This chronograph was worn by astronaut James McDivitt, Commander of the Apollo 9 mission in May 1969.
The Omega Speedmaster Chronograph was chosen by NASA for the U.S. space program after a series of rigorous tests demonstrated its high level of precision and reliability. Program requirements called for a manual-winding wrist chronograph that was water-proof, shock-proof, anti-magnetic, and able to withstand temperatures ranging from 0 to 200 degrees farenheit and accelerations of 12 g's. The Omega Speedmaster was certified by NASA as the chronograph for the Gemini program in June 1965, and successive purchases were made for both the Apollo and the Skylab/ASTP missions.
Transferred from NASA to the Museum in 1977.
Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration