Apollo 8
Day 1: The Maroon Team
Corrected Transcript and Commentary Copyright © 2003-2021 by W. David Woods and Frank O'Brien. All rights reserved.
Last updated 2021-02-27
We have had some brief conversations with the Apollo 8 crew, primarily concerning the onboard navigation exercises they're involved in at the present time. The crew attempting to sight on two stars, Sirius and Canopus, and take sightings - angular sightings between the stars and the Earth horizon. The conversations also concerned putting the spacecraft in the Passive Thermal Control mode and we expect shortly to begin some tests on the High Gain Antenna. We'll play back the tapes that we recorded of the conversations with the spacecraft and then pick up with whatever conversation's going at the time.
006:32:42 Borman: Houston. Apollo 8. [No answer.]
006:32:52 Borman: Houston. Apollo 8. [No answer.]
006:32:56 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. Did you call?
006:32:59 Borman: Roger. There is the High Gain Antenna on Wide, Auto.
006:33:04 Mattingly: Roger
This is Apollo Control. At the present time the spacecraft is nearing 30,000 miles altitude. The displays here in Mission Control Center show our current altitude at about 29,228 nautical miles [54,130 km]. This is Apollo Control at 6 hours, 35 minutes into the flight.
006:35:21 Borman: Houston, Apollo 8.
006:35:24 Mattingly: Go ahead, Apollo 8.
006:35:26 Borman: Are you getting the results you want from our High Gain Antenna?
006:35:44 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. Affirmative. We are getting your data, and we may have a beamwidth change but stand by on that.
006:35:53 Borman: Alright. We're standing by. Jim's about ready to go back to the P23.
006:35:57 Mattingly: Roger. We have a Go until 7 hours on the start of the PTC.
006:36:05 Borman: Roger. Seven. [Long pause.]
006:36:54 Borman: Houston, Apollo 8.
006:36:57 Mattingly: Go ahead, Apollo 8.
006:36:59 Borman: We're on the PTC mode now waiting for Jim, and I noticed that out my window now I can see Orion very clearly, even though the Sun is bright in the other window.
006:37:13 Mattingly: Roger.
006:37:14 Borman: It almost pained me to say that, but it's true.
006:37:19 Mattingly: Roger.
006:37:22 Borman: Speaking of the windows, the number 5 window is getting pretty well obscured and the number 3 window is unusable.
006:37:29 Mattingly: Roger. Understand; number 3 is unusable and number 5 is obscured. Can you make out any definition at all, or do you have a target to look at?
006:37:39 Borman: Well, I can see the Sun. Wait till it comes around the Earth, and I'll give you a better hack on that.
006:37:42 Mattingly: Okay. [Long pause.]
006:38:14 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. We're going to go ahead and try to dump your tape right now. Circuit margins aren't too good at our present configuration. We're going to take a look at it. If it doesn't work, we may have to dump it again at a later configuration.
006:42:57 Borman: Houston, Apollo 8. We're maneuvering back now to do another P23.
006:43:02 Mattingly: Roger. Thank you.
006:43:29 Lovell: Houston, this is Apollo 8. I'll do two more sets on [star] 15, and then we'll do one set on [star] 16.
006:43:35 Mattingly: Roger. Thank you.
006:44:37 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston.
006:44:40 Borman: Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.
006:44:41 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. I'd like to fill you in on things we're thinking about doing in the next couple of hours, first chance you get there.
006:44:51 Borman: Go ahead.
006:44:52 Mattingly: Okay. In relationship to the midcourse correction, we'd like to put that one off until about 11 hours, and it will be approximately a 25-foot-per-second burn. The reason we're delaying the burn time is to allow for better tracking as a result of the 7½-foot-per-second you put in on the separation. We'd like to take little more time to look at the
tracking data. And the dispersions in your correction aren't going to be growing very fast here. What we'll do then is to delete the NAV sightings that occur about 09 plus 10 in the flight plan, and this will be getting us back on to the normal flight plan sequence. So we'll go ahead and finish the P23, and the 7-hour limit on that P23 is due to the range limits on this test. Over.
006:45:46 Lovell: Is due to the... what did you say?
006:45:47 Mattingly: The 7 hours on the P23 problem is due to the fact that we want to get these sightings in at a certain range. Over.
006:45:56 Lovell: Roger. Understand.
006:45:59 Mattingly: If you have any comments on that proposal, why, go ahead and pass them down, and we'll feed them in.
006:46:06 Borman: No. I think that's fine. We need to get out of the suits and get something to eat here too.
006:46:11 Mattingly: Roger. Looks like we'll be back on the Flight Plan by 11 hours. We'll be holding up on the updates and PADs because of the later burn.
Bill's suit on display at the Science Museum, London, United Kingdom.
006:47:35 Lovell: Houston, Apollo 8.
006:47:37 Mattingly: Go ahead, Apollo 8.
006:47:40 Lovell: Roger. I believe we have the S-IVB in sight. It would appear to be tumbling, and every once in a while, we are getting very bright reflections from it off the star - off the Sun.
006:47:51 Mattingly: Roger.
006:50:00 Lovell: Houston, 8. Are you getting the data from the P23?
006:50:08 Mattingly: Stand by one. [Pause.]
006:50:12 Mattingly: Affirmative. Apollo 8.
007:00:13 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston.
007:00:15 Borman: Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.
007:00:18 Mattingly: Roger. We're copying your P23 progress. FAO advises that it looks like you are finishing your first star, and we'll need one more set on the second star, and this 7-hour cut-off isn't that firm, so we would like for you to go ahead and complete the second star if you can.
007:00:39 Borman: We're on the last setting of the second star right now.
007:00:41 Mattingly: Okay. Real fine. And we've got a - it's about time for a cryo fan cycle.
007:00:51 Borman: Okay. We'll do them one at the time for about 4 minutes on each of them.
007:00:59 Mattingly: Roger. [Long pause.]
007:01:50 Anders: We've got the cryo fan on in H
2 tank number 1.
007:01:57 Mattingly: Roger, Bill.
007:02:03 Lovell: Houston, Apollo 8. We've just got finished taking two sets, six sightings on Sirius, and one set [three sightings] on Procyon.
007:02:17 Mattingly: Roger. I understand that's six on Sirius and one on Procyon.
007:02:23 Lovell: Two sets on Sirius, one set on Procyon.
007:02:25 Mattingly: Roger. [Long pause.]
007:02:37 Borman: And we're maneuvering now to PTC attitude.
007:02:46 Mattingly: Oh. Roger, Apollo 8. [Long pause.]
007:03:26 Mattingly: Apollo 8, when you get a chance down in the Lower Equipment Bay, it looks like you're using the floodlights in the Dim 2 position, and that one is a time-limited item. We would like for you to do your standard running in the Dim 1 position. Over.
007:03:44 Borman: Roger. Just turned them off.
007:03:47 Mattingly: Okay. Any time you have them on, running Dim 1 position is preferred to the LEB.
007:03:52 Borman: Thank you. [Long pause.]
007:04:39 Anders: Houston. We have the cryo fan on - the number 1 H
2 tank was on at 07:01. You can give us a hack when you want it - when you're ready for it to be turned off.
007:04:50 Mattingly: Wilco. [Pause.]
007:04:57 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. You can terminate that one and go to the other tank.
007:05:01 Anders: Roger. [Pause.]
007:05:10 Anders: Okay. O
2 gauge number 2 is on.
007:05:14 Mattingly: Roger.
007:06:21 Lovell: Houston, Apollo 8.
007:06:22 Mattingly: Go ahead.
007:06:23 Lovell: Are you having any problem on the ground with your comm?
007:06:27 Mattingly: Negative. You're coming in loud and clear.
007:06:30 Lovell: Okay. We seem to be breaking lock intermittently up here once in a while.
007:06:35 Mattingly: Roger. We'll keep our eye on it. It sounds good though.
007:08:46 Lovell: Okay. Houston, Apollo 8. We've initiated the PTC.
007:08:51 Mattingly: Roger. [Long pause.]
007:09:32 Mattingly: Okay. Apollo 8, you can terminate the fans in the hydrogen, and we're ready to start on the oxygen tanks.
007:09:41 Lovell: Okay. Stand by.
This is Apollo Control Houston at 7 hours, 11 minutes now into the flight. During the change of shift press conference we had a very quiet period relatively quiet period here in Mission Control Center. Astronaut Tom Mattingly now acting as Capsule Communicator and we had some communication with the Apollo 8 crew primarily concerning some minor modifications to their flight plan to get them back on the flight - back on the Flight Plan. Frank Borman also reported that the S-IVB appeared to be tumbling. That observation was confirmed from the ground and we appear to be getting good data from the High Gain Antenna. At least preliminary indications are that it is working as planned. The crew is scheduled to come up shortly on an eat period. They will be getting their first meal of the mission in space. And they also, prior to that time, plan to get completely out of their suits..."
007:11:59 Mattingly: Apollo 8, we are through with the dump; you can have the tape recorder back.
