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Day 1, part 2: CSM/S-IVB Orbital Operations Journal Home Page Day 1, remainder (preliminary)

Apollo 7

Day 1, part 3: S-IVB Takeover Demonstration, Separation, and First Phasing Maneuver

Corrected Transcript and Commentary Copyright © 2010-2023 by W. David Woods and Robert McCray. All rights reserved.
Last updated 2023-10-08
001:09:30 Cunningham (onboard): Yes, it's got...
001:09:31 Eisele (onboard): That Waste Storage Vent is supposed to be Open, isn't it?
001:09:35 Cunningham (onboard): The Waste Storage Vent - no, you want to leave that one closed. You only open that one when you are putting something in it.
001:09:39 Eisele (onboard): Okay.
001:09:40 Cunningham (onboard): But the Overboard Drain line has to be open in order for...
001:09:43 Eisele (onboard): ...Okay, it's on Dump. I'm squared away.
001:09:46 Cunningham (onboard): Okay, and the Waste Storage is closed?
001:09:48 Eisele (onboard): Right.
001:09:49 Cunningham (onboard): Okay, I'm going to write it here, should be the Waste Storage Vent valve.
001:09:51 Eisele (onboard): Oh! That mother can leak.
001:09:53 Cunningham (onboard): What's that?
001:09:54 Eisele (onboard): Oh, this felt [garble] mapping. There it is.
001:09:57 Cunningham (onboard): There it is. Okay.
001:10:02 Schirra (onboard): Are we recording now, Walt?
001:10:04 Cunningham (onboard): Yes, Wally.
001:10:14 Eisele (onboard): Okay, I'm ready for whatever else...
001:10:17 Cunningham (onboard): Retro P00 is Off. We've got the - mount the ORDEAL box and then you can look at your optics.
The ORDEAL box is an add-on to the spacecraft's guidance system that turns the 8-ball display into a sort of artificial horizon. The designers of the G&N system intended it to be entirely referenced from an inertial standpoint. The crew fought for a capability to see their attitude with respect to the ground below and the ORDEAL was the result. Its operation is quite simple. It provides a drive signal to make the 8-ball rotate in pitch at a rate which matches their orbit (orbital rate or orb-rate), whether that be around Earth or the Moon. Therefore the name ORDEAL - Orbital Rate Display Earth And Lunar.
001:10:24 Cunningham (onboard): Well, Wally - have you got the Flight Plan?
001:10:28 Eisele (onboard): Yes, that's the...
001:10:29 Schirra (onboard): Well, this involves taking you guys' helmets off, and then...
001:10:31 Eisele (onboard): Yes, that's what we really ought to hear.
001:10:33 Cunningham (onboard): Let's get that stuff done. I'll give my gloves to you, Donn. You want to turn my [garble] off?
001:10:37 Eisele (onboard): Okay, what about your R-12, too? I've got to do something - yes, give me your glove [garble].
001:10:45 Cunningham (onboard): Let's just go by the list that Wally's got there, Donn.
001:10:48 Eisele (onboard): Okay - [Garble] then we can swing into night side. I think that was a good move.
001:11:00 Cunningham (onboard): Boy, it will be nice when we get those suits off, won't it?
001:11:04 Eisele (onboard): Kind of nice just getting the helmets and gloves off.
001:11:05 Cunningham (onboard): Yes.
001:11:06 Schirra (onboard): It is, isn't it?
001:11:07 Eisele (onboard): I've got some odour. Did somebody goof up the system?
001:11:08 Schirra (onboard): You'll get over that in a while.
001:11:11 Eisele (onboard): I have yet to take a leak and I'm about ready to do it.
001:11:16 Eisele (onboard): I almost got around to it just about lift-off, but I decided I didn't want to get caught in the middle.
001:11:20 Schirra (onboard): Look at the sunrise, gang. There you go. That's the thrill of this business. See it, Walt?
001:11:28 Cunningham (onboard): Yes.
001:11:29 Eisele (onboard): Well, I've got some action (laughter). Will that suit be crowded. [Garble] The new generation is upon us.
001:11:41 Schirra (onboard): Hey, look at the clouds, Walt.
001:11:42 Cunningham (onboard): Look at those thunderheads!
001:11:43 Schirra (onboard): Yes. Aren't they great?
001:11:44 Cunningham (onboard): Lord - Those are some big ones, aren't they?
001:11:51 Eisele (onboard): I stretched the bag, this is unreal (laughter).
001:11:54 Schirra (onboard): There is going to be a few, I tell you (laughter).
001:11:58 Eisele (onboard): Hey, listen, this is too much trouble to get up and down all that...
001:12:00 Schirra (onboard): Hey, I tell you - I think you - that Guenter went.
It's a happy crew and the toilet jokes are flowing. Guenter Wendt is the 'pad leader', employed to supervise the crew's entry into the spacecraft at the white room. Apollo crews were fond of him and appreciated his deep professionalism at the launch pad prior to lift-off.
001:12:03 Cunningham (onboard): Hey, why are you laughing - didn't it have to happen before?
001:12:07 Eisele (onboard): I have never heard it - I just about busted a gut (laughter).
001:12:11 Eisele (onboard): It's such an obvious pun - I guess the planning is the thing...
001:12:14 Eisele (onboard): Well - He said, 'It looks like Guenter's going,' and you said, 'Yes, I think Guenter Went.'
001:12:20 Schirra (onboard): Listen, you're breaking my heart.
001:12:21 Cunningham (onboard): Hey, look at that, that's beautiful.
001:12:23 Schirra (onboard): Yes.
001:12:24 Cunningham (onboard): The sunrise is on your side.
001:12:26 Schirra (onboard): Yes. You know it?
001:12:28 Eisele (onboard): You mean we're coming up from the south, we're going north now.
001:12:31 Cunningham (onboard): I tell you I've got to get a reference system going here.
001:12:34 Schirra (onboard): Once we roll over, you're like the world.
001:12:35 Eisele (onboard): Yes, but let's see. We're coming in like...
001:12:36 Cunningham (onboard): You'll have to put that in that bag for him.
001:12:38 Eisele (onboard): Yes, I'll get...
001:12:45 Schirra (onboard): Yes, you just put the bag around and I'll hold it.
001:12:46 Cunningham (onboard): Okay.
001:12:49 Cunningham (onboard): Lift up. Roll B. Okay, I'm on the north side.
001:12:54 Cunningham (onboard): I guess if I keep remembering that I might make - I might make out (laughter).
001:13:06 Eisele (onboard): You know, actually...
001:13:08 Schirra (onboard): Go ahead, Donn.
001:13:09 Eisele (onboard): ...We went through that loud phase of boost, you know, Max Q, so fast, I'm not sure if - well, if I had it, but...
001:13:15 Schirra (onboard): ...Wait a second...
001:13:16 Eisele (onboard): ...could be much noise, you know.
001:13:17 Cunningham (onboard): Could you get it on the [garble] for me, Wally?
001:13:19 Schirra (onboard): Yes, Walt.
001:13:22 Cunningham (onboard): You know, Wally, I don't remember that noise at Max Q being really any worse than at Houston.
001:13:28 Schirra (onboard): No, it wasn't bad.
001:13:29 Cunningham (onboard): It wasn't all that bad. How much did the alpha-meter get to? I wasn't watching.
001:13:33 Eisele (onboard): I don't really know.
001:13:35 Cunningham (onboard): Well, if you would quit showing off by floating around down there... (laughter).
001:13:38 Schirra (onboard): There you go, Donn. It's going in now (laughter). Alright, ugh!
001:13:44 Cunningham (onboard): What the hell is making all the racket up here?
001:13:48 Cunningham (onboard): Wait a minute. Something went...
001:13:53 Schirra (onboard): Into the fan?
001:13:54 Schirra (onboard): What was that?
001:13:56 Cunningham (onboard): Huh? Was I getting across the fan?
001:13:57 Schirra (onboard): Something blew.
001:13:59 Cunningham (onboard): Is the fan stalled out?
001:14:00 Eisele (onboard): No, It looks like one of those cords - it looks like one of those things floated into the back of the fan...
001:14:04 Cunningham (onboard): It did.
001:14:05 Eisele (onboard): ...and then came back out (laughter). I got it.
001:14:07 Schirra (onboard): Hey, what is that noise?
001:14:09 Eisele (onboard): Maybe if I turn the fan off...
001:14:11 Eisele (onboard): Ready.
001:14:12 Schirra (onboard): Stand by.
001:14:17 Cunningham (onboard): What's that?
001:14:18 Eisele (onboard): That's the fan.
001:14:19 Cunningham (onboard): Turn the other one off, too.
001:14:22 Schirra (onboard): What a nice roar.
001:14:23 Cunningham (onboard): Holy mackerel! If we ever get on the air, I'm going to turn those mothers Off.
001:14:28 Eisele (onboard): You want them back on?
001:14:29 Schirra (onboard): No, no.
001:14:30 Cunningham (onboard): Well...
001:14:34 Schirra (onboard): Those fans are so horrible (laughter).
001:14:38 Schirra (onboard): Okay, let's get ready. We have got some stuff to do here.
001:14:41 Cunningham (onboard): Okay, read it.
001:14:43 Eisele (onboard): We're going to need another bag.
001:14:45 Eisele (onboard): Okay, can you put this on, Walt, by yourself?
001:14:48 Cunningham (onboard): Yes, yes. Just give me a bag there.
001:14:49 Eisele (onboard): I've got to fix the strap on this other one that came loose. Otherwise, I [garble].
001:14:53 Cunningham (onboard): Okay.
001:14:58 Schirra (onboard): Okay, [garble] we ought not to horse around too long...
001:15:02 Cunningham (onboard): No, we've got to get hot on this stuff.
001:15:04 Schirra (onboard): ...with the cabin fan on there, because we do need to circulate the air.
001:15:06 Cunningham (onboard): No, we're circulating it just by moving.
001:15:08 Eisele (onboard): Okay, now, let's open the suit return air valves up, Wally. That will do it.
001:15:15 Schirra (onboard): Let me get this rolling [garble].
001:15:18 Eisele (onboard): What's that do?
001:15:21 Schirra (onboard): Well, that cuts both you guys out of your suits, and we're still in the suit mode.
001:15:31 Cunningham (onboard): Let's get out of them.
001:15:33 Eisele (onboard): Okay.
001:15:35 Cunningham (onboard): Suit return air valve.
001:15:40 Eisele (onboard): Okay, I've got to - a helmet stowage bag to go under the right seat, and when I go under there, I'm going to hand you the ORDEAL, Wally.
001:15:48 Schirra (onboard): Are you? Hand me those whatchamahickey bags.
001:15:51 Eisele (onboard): The bags - Now, the one thing I haven't done yet is get the data file out for Walt.
001:15:57 Schirra (onboard): Do you want to do that now or do you want to hang on to your helmet?
001:15:59 Schirra (onboard): You forgot my headrest.
001:16:00 Cunningham (onboard): If you get that now, then I can be stowing it over here while you are doing the other.
001:16:05 Eisele (onboard): Okay.
001:16:06 Cunningham (onboard): Donn?
001:16:07 Eisele (onboard): Yes?
001:16:08 Schirra (onboard): As long as you're taking that down...
001:16:09 Eisele (onboard): What do you want, Walt [garble].
001:16:11 Schirra (onboard): [Garble] we've got to do it some other way.
001:16:14 Schirra (onboard): Man, I'm going to be ready for sunglasses pretty soon.
001:16:21 Cunningham (onboard): Yes, that is beautiful, isn't it?
001:16:23 Schirra (onboard): Isn't this unreal though? (Laughter)
001:16:27 Schirra (onboard): Wait until about the eighth day.
001:16:30 Eisele (onboard): I picked this box up, and I'd swear there is nothing in it, because it doesn't weigh anything.
001:16:37 Schirra (onboard): That's funny! (Much laughter)
001:16:38 Cunningham (onboard): You're really sharp there! My God, [garble]. Did you open it and look in it?
001:16:44 Eisele (onboard): Yes, I did (laughter) as a matter of fact!
001:16:48 Schirra (onboard): That's funny! Unreal!
001:16:52 Eisele (onboard): I had one nightmare down there, you know, - you know - you have that Comm slide rule in your checklist?
001:16:55 Cunningham (onboard): Yes.
001:16:57 Eisele (onboard): Oh, good, because I couldn't find. Apparently it slipped down the crack, and I could never run our systems data.
001:17:02 Schirra (onboard): I better record what I've' got on here. 01 plus 14 plus 50, oxidizer was 22.0 on A and B; fuel was 10.0, ranged from 8.0 to 10.0. That's S-IVB readouts.
001:17:22 Cunningham (onboard): Can you hang on to this with one hand for a second?
001:17:23 Schirra (onboard): Yes.
001:17:25 Eisele (onboard): Man, that sun is brighter than hell.
001:17:27 Schirra (onboard): Yes, that's why you need sunglasses - [garble].
001:17:29 Eisele (onboard): I just caught a corner of it in the eyeball.
001:17:31 Schirra (onboard): Yes. It'll hurt, too...
001:17:34 Schirra (onboard): You can get my headrest down and out of your way if you want.
001:17:37 Eisele (onboard): Well, let me do this first because it's in my way when it's - well, I'll be damned. Here's another one of these straps off. What did it go to?
001:17:42 Cunningham (onboard): Oh, I see why, Donn. No friction (laughter).
001:17:45 Cunningham (onboard): They just float out (laughter). Here is another one coming out!
001:17:50 Schirra (onboard): I guess there's just no reason for them to stay there. All the filters go through the rings.
001:17:53 Cunningham (onboard): Yes.
001:17:54 Eisele (onboard): Wonder if somebody put them in wrong? [Garble] you can't fix them. Great. [Garble].
001:18:01 Cunningham (onboard): This one's coming out too over here.
001:18:03 Eisele (onboard): [Garble] again. Oh, boy.
001:18:05 Eisele (onboard): Well, once they are snapped to the wall, they're okay, but up to that point they are not too swift. That's interesting. We've got a stray strap around there some place.
001:18:16 Schirra (onboard): It'll come by in a minute (laughter).
001:18:19 Cunningham (onboard): Get it the next time around, will you?
001:18:23 Eisele (onboard): I guess I'll never live that down.
001:18:25 Cunningham (onboard): You know this is - not bad, really, you know. In Gemini you didn't get this marvelous opportunity to float around, did you?
001:18:34 Schirra (onboard): Oh, this is wild, IVA, gang.
001:18:35 Eisele (onboard): Hey, Wally, here is your box.
001:18:38 Cunningham (onboard): Just what he always wanted.
001:18:40 Schirra (onboard): I have one, too, huh?
001:18:41 Eisele (onboard): Yes (laughter).
001:18:43 Eisele (onboard): Anyone I know? (Laughter)
001:18:44 Eisele (onboard): Will you take this hat?
001:18:46 Cunningham (onboard): Huh - take your hat? Helmet.
001:18:49 Eisele (onboard): Yes, it's my hat. [Garble].
001:18:50 Eisele (onboard): Just a second until I get over there [garble].
001:18:56 Eisele (onboard): I'm going to close this box first. Walt, give me your [garble].
001:19:05 Cunningham (onboard): You won't need the sleep station out yet. You want your headrest down?
001:19:09 Schirra (onboard): Yes, that's what's the matter.
001:19:10 Cunningham (onboard): If you'll pull out those temporary stowage bags and hand them to me, I will hold onto them.
001:19:14 Eisele (onboard): I think you are going to want the headrest up when you're sleeping down there...
001:19:16 Schirra (onboard): Yes.
001:19:17 Eisele (onboard): Do you want to leave it where it is? Or fold it?
001:19:19 Cunningham (onboard): I think it makes more room to pull them down and get a traffic - I can come by under there when it is down, I think.
001:19:29 Eisele (onboard): Come by where?
001:19:32 Cunningham (onboard): If you are down underneath, you can come up better with that thing down, I think.
001:19:36 Eisele (onboard): Here is Walter Cunningham's checklist floating by Wally's knee (laughter).
001:19:40 Cunningham (onboard): What?
001:19:42 Schirra (onboard): By my knee.
001:19:46 Cunningham (onboard): I don't know how it got over there, but there it is (laughter).
001:19:50 Schirra (onboard): Okay, I am going to go ahead and get ORDEAL out of the way.
001:19:53 Eisele (onboard): Here's another one.
001:19:55 Cunningham (onboard): Okay, now...
001:20:00 Cunningham (onboard): Yes.
001:20:01 Eisele (onboard): Walt?
001:20:02 Cunningham (onboard): Yes?
001:20:03 Eisele (onboard): Do we need anything out of here, like a hydrometer or anything like that?
001:20:06 Cunningham (onboard): Now, we've got to start right down that list which does include the cameras. Well, Wally's [garble].
001:20:12 Eisele (onboard): I know where the cameras are. I don't think any of them are under here.
001:20:15 Schirra (onboard): No, but you got the - we want to get our Mae Wests off.
001:20:19 Eisele (onboard): Did we get a Go/No-go report, Wally, Rev by Rev, huh?
001:20:23 Schirra (onboard): Now, we're Go until we get a [garble].
001:20:36 Eisele (onboard): I don't seem to have enough room to get under.
001:20:41 Eisele (onboard): Hey, Walt, are my hoses caught on anything under here?
001:20:45 Cunningham (onboard): Let's see. No.
001:20:50 Eisele (onboard): No? How come I can't get under this thing?
001:20:53 Cunningham (onboard): Well, are they the right length hoses?
001:20:55 Eisele (onboard): Well, I hope so. They were the right length before. Well, I'm a son of a bitch, I can't get under here.
This is Apollo Control Houston at 1 hour, 21 minutes into the flight. We've just had a little thrill here in the Apollo Control Center in Building 30 in Houston. We had a rather complete power outage in the building, the first one I can recall in the history of this particular control center. We didn't lose all power, of course. Certain critical elements like the computers continued to run on emergency power lines, and emergency power circuits left certain lights, exit lights and that sort of thing lighted in the halls. But all of our consoles went dead, lost power. Our lights were out here in the control center except for certain emergency red lights. I would clock the outage as occurring about 20 minutes after the hour and lasting perhaps 60 to 90 seconds, about a minute - minute and a half duration. We have verified that all the computers, the critical computers running on line with this mission, continue to run. They are located on the first floor of this building. We were not in contact, of course, with the spacecraft at the time, and had we been, we would have continued to be able to go out of the building. All of our comm circuits continued to work, we were simply without lights, and we didn't know, in other words these comm circuits are set up in such a way that we know whether we are radiating by a flashing white light or we are monitoring when we simply have a steady yellow light. On each console you have such an array of buttons to various back rooms and to points outside of this building, to the Cape, to other places. We lost power on all those kinds of circuits, we lost all of our video capability to monitor the various slides and we do not yet have an explanation of just how or why this occurred. But at 1 hour and 23 minutes into the mission we are back up in good shape with full power. This is Apollo Control in Houston.
001:21:01 Eisele (onboard): Look at that. I can't get to it!
001:21:03 Schirra (onboard): (Laughter) We got a s.o.b. down there.
001:21:04 Eisele (onboard): Okay, look, I'm going to undo the hoses, Wally, and I can put them right back on...
001:21:08 Schirra (onboard): Okay.
001:21:09 Eisele (onboard): ...Because otherwise, I can't reach the wall back here. I can with - I think the comm cable will go back alright. I have enough of the comm cable, but I don't have enough hose.
001:21:23 Cunningham (onboard): Those people are going to go out of their gourd [garble].
001:21:25 Eisele (onboard): Aren't they, though?
001:21:27 Cunningham (onboard): [Garble]. (Laughter)
001:21:32 Cunningham (onboard): Need any help?
001:21:33 Eisele (onboard): I don't think so; it's just been - getting a little warm. On the whole, it's a piece of cake. I am warm in my suit.
001:21:47 Schirra (onboard): You guys still have suit flows on, haven't you?
001:21:55 Eisele (onboard): Okay, Walt, there is your helmet on the wall.
001:21:57 Cunningham (onboard): Okay, I've got a Mae West off, - put it down here.
001:22:07 Eisele (onboard): It's easier in zero g, isn't it?
001:22:09 Cunningham (onboard): Yes, it is. 100 percent easier than it was. Get rid of that Mae West, you can move around a little.
001:22:18 Cunningham (onboard): Boy, that thing is already starting to shred.
001:22:20 Eisele (onboard): In fact...
001:22:21 Cunningham (onboard): Look at that. Look at how that Mae West is shredding...
001:22:26 Cunningham (onboard): Here is that strap we were looking for (laughter).
001:22:32 Schirra (onboard): Beautiful, beautiful.
001:22:36 Cunningham (onboard): You got it off that fast, Donn?
001:22:40 Cunningham (onboard): Aren't you glad we allowed double time for...
001:22:45 Cunningham (onboard): Let's get all that garbage out of the way.
001:22:52 Eisele (onboard): You see how bright it is in here - you'd never sleep.
001:22:53 Cunningham (onboard): Yes [garble] window shades.
001:22:56 Eisele (onboard): Let's see. Walt, you want to hand me your lifevest. I think I can put it in from right here.
001:23:01 Cunningham (onboard): Okay.
001:23:05 Schirra (onboard): You really don't need these headrests anymore [garble] Kind of nice to have [garble].
001:23:11 Eisele (onboard): Okay, Wally, you want to hand me your life-vest?
001:23:13 Schirra (onboard): There you go.
001:23:15 Cunningham (onboard): [Garble] until 8 o'clock, it's unreal. Have you noticed it?
001:23:19 Eisele (onboard): Yes, I haven't even gotten mad yet.
001:23:21 Cunningham (onboard): You said one "s.o.b.
001:23:24 Eisele (onboard): Well, that was just in - that was not said in anger...
001:23:27 Cunningham (onboard): That was just to warm up? (Laughter)
001:23:40 Eisele (onboard): We don't need the hydrometer right now - is that correct?
001:23:45 Cunningham (onboard): No, we don't.
001:23:46 Eisele (onboard): No point in getting it out.
001:23:47 Schirra (onboard): [Garble] just go by the [garble].
001:23:48 Cunningham (onboard): Are you in any position to use the strap down there, Donn, for the helmet bag?
001:23:52 Eisele (onboard): Well, I am on the wrong side. That missing strap goes, on yours. I can put it on if you want.
001:23:57 Cunningham (onboard): That's okay [garble].
001:24:01 Eisele (onboard): Snap it to the wall, we can pull it down later. It'd be better. Can you reach the snap there, Wally?
001:24:06 Schirra (onboard): Yes, I can reach it.
001:24:07 Cunningham (onboard): [Garble].
001:24:10 Schirra (onboard): Okay, let's check on the time. We're at 01:24. We should be over Huntsville. That's program P47. That's at 01:43, of course. We got 10 minutes for that.
001:24:23 Huntsville Comm Tech: Huntsville AOS [Acquisition Of Signal].
001:24:23 Eisele (onboard): We are still doing - reading the unstowage list, Wally, and get the details later.
001:24:27 Schirra (onboard): Okay, we've got...
001:24:29 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston.
001:24:32 Schirra (onboard): ...lifevest and a helmet.
001:24:33 Cunningham (onboard): Lockup at Huntsville.
001:24:34 Schirra: Houston, Apollo 7. Go ahead. [Pause.]
001:24:4l Stafford: Apollo 7, this is Houston through the Huntsville. How do you read?
001:24:43 Schirra: Houston, Apollo 7. Loud and clear. How me? [Long pause.]
001:24:49 Schirra (onboard): Maybe they don't.
001:24:53 Eisele (onboard): Want the cameras now, you guys?
001:24:54 Schirra (onboard): Okay, here's what you come up with.
001:24:55 Cunningham (onboard): Might try S-hand, but I - that's not locked up, huh?
001:25:01 Schirra (onboard): Yes. Okay, go ahead.
001:25:02 Schirra (onboard): Is it locked up now?
001:25:04 Cunningham (onboard): No.
001:25:05 Schirra (onboard): Here is what you want, Donn. Camera bracket on the left-hand side.
001:25:08 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston. How do you read?
001:25:11 Schirra: Houston, Apollo 7. Loud and clear. How me? [Pause.]
001:25:19 Eisele (onboard): Oh, we just lost the lock.
001:25:21 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston. How do you read?
This is Apollo Control, Houston; 1 hour, 25 minutes into the flight. Capsule Communicator Tom Stafford is putting in a call to the communicator on the ship Huntsville halfway between Hawaii and California. Let's cut in on that conversation now.
001:25:23 Eisele (onboard): [Garble].
001:25:24 Cunningham: Houston, Apollo 7. Read you loud and clear. [Long pause.]
001:25:25 Stafford: Roger. Are we transmitting simultaneously and receiving VHF?
001:25:30 Huntsville Comm Tech: Affirmative.
001:25:32 Stafford: Roger. Are you going to contact - have you heard Apollo 7?
001:25:32 Cunningham (onboard): [Garble]. the camera bag?
001:25:33 Eisele (onboard): Yes.
001:25:34 Schirra (onboard): Okay, Walt, why don't I give you this - oh, I need it. No, I don't need this...
001:25:39 Schirra (onboard): You got the helmet - camera bracket, you getting that?
001:25:44 Eisele (onboard): Yes.
001:25:55 Cunningham (onboard): You got that [garble] through?
001:25:57 Eisele (onboard): Yes. I'm trying to figure out in this silly position where it goes.
001:26:05 Schirra (onboard): The ORDEAL - you should see my ORDEAL - I got - that's not it - here [garble] the ORDEAL all over the place (laughter).
001:26:16 Schirra (onboard): What else are you getting, Donn?
001:26:17 Eisele (onboard): I've got a Hasselblad coming.
001:26:21 Schirra (onboard): Alright. It's already got the film on it and...
001:26:25 Eisele (onboard): [Garble] the movies [garble].
001:26:29 Stafford Apollo 7, Houston. [Pause.]
001:26:30 Schirra (onboard): Doesn't really matter who has it. Just get it out of the way.
001:26:32 Schirra (onboard): There is nothing to take pictures of, frankly.
001:26:34 Stafford Apollo 7, Houston.
001:26:36 Schirra (onboard): Okay, hold up a minute.
001:26:37 Schirra: Houston, Apollo 7. How do you read?
001:26:40 Stafford: [Garble] Houston, coming [garble].
001:26:45 Schirra: Houston, Apollo 7. I read you loud and clear.
001:26:47 Huntsville Comm Tech: Houston, Comm Tech Huntsville.
001:27:00 Stafford: Go ahead Huntsville.
001:26:52 Huntsville Comm Tech: Apollo 7 copied you loud and clear. Apollo 7 copied you loud and clear. Go ahead, and we'll relay.
001:26:58 Schirra (onboard): Lockup S-band.
001:27:00 Stafford: Roger. Apollo 7, this is Houston CapCom. Understand you are reading. Go ahead and relay through the Huntsvilie the S-IVB tank pressures; and again just to remind you, call program 47 prior to the LOX dump.
001:27:11 Schirra: Wilco. Huntsville, Apollo 7. Tank pressures, I'll give you present readings: 24 on A, 24 on B for oxidizers; fuel is 13 on A, and 13 on B. Over. [Long pause.]
001:27:15 Stafford: Huntsville M and O, Houston, CapCom.
001:27:17 Huntsville Comm Tech: Go ahead, Huntsville M and O.
001:27:21 Stafford: Roger. Did Apollo 7 get the message?
001:27:25 Huntsville Comm Tech: Negative. We can only copy him when we are S-band locked. We are presently experiencing trouble with locking two way VHF Band.
001:27:31 Stafford: Roger, you can't read any VHF?
001:27:34 Huntsville Comm Tech: Negative at this time.
001:27:46 Cunningham (onboard): Can't keep them in lock.
001:27:48 Eisele (onboard): Yes, it keeps breaking.
001:27:50 Cunningham (onboard): [Garble].
001:27:52 Huntsville Comm Tech: We can only copy if - when we are in S-band lock. Still having trouble [garble].
001:27:59 Schirra (onboard): You locked up?
001:28:00 Cunningham (onboard): Yes, I'll tell you what I will do.
001:28:01 Schirra: Huntsville, do you read Apollo 7...?
001:28:02 Cunningham (onboard): ...I'll switch VHF...
001:28:04 Cunningham (onboard): I just switched the VHF antennas.
001:28:05 Schirra: Huntsville, do you read Apollo 7 now? [Long pause.]
001:28:20 Cunningham: Houston, Apollo 7. Do you read?
001:28:22 Stafford: Roger, Apollo 7. Reading you loud and clear. How us?
001:28:24 Schirra: Okay, the readings are - 24, 24, 13, 13.
001:28:30 Stafford: Roger, 24 and 13, Wally. Now reading you loud and clear.
001:28:32 Schirra: That's affirm on both A and B, and I have it logged.
001:28:37 Stafford: Roger.
001:28:38 Schirra: You're breaking up [garble].
001:28:41 Stafford Roger, did you get me transmitting in the blind over the Huntsville, Wally?
001:28:45 Schirra: I don't think so. What was that Tom?
001:28:48 Stafford: Well, I just - to read the tank pressures and to call program 47 prior to the LOX dump.
001:28:54 Schirra: Roger, we have that data. I have tank pressures logged for 01 plus 06 plus 15, 01 plus l4 plus 50, if you're ready to copy. (Laughter)
001:29:06 Stafford: Roger.
001:29:07 Schirra: Okay, that's 23, 23, 8, and 8; that's 01 plus 06. 01 plus 14 plus 50 is 23, 23, 10, 10. [Long pause.]
001:29:31 Cunningham (onboard): We've got a lock here.
001:29:33 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston. You faded out completely. We'll contact you over California in a couple of seconds.
001:29:39 Schirra: Roger, data is logged.
Comm break.
001:29:40 Schirra (onboard): Okay, let me set up this program - program 47 now [garble].
001:29:45 Cunningham (onboard): Is it too early?
001:29:58 Schirra (onboard): [Garble] I'd wait until about 2 minutes [garble].
This is Apollo Control, Houston; 1 hour, 31 minutes into the flight. We should establish contact through Guaymas momentarily. To recap a bit on that power outage that we experienced about 10 minutes ago, I clocked it at 20 minutes after the hour, the duration was something on the order of 1 to 2 minutes, and initially it was a rather complete power outage. We still had communications on the circuits, but we did not have the light showing us on which circuits we had communications. We were not in touch with the spacecraft at the time, and the computers, the critical computers, the on-line computers continued to run through a separate and a secure emergency power source. Since that time, for about the past 5 minutes, we have been without our TV data displays until such time as additional power could be brought over on that circuit. Now we have the spacecraft in touch, and let's listen to Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra discuss the situation.
001:32:35 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston.
001:32:37 Schirra: Roger, Houston. Just coming over Baja California.
001:32:40 Stafford: Roger. Everything looks good on the IVB back there, and you're Go for the dump.
001:32:45 Schirra: Okay.
001:32:47 Stafford: And also for the data, they plan to dump the DSE over MILA, and we'll have a real fast evaluation on the voyage.
001:32:55 Schirra: Okay. Looks like Guaymas is working pretty hard down there; we can see it. Tell me when you get that data on the S-IVB now. [Pause.]
001:33:07 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston.
001:33:03 Schirra: Go ahead.
001:33:10 Stafford: You might tell Walt, what they did is they rewound the tape recorder over Canary, and if he has any additional voice that he wants to place on, he can place it on there now. They'll dump it again over MILA.
001:33:26 Schirra: Roger. Thank you.
001:33:27 Stafford: Okay. They didn't get your remarks on boost because they rewound it over Canary, Walt, per the Flight Plan. [Pause.]
001:33:40 Cunningham: Okay. Well, all meter readouts were normal, and I did list then individually on the insertion text, and it's on the tape, and that's about the best we can do.
001:33:57 Stafford: Okay. And we're standing by for the dump shortly.
001:34:01 Schirra: Roger.
001:34:10 Schirra: It's a fantastic world up here. [Long pause.]
This is Apollo Control, Houston; at 1 hour, 34 minutes into the flight. Apparently there is some discrepancy in our earlier report on the power outage. I want to absolutely emphasize that there was no affect at all on the computers in Building 30. I repeat. No affect. They have an emergency power source which cut in and handled that load just perfectly. We did lose light in the building in the halls, and we lost lights on our console. We continued to have communications, however; we continued to have phone service. For a period of about 1 to 2 minutes we were without most of the lights in the building, and we were able to see through an emergency over head system a faint red light which illuminates regardless of - in case of complete power outage. But again I want to emphasize there was no power outage at all on the computers tracking this mission. We'll go back now and listen to the events as we move across the States.
001:35:02 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston. We're reading your DSKY; looks like you're getting some Delta-V.
001:35:06 Schirra: Okay.
Comm break.
001:38:54 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston. The dump appears to be proceeding normally.
001:38:58 Schirra: Good.
Comm break.
This is Apollo Control Houston with the spacecraft just east of New Orleans and proceeding toward Elean Pass, it will take it almost directly over Savannah, Georgia. We are 1 hour, 40 minutes into the flight and we have completed at least the initial part of the oxygen dump, and we have now opened the liquid hydrogen vent valves. They will shortly be closed at the completion of that exercise. The liquid hydrogen valve is to be closed in 1 hour, 45 minutes into the flight, just east of Florida. About a minute later, we'll stop the - stop dumping the residual LOX. Earlier, the booster console operator told me there should be a - on the order of 1 percent residual liquid oxygen in the S-IVB, which remains attached, of course, to the spacecraft; and 1 percent with in terms of weight would be 1,000 to 1,500 lbs [450 to 680 kg]. Very little conversation from the crew as they came across the States in this pass, but we did get a good look at the systems. We got a cabin that stabilized at about 5.3 psi. We know the temperature is running a steady 66 degrees [19°C] inside. Earlier, by the Australia stations, Schirra reported that they're having a ball and he was enthusiastic over the fact that the windows have not clouded at all, this was a recurring problem in Gemini. He also commented as they moved across Australia, what an advantage it was to watch the booster operation through the center hatch window, one of five windows available. We are now starting our helium dump from the S-IVB, and again no conversation at all on this eastern portion of the State swing. Here is a call.
001:42:52 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston. Cold helium dump is initiated.
001:42:58 Schirra: Roger. [Long pause.]
001:43:48 Schirra: Houston, Apollo 7. I have a PPO2 for you. I'm reading 165.
001:43:54 Stafford: Roger. A PPO2 at 165.
There is a meter on Panel 2 of the Main Display Console which indicates the partial pressure of CO2 rather than O2 in the cabin atmosphere. This is likely to be wh Wally is refering to.
001:43:58 Schirra: Roger. [Long pause.]
001:44:15 Cunningham: Houston, Apollo 7. Our cabin press now is being - very rapidly it seems to me, we're down to about 5.5.
001:44:25 Stafford: Roger. 5.5 on the cabin.
Comm break.
001:47:43 Schirra: Houston, Apollo 7. [Pause.]
001:47:49 Schirra: Houston, Apollo 7. [Pause.]
001:47:56 Schirra: Houston, Apollo 7.
001:47:59 Stafford: Apollo 7, go.
001:48:01 Schirra: Roger. Could you verify that the S-IVB passivisation is complete?
001:48:05 Stafford: Okay. Stand by, Wally.
001:48:08 Schirra: I can stop program 47.
001:48:12 Stafford: Roger. The passivation is complete, and you can terminate 47.
001:48:18 Schirra: Roger. You have our readout on the DSKY?
001:48:21 Stafford: We got it.
001:48:23 Schirra: Okay. We won't bother logging it. We're waiting for an update on Nav stars for program 52.
001:48:30 Stafford: Roger.
001:48:32 Stafford: We're working on it right now.
Comm break.
001:52:18 Swigert: Apollo 7, Houston through Canary.
001:52:21 Schirra: Roger, Jack, loud and clear.
001:52:23 Swigert: Your stars for your P52 are stars number 2 and stars number 4.
001:52:34 Schirra: Roger. Number 2 and 4. Thank you. [Long pause.]
One of the crew, likely Donn as it is normally the CMP's role, is about to carry out a realignment of the spacecraft's guidance platform. Two stars are accurately sighted upon, yielding their direction. The computer can use this information to check how far the platform has drifted out of alignment with the celestial sphere and to bring it back onto perfect alignment.
001:52:57 Schirra: Roger. Here are the numbers; we have trouble pronouncing words ourselves.
001:53:01 Swigert: Say again.
001:53:03 Schirra: Roger. Here are the numbers; we have trouble pronouncing the words ourselves.
001:53:08 Swigert: Yes. [Long pause.]
001:53:27 Schirra: We are preparing to jettison the optics covers shortly.
001:53:30 Swigert: Okay. [Long pause.]
001:53:31 Schirra (onboard): [Garble] each other out, Walt, you might see a dump somewhere. I don't know why the hell it would go that way. It should go out that way.
001:53:39 Schirra (onboard): [Garble].
001:53:57 Schirra: Jack, for the record our Delta-V counter is at 33 feet per second.
001:54:01 Swigert: Okay, we got it all in the - that was the Delta-V counter?
001:54:07 Schirra: Affirmative.
001:54:08 Swigert: Okay.
001:54:08 Cunningham (onboard): Okay, you going to write that down?
001:54:10 Schirra: We do a Reset now?
001:54:14 Swigert: Yes. [Long pause.]
001:54:15 Schirra (onboard): Okay, I will, Walt. I'm going to do it at 01:56.
001:54:19 Eisele (onboard): I've got the optic feature installed [garble].
001:54:29 Eisele (onboard): The optic operation is no sweat at all...
001:54:31 Schirra (onboard): Is that right?
001:54:33 Eisele (onboard): ...the part that is a little disconcerting is that this Velcro isn't holding down to the floor very well.
001:54:40 Schirra (onboard): I wondered about that.
001:54:41 Eisele (onboard): I think it's because there's enough stiffness in these hoses - you see, I sort of want to float to the top of the spacecraft.
001:54:47 Swigert: Apollo 7, Houston.
001:54:50 Schirra: Go ahead, Houston.
001:54:52 Swigert MILA reports your DSE voice quality on the dump was very good.
001:54:58 Eisele (onboard): That's good...
001:54:59 Eisele (onboard): Outstanding.
001:55:00 Schirra: Oh, good deal. That really helps.
Comm break.
001:55:15 Schirra (onboard): Yes, let's see, we should be on our way to the Canaries by now. Yes.
001:55:21 Schirra (onboard): That's the Canaries. We're coming up on Africa, yes.
001:55:25 Schirra (onboard): What's the [garble], Walt?
001:55:28 Schirra (onboard): Let me get some light out there for you.
001:55:31 Eisele (onboard): Okay [garble] is correct [garble] B. Optic code has...
001:55:40 Eisele (onboard): See that white cloud on [garble]?
001:55:43 Schirra (onboard): It got up to 18. Out over the water, it went down to 14. Did you ever do that, Walt? 250, f:11 is the...
001:55:51 Eisele (onboard): Okay, Walt, you ready?
001:55:55 Cunningham (onboard): Well, okay, let it fly...
001:55:58 Schirra (onboard): Okay, I want to give you a reading. Okay, 2 - 125, f:11...
001:56:06 Schirra (onboard): What have you got now? 100? That's good. Go.
001:56:13 Eisele (onboard): Okay, here we come, I hope. We're turning. Boy, was that ever pretty! I never saw anything like it. If this thing pops off and the minute it got out to sunlight [garble] there's a whole bunch of little pieces and there's two little, two larger pieces or - well, guess that would be the two covers, sitting out there twirling around, still reflecting sunlight.
Before he can use the spacecraft's sextant and telescope for the first time, Donn must remove the covers on the outside of the hull that protect their external optical surfaces. He does this by moving one of the optics control levers fully right. At the same time, he observes the progress of the operation through the telescope eyepiece.
001:56:46 Schirra (onboard): You see both of them?
001:56:47 Eisele (onboard): Yes, I still see them...
001:56:49 Schirra (onboard): Beautiful.
001:56:51 Eisele (onboard): There must be something else that went by [garble] There's some light straying into the sextant.
001:57:01 Swigert: Apollo 7, Houston.
001:57:04 Schirra: Go ahead, Jack.
001:57:05 Swigert: Roger. You are 1 minute LOS Canary and we've computed a cabin leak rate. We find it to be one-half of spec value.
001:57:15 Schirra: Very good. [Pause.]
001:57:20 Eisele (onboard): Man.
001:57:23 Schirra: The optic covers are jettisoned and Donn is tracking them.
001:57:27 Cunningham (onboard): It's crazy, I think...
001:57:28 Swigert Roger, real good. [Long pause.]
001:57:30 Eisele (onboard): I'm coming in a little bit with the star sight, but they're so damn bright that they tend to obliterate the stars. Well, that's funny.
001:57:35 Schirra (onboard): Well, the sun shouldn't be there (laughter).
001:57:40 Eisele (onboard): That's true, but I think I can see some stars out there.
001:57:45 Schirra (onboard): Now?
001:57:47 Eisele (onboard): Yes, I wouldn't be - I wouldn't want to guarantee what they are, but I can see something...
001:57:48 Schirra (onboard): That's good with the...
001:57:50 Eisele (onboard): Well, I'm not sure really whether they're stars or just little light specks in the glass. It could be little...
Donn is getting a taste of an issue that would visit every CMP. Unless the spacecraft is in a planet's shadow, any object in the field of view of the optics interferes with the CMP's ability to see the stars. If the item is large like these optics covers, it dazzles him; if it is small, it confuses him with its star-like appearance. Unfortunately, when travelling between Earth and the Moon, the spacecraft tends not to be in shadow. Also, it is regularly emitting substances like water and urine which form ice crystals, and dust particles tend to be shed every time the optics are rotated.
001:58:00 Schirra (onboard): I'm sure it was not unusual. Night is about 02:07. We're only 8 minutes away, Walt.
001:58:10 Cunningham: Hey, Jack, the SPS propellant tank temperature has held pretty much right around 70, ever since lift-off. I never did get a feedback on what kind of a duty cycle they expect on those heaters - I haven't turned them On, but for the last couple of hours they are getting by with no heat at all.
001:58:25 Eisele (onboard): Wally, I just threw - went to Zero Optics, and the thing is cranked up - I had to go almost 180 degrees.
001:58:32 Swigert: Okay. Apollo 7, Houston. I couldn't copy that, Walt; you're down very low.
001:58:38 Cunningham (onboard): SPS propellant tank temperature is running 70, and it's been that way ever since lift-off. I have not turned the SPS line heaters On and [garble] going up.
001:59:00 Schirra: Did you set the cut-off [garble].
001:59:02 Unknown: Roger.
001:59:03 Swigert: I didn't copy it, either. The SPS tank temps, I think. Isn't that what you got? [Long pause.]
001:59:25 Unknown: I thought it was the SPS tank temps. Didn't you?
Very long comm break.
002:11:22 Schirra (onboard): [Garble] study the stars to see if I might find some I know so I can set it in the record. [Garble] I was trying to punch in the numbers just to see how it looks.
002:12:04 Eisele (onboard): [Garble] There it is. Would you believe there's a star right in the middle of my sextant?
002:12:08 Schirra (onboard): Is that right? How does it look?
002:12:12 Stafford Apollo 7, this is Houston through Tananarive. How do you read?
002:12:17 Schirra: Loud and clear, Tom.
002:12:19 Stafford: Roger, we're getting a lot of background noise on the HF coming in [garble] here, but you're coming in loud and clear.
002:12:26 Schirra: Roger, you're putting through a lot of echo, and you are just readable. We just ran through the Orion constellation, and it was very pretty.
002:12:36 Stafford: Roger, how do the stars look through both the telescope and sextant compared to the simulator?
002:12:43 Schirra: A little bit better...
002:12:47 Stafford: Roger.
002:12:47 Schirra: ...The Orion constellation was not [garble].
002:12:55 Stafford: Real good. Okay, we're going to give you a time hack at 40 minutes to go until separation in about 2 minutes.
002:13:04 Schirra: Roger, I'll reset my dial.
002:13:07 Stafford: And we have a GET for the pitchdown maneuver and the inertial maneuver. Do you want to copy it?
002:13:14 Schirra: Roger, Tom, ready to copy. Go ahead.
002:13:25 Stafford Okay, GET of pitchdown is 02 plus 42 plus 55; GET of inertial attitude, 02 plus 51 plus 10.
002:13:40 Schirra: Roger, pitchdown at 02 plus 42 plus 55, and inertial at 02 plus 51 plus 10. And [garble] the Sep.
002:13:53 Stafford: We are going to give a 40-minute hack counting down, so you can set your watch.
002:13:59 Schirra: Okay, I'm all set here, Tom.
002:14:00 Stafford Alright. [Long pause.]
002:14:01 Cunningham (onboard): I've got my GET set up.
002:14:12 Eisele (onboard): Say, Wally [garble].
002:14:21 Cunningham (onboard): [Garble] 12 000, 22 000, and [garble].
002:14:30 Stafford: 30 seconds to go.
002:14:33 Schirra: Roger. [Long pause.]
002:14:55 Stafford: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
002:15:00 Stafford: Mark.
This is Apollo Control Houston, 2 hours, 15 minutes into the flight. We have established contact with the crew via the Tananarive station and here's how the conversation is going.
002:15:01 Stafford: Forty minutes, counting down for Sep.
002:15:03 Schirra: Roger. Over here.
002:15:04 Stafford: Roger. [Pause.]
002:15:06 Eisele (onboard): We'd better proceed, Wally, [garble].
002:15:09 Cunningham: We have our gyro-torquing angles if you'd like to copy.
002:15:l4 Stafford: Go ahead.
002:15:15 Cunningham (onboard): Can you read the DSKY?
002:15:21 Schirra: Roger, DSKY readout follows: this is Verb 06, Noun 93, minus 00012, plus 00023, plus 00186. Star difference angle was 00002. [Pause.]
002:15:42 Stafford: Roger. [Long pause.]
002:15:45 Schirra: We had a terrible time [garble].
002:15:47 Schirra (onboard): [Garble] In fact, I'm going to get [garble].
002:16:06 Schirra (onboard): [Garble]. Okay, that's one more time hack.
002:16:09 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston. What was your star angle difference? That's the only one we were questioning.
002:16:13 Schirra: Four balls 2.
002:16:16 Stafford Not bad.
As part of the procedure for sighting on two stars for the realignment, the computer throws a number called the star angle difference. The computer knows the angle between the two stars selected for the realignment. It also knows the angle between the two sightings just made by the CMP. If the sightings have been made perfectly, the difference between these two angles should be zero. In this case there was a difference of two hundredths of a degree. This value was a crude measure of the CMP's accuracy and therefore became a point of pride for many of these competitive ex test pilots.
002:16:17 Schirra: We're going to go on to another...
002:16:22 Stafford: Roger.
002:16:28 Cunningham: Hey, we've got a real nice, clean cabin here, very few little particles floating around.
002:16:32 Schirra (onboard): You joking?
002:16:34 Stafford: Sounds good.
002:16:35 Cunningham: There are a few very small particles, one looks like [garble].
002:16:47 Stafford: Okay.
002:16:51 Cunningham : If we find one more, we'll give it a cup of coffee.
002:16:53 Stafford: (Laughter) [Long pause.]
002:17:54 Eisele (onboard): There's your star angle difference, babe. I'm sitting here sweating, I want to yell out 00000.
