A space age instrument for space voyagers: The personal, professional, and cultural relevance of astronaut chronographs

One group of small artifacts from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s collection, astronaut chronographs, consumes more curatorial attention than any others thanks to a dedicated group of enthusiasts and collectors. The Omega Speedmaster Professional, featured in this article, was selected first for astronaut use during Project Gemini and remained in use for decades, particularly during spacewalks. Closely tracking time when consumables are limited combines physical necessities with the very human compulsion to mind the clock, so the chronographs linking astronauts, like us with our smart watches, in the observance of time. This article examines how astronaut chronographs fit into a larger historical narrative of timekeeping and exploration, and the extraordinary importance some astronauts put in these mechanical timekeepers. As objects of study and care for the Museum, they are a unique subset of materials that provoke questions about the cultural significance of time, planning for complex space missions, and caring for artifacts worn on the human body.