007:12:02 Lovell: Thank You.
007:15:10 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. We are ready to go to the [stirring of the] second O
2 tank.
007:15:19 Mattingly: And for your information, it's Cleveland 24 to 10, and what we plan to do...
007:15:27 Lovell: Say again.
007:15:30 Mattingly: That's Cleveland 24 to 10, not over yet.
007:15:42 Borman: Thank you.
007:20:49 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. Looks like you can terminate your cryo fans now, and we're going to leave you alone for a while and let you get caught up. Things we have on board; the High Gain Antenna check - comm mode check that you have listed at 7 hours, we'll put off and do whenever you are ready for it. So that's at your convenience. During the High Gain dump that we performed using a wide band, we were still getting real good data at 36K, which is a little bit further than circuit margins that were predicted for you. And we've got our SPS [Service Propulsion System] burn coming up somewhere around 11 hours, and we'll give you more information on that later.
007:21:31 Anders: Roger. We're doing the program 21 now, determining ground track for LOI that we did not make at 5 hours.
007:21:44 Mattingly: Roger. Thank you.
During that conversation with the crew you heard Frank Borman refer to the windows on the spacecraft clouding up. He mentioned that the number 3 window was completely clouded over and that the number 5 window was partially clouded. Those windows, as seen from the inside of the spacecraft, number from 1 to 5 beginning with the commander's side window, left hand side of the commander's couch. Number 2 window would be the docking window above the commander's position. The number 3 window is the hatch window, and number 4 would be the docking above the Command Module, or rather Lunar Module Pilot, and number 5 would be the Lunar Module Pilot's right hand window. You also heard some references there to P23. Now this refers to a computer program and indicates that the crew is involved - or refers rather to onboard navigation activities. We've had no other conversation with the crew and we anticipate they will be involved in eating shortly. This is Apollo Control at 7 hours, 25 minutes.
007:27:20 Borman: Houston, Apollo 8.
007:27:21 Mattingly: Go ahead, Apollo 8.
007:27:22 Borman: Okay. We just broke lock on S-band High Gain. We're on Omni D now.
007:27:29 Mattingly: Roger. Omni B. [Pause.]
007:27:36 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Is that Bravo or Delta?
007:27:40 Borman: Dog. Delta.
007:27:41 Mattingly: Roger.
007:27:43 Borman: We can't get the Program 21 to integrate up to LOI; just stalled out around 61 hours and 2 minutes.
007:28:02 Mattingly: Roger. They are watching it. [Long pause.]
007:28:35 Borman: Houston, Apollo 8.
007:28:38 Mattingly: Go ahead, Apollo 8.
007:28:41 Borman: Roger. Do you want us to stop the integration via Verb 96? Over.
007:28:54 Mattingly: That is affirmative; Verb 96.
007:28:57 Borman: Roger. Will do.
This is Apollo Control at 7 hours, 49 minutes into the flight. We have a very quiet period since our last announcement. The crew scheduled to conduct their first midcourse correction at about 11 hours into the mission. This had originally been scheduled for 9 hours and we slipped it for about 2 hours to offer some additional tracking on the spacecraft prior to the burn. At present time, Apollo 8 is at an altitude of about 36,000 nautical miles [66,600 km] and as our altitude continues to climb, the velocity continues to decrease. The speed at present time is about 10,000 feet per second [3,000 m/s]. That would translate to about 6,800 miles per hour [11,000 km/h]. This is Apollo Control at 7 hours, 50 minutes.
007:56:51 Borman: Houston, this is Apollo 8.
007:56:54 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston.
007:56:55 Mattingly: Go ahead, Apollo 8.
007:56:58 Borman: Roger. Do you want us to hold off on this P52 realignment, also?
007:57:04 Speaker - Mission Control: Yes, that is affirmative, CapCom. We want to do that a couple of hours when it is related to the maneuver, midcourse.
007:57:10 Mattingly: That is affirmative, Apollo 8. Let's time the maneuver and we will hold off and do that all in normal pre-maneuver sequence. And - We have got a score here [in the Cleveland-Dallas football game] - in the fourth quarter, 31 to 13. And I've got some words on your P21 discrepancy any time you are interested. And I'd like to confirm...
007:57:30 Borman: Go ahead.
007:57:33 Mattingly: Okay. Before I get off on that one, I'd like to confirm that you use the Verb 37 procedure to go to P00.
007:57:43 Mattingly: Okay. On P21, the thinking runs that you had a slight error in your state vector at the time you started, and when that was integrated out, it intercepted the lunar surface where it locked up and this is contained in a fairly recent program note.
007:58:06 Borman: Okay. Now, we've closed the - the waste vent, so we should see this O
2 come down now.
007:58:15 Mattingly: Okay. Understand you closed the waste vent, and how about the lithium change? Have you done that one?
007:58:23 Borman: Roger. That's done.
007:58:24 Mattingly: Okay. Thank you.
007:58:30 Flight Director: EECOM, Flight. Did you copy that?
007:58:33 Lovell: This conference communication is great. We won't have to have any debriefing.
007:58:37 Mattingly: [Laughter] That's pretty outstanding.
007:58:38 Comm Tech: Right. [Pause.]
007:58:43 Mattingly: Did you copy that?
This is Apollo Control at 8 hours, 1 minute into the flight. The crew has been involved in some housekeeping chores aboard the spacecraft. Changing out the lithium hydroxide canister and we had a brief conversation with them during which the ground passed up the score of the - fourth quarter score of the Cleveland-Dallas game...
This is Apollo Control. At the present time, the spacecraft altitude is 37,749 nautical miles [69,911 km] and our velocity down to 9,800 feet per second [2,987 m/s]. We don't hear any more conversation from the crew. We will stand by to pick up again should any communication develop between the ground and the spacecraft. This is Apollo Control at 8 hours, 04 minutes.
008:13:39 Borman: Houston, Apollo 8.
008:13:42 Mattingly: Go ahead, Apollo 8.
008:13:44 Borman: Roger. With the delay in burn, do you mind if we have a urine dump the - before the burn? Will that foul your tracking up?
008:13:52 Mattingly: Okay. Standby. Let me run that one by. [Long pause.]
AS08-16-2595 - Earth, at a calculated altitude of 70,800 km (based on photo analysis). Western coast of both North and South America and the Central American isthmus. Eastern Pacific Ocean.
008:14:53 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. We don't have any objections to going ahead with the urine dump now. And for your information, the waste water dump - our schedule, we plan to put it off until about 11:30, and this will get you up to approximately 90 percent in your waste tank. It's a little higher than normal, but we wanted to put this off until after the burn was completed.
Mattingly (continued): And some of the other things that we've got coming up, about 9 hours you have oxygen fuel cell purge; and we've already mentioned the deletion of the star landmark sightings. From 10 [hours] to 11 [hours] we have put aside for the burn preparations. And a final score is 31 to 20.
008:15:40 Borman: Cleveland won over Dallas, huh?
008:15:43 Mattingly: How about that? [Pause.]
008:15:49 Borman: Houston, how do the circuit margins on the S-band look as compared to your pre-flight calculations?
008:16:35 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. It's a little bit early to give you any real numbers on your comm performance. Looks like it's working as good as predicted, and everything else seems to be doing better, so this may be doing better, too. After we have done our next comm checks, some of these other things we'll have a better hack on; I can give you a quantitative answer to your question.
008:24:23 Anders: Houston, Apollo 8. How do you read?
008:24:26 Mattingly: Loud and clear, Apollo 8.
008:24:29 Anders: Roger. Sure got a nice view of the Earth from here. We can see Baja California and about where San Diego ought to be.
008:24:40 Mattingly: Very good.
008:24:44 Anders: I can't see my dad's flag pole, out there today, though.
008:24:48 Mattingly: We'll tell the doctors about that.
This is Apollo control at 8 hours, 30 minutes into the mission. We continue to have a very quite period here in Mission Control Center. On board the spacecraft, the crew also getting a bit of a chance to relax and get out of their spacesuits. We also anticipate they will be getting something to eat at this period. The midcourse correction maneuver, the first run of the Service Propulsion System engine which is anticipated to be about 2 to 3 seconds in duration, is currently scheduled for about 11 hours Ground Elapsed Time. That's about 2 hours later than it was originally planned in the Flight Plan. We anticipate that following that burn we will be back on the nominal Flight Plan. ...
At the present time the spacecraft is approaching 40,000 [nautical] miles [74,080 km] in altitude. We're about 39,500 [73,150 km] and the velocity continuing to drop off down now to about 9,600 feet per second [2,930 m/s]. At 8 hours, 35 minutes into the mission, this is Apollo Control.
AS08-16-2596 - Earth, at a calculated altitude of 75,800 km (based on photo analysis). Western coast of both North and South America and the Central American isthmus. Eastern Pacific Ocean.
008:48:40 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston.
008:48:43 Borman: Go ahead, Houston.
008:48:45 Mattingly: Okay. We dropped off of High Gain on the Omni there for a bit and went to a low bit rate, and we're getting ready to command you back to a high bit rate. Do you want us to keep you posted every time we change tape speeds?
008:49:05 Borman: We're not recording now anyway, Houston.
008:49:08 Mattingly: Roger. Understand; but when we go to high bit rate, do you want to be kept informed every time we transfer? We hadn't planned on it.
008:49:20 Borman: If we think if we need to record, we'll ask you on that deal.
008:49:24 Mattingly: Okay.
This is Apollo Control at 9 hours into the mission. At the present time the spacecraft has covered about 42 - almost 43 thousand [about 78,000 km] of the some 200 thousand [nautical] miles separating Earth and Moon. It's now traveling at a speed of about 9,200 feet per second or about 6,200 miles an hour [2,800 m/s]. Up 'til now the mission has gone extremely well. The spacecraft is performing nominally in all respects, and we continue to have a relatively quiet period, both here on the ground and from the communications with the astronauts on the spacecraft. ..."
... At the present time the Flight Plan, the updated Flight Plan, shows the crew in an eat period and are interspersed with that activity for Bill Anders. He will also be doing some checks on the monitoring equipment onboard the spacecraft to observe the Service Propulsion System midcourse correction burn. That will be occurring in just a less than 2 hours from now as currently planned. At 9 hours, 3 minutes, this is Apollo Control.
009:09:34 Borman: Apollo 8.
009:09:37 Mattingly: Go ahead.
009:09:44 Borman: Roger. How does your tracking look on us?
009:09:44 Flight Director: FIDO, Flight.
009:10:13 Mattingly: Apollo 8, tracking still in progress and a little too soon to give you a firm answer on the results, but everything looks nominal so far.
009:10:26 Anders: Is it working okay?
009:10:28 Mattingly: Seems to be.
009:12:05 Mattingly: Apollo 8.
009:12:07 Anders: Go ahead.
009:12:09 Mattingly: Okay. Sometime when it's convenient for you now, I would like to see an oxygen fuel cell purge. And do you have any estimate on when you might be getting around to this comm test?
009:12:24 Anders: Right now we're right in the middle of trying to get something to eat, Ken. We can - I guess we can do the fuel cell purge.
009:12:36 Mattingly: Apollo 8, there's no rush. Just didn't know what you were doing at the time and - Give us a call when you have a free moment; we'll pick up.
009:12:50 Anders: We can start the O
2 purge now, if you wish.
009:12:57 Mattingly: Okay. That'd be fine, and I'll keep track of the time for you.
009:13:00 Anders: Okay. That'd be good. Now I'll turn on O
2 now on fuel cell 1.
009:13:05 Mattingly: Okay. Thank you.
009:15:41 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. That's about 2 minutes on your first fuel cell.
009:15:47 Borman: Roger. It's up, and number 2 is on now.
009:15:50 Mattingly: Roger.
009:17:31 Lovell: Houston, Apollo 8.
009:17:33 Mattingly: Houston. Go ahead.
009:17:35 Lovell: While I'm waiting for my turn at the water gun, I might give some comments on the optics. There seems to be quite a band of light that goes all way across the scanning telescope anywhere in the vicinity of the Sun. Just a little while ago we were in the position where I could pick up the Moon in the scanning telescope. And then I looked at it in the sextant and the sky - the space around the Moon was a very light blue, just about as light blue as we have it back on Earth. And it's not black - that Sun angle with the Moon.
009:18:20 Mattingly: Understand. This light blue was - showed up in the sextant.
009:18:25 Lovell: That's affirmative. I maneuvered the optics so I could pick up the Moon in the sextant, and the - the space around the Moon is light blue.
009:18:37 Mattingly: Roger. Can you make any kind of estimate about the proportion of the radius, how far out that seems to extend?
009:18:46 Lovell: Well, it extends the full length of the sextant. Actually, I could see us coming as we moved across, because the band of light in the scanning telescope cut across where the Moon was, and it moved in this area. I believe it's caused by the refractional light inside the optics themselves.
009:19:05 Mattingly: Roger.
009:19:09 Lovell: Also, I've been occasionally looking out to see if I could see stars at various Sun angles, and at this particular attitude, it's very difficult. In the scanning telescope the Sun is very bright and the Earth is very bright, And if I looked at the Earth and try to look for stars, I lose my dark adaptation very quickly.
009:19:35 Mattingly: Roger. Do you have any problems seeing the Moon?
009:19:41 Lovell: No problem seeing the Moon. When I looked for the star/landmark line-of-sight, I - It's a very thin crescent, but it vas very visible.
009:19:53 Mattingly: Roger. Does the area illuminated in Earthshine show up?
009:20:00 Lovell: Not at this attitude, and that's strange. I thought I could see that. At this attitude, the refraction of the light in the optics themselves, due to the reflection of the sunlight I suspect, or Earth's light, completely blanked out the dark side of the Moon to this attitude.
009:20:17 Mattingly: How about that.
009:20:23 Borman: Maybe we have an atmosphere around the Moon. [Long pause.]
009:21:11 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. Looks like that ought to terminate the fuel cell purging.
This is Apollo Control at 9 hours, 24 minutes. The spacecraft at this time is about 45,000 nautical miles [83,300 km] from Earth. The velocity currently about 8,900 feet per second [2,700 m/s]. We just had a rather brief communication with the spacecraft. Astronaut Lovell on the optics, the onboard system to assist him navigation - midcourse navigation, and reported that the sky around the Moon viewed through the sextant, the 28-power optical device on the spacecraft, appeared to be a light blue rather than black as he had expected. Lovell also reported that he was not able to see as many stars at various Sun angles through the scanning telescope as he had expected and also that some light refraction apparently from the Sun also interfered somewhat with his ability to see as much of the Moon through the sextant as he had anticipated prior to flight..."
This is Mission Control, Houston. Some very interesting comments there from Astronaut James Lovell on the optical system for the Guidance and Navigation system aboard the spacecraft. The assessment here in Mission Control Center is that there is no problem associated with the minor anomalies Lovell mentioned. And this is verified by the fact that the crew has been able use the optics aboard the spacecraft to do the sightings that have been required. At 9 hours, 32 minutes into the mission, the Apollo 8 spacecraft is now some 45,686 nautical miles [84,610 km] in altitude. The vehicle has a total weight of 63,295 pounds [28,710 kilograms] and we would expect that to remain quite constant until the first significant use of the Service Propulsion - the first burn of the Service Propulsion System. At 9 hours, 32 minutes, 38 seconds; this is Apollo Control."
009:44:40 Borman: Houston, Apollo 8.
009:44:45 Mattingly: Go ahead, Apollo 8.
009:44:47 Borman: Do you want to get started here around 10 hours? Is that what you said?
009:44:54 Mattingly: Well, what we had planned was to use the 10- to 11-hour period as your pre-burn preparation just as we would have done normally, and...
009:45:04 Borman: That's fine. We can go ahead and do that.
009:45:13 Mattingly: ...and if you can work in this comm check before that, it would be desirable, but that's not a constraint.
009:45:20 Borman: What do you want in the way of a comm check, George?
009:45:27 Borman: Again, what do you want?
009:45:29 Mattingly: Okay. What we've got here is a couple of DTO [Detailed Test Objective] comm checks. We'll be switching around to five different modes, and only one of them will interrupt your activities. In that case, we'll be switching to the uplink backup voice, and that's the one time that you might lose temporary uplink voice comm. You'll have downlink voice comm throughout the entire procedure, and it ought to take you, I guess, 10 to 15 minutes max., the only requirement being that we should stay on a High Gain Antenna.
009:46:05 Borman: Why don't we go ahead and start now then?
009:46:07 Mattingly: Okay. That sounds pretty good.
009:46:08 Borman: ...whenever.
009:47:20 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. Another couple of minutes and we'll be ready to go into our - our comm check. And, for your information, looks like the signal strength is 3 to 4 dB better than expected on the wide range, on the wide beam mode, and approximately that gives you 1.4 increase in your range.
009:47:46 Borman: Roger. Let's not increase it by 1.4 more, though.
009:47:50 Mattingly: Okay. [Long pause.]
009:48:08 Mattingly: Something else you might take a look at: as you go through the PTC, we have some who would like to know if you can see any detectable effect on the windows in the form of their fogging. Particularly, does the Sun seem to vary fog intensity or does it increase it or decrease it or make it go in patches or anything like that that you might be able to notice?
009:48:40 Borman: The Sun doesn't seem to change it much; however, the different incidences of the Sun's rays magnify the - the fogging, or at least change it.
009:49:04 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. I'm sorry. Would you say again, please?
009:49:08 Borman: The Sun doesn't seem to have any effect on the windows themselves, but the different incidence - angles of incidence of the Sun rays change the relative amount of obscuration caused by the fogging.
009:49:24 Mattingly: Okay. [Long pause.]
009:50:05 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. We're ready to go into the comm check now, and it's your option. We can call out switches and let you position them, or we can command it from the ground. In either event, there will be a couple of switches that you'll have to throw for us.
009:50:24 Borman: We'll have to command them, and we'll throw [the switches] what we have - what you want.
009:50:29 Mattingly: Okay. And I'll keep you posted on what we're doing. The first test is an uplink voice and ranging with full downlink voice which is essentially what you're doing right now, is to be used for a baseline.
009:50:44 Borman: Roger. [Long pause.]
009:51:12 Mattingly: Okay. We're starting on test number 1, and if you would verify that S-band Normal mode switch is in Voice.
009:51:22 Borman: Roger. We're in Voice.
009:51:24 Mattingly: Okay.
009:51:25 Borman: [Garbled] Charlie. [Pause.]
009:51:31 Mattingly: And the Up Telemetry Data to Data.
009:51:36 Borman: Roger. Data. [Long pause.]
009:51:49 Mattingly: Okay. And Up Telemetry Command to Normal.
009:51:55 Borman: Normal.
009:51:57 Mattingly: Roger. How about High Gain Antenna Track to Auto.
009:52:04 Borman: We're on Omni D now; we've got to wait 'til we get around the other way.
009:52:10 Mattingly: Okay. What's your estimate? [Pause.]
009:52:19 Borman: We're at 15 minutes from it.
009:52:25 Mattingly: Okay.
009:52:34 Borman: Maybe we'd better hold the comm check till after the midcourse, because we'd better get fired here at 10 [hours] if we want to burn at 9 [means 11 hours].
009:52:43 Mattingly: That's affirm. We're viewing that right now.
009:52:47 Borman: ... means we're on two vertical level.
009:52:55 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. We're postponing the comm test until after the burn.
009:53:02 Borman: Thank you.
009:54:20 Borman: Houston, Apollo 8. Are you ready to go - for us to go through with the P52 now?
009:54:35 Mattingly: That's negative, Apollo 8. We would like to update things first, and we're going to give you a LM state vector and then an external Delta-V.
009:54:44 Mattingly: And with P00 and Accept, why, we'll go ahead and work on that.
009:57:18 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston.
009:57:20 Borman: Go ahead.
009:57:22 Mattingly: Okay. We've got your PADs. We're ready to read up to you. And we're standing by to uplink your state vector and external Delta-V whenever you're ready to give us Accept.
009:57:36 Borman: Roger. Just stand by one, and we will get the PAD from you. [Pause.]
009:57:48 Borman: And we will put in - TM [Telemetry] in Accept now - at this time.
009:57:53 Mattingly: Roger. [Long pause.]
009:58:10 Borman: We're ready to copy the PAD. [Pause.]
009:58:21 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. I didn't copy that last one. We are sending your state vector up now.
009:58:26 Borman: Roger. We say we are ready to copy the PAD.
009:58:29 Mattingly: Okay. The first PAD will be a maneuver PAD, MCC-1: and this will be an SPS/G&N beginning with the weight; 63295; minus 1.63, plus 1.29; 010:59:58.30; plus 0013.6, minus 0004.5, plus 0020.2; 345, 188, 343; 99999; plus 0168.5; 0024.8, 0:02, 0018.6; 23, 201.3, 16.4; 012, up 27.6, left 0.4; November Alpha for the remainder of that column. In the comments: north stars; 068, 097, 356; a no ullage start, and a single bank burn on bank Alpha. Over.
This is Apollo Control at 10 hours into the mission. At the present time activity here in Mission Control is beginning to pick up as we prepare for the first operation of the spacecraft Service Propulsion System engine, and matching that activity here on the ground is also heightened activity in the spacecraft. At the present time the crew is involved in making preparations for that burn scheduled to be a 2.4-second burn of the Service Propulsion System engine. That will occur in just about an hour from now. Scheduled to occur at 11 hours Ground Elapsed Time. During the next hour the crew will be involved in aligning the platform on the spacecraft, This is the stable reference in the Guidance and Navigation system which the spacecraft G&N system uses to tell it what attitude it is in. Also provides that information to the crew. At the present time while we're reading up from the ground the burn information which the crew will insert into the computer such things as the length of the burn and the time of ignition..."
010:01:10 Borman: Houston, Apollo 8. MCC-1 maneuvers: SPS/G&N; 63295; minus 1.63, plus 1.29; 010:59;58.30; plus 0013.6, minus 0004.5, plus 0020.2; 345, 188, 343; all 9's; plus 0168.5; 0024.8, 0:02, 0018.6; 23, 201.3, 16.4; 012, up 27.6, left 0.4; November Alpha for the remainder. North set stars; roll, 068; pitch, 097; yaw, 356; no ullage, single bank - bank Alpha.
010:02:29 Mattingly: Roger, Apollo 8. That's correct. And I have a TLI plus - 11 PAD for you. [Long pause.]
010:03:02 Borman: Roger. Go ahead. [Long pause.]
010:03:16 Borman: Houston, Apollo 8. Go ahead.
010:03:18 Mattingly: Roger, Apollo 8. Loud and clear now. Are you ready to copy?
010:03:23 Borman: Roger. Ready to copy.
010:03:24 Mattingly: Okay. This is a TLI plus 11, SPS/G&N. This assumes a midcourse correction number 1: 63140; minus 1.63, plus 1.29; 013:56:48.97; minus 0059.9, plus 00000, plus 4701.6; 177, 143, 000; November Alpha, plus 0019.7; 4702.0, 5:51, 4681.8; 12, 128.3, 25.7; 023, up 26.3, left 1.7; plus 11.95, minus 165.00; 1268.3, 35608, 050:47:05; north stars; 068, 097, 356; no ullage. For the fast return P37 Delta-V, 7900 for the Indian Ocean, high speed procedure not required for the MS. This assumes midcourse correction 1. Over.
010:06:22 Borman: Stand by.
010:06:23 Mattingly: Roger. [Long pause.]
010:06:40 Borman: Houston, Apollo 8. To the readback. Are you ready?
010:06:43 Mattingly: Go ahead.
010:06:44 Borman: TLI plus 11; SPS/G&N; 63140; minus 1.63, plus 1.29; 13:56:48.97; minus 0059.9, plus 00000, and I believe it's plus 4701.6.
010:07:14 Mattingly: Affirmative. [Pause.]
010:07:20 Borman: 177, 143, 000; N/A, plus 0019.7; 4702.0, 5:51, 4681.8; 12, 128.3, 25.7; 023, up 26.3, left 1.7; plus 11.95, minus 165.00; plus 1262.3, 35608, 050:47:05; the north set; roll, 68; pitch, 97; yaw, 356; no ullage, P37 high speed, 7900 Indian Ocean, and high speed procedures for the MS are not required; assumed MCC 1.
010:08:42 Mattingly: Roger, Apollo 8. Two corrections on the GETI. The hour's 013. Range to go EMS.
010:09:00 Mattingly: Roger. Copy that and the range-to-go in the EMS 1268.3. Over.
010:09:11 Borman: 1268.3.
010:09:13 Mattingly: That's correct.
010:09:16 Borman: Houston, this is Apollo 8. Be advised that we doubted that it would be possible to use the stars to get our backup alignment. We haven't been able to see any stars through the scanning telescope yet.
010:09:30 Mattingly: Roger. [Pause.]
010:09:40 Mattingly: Okay. And another comment for you, Apollo 8; like for you to use Verb 37 to select P00 and then wait for your computer activity light to go off prior to unzap of the LM NAV to CSM slots.
010:09:55 Borman: Roger. You ready for us to do that now?
010:10:00 Mattingly: That's affirm. [Long pause.]
010:11:00 Borman: Houston, this is Apollo 8.
010:11:03 Mattingly: Go ahead.
010:11:05 Borman: Okay. Now we'll go ahead and start back towards the Flight Plan around 8 hours here of P52, right?
010:11:14 Mattingly: That's affirm.
010:11:19 Borman: Well, we - we have transferred - wait - we've transferred the state vector to the LM slots already before we did a 52. So we're going to do the 52 now.
010:11:43 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. That's good procedure and...
This is Apollo Control. During that lengthy string of numbers, which was read up to the crew from the ground; included in that information was the data that they would need to return to Earth should that be necessary at a point following the mid-course correction and assuming that they were unable to communicate with the ground. This type of information is passed up routinely to the crew during the course of the mission at specified intervals and is kept by the crew for use should it become necessary because of some contingency to return to Earth.
010:16:13 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston.
010:16:16 Borman: Go ahead, Houston.
010:16:18 Mattingly: Roger. Will you check your up-telemetry switch to Block, please?
010:16:24 Borman: Thank you. It's in Block.
010:19:38 Anders (onboard): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
010:19:46 Anders (onboard): Well, no. We got to get a DAP load in here to make sure they check first, right? Okay? Okay, it's... You got the DAP to where you want it?
010:19:56 Borman (onboard): I'm going to get it right now.
010:19:59 Borman (onboard): Done P30?
010:20:01 Lovell (onboard): We haven't done P30 yet.
010:20:02 Anders (onboard): That's right.