002:17:58 Schirra (onboard): I don't get it, I hope there is a little bit of bias.
002:18:03 Eisele (onboard): It doesn't pull them right in the middle. You have to - but really it's very much like a simulator, it's about a tenth of a degree off, just at the outer end of that reticle pattern.
002:18:20 Cunningham (onboard): I'm just storing it to get it out of your way, Wally. You going to log those early optic lens shots of Orion?
002:18:33 Schirra (onboard): If we got time, it's very difficult to come back and get that, so there's 1 minute...
002:18:44 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston. You're one minute to LOS Tananarive. We'll pick you up at Carnarvon in about 8 minutes.
002:18:50 Schirra: Roger, Tom. Navigating at four balls 1 on the second test.
002:18:55 Stafford: Okay.
002:18:59 Cunningham : Gyro-torque angles are plus 00023, plus 00006, plus 00001. This is the second go-around on the fine align.
002:19:07 Schirra (onboard): Okay, magazine M...
002:19:08 Stafford: Roger. Sounds good.
Long comm break.
Donn has carried out the realignment procedure a second time and has achieved a star angle difference of only one hundredth of a degree.
002:19:10 Schirra (onboard): Magazine M, Walt, do you want to log that or don't you?
002:19:14 Cunningham (onboard): We'll put it on the tape now. Are we recording now? Magazine M, frames 1 through 4, or 0 through 4, of the urine dump at sunset. Schirra dumping! (Laughter)
002:19:33 Schirra (onboard): Look at it go. That's pretty good zero g.
002:19:38 Eisele (onboard): I'm going to do a urine. You guys mind if I dump mine now?
002:19:40 Schirra (onboard): No.
002:19:41 Eisele (onboard): Walt?
002:19:47 Cunningham (onboard): Do what?
002:19:48 Schirra (onboard): We dumped; that's stunning, yes.
002:19:49 Eisele (onboard): Walt, you ready for this camera?
002:19:53 Cunningham (onboard): (Laughter) Wow! That was unreal. That was just too smooth. Hey, we ought to take a movie of that, you know it?
002:19:55 Eisele (onboard): Yes, I know it but - what a ball!
002:19:57 Schirra (onboard): Yes.
This is Apollo Control, Houston. We have Loss Of Signal by Tananarive. The spacecraft moving across the Indian Ocean. During the pass across Australia, Carnarvon should acquire about 10 minutes - about 8 minutes from now; 2 hours, 28 minutes into the flight. We will be set up to decide on whether we will proceed with the crew takeover, the crew flying of the S-IVB. I understand this configuration we are in right now, we essentially have a spacecraft about 100 feet long. Consider the Command Module, the Service Module, the SLA panels and the nearly 60-foot-long second stage S-IVB, still hooked up together and the second stage is to be unhooked and jettisoned at 2 hours, 55 minutes into the flight. That would occur after the crew has gone through an exercise whereby they will get the feel of what the control problems are and just how does it feel to fly such a big kluge from the vantage point of the Command Module. The - Donn Eisele, the center - the Command Module Pilot, will return to his couch. He has been down in the Lower Equipment Bay looking over some of his gear and going through some stowage and unstowing activities. He'll return to his couch for these upcoming activities with the S-IVB leading up to the separation. When we acquire at Carnarvon, we'll come back to you. This is Apollo Control, Houston.
002:20:20 Schirra (onboard): Okay, let's see. At 02:28 we come over Carnarvon. We got the gyro-torque angles already. That's...
002:20:27 Cunningham (onboard): Yes, I got that all done.
002:20:29 Schirra (onboard): So we're ahead of them, again. This is beautiful, guys. I'm really pleased. We're way ahead. Okay, we got the S-IVB takeover, gang. That comes up at 02:30, and, Walt, I think the way we play that, you call if for us.
002:20:48 Cunningham (onboard): Jesus, my - my peter hurts so bad I can hardly stand it; I don't know what the hell it is, whether it's the vacuum or the damn roll on or what it is.
002:20:52 Eisele (onboard): I don't want to say the third part.
002:20:53 Cunningham (onboard): Huh?
002:20:54 Eisele (onboard): I don't want to say the third possibility.
002:20:57 Cunningham (onboard): No, it's not...
002:20:58 Eisele (onboard): (Laughter)
002:20:59 Cunningham (onboard): Boy, does that ever smart! Terrific!
002:21:08 Schirra (onboard): Takeover is at 02 plus 30.
002:21:26 Schirra (onboard): We do window photography at 45.
002:21:28 Schirra (onboard): Have you watched your spotmeter, yet?
002:21:31 Cunningham (onboard): I can do that whenever you say, or Donn, either one.
002:21:40 Cunningham (onboard): I'd like to get into dock position now, gang.
002:21:44 Schirra (onboard): Okay. Donn, you want to - you're busy.
002:21:46 Eisele (onboard): Am I ever! I don't know what in the hell I'm going to do, but - wait a minute. I know what happened. Goddamn [garble] twisted on me.
002:21:54 Schirra (onboard): Walt, what are you doing?
002:21:56 Cunningham (onboard): Hey, this thing doesn't seem to be dumping too much - how do you get this thing to dump?
002:22:04 Eisele (onboard): Really?
002:22:06 Schirra (onboard): I did, but I had a hard time.
002:22:08 Cunningham (onboard): It's made up. It's just not doing anything.
002:22:10 Schirra (onboard): You feel this little gurgle. You feel it in your belly gurgling.
002:22:16 Eisele (onboard): I haven't felt a thing, really.
002:22:20 Schirra (onboard): I don't think you need it. I'm just going to throw it back.
002:22:25 Eisele (onboard): You got it. [Garble].
002:22:33 Schirra (onboard): Now I'll do it in slow motion. Let's see [garble] How about that! Oh, sexy! Wild, baby!
002:22:58 Eisele (onboard): This thing's not dumping.
002:23:07 Eisele (onboard): It reads 1.6 volts. What does that mean?
002:23:15 Schirra (onboard): I smell urine somewhere. Did you open your suit up, Donn?
002:23:19 Eisele (onboard): I just unzipped a little bit at the bottom. I'm dry, I'm not a wetback. It's just that when I peed, it filled the bag and shifted way over to one side and twisted my penis in the front there. Boy, it really hurt!
002:23:37 Schirra (onboard): Well, oddly enough, I smell urine. Do you? Do you, Walt?
002:23:40 Eisele (onboard): Just how did that happen?
002:23:45 Cunningham (onboard): I don't know.
002:23:57 Eisele (onboard): Well, I'm going to knock off. [Garble] Okay. Maybe we can dump this thing later [garble]?
002:24:04 Schirra (onboard): Well, hell! I've got to get it dumped some way [garble].
002:24:10 Schirra (onboard): How in the hell are you going to dump that thing?
002:24:54 Schirra (onboard): [Garble] that valve [garble] Go/No-go for S-IVB. [Garble] S-IVB, [garble] Really? Where? Well, let me see.
002:25:23 Schirra (onboard): Is this Orion again? [Garble] all the stars can come around the same place.
002:25:44 Schirra (onboard): Where do we stow those covers for the altimeter and accelerometer?
002:25:55 Schirra (onboard): How about the covers to your deal?
002:26:01 Cunningham (onboard): Hey, I see Orion.
002:26:04 Schirra (onboard): I wonder how Walt's going to do.
002:26:09 Cunningham (onboard): It's coming down here now. Did it go out the bottom?
002:26:14 Eisele (onboard): That's what I mean. Yes, if it's coming in the top it might [garble].
002:26:18 Schirra (onboard): I see.
002:26:23 Eisele (onboard): [Garble] God damn it!
002:26:29 Eisele (onboard): You know the constellations in here are kind of hard to recognize, I think, because you do see an awful lot of stars.
002:26:38 Schirra (onboard): You see more?
002:26:39 Eisele (onboard): Yes, I think you do.
002:26:59 Eisele (onboard): Yes.
002:27:06 Eisele (onboard): You want to hand me a Kleenex?
002:27:16 Swigert: Apollo 7, Houston.
002:27:18 Schirra: Go ahead.
002:27:19 Swigert Roger. You won't need a state vector update. I guess Donn did so good there - and you are Go for your S-IVB takeover.
002:27:28 Eisele (onboard): (Laughter) Looks like I got...
002:27:35 Schirra: Roger.
002:27:37 Swigert: And Wally, after you get through with the S-IVB control test there, let me know when you arm your Logic and we'll then take a look at it and give you a Go for Pyro Arm.
002:27:50 Schirra (onboard): Thank you. Stand by.
002:27:51 Schirra: Okay, Jack. [Long pause.]
002:28:48 Cunningham: Houston, Apollo 7.
002:28:50 Swigert: Go ahead.
This is Apollo Control, Houston; 2 hours, 28 minutes into the flight. We have established contact with Apollo 7 by Carnarvon, and the crew has been given a Go.
002:28:51 Cunningham: We turned both cabin fans off about an hour ago because the noise is really terrific, and we just put one back on again to circulate some air, out of the noise from both cabin fans is way up there.
002:29:06 Swigert: Okay. We copy.
Comm break.
Well, we've got a dead period here. We want to clarify. Perhaps earlier we had given an indication that the control thrusters during this S-IVB takeover would be thrusters on the Service Module; that's not correct. They are the thrusters, the small pitch control thrusters on the second stage, the S-IVB itself. The crew will be operating those from the cabin through logic circuits down through the Instrument Unit which is the principal electronic element joining the booster and the spacecraft. That event of course is presently programmed for 2 hours and 55 minutes; we are at 2 hours and 30 minutes right now. We should get some reports on the attitudes as we move across Australia and we'll just leave the line open.
002:30:54 Swigert: Apollo 7, Houston.
002:31:01 Schirra: Roger, Houston. Go ahead.
002:31:03 Swigert: Wait, Wally. I'm sorry; we'll wait till you get through with this before we take over here.
002:31:07 Schirra: Roger. We're right in it.
002:31:09 Swigert: I'm sorry. [Long pause.]
002:32:04 Schirra: The S-IVB is working very well, and we're now pitching up.
The Apollo 7 crew is controlling the total spacecraft and booster combination at this time through the thrusters on the S-IVB. Here is Schirra.
002:32:11 Cunningham: Stop.
002:32:12 Schirra: Did you get [garble] the stop?
002:32:16 Swigert: Roger. We copy.
002:32:19 Schirra: Three, two, one.
002:32:21 Schirra: Mark.
002:32:22 Schirra: Minus roll [garble].
002:32:24 Cunningham: And that's about [garble].
002:32:25 Cunningham: Ninety degrees.
002:32:27 Schirra: Up for 5 degrees.
002:32:28 Schirra: Three, two, one.
002:32:30 Schirra: Mark.
002:32:32 Schirra: That's right on.
002:32:33 Cunningham: Next will be thrust roll for 5 degrees. Three, two, one.
002:32:40 Cunningham: Mark.
002:32:41 Schirra: Roger. Coming back in.
002:32:45 Cunningham: It's standing very well.
002:32:47 Schirra: That's about five-tenths [garble].
002:32:48 Cunningham: Three, two, one.
002:32:50 Cunningham: Mark.
002:32:52 Schirra: Very good.
002:32:54 Cunningham: Minus yaw for 3 degrees.
002:32:56 Schirra: Okay.
002:32:58 Swigert: Three, two, one.
002:33:00 Cunningham: Mark.
002:33:02 Schirra: Minus yaw, and that's three-tenths.
002:33:05 Cunningham: Three, two, one.
002:33:10 Cunningham: Mark.
002:33:11 Schirra: Right on it.
002:33:12 Cunningham: Touch off at 3 degrees. Three, two, one.
002:33:20 Cunningham: Mark.
002:33:21 Schirra: Roger. Coming on it.
002:33:25 Schirra: There's much cross-coupling with this thing.
002:33:28 Cunningham: Three, two, one.
002:33:30 Cunningham: Mark.
002:33:31 Cunningham: S-IVB test complete.
002:33:35 Schirra: Beautiful.
002:33:36 Swigert: Real fine; outstanding. You want to hit your logic down so we can look at that? [Pause.]
002:33:48 Schirra: Second logic On. Logic On.
002:33:52 Swigert: Okay. We copy. And after Carnarvon here, which we'll lose you in about 2 minutes, we are going to do some remoting through ARIA to get - complete this DTO.
002:34:03 Schirra: Very good. Okay. S-IVB [garble].
002:34:12 Swigert: Okay.
002:34:14 Schirra: Interesting sideline: when the [garble].
002:34:20 Swigert: Okay. Apollo 7, you're Go for Pyro Arm.
002:34:24 Schirra: There you are.
002:34:26 Schirra: On Arm.
002:34:29 Schirra: We can see on the night side, the APS thrusting on the S-IVB.
002:34:34 Swigert: How so?
002:34:36 Swigert: As a rule, flight's just like Gemini?
002:34:39 Schirra: It's a pretty big blob of light; it's sort of a yellow-orange light.
002:34:45 Swigert: Roger.
002:34:47 Schirra: Okay. Pick up again.
002:34:49 Cunningham: This is Apollo 7. When you are dumping some of our tapes, we'll be going live on some of these things to make sure we've got complete coverage.
002:34:55 Swigert: Okay.
002:34:59 Cunningham: Direct RCS On.
002:35:03 Schirra: That's On.
002:35:06 Cunningham: Control SCS. BMAG modes all on Rate 2.
002:35:14 Schirra: Rate 2. SCS channels.
002:35:15 Cunningham: Four of them On. Manual attitude, three of them at Rate Command.
002:35:25 Schirra: Rate Command on three.
002:35:28 Cunningham: Tape recorder - Record.
002:35:31 Schirra: That's the [garble] stand by for their on that [garble].
002:35:35 Cunningham: TVC servo power, AC 1, main A.
002:35:42 Cunningham: Circuit breakers EDS, three of them closed.
002:35:48 Cunningham: RCS Logic both closed: verified.
002:35:54 Cunningham: EDS power, On.
002:35:57 Schirra: EDS power, On, and light, On.
002:36:01 Cunningham: Okay, Delta-V counter is zero. [Pause.]
002:36:10 Swigert: ARIA 2, go Remote.
002:36:15 Cunningham: We called for GET to be reset here. [Long pause.]
002:36:20 Schirra (onboard): Hey, that's right. Let's do a count.
002:36:21 Cunningham (onboard): Okay, counting up. You time it. You see plus time afterwards. You want me to get you a rehack?
002:36:30 Schirra (onboard): I see what you mean. Let me go with it for - How far are we from there?
002:36:31 ARIA Comm Tech: ARIA 2 has two-way lock; ARIA 2 has two-way lock. [Pause.]
002:36:36 Eisele (onboard): I don't know. [Garble] That Moon is pretty!
002:36:43 Swigert: Apollo 7 through ARIA. How do you read?
002:36:46 Schirra: Roger. Read you loud and clear, Jack. How me?
002:36:48 Swigert: Five-by.
002:36:49 Eisele (onboard): Very good.
002:36:53 Swigert: Okay, Wally. ARIA 2 has us for about 10 minutes here, and then we'll pick up ARIA 3 for about another 10 minutes.
002:37:02 Schirra: That's a very nice light opera.
002:37:04 Eisele (onboard): If you guys want to see something spectacular when you get a chance, take a look at the Moon in the sextant.
002:37:05 Swigert: Do you think you'll like those ARIA's there? [Long pause.]
002:37:09 Schirra (onboard): Is it really magnified?
002:37:10 Eisele (onboard): God! It's just great. Well, it's a 28-power scope.
002:37:17 Cunningham: Okay, Jack, can you verify the tape recorder is in Record Forward, and we'll go to High Bit Rate for the S-IVB maneuver?
002:37:27 Swigert: Okay. Stand by.
002:37:29 Cunningham: If we're running through AIRA, you're going to want me to go to High Bit Rate? [Long pause.]
002:37:42 Swigert: Okay. Apollo 7, EECOM tells me they will control it for Sep.
002:37:50 Cunningham: Understand. You will control it for Sep.
Comm break.
This is Apollo Control, Houston. The crew has completed the maneuvers using the S-IVB thrusters. You heard Walt Cunningham going through the countdowns and giving Wally Schirra each of the angles and in essence, amounted to going to 5 degrees in every attitude visual and yaw in these twice. Wally seemed impressed with the handling characteristics of this nearly 100 foot combination of booster and spacecraft. We are now remoting through a series of aircraft which are strung out across the - or flying in large square patterns in the southwest Atlantic, southwest Pacific. We should have continuous comm with the spacecraft up through Hawaii. Hawaii is to acquire - stand by one here. Hawaii is to acquire at 2 hours, 53 minutes into the flight. It'll be then within the Hawaii area of acquisition that we will separate from the S-IVB. If this were the lunar mission, that is approximately the point where we might very well ignite the S-IVB over the long burn out to the Moon to put us on a lunar trajectory. At 2 hours, 39 minutes into the flight, this is Apollo Control standing by for any additional comm.
002:37:54 Schirra (onboard): Who said that? [Garble].
002:38:01 Eisele (onboard): I didn't hear [garble].
002:38:18 Schirra (onboard): You've got the plan. Okay.
002:38:23 Schirra (onboard): Let me take the computer, Donn.
002:38:24 Eisele (onboard): Okay, go ahead.
002:38:30 Schirra (onboard): Wow! Really good.
002:38:44 Eisele (onboard): How's that for all balls?
002:38:49 Eisele (onboard): Okay. Swell. Yes. You need the spotmeter?
002:39:13 Schirra (onboard): That you have to do yourself.
002:39:20 Schirra (onboard): We're headed back up towards it. Take your movie camera out, too.
002:39:46 Cunningham (onboard): Command module RCS Logic, On.
002:39:48 Schirra (onboard): Okay.
002:39:50 Cunningham (onboard): Attitude Deadband, Min; Rate, Low.
002:39:52 Schirra (onboard): Min and Low.
002:39:54 Cunningham (onboard): And we're standing by now to pick up the last 10 seconds.
002:40:01 Schirra (onboard): The last 10 seconds? How about Delta-V Auto? Was that called out? Delta-V Auto? That late, huh? There's a nice place for it.
002:40:30 Schirra (onboard): Set the whole rig down?
002:40:35 ARIA Comm Tech: This is ARIA 3 [garble].
002:40:40 Schirra: ARIA 3, Apollo 7 reads you.
002:40:44 Stafford: Apollo 7, this is Houston through ARIA 3 - How do you read me?
002:40:47 Schirra: Roger, read you loud and clear, Tom. [Pause.]
002:40:56 Stafford: Apollo 7, this is Houston through ARIA 3. Over.
002:41:00 Schirra: Roger, Houston. We read you loud and clear. How me?
002:41:06 Stafford Roger. We can read you about one-by, Wally.
002:41:12 Schirra: Roger. You're about 4-4.
Comm break.
002:41:43 Schirra (onboard): Yes.
002:41:55 Schirra (onboard): 02:41.
002:41:56 Schirra (onboard): Get that light. Maybe - I don't know. Do - do you want it?
002:42:07 Schirra (onboard): Well, by the time we get down, we'll be so used to that (laughter).
002:42:16 Schirra (onboard): Great!
002:42:17 Eisele (onboard): Did you see that? It's unreal. (Laughter)
002:42:20 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston through ARIA 3. How do you read now?
002:42:24 Eisele: Roger. Read you loud and clear. How me?
002:42:27 Stafford: Roger. You're now coming in about three-by-three.
002:42:31 Schirra: Roger.
Comm break.
002:42:31 Schirra (onboard): Okay. We're facing sunrise now, Walt.
002:42:35 Eisele (onboard): What is that that keeps dinging all the time? Is it something on me or...
002:42:39 Schirra (onboard): Yes, what is that? I hear it...
002:42:41 Eisele (onboard): I don't know.
002:42:42 Schirra (onboard): It sounds like it's you. It's down there where you are. I think you...
002:42:45 Eisele (onboard): Yes.
002:42:47 Schirra (onboard): Have you got a strap loose [garble]?
002:42:49 Eisele (onboard): I don't - I'm looking. I can't see any.
002:42:55 Schirra (onboard): Let me give you a check in a minute. I think we are over Carnarvon.
002:43:01 Schirra (onboard): Oh [garble] 02:42.
002:43:06 Cunningham (onboard): We're coming up toward Hawaii. Have we got all the Prep checklists done?
002:43:31 Schirra (onboard): What is that, Donn?
002:43:33 Eisele (onboard): I don't know. It sounds like chow call.
002:43:47 Eisele (onboard): A Flight Plan?
002:43:49 Schirra (onboard): Yes, we should start window photography when we get more light here for it.
002:43:54 Eisele (onboard): Well, that's a [garble].
002:43:58 Schirra (onboard): Yes.
002:43:59 Eisele (onboard): Yes.
002:44:00 Schirra (onboard): I tell you, that's a mistake. Let's not do that. Let's plot one on.
002:44:03 ARIA Comm Tech: ARIA 3 [garble] ARIA contact. Remote S-band only. Remote - Remote S-band only if it is better.
Comm break.
002:44:17 Cunningham (onboard): Alright, what the hell is it?
002:44:21 Schirra (onboard): [Garble] cute.
002:44:24 Cunningham (onboard): Check your straps. Are they all secured?
002:44:27 Schirra (onboard): Yes. Here comes the morning! Down go the floodlights I
002:44:40 Schirra (onboard): [Garble] like you've seen it.
002:44:41 Eisele (onboard): Yes.
002:44:51 Schirra (onboard): No, you've got - it'll be - right over Houston.
This is Apollo Control, Houston; 2 hours, 45 minutes into the flight, and it's unlikely that we will have any additional com during this period, so we will take the circuit down now.
002:45:02 Eisele (onboard): What was that?
002:45:04 Schirra (onboard): Whatever it was, it went into the fan. Don't put your hand in there, Donn.
002:45:10 Eisele (onboard): No, I'm not. I'm feeling.
002:45:14 Schirra (onboard): Yes.
002:45:l6 Schirra (onboard): You can turn the fan off, turn it back on and see what...
002:45:20 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston. How do you read now?
002:45:25 Schirra: Read you loud and clear. Well, slightly garbled. How me? [Long pause.]
002:45:31 Eisele (onboard): I don't know what it was that...
002:45:35 Schirra (onboard): Let's take a little...
002:45:36 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston through ARIA 3. How do you read? [Long pause.]
002:45:43 Schirra (onboard): I think it'll wait awhile.
002:45:50 Schirra (onboard): You guys...
002:45:51 Cunningham: Houston, Apollo 7. Do you read?
002:45:57 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston. [Long pause.]
002:46:01 Eisele (onboard): Shoot, I should have got that map out of there.
002:46:17 Eisele (onboard): What are you taking a picture of, Walt?
002:46:19 Cunningham (onboard): Not much.
002:46:21 Cunningham (onboard): Yes.
002:46:26 Schirra (onboard): [Garble] I don't know what to do.
002:46:30 ARIA Comm Tech: ARIA 3, ARIA 3, ARIA contact Remote [garble] Remote VHF... Over. [Long pause.]
002:46:52 Cunningham (onboard): Well.
002:46:56 Eisele (onboard): 10 seconds?
002:46:57 Schirra (onboard): 10 minutes. No, no. Don't worry, Donn. Don't worry. We know where to look [garble]. The count was bad.
002:47:08 Eisele (onboard): Okay.
002:47:09 Schirra (onboard): Okay.
002:47:22 Stafford: Apollo 7, how do you read through ARIA 3?
002:47:26 Eisele: Apollo 7, loud and clear. How me?
002:47:28 Stafford: Okay. Wally, you're about three-by. We have the PAD for the phasing maneuver. We'll send it up to you or give it to you through Hawaii whenever you're ready for it. We're not in any hurry, but whenever you're ready for it.
002:47:43 Eisele (onboard): What does he want?
