The Jade Rabbit stops working: a chat about the watch that went to the moon

　　In Chinese mythological history, people have always been filled with countless fantasies and longings for the moon, which has led them to constantly strive to explore and discover more secrets on the moon. Two and a half years ago, on 2013 12 2, a Chinese-made 'Jade Rabbit' nestled in the arms of Chang'e three, set off from Xichang in the hinterland of the southwest, 'broke' into the Moon Palace, and left the first footprint on the moon. After experiencing 972 days of lonely struggle, it stopped working on 8 1.

　　The Jade Rabbit and Chang'e three recorded 7TB of data together, creating many important research achievements for human space exploration. Now, this data has been distributed to thousands of universities across the country for future research. From the moon to space timekeeping, today let's talk about watches that have landed on the moon.

　　The Apollo lunar exploration programme was implemented by NASA in 1961, lasting a total of 12 years until Apollo 17 completed its final moon landing in 12 1972. During the initial space flights, NASA did not stipulate that astronauts must wear a watch. However, NASA realised that astronauts needed a highly reliable watch in the harsh environment of outer space to ensure the precision of various important operations. From 1962 to 1964, after rigorous selection processes, only the Longines 13ZN, Rolex Daytona,and the Omega Speedmasterremained. These 3 major brands were subjected by NASA to simulated outer space environments for a final round of extremely rigorous testing. The specific tests roughly included: high temperature, low temperature, thermal shock, humidity, high oxygen, impact, acceleration, low pressure, high pressure, vibration, and noise, with a total testing time of as much as 380 hours. Ultimately, the Speedmaster triumphed through every hurdle and stood out. It is reported that the Rolex was eliminated due to a deformed second hand causing it to stop, while the Longines suffered from a distorted and detached crystal. On 1965 3 1, NASA officially announced the Speedmaster as the only qualified watch required for all manned space missions.

　　Among the countless dazzling appearances of the Speedmaster, the Apollo 11 moon landing mission on 7 21, 1969 is undoubtedly the most glorious. At that epoch-making moment, astronaut Buzz Aldrin followed closely behind mission commander Neil Armstrong onto the lunar surface, wearing his Speedmaster on the outside of his right-wrist spacesuit. Neil Armstrong's own watch was left behind inside the cabin as a backup due to an electronic timer failure at the time. Michael Collins, another astronaut on the mission, also wore a Speedmaster. Both Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins' Speedmasters are now preserved in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Regrettably, Buzz Aldrin's Speedmaster—the first one to land on the moon—went missing en route to the museum.

　　Among the repeated triumphs of the Speedmaster, one is particularly well-known. In 4 1970, Apollo 13 was mankind's third attempted moon landing mission, but an explosion in the oxygen tank forced the spacecraft's flight plan to be aborted. The astronauts were compelled to loop around the moon in order to position the spacecraft into a free-return trajectory that would lead them back to Earth. To conserve the fuel required for the return journey, all electricity aboard the spacecraft was completely cut off except for the life support system, making the Omega Speedmaster the only timing equipment on board that could keep operating. The astronauts had to rely on it to perform two tasks: first, to time the rocket ignition so as to shorten the return journey to Earth; second, to time the rocket ignition to reduce speed and steepen the flight angle for re-entering Earth's atmosphere. The second task was particularly critical to life and death; if the timing was mistimed and the spacecraft entered the atmosphere at the wrong angle, the astronauts' safety would become uncertain, making the control of time extremely vital. Finally, at the crucial moment to decide a safe return, Apollo 13 had to precisely calculate an engine ignition duration of exactly 14 seconds in order to correctly break away from lunar orbit and enter Earth orbit for the return. At this time, astronauts Jim Lovell and Jack Swigert calmly and steadily accomplished this task with the Speedmasters on their wrists, helping Apollo 13 return safely. The Speedmaster saved the astronauts' lives. Afterwards, all three astronauts jointly signed to have NASA present the Snoopy Award to Omega.

Omega Speedmaster Series Snoopy Special Edition