010:20:03 Borman (onboard): I know, but don't you want to do - Before you do P30, don't you want to look at the DAP?
010:20:07 Lovell (onboard): No, no, that comes way down along the line.
010:20:08 Borman (onboard): Alright, Alright, excuse me; go ahead.
010:20:10 Anders (onboard): Okay, P30.
010:20:13 Lovell (onboard): Okay.
010:20:14 Anders (onboard): Verb 37, Enter; 30, Enter.
010:20:22 Lovell (onboard): Okay.
010:20:23 Borman (onboard): I want GETI.
010:20:24 Lovell (onboard): 10:59:58.30.
010:20:30 Lovell (onboard): Okay? I like it. Do you like it?
010:20:31 Borman (onboard): Yes.
010:20:34 Lovell (onboard): Okay, 136, good; minus three balls 45 is good; plus 00202, good. I like it. Proceed.
010:20:44 Anders (onboard): I can't - I can't even see the DSKY here.
010:20:51 Lovell (onboard): Okay, 1685 [garble]. Okay, I'll - Okay, that's good.
010:21:00 Anders (onboard): Okay.
010:21:01 Lovell (onboard): Proceed.
010:21:04 Lovell (onboard): Set your clocks.
010:21:05 Borman (onboard): Okay.
010:21:08 Borman (onboard): Let's see, might as well have a countdown for this one, huh?
010:21:21 Lovell (onboard): Yes.
010:21:12 Borman (onboard): Well, all our stuff is counting up though, isn't it?
010:21:16 Anders (onboard): I got mine; I can figure it - I've got 6 seconds to go or some - 6 minutes to go, 5 minutes to go either way, so you can suit yourself.
010:21:25 Anders (onboard): Why don't you count down? I can call it out to you.
010:21:59 Lovell (onboard): Okay, we don't have too much time. We've got to get a boresight star and all that stuff, too.
010:22:04 Anders (onboard): Yes, I know it.
010:22:05 Anders (onboard): Okay, you got your....
010:22:06 Lovell (onboard): Just stand by, I don't haven't started yet.
010:22:08 Anders (onboard): Start it on 50, 30
010:22:09 Borman (onboard): 7.
010:22:11 Borman (onboard): 37, 47. 46, 45, 44, 43, 42, 41....
010:22:17 Anders (onboard): 1.
010:22:18 Borman (onboard): START.
010:22:19 Anders (onboard): Right.
010:22:20 Borman (onboard): 37, 38...
010:22:22 Anders (onboard): Right, right.
010:22:23 Borman (onboard): 37...
010:22:24 Anders (onboard): Right.
010:22:25 Lovell (onboard): Okay, proceed.
010:22:26 Anders (onboard): [Sigh
010:22:27 Lovell (onboard): Proceed!
010:22:29 Borman (onboard): We are asking, Bill.
010:22:31 Anders (onboard): Oh. Okay. Proceed, Roger.
010:22:35 Lovell (onboard): Okay, we did a P52. Now we go to POO. Is that what we're doing?
010:22:43 Anders (onboard): [Garble] go to POO.
010:22:45 Lovell (onboard): Okay, go to [P]40 now.
010:22:49 Anders (onboard): Okay, P40.
010:22:50 Borman (onboard): You know you ought to go to P00 to maneuver to the burn attitude.
010:22:54 Anders (onboard): Yes, I will; I got it.
010:22:57 Anders (onboard): Okay. Okay.
010:22:59 Anders (onboard): Okay, P30. You got your optics power OFF, by the way? Oh, you're going to be using them, are you?
010:23:04 Lovell (onboard): Yes, I got to use them.
010:23:05 Anders (onboard): Okay. CMC, On.
010:23:07 Lovell (onboard): CMC, On.
010:23:08 Anders (onboard): ISS, On. SCS, operating; test the Caution/Warning lights.
010:23:12 Lovell (onboard): Okay, go ahead. Okay.
010:23:17 Anders (onboard): Okay. EMS Mode, Standby.
010:23:23 Borman (onboard): Standby.
010:23:24 Anders (onboard): EMS function Delta-V, Set.
010:23:26 Borman (onboard): Delta-V, Set.
010:23:28 Anders (onboard): Set Delta[-V] indicator to 15868.
010:23:31 Borman (onboard): Right, I'll do that.
010:23:39 Borman (onboard): You guys can go on; I'll get this.
010:23:42 Anders (onboard): That's about all there is.
010:23:43 Borman (onboard): Okay.
010:24:09 Borman (onboard): Okay, 15868.
010:24:11 Anders (onboard): Okay. EM Mode - EMS Mode, Auto.
010:24:15 Borman (onboard): Auto.
010:24:16 Anders (onboard): EMS function Delta-V, Test.
010:24:18 Anders (onboard): SCS - SPS thrust light On and Off in 10 seconds.
010:24:22 Borman (onboard): Okay.
010:24:29 Borman (onboard): Good, minus 19.5. Good set; it's okay.
010:24:32 Anders (onboard): EMS Mode, Standby.
010:24:35 Borman (onboard): Standby.
010:24:36 Anders (onboard): Delta-V, Set.
010:24:37 Borman (onboard): Delta-V, Set.
010:24:38 Anders (onboard): Set Delta-V
C.
010:24:39 Borman (onboard): What is the Delta-V
C?
010:24:42 Lovell (onboard): Okay, Delta-V
C is - 18.6.
010:24:56 Anders (onboard): 18.4?
010:24:57 Lovell (onboard): 18.6.
010:25:03 Borman (onboard): Alright, set.
010:25:05 Anders (onboard): Okay, EMS function, Delta-V.
010:25:06 Borman (onboard): Delta-V.
010:25:07 Anders (onboard): Okay. Nonessential bus is going to Main B.
010:25:10 Lovell (onboard): Okay, cycling the cryo fans.
010:25:13 Lovell (onboard): I guess you can't complain.
010:25:25 Anders (onboard): Okay, I'll just do this once every minute, now.
010:25:30 Anders (onboard): Okay, BMAG Mode, three, Rate 2.
010:25:34 Borman (onboard): BMAG Mode, three, Rate 2 - 2, 3.
010:25:37 Anders (onboard): Delta-V
CG, CSM.
The Delta-V CG switch in the Apollo 13 Command Module Odyssey.
010:25:41 Borman (onboard): CSM.
010:25:42 Anders (onboard): CMC Mode, Free.
010:25:43 Borman (onboard): CMC Mode, Free.
010:25:44 Anders (onboard): Auto RCS, sixteen - 16, as required for ullage.
010:25:49 Borman (onboard): Okay, we have
DAP.
010:25:50 Anders (onboard): Load the DAP.
010:25:52 Lovell (onboard): Okay, Verb 48, Enter. Okay, that's good, right?
010:25:55 Anders (onboard): Yes.
010:25:56 Lovell (onboard): Good. Okay, we'll proceed. Okay, 63295, 635 okay, that's wrong.
010:26:07 Lovell (onboard): Plus 63295. Okay- Proceed. Vc [doubtful transcription] minus 163, minus 129. Verb 24 [which loads two numerical components], Enter; minus 00163, Enter, plus 00129, Enter. Okay, proceed; Verb 46 [which activates the DAP], Enter.
010:26:45 Anders (onboard): Okay, Rotational Control Power, Normal, both AC/DC.
010:26:50 Borman (onboard): Normal, AC/DC.
010:26:51 Anders (onboard): DET [Digital Event Timer] is set. Verb 37 [changes computer program], Enter; 00, Enter.
010:26:57 Lovell (onboard): Verb thirty... [seven] - I got it!
010:26:59 Borman (onboard): I'm glad you're...
010:27:00 Anders (onboard): Spacecraft Control, CMC.
010:27:03 Borman (onboard): CMC.
010:27:04 Anders (onboard): CMC Mode, Auto.
010:27:06 Borman (onboard): Auto.
010:27:07 Anders (onboard): Maneuver to PAD burn attitude with Verb 62, Enter; Verb 49, Enter.
010:27:12 Lovell (onboard): Verb 62, Enter; Verb 49, Enter.
010:27:18 Borman (onboard): Reset that for zero.
010:27:20 Lovell (onboard): Verb 25, Enter; and it's 345 - 3, 4, 5...
010:27:25 Anders (onboard): No, that's wrong. You've got to have plus.
010:27:28 Lovell (onboard): Alright, plus 34500, Enter; plus 188 - 1880, Enter; plus 34300, Enter. Okay. All set.
010:27:50 Borman (onboard): Go ahead.
010:27:51 Lovell (onboard): Proceed?
010:27:52 Borman (onboard): Yes.
010:27:53 Lovell (onboard): Proceed. Proceed!
010:27:54 Borman (onboard): Proceed.
010:27:55 Anders (onboard): Wait a minute. Okay, you got SCS Auto and everything?
010:28:00 Lovell (onboard): Huh?
010:28:01 Anders (onboard): You're all set, right?
