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Tuesday 13 April, 2010 - 08:00 am
Space Anniversary: Apollo 13 and Omega Moon Landing
James A. Lovell, John L. Swigert and Fred W. Haise. Also: Omega Speedmaster
40 years have gone by since the Apollo 13 crew members’ cheated death by overcoming a spacecraft malfunction while on their way to the moon. While Fred Haise Jr., part of the crew, is now building a science museum in Mississippi, Captain James Lovell, who lives in Lake Forest, is telling his beat-the-odds story in hopes of inspiring perseverance.
Apollo 13's three-man crew (the third member, Jack Swigert, died in 1982) blasted off from Cape Kennedy on April 11, 1970. An oxygen tank ruptured two days later. The astronauts were forced to scrap their moon mission.
Gerald Griffin, also a flight director, said the men working with him on Apollo 13 felt they were only in the right place at the right time when they guided the spacecraft back to Earth. Kranz said while guiding Apollo 13 back to Earth, he relied on a "gut feeling." "I believed in my team," he said. "I believed in my spacecraft."
Apollo 13 was to be the third mission to land on the Moon. An explosion in one of the oxygen tanks crippled the spacecraft during flight and the crew were forced to circle the Moon and return to the Earth without landing. Apollo 13 was launched on Saturday, April 11, 1970 at 13:13 CST on a Saturn 5 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. "Houston, we've had a problem," said astronaut Jack Swigert and Commander Jim Lovell both radioed back. Running out of oxygen and power, the crew used the lunar module as emergency quarters. They made it back safely on April 17. The drama was captured, you'll recall, in the 1995 Tom Hanks movie Apollo 13.
The Apollo 13 crew members were:
1. James A. Lovell (Commander)
2. John L. Swigert (Command Module Pilot)
3. Fred W. Haise (Lunar Module Pilot)
The back up crew were:
1. John W. Young (Backup Commander)
2. John L. Swigert (Backup Command Module Pilot)
3. Charles M. Duke, Jr (Backup Lunar Module Pilot)
Apollo 13 (1995)
The film Apollo 13 was based on the real events of the worst NASA’s tragedy. Back in 1971 when NASA planed to send out people to the Moon for a lunar mission, they had chosen astronauts Jim Lovell, Frad Haise and Jack Swigert. Even they launched into outer space successfully; a slight fault from inside space module caused an explosion that turned the exploration into a survival test the whole crew of Apollo 13. While Loveel, Haise, and Swigert were trying to survive in space, the workers at NASA were trying to figure out a way of getting the astronauts home safely.
Many Omega Speedmaster watches are seen during this movie as many of the characters wore one, including Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) and Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon).
[ Click here to read complete article ]
Possible Related Links:
[ Apollo 13: Watches in Movies ]
[ Man on the Moon: 40 years - Omega Speedmaster ]
[ Omega's Official Website ]
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Thursday 8 April, 2010 - 02:10 pm
Omega Speedmaster GMT Solar Impulse HB-SIA Watch
Omega 3603 Calibire
Omega Speedmaster GMT Solar Impulse HB-SIA watch first appeared in the Baselworld 2008. Even it is not a new product, for sure it is one of the most interesting and uncommon Speedmaster watches that Omega has released during the past few years.
Omega has been supporting the "Solar Impulse" Project since the very beginning, so, in order to pay tribute to this plane, the Omega watch was named after it. You will, for sure, notice the eye-catching orange “HB-SIA” inscription which suggests the name of the airplane - Hotel Bravo Solar Impulse Alpha. The bezel also features “Tachymeter Base 1000”in echoing orange.
Inside this Omega's unique timepiece, it is placed the exclusive Omega 3603 Calibire, a reliable COSC-certified chronometer with 55 hours power reserve. This automatic movement has equipped with Omega’s Co-Axial escapement and column wheel based chronograph complication. 
Features:
• Chronograph
• Chronometer
• Small seconds
• Tachymeter
• Numbered edition
• 24 hours GMT
Technical Data:
• Cristal: Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides
• Case: Titanium
• Dial: Black Carbon fibre
• Water resistance: 100 m (330 feet)
• Size: Gents
Diameter: 44.25 mm
Movement:
Caliber: Omega 3603
Self-winding chronograph with column wheel mechanism, free sprung-balance and Co-Axial Escapement for greater precision and durability. 2nd time zone through 24 hour hand. 12 hour and 30 minute totalizers, stop second function, start/stop push button, return-to-zero push button. Rhodium plated finish and gold plated engravings. Officially certified chronometer.
Power reserve: 55 hours
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Omega Speedmaster GMT Solar Impulse HB-SIA watch at Interwatches!
Thursday 8 April, 2010 - 02:00 pm
The Solar Impulse Prototype Plane, HB-SIA, took off on its maiden flight at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
OMEGA, one of Solar Impulse’s Main Partners
(The Solar Impulse prototype plane, HB-SIA)
The Solar Impulse prototype, with its 63-metre wingspan and weighing only 1700 kg, was flown by test pilot Markus Scherdel. Solar Impulse, with its aim of circumnavigating the globe in a plane powered only by solar energy, could ultimately lead to finding ways to reduce our dependency on non-renewable energy sources.
OMEGA, as one of Solar Impulse’s Main Partners, has supplied capital and technological support, including the performance simulation and testing system, an ingenious, lightweight system of landing lights and the so-called OMEGA Instrument.
The OMEGA Instrument, that displays significant parameters so as to assist the pilot during landing, was invented by astronaut and Swatch Group Board Member Claude Nicollier, who played an active role in the project from its earliest stages, led the flight control team in the telemetry room during Solar Impulse’s maiden flight.
The aircraft successfully landed after its long-awaited maiden flight with a perfect landing at the airport in Payerne after about two hours in the air. The flight proved to be emotionally charged. Bertrand Piccard commented, “I had too many tears in my eyes to see the plane! It went so silently, so softly . . . I’m overwhelmed.”
Omega has been supporting the "Solar Impulse" Project since the very beginning, so, in order to pay tribute to this plane, the Omega watch was named after it. You will, for sure, notice the eye-catching orange “HB-SIA” inscription which suggests the name of the airplane - Hotel Bravo Solar Impulse Alpha. The bezel also features “Tachymeter Base 1000”in echoing orange. [ Click here to read the whole review ]
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Omega Speedmaster GMT Solar Impulse HB-SIA watch at Interwatches!
Source:
[ Omega's Official Website ]
Friday 5 March, 2010 - 12:00 pm
Joe Biden's Omega's Watch
Quartz Seamaster
(Joe Biden Wearing A Quartz Omega Seamaster Watch)
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. was born in November 20, 1942. Joseph Biden is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States. He was first a United States Senator from Delaware, until his resignation on January 2009, when he was elected to the Vice Presidency. Biden became an attorney in 1969 and was elected to a county council in 1970. Biden was first elected to the Senate in 1972 and became the sixth-youngest senator in U.S. history. He was re-elected to the Senate six times and was the fourth most senior senator at the time of his resignation.
( Omega Seamaster 300 M Quartz)
Description:
Steel on steel
Reference: 2221.80.00
MOVEMENT
Caliber: Omega 1538
Quartz precision movement with rhodium-plated finish. End of battery life indicator
Power Reserve: 27 / 36 months
CRYSTAL
Domed anti-reflective, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal
CASE & DIAL
Stainless steel case
Blue dial
WATER RESISTANCE
Down to: 300 meters
1000 feet
Size:
Case Diameter: 41 mm
Possible Related Link:
[ Omega's Official Website ]
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Omega's Watches at Interwatches!