002:47:45 Schirra: Say again.
Long comm break.
002:48:18 Schirra (onboard): Yes. Remind me to ask what he's taking pictures of [garble] motion pictures of.
002:48:25 Schirra (onboard): Look at that [garble] That's a good picture to take. Let's do that instead. Shoot right across my belly, Walt. That's what we really want. Right here? You're right with that ...
002:49:18 Schirra (onboard): 30 and what?
002:49:22 Eisele (onboard): [Garble].
002:49:24 Schirra (onboard): I've got 32 A.
002:49:29 Eisele (onboard): [Garble] Am I bump - bumping you?
002:49:31 Schirra (onboard): I guess I'm drifting [garble].
002:49:36 Schirra (onboard): 5 minutes - 02:49, Walt.
002:49:40 Cunningham (onboard): Okay, that's it. Okay. Let's take one more.
002:49:46 Schirra (onboard): [Garble] still take [garble].
002:49:51 Cunningham (onboard): Okay, I'm trying to...
002:49:53 Schirra (onboard): [Garble].
002:49:51 Cunningham (onboard): ...get this fastened down so I won't be in your way. That - that optics is going to be a real problem to see anything in the daytime because there's a lot of light leak around it somewhere, and we will...
002:50:12 Schirra (onboard): We'll leave the slider out here, put it down behind Donn. The slider's up here [garble] Donn. It's not wound. Right?
002:50:24 Cunningham (onboard): What did you say, Wally? Do not wind it after each picture?
002:50:27 Schirra (onboard): That way when you catch around the [garble] you would know where [garble].
002:50:29 Cunningham (onboard): Yes, I see what you mean. Alright, then, from now on we will not do that.
002:50:35 Schirra (onboard): Now what? I don't know what made me think - 02:50 - We're pitching, Walt. You want to give us S-band antenna A?
002:50:49 Cunningham (onboard): It's alright now.
002:50:50 Schirra (onboard): It is?
002:50:52 Cunningham (onboard): Yes.
002:50:53 Schirra (onboard): Okay.
002:50:58 Schirra (onboard): We should be able to see the Hawaiian Islands pretty soon. Donn could take one, I bet. How does that look [garble] straight down in there?
002:51:08 Eisele (onboard): Yes.
002:51:09 Schirra (onboard): Yes, that's alright. There's [garble].
002:51:11 Eisele (onboard): I just see a blur, a mild blur if anything.
002:51:12 SC God damn!
002:51:20 Schirra (onboard): Do you have the spotmeter, Walt?
002:51:24 Cunningham (onboard): Yes, let me get the trash put away first.
002:51:25 Schirra (onboard): Okay, I [garble].
002:51:28 Cunningham (onboard): Whoa! You see that? The controllers would let us die for something like this! One-finger push! Here you go. That's it.
002:51:42 Schirra (onboard): If you throw, you get a trajectory (laughter). What did you get for your spotmeter reading, Donn?
002:51:49 Eisele (onboard): There it is.
002:51:54 Schirra (onboard): It probably is. That puts you back on infinity and goofs you up, I've done that a lot.
002:52:10 Eisele (onboard): Hey, we're 2 minutes out, Walt.
002:52:16 Cunningham (onboard): Well, I got 13½, 13¾.
002:52:22 Schirra (onboard): [Garble] 125, f:11 [garble].
002:52:24 Cunningham (onboard): That's the general overall basis - if you put it on a cloud, it went all the way up to 17.
002:52:29 Schirra (onboard): What you ought to do is average it.
002:52:34 Cunningham (onboard): Okay. I would say it averaged out about a 14 or 15.
002:52:37 Schirra (onboard): We'll set about 125th at 11.
002:52:39 Cunningham (onboard): Yes.
002:52:40 Schirra (onboard): Just a minute. Let me see if I am right. Look at your [garble].
002:52:46 Schirra (onboard): You can do 02:58.
002:52:50 Cunningham (onboard): 125th at 11.
002:52:52 Schirra (onboard): Yes, there you go.
002:52:55 Eisele (onboard): It's getting brighter now. Wait a minute now. We'll have to do it again. Jesus!
002:53:01 Schirra (onboard): Okay, if it is getting brighter...
002:53:02 Cunningham (onboard): No, it isn't. No, it's still the same.
002:53:03 Eisele (onboard): It shouldn't vary very much...
002:53:05 Schirra (onboard): It looks different when you take the spotmeter away from your eyeball.
002:53:07 Eisele (onboard): I'll take the spotmeter, Walt, and you get the camera, Wally.
002:53:09 Schirra (onboard): Okay.
002:53:10 Eisele (onboard): ...the [garble] and that jazz.
002:53:11 Eisele (onboard): You want me to...
002:53:12 Schirra (onboard): I think you'd do well with that camera; Walt can run the movies.
002:53:14 Eisele (onboard): Okay. You want me to take one of the ground here? There's nothing down there but clouds right now.
002:53:23 Eisele (onboard): Well, if you're talking about - well, when we first started out, we could see it good.
002:53:29 Schirra (onboard): Right.
002:53:30 Schirra (onboard): Okay, we're 1 minute out, Walt.
002:53:33 Cunningham (onboard): I'll give you a mark in 1 minute and I'll reset my clock.
002:53:36 Eisele (onboard): This lap belt works great, here...
002:53:50 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston.
002:53:53 Schirra: Go ahead.
002:53:55 Stafford: Roger. Through Hawaii. Minus 1 minute till Sep. [Long pause.]
002:54:22 Schirra: Houston, Apollo 7. Are we recording high bit rate?
002:54:26 Stafford: Affirmative, Apollo 7. [Long pause.]
002:54:36 Schirra (onboard): Yes.
002:54:38 Eisele (onboard): ...it needs to be...
002:55:08 Schirra: Did you hear that on the ground?
002:55:11 Stafford: No. You're saying it was loud, right?
002:55:15 Schirra: Loudest sound heard round the world.
002:55:17 Stafford: Okay. We confirm. SLA's up. [Long pause.]
This is Apollo Control, Houston; 2 hours, 55 minutes into the flight; and just 30 seconds ago, precisely at 2 hours and 55 minutes, the crew reported they had separated from the S-IVB. We are in contact over Hawaii, and let's listen for conversation.
002:56:07 Schirra: I can see a thruster firing action in daylight.
002:56:12 Stafford: Roger. Copy. [Long pause.]
This is Apollo Houston, From the ground we know that the spacecraft is pitching over, turning around, and having a good long look.
002:57:04 Schirra: I can see little tiny particles out the right-hand window way down; looks like pieces of chaff. I would assume that came from the separation of the S-IVB.
002:57:12 Stafford: Roger. I understand. [Long pause.]
002:57:26 Schirra: I assume that she is still there then. Tom, we've got same old split [garble] when we pitched out.
002:57:32 Stafford: Okay. Looks like you are going straight in.
002:57:38 Schirra: Same [garble] It's absolutely beautiful here, and we got a lot of loose particle chaff sitting at about...
002:57:45 Eisele: Look at them!
002:57:49 Cunningham: Chaff seems to be oriented mostly between 3 o'clock and 5 o'clock from my point of view here in the right seat and between 9 o'clock and 12 o'clock. The other two quadrants are relatively clean; and the SLA panel at the top, left, and bottom are opened at - I would guess to he about a 45-degree angle, and the SLA panel on the right is just opened maybe 30 degrees at the very best.
002:58:16 Stafford: Roger. Looks like you are looking at a four-jawed angry alligator. [Long pause.]
002:58:28 Schirra: It's a bigger one, Tom.
Comm break.
Apollo Control, Houston here. That is Walt Cunningham giving that report on the position of the SLA panels. He is in conversation with Tom Stafford who is an expert on angry alligators from the Gemini days. The crew is simulating a docking approach at this time in to the SLA area. They won't go in so close as to touch it, but they will operate in the area. They are taking pictures and in general, they will fly a formation with the S-IVB for the next 10 to 15 minutes.
003:01:28 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston. Go ahead and get the EDS power switch Off if you want to. [Long pause.]
003:01:56 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston. [Long pause.]
003:02:05 Stafford: Hello, Apollo 7. This is Houston. Over.
003:02:09 Stafford: Huntsville M and O, this Houston CapCom.
003:02:12 Huntsville Comm Tech: Houston, Huntsville M and O, go.
003:02:15 Stafford: Roger. Are we getting through to Apollo 7?
003:02:20 Huntsville M and O: We cannot acquire the spacecraft presently with S-band. Stand by.
003:02:30 Stafford: Roger.
Comm break.
This is Apollo Control, Houston; 3 hours and 2 minutes into the flight. The ship Huntsville, which is parked between Hawaii and the coast of California, is experiencing some difficulty apparently with patching us through, so our - we do have a voice communication drop out with the spacecraft. The combination of the California station and/or Guaymas, Mexico station should acquire just any second and we would look for considerable improvement in the communication. The crew had turned around, they were taking a close look at the large SLA panels, which are - the four of them are opened up. They are photographing them, and Cunningham reported some chaff. As yet we haven't been able to identify the source of the chaff in the area. No problem, but he did report it. He also reported seeing thruster action in the daylight. We are now, I believe, attempting to go through Guaymas. Let's go back to the report.
003:03:47 Stafford: Hello, Apollo 7, Houston. How do you read?
003:03:48 Huntsville Comm Tech: Houston, Huntsville. We have AOS apparently with S-band, experience a drop of signal from handover, Hawaii to Huntsville.
003:03:51 Stafford: Roger. [Long pause.]
003:04:04 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston. Over.
003:04:06 Schirra: Roger. Houston, go. Apollo 7.
003:04:08 Stafford: Roger. Everything going okay?
003:04:11 Schirra: Yea, just fine. We've got a [garble] out there about a couple or 300 feet.
003:04:15 Stafford: Okay. You might check your EDS power switch Off, if you want to.
003:04:21 Schirra: Switch is Off. Have you got any kind of update for us for the Sep maneuvers?
003:04:29 Stafford: Roger. We sure do. Are you ready to copy it?
003:04:31 Schirra: Stand by for about 10 seconds.
003:04:35 Stafford: Roger. Give me a call when you are ready. [Long pause.]
003:04:48 Schirra: Apollo 7. Go ahead with your update.
003:04:50 Stafford: Roger. It's a phasing maneuver, 003 20 all balls, Noun 82 N/A, 1641 plus 1224, 00057, 32538, Noun 48 N/A, zero plus 16; and roll, pitch, and yaw are 183, 299, 002; remarks: SEF, heads down, retrograde minus X thrusters. You should he in your retro-attitude by 3 plus 16 plus 30.
003:06:15 Schirra: Roger. Understand. Upgrade for Sep maneuvers, 003, 20, 00, 1641, plus 1224, 00057, down retrograde minus-X thrusters. You should he in your retro-attitude by 3 plus 16 plus 30.
003:06:30 Schirra: Roger. Understand update for Sep maneuver 003, 20, 00, 1641, check 1224, 00057, 32538. Noun 48 now on schedule; roll, pitch, and yaw 183, 299, 002. SEF heads down, retro, and use minus X thrusters.
003:06:42 Stafford: Roger. I copied, but I didn't get your pitch; but I want to give it to you again. That's 299 for the pitch.
003:06:48 Schirra: Roger. [Pause.]
003:06:55 Huntsville Comm Tech: Huntsville LOS. [Long pause.]
003:07:14 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston. [Long pause.]
003:07:32 Stafford: Hello, Apollo 7, Houston.
003:07:37 Schirra: Houston, go.
003:07:38 Stafford: Okay. We expect some nonpropulsive venting up near the front end of the S-IVB between 3 plus 08 and 3 plus 09. The booster will make a retrograde maneuver at 3 plus 16 plus 55.
003:08:01 Schirra: Roger. Understand nonpropulsive venting between 03:08 and 03:09, and the booster will be retro-venting at 03:16:55.
003:08:12 Stafford: Roger. That's when the maneuver will be commanded. You should be able to see it maneuver around. [Long pause.]