010:28:02 Borman (onboard): Yes, that's all it takes.
010:28:05 Anders (onboard): BMAGs...
010:28:06 Borman (onboard): Rate 2, you called that.
010:28:07 Anders (onboard): Okay then. You don't have any other....
010:28:14 Anders (onboard): We maneuvering?
010:28:16 Borman (onboard): Yes.
010:28:24 Borman (onboard): Are we ever!
010:28:45 Anders (onboard): Which way you going?
010:28:47 Borman (onboard): Rolling right, and yawing left.
At the present time, the mission is proceeding nominally. All the spacecraft systems are functioning very well and we have no problems to speak of at the present time. The crew is very heavily involved at this time and preparing for that mid-course correction, the first use of the Service Propulsion System engine. That is scheduled to occur at 11 hours Ground Elapsed Time or about 33 minutes from now. Now that burn is a planned 2½-second burn - a very short ignition of the 20,500 pound thrust SPS engine. It will give them a velocity change of about 24 or 25 feet per second. At this time Apollo 8 is about 50,000 nautical miles [92,600 km] from Earth and they're traveling at a speed of about 8,500 feet per second or around 5,700 miles per hour [2,600 m/s]. We'll stand by to pick up any conversations that develop with the crew prior to this mid-course correction. At 10 hours, 27 minutes this is Apollo Control.
010:29:24 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston.
010:29:27 Borman: Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.
010:29:30 Mattingly: Okay. We've got a telescope alignment if you'd like to give it a try. Your sextant star is still good, but if you had problems with that, folks have worked out that if you look through the telescope at 10:35, we have a shaft and trunnion that should point you at the center of the Earth, if you would like to give that one a try.
010:29:50 Lovell (onboard): Okay.
010:29:55 Mattingly: Okay. At 10:35...
010:29:58 Borman (onboard): [Talking over Mattingly] Write that down.
010:29:59 Lovell (onboard): Okay, here, I got it.
Mattingly (continued): ...the shaft angle 006.2, trunnion 18.9. Over.
010:30:13 Borman (onboard): Did you get that, Jim, there?
010:30:15 Anders: Roger. 10:35: shaft 006.2, trunnion 18.9.
010:30:20 Mattingly: That's affirmative.
010:32:28 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston.
010:32:32 Borman: Go ahead.
010:32:34 Mattingly: Okay. We'd like to get a fan - a cryo fan cycle in here before the burn. About 1 minute on each should be fine.
010:32:44 Anders: Roger. I've already given 2 minutes on H
2 1 and 2 and O
2 1, and I've just started O
2 2.
010:32:52 Mattingly: Roger. Thank you.
010:34:17 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. We'd like to dump your tape prior to the burn.
010:34:26 Anders: Roger. It's only been running here about 15 minutes. [Pause.]
010:34:43 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. That's - that's correct. You're on high bit rate, and we're afraid you may run out before the burn, so we'd like to dump it, and give it back to you with a full load before the burn.
010:35:00 Anders: Roger. And give us a comment on the voice quality.
010:35:04 Mattingly: Wilco.
010:36:49 Anders: Houston, Apollo 8.
010:36:51 Mattingly: Go ahead.
010:36:54 Anders: Roger. We plan to stop charging battery B about another 5 minutes. You concur?
010:37:05 Mattingly: That's affirmative.
010:37:07 Anders: Okay. You might just remind us.
010:37:10 Mattingly: Wilco.
010:43:08 Mattingly: Apollo 8.
010:43:12 Borman: This is 8. Go ahead. [Pause.]
010:43:20 Borman: Go ahead, Houston. You were cut out.
010:43:22 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. All your systems are Go, and we were about to tell you, you can go ahead and terminate the battery charge, and you beat us to the punch.
010:43:35 Borman: I read your mind, and it's showing 37 volts right now.
010:43:40 Mattingly: Okay.
This is Apollo Control, at 10 hours, 45 minutes into the flight of Apollo 8. At the present time, our spacecraft is at an altitude of 51,595 nautical miles [95,554 km], traveling at a velocity of about 8,300 feet per second [2,530 m/s]. Flight Director Milton Windler, has just gone around the room here at the Mission Control Center. We viewed the status of the spacecraft and our flight for the first midcourse correction burn and we've passed up a Go to the crew for that maneuver scheduled to occur in just about 15 minutes from now at 11 hours Ground Elapsed Time. And that burn will be a very short one, about 2.4 seconds, and will add about 24 or 25 feet per second [about 7.5 metres per second] of velocity to the trajectory. Most of that will be in a posigrade direction, velocity added rather velocity subtracted and there will be also some minor direction change in that most of the velocity is an increase. At the time of ignition, the spacecraft will be at an altitude of about 52,770 nautical miles [97,730 km]..."
This is Apollo Control. We had a relatively quiet period for the last few minutes between the ground and the spacecraft and we imagine that the crew is rather actively involved in getting, making final preparations for their first midcourse correction enroute to the Moon. That engine ignition is now scheduled to occur about 2½ minutes. Correction: about 6½ minutes from now at 11 hours Ground Elapsed Time. All the batteries aboard the spacecraft have been fully charged up and they will be brought on the line during preparation and during the burn, are to assist in carrying the electrical load at that time. This is a normal procedure during a maneuver where the entire guidance and navigation system is required. We'll stand by to monitor the burn and pick up any communications with the spacecraft as we go through the final systems checks and await that midcourse correction."
010:53:57 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. If you'll go high bit rate, we'll give you a tape recorder back to your command. [Long pause.]
010:54:43 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. If you'll put your high bit rate on, we'll give you a tape recorder back.
Here in Mission Control, the Guidance Officer has just advised the Flight Director that the spacecraft gimbal motors positioning the SPS engine are in the proper attitude and everything looks go for the burn scheduled to occur now in about 3 minutes. We'll continue to monitor for conversation with the crew.
010:56:50 Borman: Houston, did you give us a tape back? Over.
010:57:06 Mattingly: Affirmative, Apollo 8.
010:57:09 Borman: Apollo 8's Command Reset to get tape motion, we're now in Normal.
010:57:20 Mattingly: Roger.
010:57:30 Borman (onboard): You heard me, didn't you? I [garbled]. Not if you do a real quickly.
010:57:40 Anders (onboard): Coming up on 2 minutes.
010:57:41 Borman (onboard): Okay.
010:57:51 Anders (onboard): Okay, 2 minutes. Delta-V Thrust A, Normal.
010:57:55 Borman (onboard): Main Thrust, Normal.
The Delta-V Thrust switch in the Apollo 13 Command Module Odyssey.
010:58:00 Anders (onboard): Translational Hand Controller, Armed.
010:58:03 Borman (onboard): Armed.
010:58:05 Anders (onboard): Rotational Hand Controller, both, Armed.
010:58:06 Borman (onboard): Got yours?
010:53:07 Lovell (onboard): Okay.
010:58:08 Anders (onboard): Tape recorder is Record, High bit rate, and Forward.
010:58:13 Anders (onboard): Okay, stand by for DSKY blanking.
010:58:17 Borman (onboard): Okay.
010:58:24 Borman (onboard): What happened to EMS, Auto? Bill?
1 minute, 30 seconds from ignition of the SPS engine for that 2.4-second burn. That maneuver will be primarily to control the altitude of the spacecraft as it goes around the back side of the Moon at perigee. Targeting for there is 60 nautical miles [111 km]."
010:58:31 Anders (onboard): 30 seconds.
010:58:32 Lovell (onboard): 30 seconds.
010:58:33 Borman (onboard): Okay.
010:58:35 Anders (onboard): I don't see how Wally did this [garble].
010:58:36 Lovell (onboard): What's that?
010:58:37 Anders (onboard): Hold these things down.
010:58:42 Borman (onboard): We hear you.
010:58:42 Mattingly: Apollo 8, stand by for a mark at 1 minute.
010:58:48 Borman: Roger. Apollo 8 standing by.
010:58:49 Mattingly: ...Ten seconds [to the one minute mark].
010:58:50 Anders (onboard): Yes. Alright, I'll...
010:58:54 Mattingly: Five seconds.
010:58:57 Mattingly: 2, 1...
010:58:59 Mattingly: Mark.
010:59:00 Mattingly: One minute.
010:59:06 Lovell (onboard): [Singing.]
010:59:12 Anders (onboard): Okay, at 30 seconds, get EMS Mode, Auto.
010:59:13 Borman (onboard): Right.
010:59:18 Lovell (onboard): [Singing.]
010:59:23 Lovell (onboard): Your DSKY should blank?
010:59:24 Borman (onboard): Blank.
010:59:25 Anders (onboard): EMS MODE, Auto; average g is On.
010:59:29 Anders (onboard): Check your PIPA bias.
010:59:30 Lovell (onboard): No ullage.
010:59:31 Borman (onboard): No ullage, yes.
010:59:36 Lovell (onboard): Counting down.
010:59:46 Lovell (onboard): What's that do?
010:59:47 Anders (onboard): Flight Recorder.
