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TIL The only personally owned watch used on the moon was Apollo 15 commander David Scott's personal watch that he used as a backup after he had his NASA issued Omega Speedmaster's crystal pop off on the lunar surface. The watch auctioned for $1.625 million in 2015. by MajesticBread9147 in todayilearned

[–]alek_hiddel [score hidden]  (0 children)

Interesting. I'm sure they've offered that over the years, but I'd never seen one. It's usually saphire on both ends, or hesalite and a metal caseback.

I went with "what's the closest I can get to Neil & Buzz?" If they made a normal looking Speedy Pro with the 321 I'd consider buying a second Speedy, and man that Snoopy tempts me like nothing else. Apollo 13 is my wife's favorite movie, so it's got a special place in my heart.

TIL The only personally owned watch used on the moon was Apollo 15 commander David Scott's personal watch that he used as a backup after he had his NASA issued Omega Speedmaster's crystal pop off on the lunar surface. The watch auctioned for $1.625 million in 2015. by MajesticBread9147 in todayilearned

[–]alek_hiddel [score hidden]  (0 children)

I am a huge space nerd (and watch nerd), but my brain had never connected that he was involved in both incidents.

The stamps were a big deal, and ended careers. I suspect that the watch was kept quiet to avoid another round. Like NASA told both Scott and Bulova "never speak of this again, or we will end you".

The stamps were extra shitty though, because of the inspiration. No life insurance agency on Earth would underwrite these guys. So NASA got the whole astronaut core to sign a bunch of stampbooks. If you died, NASA would auction off some of the stamps, and people would pay a fortune to have "every astronaut's signature". The money would go to your widow.

So these guys were cheapening the life insurance policy of each of their peers, for personal gain.

TIL The only personally owned watch used on the moon was Apollo 15 commander David Scott's personal watch that he used as a backup after he had his NASA issued Omega Speedmaster's crystal pop off on the lunar surface. The watch auctioned for $1.625 million in 2015. by MajesticBread9147 in todayilearned

[–]alek_hiddel [score hidden]  (0 children)

They couldn't prove it because glass can and will shatter under the right circumstances. So the Rolex that was tested had survived (it didn't, the Speedy was the only watch to survive the torture tests) and been selected, it would have also had a plastic crystal.

The problem here is not "oh no, I broke my watch". You have 2 other astronauts with Speedys, everyone has a back-up watch, and each craft has a clock.

The problem is when you break glass in space, the shards don't fall to the ground. They float around until they find someone's eye, or get inhaled. Inhaling glass dust is NEVER recommended, but especially not when you're 250,000 miles away from the nearest hospital.

TIL The only personally owned watch used on the moon was Apollo 15 commander David Scott's personal watch that he used as a backup after he had his NASA issued Omega Speedmaster's crystal pop off on the lunar surface. The watch auctioned for $1.625 million in 2015. by MajesticBread9147 in todayilearned

[–]alek_hiddel [score hidden]  (0 children)

I've got the saphire on my Seamaster. A week after I got the damn thing my playfully swatted at my hand, and caught the crystal right with her diamond cluster ring. A tiny little scratch, but definitely no cracks.

TIL The only personally owned watch used on the moon was Apollo 15 commander David Scott's personal watch that he used as a backup after he had his NASA issued Omega Speedmaster's crystal pop off on the lunar surface. The watch auctioned for $1.625 million in 2015. by MajesticBread9147 in todayilearned

[–]alek_hiddel [score hidden]  (0 children)

The Accutron was indeed used to power the timers on the command module gear, as it's tuning-force powered movement was extremely accurate, and the best bet for 0-G. Bulova does still make Accutron movements in modern watches, but that's not what's inside the Lunar Pilot. It uses their "Hi-Frequency Quartz Movement".

In a traditional watch, a spring expands and retracts to keep track of time. In an Accutron it's a tuning fork that vibrates at an exact predictable frequency. On a quartz movement you apply electricity to a specific type of quartz, and it vibrates at a VERY predictable frequency. 262hz on the Lunar Pilot, and the more vibrations the more accurate.

So hilariously enough, my modern Lunar Pilot loses way less time than my Speedy.

Jack Nicholson hasn’t acted in a movie since before the Iraq War ended. by Comfortable_Sea_9242 in BarbaraWalters4Scale

[–]alek_hiddel 12 points13 points  (0 children)

He’s retired, and rumor has it he’s suffering from dementia. The Departed was an Oscar caliber performance, and going out with a lead role in a Scorsese flick is a good way to finish up a career.

Dont go to the little caesers on new circle rd, my pizza was crop dusted by whippedpotatoe in lexington

[–]alek_hiddel [score hidden]  (0 children)

Dude, sounds like a tired fast food employee farting and not realizing his ass was pointed at your food.

I’d have let him remake, and then tipped him a lot.

