zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

: What I meant was that a helium release valve
: couldn've been issued on the Speedmaster.
: The one on the Omega SMP actually does the
: EXACT same thing I described earlier. When
: you're in a deep sea submersible, the
: enviorment must be pressurized so the ship
: doesn't implode in on itself. That's common
: sense.

: But this means that the watch is also highly
: pressurized. When you resurface, the OUTSIDE
: pressure decreases (just like in space, but
: not as drastic) while the inside pressure on
: the watch remains relatively high. Without a
: "helium" release valve, the
: crystal could potentially pop out. This is
: what probably happened on the Moon mission.

: I personally think there should be a relief
: valve on the Speedmaster due to this threat.

: By the ways, do you think NASA would issue a
: defective watch to an astronaut? And can an
: imperfect crystal survive all of the g's
: during take-off?

I still disagree with your assessment here, and in particular your pressure difference explanation however I do not feel qualified in that matter enough to continue this dispute. And BTW, I'm sure that watch was tested before it was given to the astronauts---they would not have issued them a defective watch knowingly--that's kind of obvious:-).