George Clooney, astronauts to attend black-tie event at Kennedy Space Center

It seems only fitting that the Swiss watch brand, Omega, which accompanied Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin when he made his historic steps on the lunar surface nearly 50 years ago, host an event honoring the 50th anniversary of the moon landing at Kennedy Space Center this Thursday.

The company has not yet released where exactly the event will be held at the Space Center, but it will be behind closed gates. 

Those expected for the black-tie dinner include actor George Clooney, who has attended several of the company’s events in the past, as well as former astronauts Thomas Stafford and Charles Moss Duke.

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Stafford served as commander for Apollo 10 while Duke was Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 16, becoming the tenth and youngest person to walk on the moon.

Omega has been sending their watches to space since 1962, when astronaut Walter Schirra wore the watch during the Mercury-Atlas 8 mission, according to the company's website. Called the Speedmaster Moonwatch, the watch has been coined as the "first Omega in space" and in 1965, it even became certified by NASA for all manned missions.

In fact, the watch is "the only piece of equipment used in all of NASA's piloted space missions from Gemini to the current International Space Station program," according to the website. "When Buzz Aldrin stepped on the lunar surface in 1969, he was wearing a Speedmaster Professional, the chronograph that has been known as the Moonwatch ever since." 

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Now, apart from hosting an event at the Space Center for the 50th anniversary, the watch company is also including some of its artifacts at the Grand Palais in Paris, which is hosting its own moon landing anniversary exhibition. 

Aside from the Speedmaster Moonwatch, Omega has since released other "moon-themed" watches since then.

Some of those include: 

• The Speedmaster "Grey Side of the Moon"

• The Speedmaster "Dark Side of the Moon" 

• The Speedmaster Moonphase Co-Axial Master Chronometer Chronograph 

Before Clooney and the astronauts attend the black-tie dinner, there will be a red carpet at the Space Center beginning at 7 p.m. May 9. 

Contact Jaramillo at 321-242-3668 or antoniaj@floridatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AntoniaJ_11.

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