All About The Omega X-33, The Watch Worn By NASA Astronauts on SpaceX Falcon 9 Crew Dragon
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been almost ten years since a space mission launched from U.S. soil. This will hopefully change on Saturday, as the Falcon 9 rocket is slated for liftoff at 19:22 UTC from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
If all goes according to plan, U.S. astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken will pilot the spacecraft for almost 20 hours on a journey to the International Space Station floating above Earth.
The rocket was supposed to launch on Wednesday, but unfortunately inclement weather scuttled the flight plans. But while watching the live feed from the command module, it was apparent that Mr. Behnken had a watch strapped on over his spacesuit!
The watch was an Omega X-33, and in this article we’ll explain a little bit about the history of the timepiece and what it’s engineered to do.
Omega of course created the Speedmaster, a chronograph made for driving and racing but chosen by NASA for space missions. It even famously helped save lives as a backup instrument during the chaos of the Apollo 13 mission. While the Speedy is still flight-qualified for EVA (spacewalks) and worn by many present-day astronauts, there’s also a newer version of the ‘space watch.’
That timepiece is the aforementioned X-33.
It’s similar in design to the Speedy; both have big cases and these signature Omega twisted lugs. They differ in that the Speedmaster is made of stainless steel, while the X-33 is carved from titanium. The Speedmaster has a classic chronograph layout, while the X-33 has both analog-style hands and a digital display. The digital display is where things get interesting.
Basically, the screen is an upgrade. The digital readouts are more precise and in some ways easier to read than the analogue hands, same as how titanium is as strong as steel but much lighter.
Time is very important to an astronaut on a mission; in other words, he or she engages in a lot of timed activities. One of the default displays on the watch screen is MET, astronaut-speak for Mission Elapsed Time.
With the X-33, you can count both elapsed time (in the classic chronograph style) and countdown time. Moreover, this newest version of the space watch can do both of those things at the same time.
This way, a user can time multiple things at once, and set timers to go off in the future punctuated with the watch’s alarm. And what an alarm it is! To be honest, this might be the coolest thing about the X-33; its alarm is an absolute beast.
It kicks out 80 decibels of power, about as much as a loud lawnmower or a small nightclub.
A very small nightclub, buried inside a space watch. Amazing. Maybe I should buy this thing and never be late again! Other people in my building and neighborhood may not like this. Should I care? Hmm…
Other features of the X-33 are more practical and basic, like large pushers and a crown that can be used with gloves. It’s also issued on a big Velcro strap that can be attached to the outside of a space suit.
The watch is used mainly as a backup device (and as an alarm!) but when you’re in space, there’s no such thing as too many backups.
Speaking of backups, it also seems that the watch is rather easily repaired. One astronaut even took it apart and fixed it in a zero-gravity environment aboard the ISS! (Check the video below.)
What’s a bit of a bummer is that the astronauts don’t get to keep the watches after missions. They’re government property and not cheap, so NASA makes their employees give the timepieces back once everyone returns safely home.
At least Omega offers each astronaut an engraved ‘civilian watch’ as a keepsake. There are two versions of the X-33; the one worn by Behnken is called the ‘Skywalker’ and it’s the latest model.
Thanks for reading, and if anyone knows of any other watches seen on the show; let us know!
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