
OMEGA Marks The Moon Landing Anniversary
History was made at 02:56 UTC on July 21st, 1969, when the first human steps were taken on the lunar surface. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin spent just 2 hours and 36 minutes outside the spacecraft on the Moon's terrain, but their achievement left an everlasting imprint on the story of space exploration.
For their mission, each astronaut was equipped with an OMEGA Speedmaster timepiece, and the watch can famously be seen on the wrist of Buzz Aldrin during his Moonwalk. To this day, the brand remains truly proud to have kept time during that monumental journey and to be recognised as the first watch worn on the Moon.
2025 is a particularly special anniversary for OMEGA, because it marks 60 years since the Speedmaster was qualified by NASA for all manned space missions. Under the direction of Flight Crew Operations Director, Deke Slayton, the agency tested the chronographs from several watchmakers from around the world, subjecting them to extreme temperatures, shocks, vibrations, and vacuums. Only the OMEGA Speedmaster withstood the full battery of tests, and as a result, it was officially qualified on March the 1st, 1965.
This was the first step on the Speedmaster's journey to the Moon. In the years before Apollo, it was also worn by astronauts throughout the Mercury and Gemini programs.
600 million people watched the live Moon landing broadcast in 1969 – and those awe-inspiring images are still viewed with admiration and pride to this day. OMEGA has continued its strong involvement in space exploration, accompanying astronauts with quality and reliability throughout their missions, while keeping an eye on even more giant leaps in the future.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Broadcast Pro
9 hours ago
- Broadcast Pro
NASA launches mission to study Earths magnetic shield
Riding along with TRACERS aboard the Falcon 9 were NASAs Athena EPIC, PExT and REAL missions, three small satellites to demonstrate new technologies and gather scientific data. NASA has launched its latest space science mission, TRACERS, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Short for Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites, the twin TRACERS spacecraft will explore how Earths magnetic field interacts with solar activity, offering new insights into the forces shaping space weather and their impact on the planet. This mission marks a pivotal moment in NASAs heliophysics research, as the twin satellites will orbit through the polar cusp, an open area of Earth's magnetic field near the North Pole, to examine magnetic reconnection events. These magnetic explosions occur when the Suns magnetic field, carried by solar wind, collides with Earth's magnetosphere, triggering rapid changes that send charged particles hurtling into the atmosphere. Flying just seconds apart, the two TRACERS satellites will collect a 3,000 measurements within a year to build a detailed, time-sequenced picture of how this dynamic process unfolds. Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said: 'NASA is proud to launch TRACERS to demonstrate and expand American preeminence in space science research and technology. The TRACERS satellites will move us forward in decoding space weather and further our understanding of the connection between Earth and the Sun. This mission will yield breakthroughs that will advance our pursuit of the Moon, and subsequently, Mars.' Joe Westlake, Heliophysics Division Director at NASA Headquarters in Washington, added: 'NASAs heliophysics fleet helps to safeguard humanitys home in space and understand the influence of our closest star, the Sun. By adding TRACERS to that fleet, we will gain a better understanding of those impacts right here at Earth.' Ground controllers successfully established communication with both TRACERS spacecraft within hours of launch. Over the next month, engineers will conduct a commissioning phase to ensure all instruments and systems are functioning correctly. Once operational, the satellites will begin their 12-month mission, measuring how incoming solar particles interact with Earth's magnetic shield and affect near-Earth space. David Miles, TRACERS Principal Investigator at the University of Iowa, stated: 'The successful launch of TRACERS is a tribute to many years of work by an excellent team. TRACERS is set to transform our understanding of Earths magnetosphere. Were excited to explore the dynamic processes driving space weather.' In addition to TRACERS, three other NASA missions, Athena EPIC, PExT and REAL, rode along on the Falcon 9 rocket. These small satellites are designed to test new technologies and gather scientific data. Athena EPIC, led by NASAs Langley Research Centre in partnership with NOAA and the US Space Force, will demonstrate a flexible commercial satellite architecture and collect longwave radiation measurements from Earth. PExT will test a wideband polylingual terminal that can switch between commercial and government networks, paving the way for more adaptable space communications. REAL, a CubeSat from Dartmouth College, will study how energetic electrons are scattered from the Van Allen radiation belts into the atmosphere, improving understanding of particles that pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts. The TRACERS mission is led by the University of Iowa with support from the Southwest Research Institute and other academic partners, including UCLA and UC Berkeley. The mission is managed by NASAs Heliophysics Explorers Programme at Goddard Space Flight Centre under the Heliophysics Division in Washington. The launch was carried out under NASAs Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) contract, overseen by the Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Centre.

