocket as its support tower falls away. Audible cheers and applause can be heard in the background as the live feed switches to a wide-angle, revealing the expanse around Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as it rapidly fills with turbulent white clouds beneath the SpaceX Dragon now accelerating skyward. Aboard the rocket are two American astronauts who’ll soon be the first crewed launch from the United States to orbit the planet since the space shuttle program ended nearly a decade ago. Only as the rocket distances itself from the reaches of the long-range camera lens does the feeling really start to sink in: This is the long-awaited arrival of a new era of American spaceflight, one that finally picks up the torch set alight by the previous two generations of space exploration.

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Astronaut Terry Virts joins our Zach Piña on the podcast to talk about some of his past NASA missions, what it’s like to take photos in outer space, and how he relies on his Omega Speedwalker X-33 in his day-to-day life as an astronaut.

Alongside many countless civilian, military, and aerospace actors of the last six decades, the Omega Speedmaster has played its own uniquely influential role in that continued legacy of outer space exploration — and during the excitement of the SpaceX Demo-2 launch, eagle-eyed watch fans would catch multiple glimpses of a Speedmaster X-33 strapped to the suit of astronaut Bob Behnken, confirming that Omega’s participation in America’s space program was still very much alive and well, and would not be relegated only to the anniversaries of yesteryear.

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Now, as you’ll learn from the interview with Terry, the X-33 watches worn in space have been flight-qualified by NASA for space missions (just as the original hesalite Moonwatch once was), and as issued equipment that’s property of the government, must be returned upon mission’s end. Interestingly enough, the newer X-33 Skywalker has not been flight-qualified by NASA (most likely due to the Space Shuttle Program ending in 2011), so its flight qualifications come from the European Space Association as denoted on the Skywalker’s caseback, ensuring that Omega’s participation in space exploration for the last decade continues uninterrupted even if America’s space program has been put on the back burner. As Terry pointed out in the interview, this is why unless personal watches were being worn on missions, many American astronauts are still issued the older X-33, while the new Skywalker variant is provided to European crew on the ISS.
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Gen 1 (ref. 3290.50.00 on the left) and Gen 2 (ref. 3991.50.06 in middle and ref. 3291.50.00 on right) of the Speedmaster X-33 are both rendered in titanium and functionally identical with the same Omega Calibre 1666 inside. Their cosmetic differences are only slight, evidenced by the finishing on the pushers and bezel, and the addition of a luminous pip on the insert at 12:00 for the newer variants. Some variations of the first generation reference had a traditional knurled Seamaster style crown before it was replaced with the grooved “honey dipper” style associated with all modern versions of the X-33.

For the last 20 years, each iteration of the X-33 has adhered to a consistent principle of capability and operation with a similar set of features: multiple calendars and time zones, numerous chronograph and countdown functions, and a loud digital alarm — all with the combined aim of enabling an astronaut to stay safe and work more efficiently while in space. It’s worth pointing out that the watch is not designed for extra-vehicular activity (or EVA), as the LCD screen cannot handle extreme cold. But for his work onboard the ISS, Terry explained that the X-33 Skywalker streamlines many of the above functions while adding in two key timekeeping functions: “mission elapsed time” (MET) and “phase elapsed time” (PET) — calculations that have little use to anyone who’s not strapped to a rocket bound for orbit.

article continue: https://www.ablogtowatch.com/spendin...edmaster-x-33/
 
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