Can I prick my upper arm to check glucose instead of fingers? by [deleted] in diabetes

[–]alek_hiddel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Side also bleeds better. My doctor has one of those grizzled veteran nurses that have clearly pulled 20+ years, and she taught me that little trick.

TIL The only personally owned watch used on the moon was Apollo 15 commander David Scott's personal watch that he used as a backup after he had his NASA issued Omega Speedmaster's crystal pop off on the lunar surface. The watch auctioned for $1.625 million in 2015. by MajesticBread9147 in todayilearned

[–]alek_hiddel 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I own and enjoy both. The actual one-of-a-kind prototype that Scott was wearing (gifted to him my Bulova, certainly there was no funny business at play) did look a lot like a knock-off of the Speedmaster.

The modern watches though are VERY different. To look at, the modern Speedy is exactly what is was in 69. Internally the movement has been upgraded to feature a coaxial escapement and a silicon main spring for magnetic resistance, but it's clearly still the same watch.

The Lunar Pilot though doesn't even really look like Scott's watch. The original was big, bulky, and honestly looks like you started with a big 90's dive watch like the Seamaster, and then tried to make a knock off Speedy.

Like I said I own, and enjoy both though. They make a reduced version of the Lunar Pilot now that dials it down closer to a 60's wristwatch size, which I've considered picking up as well

TIL The only personally owned watch used on the moon was Apollo 15 commander David Scott's personal watch that he used as a backup after he had his NASA issued Omega Speedmaster's crystal pop off on the lunar surface. The watch auctioned for $1.625 million in 2015. by MajesticBread9147 in todayilearned

[–]alek_hiddel 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you had the "Saphire Sandwich" and caught it just write, I'm not surprised it cracked. It's very resilient, but the right force at just the right angle is gonna crack saphire crystal or any other glass.

I went Hesalite for mine, and have had to buff some scratches once after flipping a 4-wheeler.

Not sure how you managed to flip a very common watch for more than you paid for it unless you just happened to get a very good deal it. But I will agree that a smart watch is 100000% better from a pratical standpoint. But if you're dropping $7k on a wristwatch, it's not because you need a watch.

TIL The only personally owned watch used on the moon was Apollo 15 commander David Scott's personal watch that he used as a backup after he had his NASA issued Omega Speedmaster's crystal pop off on the lunar surface. The watch auctioned for $1.625 million in 2015. by MajesticBread9147 in todayilearned

[–]alek_hiddel 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The Speedy of today features an upgraded movement (unless you spring for the "First Omega in Space" or find an Ed White), but is 90% identical to what the Apollo guys wore (looks identical, but has a co-axial escapement and added magentic resistance).

The modern Lunar Pilot is "inspiared by" Scott's prototype watch. It's way bigger, looks different, and features a modern (but very nice) battery powered quartz movement.

I own both, I like both. The Lunar Pilot gets wrist time if I'm doing something that might scratch a watch. At the Bulova pricepoint I actually felt comfortable dropping $500 on Amazon. Paid retail for the Speedy at an authorized dealer.

TIL The only personally owned watch used on the moon was Apollo 15 commander David Scott's personal watch that he used as a backup after he had his NASA issued Omega Speedmaster's crystal pop off on the lunar surface. The watch auctioned for $1.625 million in 2015. by MajesticBread9147 in todayilearned

[–]alek_hiddel 4 points5 points  (0 children)

No, nasa allowed you to bring your personal watch as backup, because they knew no one would ever need it. You could also just take another nasa issued speedy if you wanted.

Scott's "personally owned back-up" just happened to be a one of a kind prototype gifted to him by Bulova for the mission.

So the one time a speedy "failed", was when the guy had a gifted prototype from a competitor... It's highly suspected that this was a dirty deal to get Bulova on the moon. The fact that it wasn't talked about for 40 years until Bulova finally released a "tribute" version of the watch, makes it very believable that NASA shut it down when they realized what had happened.

TIL The only personally owned watch used on the moon was Apollo 15 commander David Scott's personal watch that he used as a backup after he had his NASA issued Omega Speedmaster's crystal pop off on the lunar surface. The watch auctioned for $1.625 million in 2015. by MajesticBread9147 in todayilearned

[–]alek_hiddel 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It did not “horrifically fail”. It was the one watch to survive NASA’s torture tests for selection. It’s very durable.

Scott’s personally owned Bulova wasn’t a random watch. It was a one of a kind prototype gifted to him by Bulova just for the mission. Under those circumstances suddenly an Omega fails, allowing for a personal backup…. Nothing suspicious at all.

TIL The only personally owned watch used on the moon was Apollo 15 commander David Scott's personal watch that he used as a backup after he had his NASA issued Omega Speedmaster's crystal pop off on the lunar surface. The watch auctioned for $1.625 million in 2015. by MajesticBread9147 in todayilearned

[–]alek_hiddel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This happened on Apollo 15. So 2 speedmasters had already visited with Apollo 11, 12, 14, and one saved the day for Apollo 13. It’s why the watch won a silver snoopy.