The National
2 days ago
- The National
Rare total solar eclipse to plunge Middle East into darkness in 2027
A rare and dramatic moment of darkness will take place in the afternoon over parts of the Middle East on August 2, 2027, as a total solar eclipse sweeps across three continents. Parts of Saudi Arabia and Yemen will plunge into night-like conditions for six minutes, an experience that will not happen again for another 100 years. The total eclipse, one of the longest of the century, will also pass over southern Europe and North Africa, with millions of people to witness the celestial wonder. 'This alignment will bring more than six minutes of total darkness in some areas, particularly in Luxor, Egypt, where totality will last up to six minutes and 23 seconds, making it the longest eclipse visible from land this century,' said Khadijah Ahmed, operations manager at the Dubai Astronomy Group. The event in Luxor will make it the longest land-based total eclipse since 1991 and until the year 2114, according to Nasa. Cities like Jeddah will also be under the path of totality, and will witness the Moon fully block the Sun in midafternoon, turning skies dark, revealing the solar corona, or the outermost part of the Sun's atmosphere. 'In the UAE, along with countries like Oman, Jordan, Iraq and parts of India, a partial eclipse will be visible,' said Ms Ahmed. 'In Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the Moon will cover around 55 per cent of the Sun, creating a mesmerising crescent-shaped Sun at the peak of the eclipse.' A rare event for the region Solar eclipses take place when there is perfect alignment between the Earth, Moon and Sun, a coincidence does not repeat in the same spot for hundreds of years. Its path of totality also stretches across some of the most densely populated areas in the world, including southern Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. The totality will take place in the midafternoon for many regions, which means there will be chances of clear skies and good visibility. The last time a total solar eclipse was visible in parts of the Middle East was in 1999. Safety first It is unsafe to look at the Sun during an eclipse. Special glasses are recommended for those observing the event. Ms Ahmed said that even a brief glance can cause permanent eye damage. 'Always use ISO 12312-2 certified solar viewing glasses … regular sunglasses, no matter how dark, are not safe,' she said. 'If using binoculars, cameras or telescopes, ensure they are fitted with solar filters over the front lens. Using optical equipment without proper filters can concentrate sunlight and cause instant eye damage.' A moment for science A solar eclipse also gives researchers an opportunity to study the Sun in more detail. When the Moon fully blocks the Sun, it reveals the faint outer atmosphere known as the corona, which is difficult to observe because of the Sun's intense glare. Researchers use this brief window to study solar activity, including magnetic fields, solar wind and coronal mass ejections, which can disrupt satellites and communication systems on Earth. Last month, the European Space Agency's Proba-3 mission helped create an artificial solar eclipse, when two satellites flew in perfect formation to mimic the effect of the Moon blocking the Sun. This allowed scientists to observe the Sun's corona for several hours instead of just a few minutes. When is the next solar eclipse? A total solar eclipse will not appear in the region until 2081. A partial solar eclipse will take place in the UAE on June 1, 2030. A total lunar eclipse, when the Moon moves into Earth's shadow, will be visible in the UAE on September 7, 2025. The eclipse will begin at 7.28pm UAE time, with totality to start at 9.30pm before it reaches its peak at 10.11pm.


Web Release
3 days ago
- Web Release
OMEGA Marks The Moon Landing Anniversary
On the 56th anniversary of Apollo 11, OMEGA is remembering humankind's very first Moon landing, and the role that its Speedmaster watches played in that legendary mission. History was made at 02:56 UTC on July 21st, 1969, when the first human steps were taken on the lunar surface. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin spent just 2 hours and 36 minutes outside the spacecraft on the Moon's terrain, but their achievement left an everlasting imprint on the story of space exploration. For their mission, each astronaut was equipped with an OMEGA Speedmaster timepiece, and the watch can famously be seen on the wrist of Buzz Aldrin during his Moonwalk. To this day, the brand remains truly proud to have kept time during that monumental journey and to be recognised as the first watch worn on the Moon. 2025 is a particularly special anniversary for OMEGA, because it marks 60 years since the Speedmaster was qualified by NASA for all manned space missions. Under the direction of Flight Crew Operations Director, Deke Slayton, the agency tested the chronographs from several watchmakers from around the world, subjecting them to extreme temperatures, shocks, vibrations, and vacuums. Only the OMEGA Speedmaster withstood the full battery of tests, and as a result, it was officially qualified on March the 1st, 1965. This was the first step on the Speedmaster's journey to the Moon. In the years before Apollo, it was also worn by astronauts throughout the Mercury and Gemini programs. 600 million people watched the live Moon landing broadcast in 1969 – and those awe-inspiring images are still viewed with admiration and pride to this day. OMEGA has continued its strong involvement in space exploration, accompanying astronauts with quality and reliability throughout their missions, while keeping an eye on even more giant leaps in the future.