In 1970, an oxygen tank exploded on the Apollo 13 spacecraft, throwing the ship off course and putting its crew into mortal danger. After instructing the astronauts to power down all but essential life support systems, mission control calculated the precise amount of time they’d need to fire the engines for re-entry into earth’s atmosphere.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing this summer – and the Speedmaster’s historic role in it – Omega hosted a black-tie gala at the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral. On hand were Apollo veterans Thomas Stafford and Charles Duke, as well as International Space Station Commander Terry Virts and ISS Flight Engineer Nicole Stott. George Clooney, an official Omega spokesman, made an appearance with his wife Amal, dining alongside astronauts beneath a massive Saturn V rocket.