10 seconds now till the burn. 5, 4...
010:59:50 Borman (onboard): 10, 9.
010:59:55 Lovell (onboard): Enabled.
011:00:01 Lovell (onboard): Stop. At 10:02, it has to be Off.
011:00:05 Borman (onboard): Okay, 10:02.
011:00:07 Lovell (onboard): Okay.
011:00:08 Borman (onboard): Like a big spring.
011:00:09 Anders (onboard): Okay, have you gone forw...
011:00:10 Lovell (onboard): Two balls off.
011:00:11 Anders (onboard): Okay, now.
011:00:12 Borman (onboard): Okay.
011:00:13 Lovell (onboard): It's holding; let's go, let's go through the checklist.
011:00:15 Lovell (onboard): Okay, okay, you got that; SPS Thrust light, On, Okay, Delta-V Thrust A, Off.
011:00:21 Borman (onboard): Off.
011:00:22 Anders (onboard): Okay, verify Thrust is Off. I verify it over here.
011:00:25 Borman (onboard): Right.
011:00:26 Anders (onboard): SPS Pitch and Yaw circuit breakers, Closed.
011:00:30 Borman (onboard): They're Closed.
011:00:31 Anders (onboard): Okay, turn them Off: Gimbal Motors.
011:00:32 Borman (onboard): 1, Off.
011:00:33 Anders (onboard): Got it.
011:00:34 Borman (onboard): 2, Off.
011:00:35 Anders (onboard): Got it.
011:00:36 Borman (onboard): 3, Off.
011:00:37 Anders (onboard): Got it.
011:00:38 Borman (onboard): 4, Off.
011:00:39 Anders (onboard): Got it.
011:00:40 Borman (onboard): Okay.
011:00:41 Anders (onboard): TVC Servo Power, 1 and 2, Off.
011:00:42 Borman (onboard): Off.
011:00:43 Anders (onboard): Flight Recorder's Off; Main Bus ties going Off.
011:00:51 Lovell (onboard): Okay.
011:00:53 Anders (onboard): Okay, null residuals.
011:00:54 Lovell (onboard): Okay, proceed. You've got your [garbled, probably referring to having the residual velocities to be gained displayed on the DSKY].
011:00:59 Anders (onboard): Proceed.
011:01:03 Borman (onboard): Got them? Do I null them?
011:01:05 Anders (onboard): Null residuals.
011:01:07 Lovell (onboard): 20.4.
011:01:17 Lovell (onboard): That's an awful lot.
011:01:19 Borman (onboard): Yes, I know it.
011:01:34 Borman (onboard): There you are.
011:01:35 Lovell (onboard): Okay - Okay. Null residuals.... residuals are nulled.
011:01:40 Anders (onboard): Okay, record Delta-V Counter and residuals.
011:01:42 Lovell (onboard): You can turn this off before...
011:01:43 Borman (onboard): I turned it off [garble].
011:01:47 Anders (onboard): EMS function, Off.
011:01:48 Borman (onboard): Off.
011:01:49 Anders (onboard): EMS Mode, Standby.
011:01:52 Borman (onboard): Standby.
011:01:53 Anders (onboard): BMAG Mode, three, Rate 2.
011:01:54 Borman (onboard): Rate 2.
011:01:55 Anders (onboard): Deadband, Max.
011:01:56 Borman (onboard): Deadband, Max.
And we have confirmation of SPS ignition. Thrust looks nominal says the Flight Dynamics Officer. And we should have shutdown also, we'll have confirmation of that shortly. And the Guidance and Control Officer advises the Flight Director the burn time was 2.4 seconds exactly - nominal, just what was planned. That should have given us a velocity increase of about 24 or 24 feet per second. We've now taken the batteries off the line, their job done in assisting in carrying the heavy - heavier than normal electrical loads during a major maneuver of this sort, even though a very short maneuver. They will then be recharged to bring them up to full charge for the next maneuver or use of the SPS system. The initial indication was that the Service Propulsion Engine which all ground testing and previous flights has shown to be extremely reliable and appears to have demonstrated that reliability once again in this ignition, the first time that engine has been used on this mission. Of course, the flight controllers here in Mission Control Center are monitoring very closely the performance of the engine and also happy to have this opportunity prior to inserting the spacecraft into lunar orbit. Of course that is the engine that would be required to put the spacecraft into lunar orbit and also to take it out of lunar orbit and send it back to Earth. At 11 hours, 2 minutes this is Apollo Control.
011:02:43 Borman: Houston, Apollo 8.
011:02:45 Mattingly: Go ahead.
011:02:48 Borman: Roger. The burn time was on time - about 2 seconds; we have residual 4.4 [in the] X [axis]. We burned it out to 0.2. Attitudes are nominal. The Delta-V
C, before the residuals were taken out, was a minus 2.4. I have transferred the state vector to the LM's slot in Verb 66.
011:03:14 Mattingly: Roger. Copy 4.4 for X and 2.4 on C. And negative residual on Y prior to the trim. Is that affirm?
011:03:24 Borman: That's affirmative, and we took out the 4.4 residual down to 0.2.
011:03:29 Mattingly: Roger. [Long pause.]
011:04:13 Anders: Houston, Apollo 8. Do you want us to start charging battery A, now?
011:04:20 Mattingly: Standby. [Long pause.]
011:04:35 Mattingly: Apollo 8. Let's go back to battery Bravo, and we'll finish that one off before we start in on Alpha.
011:04:43 Anders: Roger. Battery Bravo. [Pause.]
011:04:52 Borman: Houston, Apollo 8. Do you want us to maneuver to any particular attitude for a water dump, or do you want us to go to PTC attitude?
011:05:02 Mattingly: Okay. Let's go to PTC.
011:05:04 Borman: And give me the angles please.
011:05:XX Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. Let's do the same angles we had before: that's pitch 242 and yaw 20 on the PTC attitude.
011:05:40 Lovell: 252; yaw, 20. Roger.
011:07:50 Lovell: Houston, we're preparing to dump our waste water now.
011:07:54 Mattingly: Roger.
This is Apollo Control at 11 hours, 08 minutes and we've just gotten a preliminary assessment of the performance of the SPS engine from here in the Mission Control Center. And from the indication of the burn the SPS looks to be completely Go on the words of the Guidance Officer, and the other flight controllers also concur. The burn was completely nominal in all respects. We also had a post-burn report from Astronaut Jim Lovell aboard the spacecraft...
During that conversation you hear Jim Lovell refer to the residuals. Now this is the amount of velocity remaining to be added or taken out of the trajectory following the ignition of the SPS engine and we nominally expect a small residual. We did have residuals of about 4.4 feet according to Lovell, and as per the normal procedure, these were removed by burning the Reaction Control System thrusters. A very short duration burn on those to, in effect, pick up the effects of the burn and put the spacecraft velocity right on the pre-planned [value]. [We'll] stand by for any further communication with the spacecraft."
011:10:41 Borman: Houston, Apollo 8.
011:10:44 Mattingly: Go ahead 8.
011:10:47 Borman: We noticed on our system test battery vent pressure that when we opened the battery vent Valve, we get an immediate drop-off to pressure which nulls out at about two-tenths of - to - to three-tenths of a volt. And we think this is zero in the battery manifold. Do you concur?
011:11:08 Mattingly: Okay. Stand by. [Garble] stand by one, and let's check it out.
011:11:17 Mattingly: Apollo 8, I cut you out there. What did you say on the last one?
011:11:22 Borman: It looks like probably that zero psi corresponds to about three-tenths of a volt on the test meter. We've had it happen a couple of times, where the pressure would drop rapidly to this setting, as if it were zero. Over.
011:11:37 Mattingly: Roger. We'll look at our data here and let you know what we see. Are you going ahead with the water dump now?
011:11:49 Borman: Roger. We'd - we're pausing here on the water dump, though, just to verify that the battery vent - the line is clear as indicated by a battery vent pressure of zero.
011:12:03 Mattingly: Okay. Stand by.
At this time Apollo 8 is at an altitude of some 53,200 nautical miles [98,500 km] and traveling at a speed of 8,134 feet per second [2,479 m/s]. This is Apollo Control at 11 hours, 12 minutes into the flight.
011:20:10 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston.
011:20:13 Borman: Go ahead, Houston.
011:20:15 Mattingly: Okay. Number one on the list of things is that the Flight Plan shows CDR should hit the sack. Number two, kind of a summary of your burn. All your SPS and systems look Go. The trajectory shows that you have a CPA with a mode of 69.67 [nautical] miles and the time of pericynthion is 69 plus 10. You do have a capture on a good free return. It's a little bit early to completely evaluate the trajectory for corridor control.
Mattingly (continued) You'll have no update to the TLI plus 11 block data. After looking through the CAL curves, it looks like the battery vent pressure is actually zero at 0.2 to 0.3 volts, so that - we agree with you there, and you can go ahead with the water dump. We still have the comm check to do whenever we get ourselves in a good High Gain look angle and whenever it's convenient for you. Over.