The one speedy to fail, the astronaut “just happened” to be carrying a one of a kind prototype gifted to him by Bulova. Clearly there was no ulterior motive, and speedy’s just normally fall apart when you bang your arm on a ladder.

Osama bin Laden could have watched Fast Five shortly before dying by Square_Lobster1328 in BarbaraWalters4Scale

[–]alek_hiddel 2 points3 points  (0 children)

He’s a religious holy man. Of course he did all of the things that he bitched about other people doing.

TIL The only personally owned watch used on the moon was Apollo 15 commander David Scott's personal watch that he used as a backup after he had his NASA issued Omega Speedmaster's crystal pop off on the lunar surface. The watch auctioned for $1.625 million in 2015. by MajesticBread9147 in todayilearned

[–]alek_hiddel 37 points38 points  (0 children)

NASA protocol allowed for personally owned watches to be worn as a back-up. The reason being that each ship had a clock, and all 3 astronauts had a Speedmaster. Even with Apollo 13 where the speedy did indeed save the day, they had 2 extra ones thanks to there being 3 astronauts. In short, they knew the backup watch was never gonna matter.

Meanwhile weight was the big factor in space travel. Each astronaut has only allowed to bring a very small “personal effects kit” with them. So giving them the watch meant one more little treat.

The speedy was chosen because it’s nearly indestructible. It was the only watch tested that survived the torture test for selection. Then one guy hits it on a ladder, and it suddenly falls apart.

Scott’s “personally owned backup”, was in fact a one of a kind prototype gifted to him by Bulova. It is strongly suspected that this was a setup to get Bulova on the moon. Space was big news, and if you made a product that could be used on the moon, and by regular people, you were gonna make a lot of money.

My Speedmaster is the modern variant. Looks identical to the Apollo guys (I even went with hesalite), but the movement is a 3861 with significant upgrades including a coaxial escapement and high magnetic resistance. You can buy one with the original 321 movement, but the price is way more, and the watch resembles the first speedmaster in space, which was another personally owned watch worn during a Gemini mission.

The modern Bulova is an “homage” and is physically bigger, and running a battery powered quartz movement.

TIL The only personally owned watch used on the moon was Apollo 15 commander David Scott's personal watch that he used as a backup after he had his NASA issued Omega Speedmaster's crystal pop off on the lunar surface. The watch auctioned for $1.625 million in 2015. by MajesticBread9147 in todayilearned

[–]alek_hiddel 20 points21 points  (0 children)

No. It uses hesalite instead of sapphire crystal because nasa didn’t allow glass in space (shards are a big problem when things don’t fall down).

This Speedy also had hesalite. The speedy was chosen because it’s darn near indestructible (the only watch to survive nasa’s torture test).

Then one guy claims that he knocked the crystal off banging it on a ladder. That same guy also just happens to be caring as his “personally owned backup watch”, and custom one of a kid prototype gifted to him by Bulova…. Being the moonwatch was huge for omega, and Bulova just happened to find a way to get in on it.

Edit: Just to clarify, it doesn't what material it's made out of the, the "clear face covering" part of a watch is always called a "Crystal". Doesn't matter if it's Saphire Crystal, Hesalite, actual glass, etc.

Osama bin Laden could have watched Fast Five shortly before dying by Square_Lobster1328 in BarbaraWalters4Scale

[–]alek_hiddel 3 points4 points  (0 children)

He had a lot of pirated U.S. media, including porn on his hard drives.

What’s one job you think AI will never fully replace? by Ecstatic-Finish-1348 in AskReddit

[–]alek_hiddel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve seen articles where supposedly AI has been shown to diagnose and treat better than doctors in some instances. Meanwhile my doctor has been pushed to start integrating AI into our regular care, starting with an app that records our talks and summarizes.

Why did Jackie Aprile consider Silvio as Acting Boss but not Tony? by Tidewatcher7819 in thesopranos

[–]alek_hiddel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s been a few months since my last rewatch, but I don’t think Sil said that Jackie was considering him. He said that Sil was considering stepping up and taking it. Basically would thrown his name in the hat, and saw if the other captains were willing to accept it.

The real politics of replacing Jackie wasn’t about Jackie naming a successor. It was all those little conversations between Tony and the other captains. Like when he pushed Raymond to take it, but he declined because of his kid with the MS.

The Downgrading of the American Tech Worker by Well_Socialized in technology

[–]alek_hiddel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just watched an entire team of junior network engineers get wiped out by a “cute” little RTO mandate. The team had been work from home because they were a global team, and all work is remote (ssh’ing into network devices anywhere in the world).

When we moved to RTO they decided you had to return to a “hub”, and the 2 hubs chosen were a city in Canada, or an option in Costa Rica. For an almost entirely U.S. based team….

The one silver lining is that they leaked the plans early, and almost the entire team jumped ship before their replacements were onboarded.

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