003:08:25 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston. Confirm that your TVC servo power number 1 is Off.
003:08:32 Schirra: It is Off.
003:08:33 Stafford: Roger.
003:08:34 Schirra: [Garble]. [Long pause.]
003:09:18 Cunningham: There is quite a small-type debris still inside the S-IVB. Is that Go? [Long pause.]
003:09:29 Stafford: Roger. Copied that.
003:09:31 Cunningham: Seems to be coming out. That's probably the vent.
003:09:38 Stafford: Okay. [Long pause.]
003:10:32 Cunningham: All the internal structure looks just fine. There is one set of cords that's running around - one set of cords running around that seems to be going to a panel that didn't open too far.
003:10:48 Stafford: Okay. Get some pictures.
Comm break.
This is Apollo Control, Houston; with the spacecraft almost over the central United States. We are getting a pretty descriptive view of what the S-IVB looks like, primarily from Walt Cunningham. He has reported among other things, that one of the four SLA panels is not open completely. They should be back to nearly 90 degree position, I think one of them is open only a third or a half the way. I heard a figure earlier of 30 degrees that will have to be confirmed later. In several times, Cunningham has commented on the venting, the LOX venting from the S-IVB. Apparently it's a pretty spectacular show. We will continue to monitor as they move across the states.
003:13:38 Schirra: We have got - Ponchartrain in the back of the S-IVB. I can see the bridge right across it. We should have a - unfortunately, it's too cloudy for us to look at, Tom, but New Orleans looks good.
003:13:54 Stafford: Roger. Understand you can see New Orleans.
003:13:56 Schirra: Roger. We got a shot of the [garble] across the lake cutting about.
003:14:01 Stafford: Roger. Good show. [Long pause.]
003:14:41 Schirra: Looks like the entire U.S. is cloud covered until you get over here, though. [Long pause.]
003:14:XX Stafford: We copy. [Long pause.]
003:15:36 Cunningham: We're looking right down at the Cape. We can get a picture of it in the background.
003:15:40 Stafford: Roger. You got a picture of them over the Cape in the background.
003:15:42 Cunningham: The Cape's not clear.
003:15:44 Stafford: Roger.
003:15:45 Schirra: Now it's starting to clear. [Pause.]
003:15:56 Stafford: Roger. You on top of the booster this time, Wally?
003:15:58 Schirra: Say again.
003:15:59 Stafford: You on top of the booster?
003:16:01 Cunningham: [Garble] we got some real great stuff here.
003:16:04 Stafford: Good show. Okay. In about a minute, the booster should start its retrograde maneuver.
003:16:10 Schirra: The booster is - engine is set up facing down toward the Atlantic Ocean - to straight down. We're pointing straight down.
003:16:19 Stafford: Okay. [Pause.]
003:16:25 Schirra: Got a very slow rate going on the booster.
003:16:31 Stafford: Okay.
003:16:34 Schirra: Except for that one panel, everything looks like it's just as you'd expect it to be on that S-IVB SLA deployment.
003:16:42 Stafford: Okay. Sounds real good.
003:16:49 Stafford: Okay. We've got about 3 minutes to go to the phasing maneuver, and are you all set up for the roll, pitch, and yaw?
003:16:58 Schirra: We've [garble] and roll, and we [garble] attitude shortly.
003:17:03 Stafford: All right. [Long pause.]
003:17:45 Stafford: Apollo 7, Houston.
003:17:47 Schirra: Yes.
003:17:48 Stafford: Roger. Our - GNC just confirmed that inertial pitch attitude is 299 degrees. [Long pause.]
003:18:55 Stafford: Okay. I'll give you a Mark at 60 seconds: two, one.
003:19:00 Stafford: Mark.
003:19:01 Stafford: T minus 60 seconds; minus 30 seconds; 10 seconds. [Long pause.]
003:19:29 Schirra: Burn complete.
003:19:32 Stafford: Roger.
003:19:33 Schirra: Roger.
Comm break.
003:22:40 Cunningham: If you are ready on the ground, we are going to start checking our main Reg.
003:22:48 Stafford: Okay, Apollo 7, Houston. We're ready to copy.
003:22:54 Eisele (onboard): You want me to go do that now?
003:22:55 Schirra: Houston, 7.
003:22:56 Eisele (onboard): Alright, what do you want me to do?
003:22:56 Stafford: Roger. You can go ahead and terminate program 47 if you want to.
003:22:58 Cunningham (onboard): Main Reg B valve closed.
003:23:00 Schirra: Roger. We have terminated. We are trying to get a few more pictures after we set; we have made the burn one-tenth of a foot per second [garble].
003:23:02 Eisele (onboard): Closed - going closed - now.
003:23:05 Cunningham (onboard): Emergency cabin pressure valve to 1.
003:23:07 Stafford: Roger. That's real good; thank you. [Long pause.]
003:23:07 Eisele (onboard): Wait a minute, let me get some light down in here.
003:23:12 Eisele (onboard): Emergency cabin pressure valve to 1.
003:23:16 Cunningham (onboard): Emergency cabin Push-to-Test pushbutton.
003:23:18 Eisele (onboard): Push.
003:23:20 Schirra: Tom, we had P47 running there a couple of minutes early, and we picked up about a foot and a half per second in register two. I guess you can pick that up on your downlink; you might have somebody consider whether they want to re-do the state vector or not.
003:23:35 Stafford: Okay, good. Look, we're going to have you at Ascension in just a couple of minutes, and we'd like to get a PP02 reading.
003:23:45 Schirra: Okay, stand by.
003:23:43 Eisele (onboard): Okay, Walt.
003:23:46 Cunningham (onboard): Okay.
003:23:47 Eisele (onboard): No, no [garble].
003:23:48 Stafford: Also, what was your closest point of approach, Wally, to the IVB?
003:23:53 Schirra: I'd say about 4 or 5 feet, Tom.
003:23:55 Stafford: Roger. 4 or 5 feet.
003:23:58 Schirra: It's a pretty big one.
003:24:01 Schirra: We're a little worried to get in - about getting in there with that one cocked panel. It's probably a good decision to drop those things off.
003:24:09 Stafford: Roger.
Comm break.
003:24:10 Eisele (onboard): Yes, if you didn't have those fans...
003:24:15 Eisele (onboard): Okay.
003:24:20 Schirra (onboard): No, just, means the wire's hooked up (laughter).
003:24:28 Eisele (onboard): Okay, gang, I'm going to stow this first film down here in B-3, which is where the camera came from...
003:24:34 Schirra (onboard): We're done with that camera, aren't we? Why don't you put this slider in it?
003:24:39 Eisele (onboard): Are we done with the sequence camera?
003:24:4l Schirra (onboard): For now.
003:24:43 Schirra (onboard): It's targets of opportunity for now.
003:24:46 Schirra (onboard): We don't have any attitudes to worry about for quite awhile, do we?
003:24:49 Eisele (onboard): Well, I don't know - look on your Flight Plan. I don't think there's anything in particular we have to do for a while.
003:25:02 Schirra (onboard): Yes.
003:25:06 Schirra (onboard): Okay, Flight Plan, let's see...
003:25:22 Cunningham: Houston, Apollo 7.
Very long comm break.
003:25:29 Schirra (onboard): What's the slosh-damping test? (Laughter)
003:25:38 Schirra (onboard): I'm afraid that's one of them we aren't going to get much information.
003:25:41 Cunningham (onboard): There wasn't enough slosh in any of them (laughter).
003:25:43 Eisele (onboard): I couldn't tell any.
003:25:44 Schirra (onboard): No.
003:25:45 Schirra (onboard): We'll give them a subjective report that we could detect no sloshing from the RCS burn.
003:25:50 Schirra (onboard): There wasn't any.
003:25:52 Schirra (onboard): Flight plan? You guys going to get to that big brute soon?
003:26:00 Eisele (onboard): Again? I stuck it to the wall - Oh, it's behind your head (laughter).
003:26:08 Eisele (onboard): You want to keep looking for that guy or not?
003:26:10 Cunningham (onboard): Who? That S-IVB?
003:26:12 Eisele (onboard): I don't know.
003:26:13 Eisele (onboard): Okay, I'll pulse over.
003:26:21 Eisele (onboard): I wonder how much fuel we used. How's the quantity look there, Walt?
003:26:27 Cunningham (onboard): It's 90, 80 - 90. Yes, it's around 95 or 96 - what we're supposed to have.
003:26:38 Eisele (onboard): I don't know what - well, it's kind of hard to tell. That meter doesn't mean much.
003:26:42 Cunningham (onboard): No.
003:26:43 Eisele (onboard): Let's see - 3 or 4 percent. Yes. That's about right.
003:26:48 Eisele (onboard): 50, 60 pounds.
003:26:34 Eisele (onboard): Let's select HBR. You're Low Bit now, aren't you, Walt?
003:27:05 Eisele (onboard): Okay.
003:27:11 Eisele (onboard): Yes, yes, I already called it out to you.
This is Apollo Control, Houston; 3 hours, 25 minutes into the flight and we have moved out of the acquisition zone of the Antigua station. We should acquire Ascension in a very few minutes. You heard Schirra say that he had pulled up within 4 to 5 feet of the S-IVB and had done a very close inspection of the SLA Panels. The - 3 of the panels appear to have opened fully, which in the fully deployed position is a 45-degree angle; one of the panels stopped apparently at about 30 degrees. On later missions we have, or the present thinking is to simply jettison the panels all together so this is sort of a one-time consideration. We - the reason for the jettisoning of the panels in future missions is a point which has brought the thinking to that conclusion. It has to do with the exhaust impingement on the panels as the spacecraft looks directly into the hole, or prepares to make the docking maneuver with the Lunar Module. We will assume that the crew has concluded it's first phasing maneuver of 6.8 foot per second burn which will have a phasing or a shaping affect on the orbit, a very moderate one, and it will move it some distance, I don't just yet know how much distance, away from the S-IVB. At 3 hours, 27 minutes into the flight; this is Apollo Control, Houston.
003:27:18 Eisele (onboard): Are we recording?
003:27:21 Cunningham (onboard): Roger, we are now going to complete our post-Sep checklist [garble] it's most imperative that, in spite of the timeline we had, we are now going to finish it.
003:27:32 Eisele (onboard): Tape recorder. I verify that it is running, that we're in Low Bit Rate, apparently.
003:27:39 Cunningham (onboard): EDS power, Off, verified.
003:27:40 Schirra (onboard): Verified.
003:27:41 Cunningham (onboard): TVC Servo Power 1, Off.
003:27:42 Schirra (onboard): That's verified.
003:27:44 Cunningham (onboard): Circuit breakers Secs Arm, both Open. Secs Logic, both Open.
003:27:48 Schirra (onboard): Logic and Arm, Open.
003:27:50 Cunningham (onboard): Circuit breaker RCS Logic, both - okay - EDS, three, Open.
003:27:55 Schirra (onboard): What about that RCS 1 you were talking about?
003:27:57 Cunningham (onboard): Okay, RCS Logic, both Open.
003:27:59 Schirra (onboard): RCS Logic, both Open.
003:28:01 Schirra (onboard): EDS, also?
003:28:03 Cunningham (onboard): All three of them, Open.
003:28:04 Schirra (onboard): . Okay.
003:28:05 Cunningham (onboard): Command Module RCS Logic, Off.
003:28:08 Schirra (onboard): Off.
003:28:09 Cunningham (onboard): Now, Donn. We're going to open those two circuit breakers.
003:28:11 Eisele (onboard): Okay.
003:28:13 Eisele (onboard): What's it say for the pyros...
003:28:14 Cunningham (onboard): Pyro A, Sequence A, first.
003:28:17 Eisele (onboard): Right. Pyro A, Sequence A, first, coming Off now.
003:28:21 Cunningham (onboard): Verify Pyro B, Sequence B, Off.
003:28:23 Eisele (onboard): B, Off now.
003:28:25 Cunningham (onboard): Verified.
003:28:26 Eisele (onboard): Okay. Pyros are fully disarmed.
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