PRAXIS SPRINGER spaceflight book series

[LtCmdr]

Just received the Gemini V softcover book in the PRAXIS-SPRINGER spaceflight series.
Gemini V was flown between 21 & 28 August 1965, or as Conrad mentioned "8 days in a garbage can" !
Unfortunately, this book is printed on a smaller format than all the other books in the series, and no longer using high quality glossy paper... a real disappointment.
Also only a minor mention of the rich wrist watch wise history of this flight as 5 watches were worn on Gemini V, among which 3 NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster chronographs and the first automatic wrist watch in space, Conrad's Glycine Airman automatic pilot watch, which was later directly exposed to outer space during the Gemini XI spacewalks in September 1966. (page 262)
Moreover, Cooper wore his personal Accutron Astronaut tuning fork pilot watch, which he had worn during MA-9 "Faith-7 in May 1963. During the September 1965 meeting with the Russian Voskhod II cosmonauts in Greece, Cooper gifted an Accutron Astronaut to Pavel Belyayev, who wore it up to 1970 !
So after "4 watches on Gemini IV", "5 watches on Gemini V" !  #MoonwatchUniverse

[LtCmdr]

Just learned that American PRAXIS versions are printed on glossy paper while EU-bound SPRINGER books are not   

[Jim]

Also no mention of the rich wrist watch wise history

Watches are not really relevant to the mission.  Discussion of them would be like red carpet discussions on what actors are wearing.

[LtCmdr]

Waaw that's speaking before thinking ...
Wrist watches not essential to the Gemini missions as NASA learned to work with 3 time zones ?
(GMT, Florida & Texas time) !
 

[lucspace]

Just learned that American PRAXIS versions are printed on glossy paper while EU-bound SPRINGER books are not   

Does that go for older titles as well?

[Jim]

Waaw that's speaking before thinking ...
Wrist watches not essential to the Gemini missions as NASA learned to work with 3 time zones ?
(GMT, Florida & Texas time) !
 

]

Not at all and wrong take away.  It wasn't the crew's issue and watches would not have fixed it.  It was ground planning, they were still learning the process.  And GMT is enough with mission elapse time in the cockpit.   They didn't need to use Florida time.

It is only of interest to collectors no

[LtCmdr]

Indeed nowadays important for collectors, but a reliable wrist watch has always been an important instrument for pilots and spacefarers! Pilots needed it for navigation, spacefarers to time mission critical events...
From the WW I Cartier Santos pilot watch to the watches worn in WW II as German air crew relied on their large Beobachter Uhr while RAF pilot wore the Omega CK2292 pilot watches.
 
At a time when NASA astronauts didn’t think about wearing a watch during their short 15 minutes sub-orbital flights (Shepard & Grissom), Cosmonauts wore Russian-made military watches such as the Shturmanskie “Navigator” and Strela “Arrow” pilot watches.
John Glenn (Friendship 7) and Scott Carpenter (Aurora 7) quickly realised they needed a reliable toolwatch during their orbital flights. Scott Carpenter even approached Breitling watches to have a spaceila Navitimer chronograph made with wider bezel and 24 hours dial.
Walter Schirra (Sigma 7) and Gordo Cooper (Faith 7) were real wrist watch aficionados and wore their personal watches. Cooper was the first to compare two watches against each other as he wore his personal manual winding Omega Speedmaster CK2998 and Accutron Astronaut tuning fork pilot watch.
 
In 1964, Donald Slayton wanted a qualified chronograph for all astronauts to be used during Gemini and Apollo flights. NASA wrote to 10 watch brands but only 4 answered, shipping chronographs, so after NASA testing the Omega Speedmaster was announced as the official NASA astronaut watch on June 1, 1965.
Meanwhile, during Gemini III, both Virgil Grissom & John Young each wore two watches, an Accutron Astronaut tuning fork pilot watch (as worn by the X-15 test pilots) and an Omega Speedmaster 105.003-63 from the NASA testing program.
As the astronauts wanted an extra clock in the instrument panel, during Gemini IV 4 watches were worn and during Gemini V 5 watches were worn.
 
Long story short, thus far I have written 20 articles on the subject of aviation/spaceflight watches, about Accutron, Breitling, Glycine, Omega, Poljot, Rolex and even how Swiss-made watches got behind the Iron Curtain into the Russian spaceflight program. During the July 1975 ASTP Apollo-Soyuz mission a total of 11 Omega Speedmaster chronographs were used!
 
Last but not least, the multi-purpose analog-digital Omega Speedmaster X-33 chronograph with many settings & loud alarms has become the indispensable toolwatch for ISS-residents. Both NASA & ESA reserve a full day class to learn the spacefarers how to work & operate these time pieces !

[LtCmdr]

Just learned that American PRAXIS versions are printed on glossy paper while EU-bound SPRINGER books are not   

Does that go for older titles as well?

Amazon.co.uk seems a source for glossy paper versions, but that's import tax for Europe, so try to get one when You're in London !

[Jim]

Last but not least, the multi-purpose analog-digital Omega Speedmaster X-33 chronograph with many settings & loud alarms has become the indispensable toolwatch for ISS-residents. Both NASA & ESA reserve a full day class to learn the spacefarers how to work & operate these time pieces !

Yet, the timer was used on the shuttle and now the ISS.

https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/small-white-timing-clock-inside-the-iss.125971/

I must packed up to six on some shuttle missions. 

And Apple watches are flying now too.

[Vahe231991]

I found a book in the Springer Praxis spaceflight book series scheduled for publication this summer:
To The Stars: Women Spacefarers’ Legacy