011:21:26 Borman: Thank you very much. That was a very fine resume you sent in. We're right now in the process of trying to dump out the water and the UCTAs and so on and so on. So we'll get with you on the High Gain as soon as we can.
011:21:41 Mattingly: Okay. Good burn.
011:21:44 Borman: Houston, what do you want to dump the waste tank down to?
011:22:01 Mattingly: Apollo 8, I would like you to dump the waste tank to 25 percent.
011:27:07 Anders: Hey, we're dumping now, Houston.
011:27:09 Mattingly: Okay. Thank you.
011:27:12 Anders: We finally got some stars to see.
This is Apollo Control, 11 hours, 30 minutes into the flight of Apollo 8. We have some further refinements on the results of that Service Propulsion System midcourse correction, the first midcourse correction planned on route to the Moon. The effect of the burn was to give us a pericynthion or low point, closest approach to the Moon of 69 nautical miles. We've been targeting for about 60 nautical miles. This information of course will be evaluated further and refined. This is the preliminary Flight Dynamics Officer analysis of the effects of the burn. And we would expect some update to that. The burn also gives us a time of closest approach to the Moon of 69 hours, 10 minutes Ground Elapsed Time. The pre-flight analysis had placed that time at 69 hours, 7 minutes, or just 3 minutes different from what we have from the results of the Translunar Injection and the subsequent midcourse correction. There are four midcourse corrections nominally planned in the Flight Plan. All of which or none of which could be used on route to the Moon. And depending upon the results of the final analysis on the results of this burn, it would be decided whether or not subsequent midcourse corrections would be required. We would anticipate that any subsequent corrections would be quite small...
011:32:00 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston.
011:32:03 Borman: Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.
011:32:05 Mattingly: Roger. Do you folks have your water quantity switch in the potable or the waste water tank position now?
011:32:14 Borman: We're in the waste tank position now, and we're dumping UCTA's first, Houston.
011:32:20 Mattingly: Okay. We weren't watching any waste quantity decrease, and it looked like the nozzle temps indicated that something was going on, and we were trying to dope out what was going on.
011:32:30 Borman: Well, there's a lot of stuff going out I'll tell you. How do nozzle temps look?
011:32:41 Mattingly: Oh, about 81 [degrees Fahrenheit, 27 Celsius].
011:32:44 Borman: Okay. We'll keep on going then.
Communications continue to be excellent with the spacecraft. We're continuing to track with the 85-foot antenna at Goldstone - Goldstone, California. The crew reported earlier that the signal strength indication that we had was above normal, above what they would expect. And up to this point we've had extremely good results from the unified S-band communications system. Spacecraft is presently about 50,000 nautical miles [93,000 km] from Earth as shown on the large plot board here in the front center of Mission Control Center. We expect the crew will begin a series of relatively relaxed activities aboard the spacecraft. Commander Frank Borman, after a very long day, is scheduled to have a 7-hour sleep period, and he should be in that sleep period at the present time. Following Borman's sleep cycle, Lovell and Anders will get their sleep period in about another 6½ hours. At 11 hours, 39 minutes this is Apollo Control.
011:40:37 Anders: Okay, Houston. We're going to dump the waste tank on down to about 25 percent.
011:40:44 Mattingly: Okay. Thank you. [Long pause.]
011:40:57 Anders: Houston, Apollo 8. Do you copy?
011:40:59 Mattingly: Affirmative, Apollo 8.
011:41:02 Anders: Okay. Tell EECOM to wake up and keep an eye on the waste tank servicing.
011:41:16 Mattingly: It'll take a minute to think of something appropriate.
011:41:23 Anders: You're slowing down.
011:41:28 Mattingly: So are you guys.
011:46:53 Anders: How are the nozzle temperatures looking, Houston?
011:46:59 Mattingly: Stand by.
011:49:16 Anders: Man, you're looking pretty small down there now, Houston.
011:49:24 Mattingly: We're carrying a big stick, though.
011:49:30 Anders: Just barely make out Clear Lake.
011:49:40 Mattingly: Your nozzle temperatures have dropped from about 94 to around 66.
011:49:49 Anders: Okay. I'm showing just a little bit above 50 percent here, and we'll keep on going, and if it looks too cold, give us a call.
011:49:59 Mattingly: Okay. We'll do that. [Long pause.]
011:50:30 Anders: Houston, we had a momentary O
2 high flow, but we think it's due to all the purging of the water lines we're doing here in the cabin.
011:50:40 Mattingly: Roger. We concur.
011:53:20 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. We show you down to 25 percent of your waste water.
011:53:26 Anders: Okay, I'm just about 28, Houston. Stand by just a bit. [Long pause.]
011:54:02 Anders: Okay. Waste dump stopped and then purge again.
011:54:05 Mattingly: Understand. Roger. Waste dump stopped.
011:59:50 Anders: Houston, we're on a High Gain, and it might be a good time to try your comm check. [Long pause.]
012:00:59 Mattingly: Apollo 8, we're going to go ahead and crank up to a comm test now, and we will be a little bit late on your update for 12 hours.
012:01:11 Mattingly: Do you still want our - have us command as much as we can on the ground, or would you like to move the switches yourself?
012:01:20 Anders: Oh, you can have the fun of doing it.
012:01:23 Mattingly: Sounds like you're dragging there.
012:01:30 Anders: [Garble] you suggest a [garble] We're using 1/250 on at f:11 on CEX and CMAX for Earth shots. Do you verify? Over.
012:01:43 Mattingly: Okay. You got going before I got my pencil up. How about saying it again?
012:01:49 Anders: f:11 and 1/250 for CEX 16-mm and C 70-mm.
012:01:58 Mattingly: Okay. Thank you.
012:02:01 Anders: How about running it by the back room boys. My light meter doesn't seem to be helping out too much.
012:02:07 Mattingly: Okay. [Long pause.]
012:03:01 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. We're starting in - setting up for our first comm test. This is going to be an uplink voice, ranging, and full downlink, which is not anything really different than what you have on board. I would like for you to verify that the S-band Normal Mode Voice switch is in Voice.
012:03:22 Anders: Roger. Voice.
012:03:24 Mattingly: Okay. And the Uptelemetry Data to Data.
012:03:28 Anders: Roger. Data.
012:03:33 Mattingly: Uptelemetry Command in Normal.
012:03:36 Anders: Roger. Normal.
012:03:38 Mattingly: High Gain Antenna to Auto Track.
012:03:42 Mattingly: Correction. That's...
012:03:46 Anders: We're in Auto, Wide Beam, and you can go ahead and dump the tape.
012:03:50 Mattingly: Okay. I'd like for you to go to Narrow Beam.
012:03:54 Anders: Okay. Going to Narrow Beam now.
012:03:57 Mattingly: Roger. [Pause.]
012:04:01 Mattingly: And I'll give you a call when we get ready to work on the tape.
012:04:05 Anders: Okay. We're still in PTC, so you're only going to have it for about 10 or 15 minutes.
012:04:12 Mattingly: Okay. We've had some problems with our displays, and I think they're straightened out now, but you may have to keep us advised if we run out of limits in case we lose our display again.
012:04:22 Anders: Roger. [Long pause.]
This is Apollo Control at 12 hours, 4 minutes into the mission. The flight of Apollo 8 continues to progress very smoothly at this point. Both here in the Mission Control Center and in the spacecraft, things have quieted down considerably since that mid-course correction maneuver. At the present time Commander Frank Borman is scheduled to begin a 7-hour sleep period, and his fellow crewmen, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders, are presently involved, primarily, in some housekeeping functions aboard the spacecraft, managing the systems. And also apparently, from the communications with the ground, they are involved in taking some pictures.
012:04:38 Mattingly: Say, while we're standing by here, Apollo 8, the Service Module quantities that we had listed - we're going to try to update them, if you want to call out your quantities. Have you checked them with your charts?
012:04:54 Anders: Negative. I haven't gotten around to that. Stand by.
012:04:56 Mattingly: Okay. There's no hurry on that. Just wondered if you had done it; we will check it against what we've got on our nomogram.
012:05:17 Anders: I'm showing a SPS helium pressure, about 3,570, indicated on board.
012:05:29 Mattingly: Roger.
012:05:31 Anders: And fuel/ox[idizer] tank pressures are 177 and 176, respectively.
012:05:40 Mattingly: Okay.
012:05:44 Anders: N
2: A is 2,400, B 2,500.
012:05:52 Mattingly: Okay. [Long pause.]
012:06:12 Mattingly: And our back room tells you that you've got the right f-stop.
012:06:19 Anders: Okay. Then we'll keep using it.
012:06:27 Anders: This PTC attitude really isn't the greatest for taking pictures of the Earth.
012:06:32 Mattingly: Roger.
012:06:34 Anders: Or of the Moon. [Pause.]
AS08-16-2597 - Earth, at a calculated altitude of 102,500 km (based on photo analysis). No land is visible and it is suspected that the photo shows the Pacific Ocean.
AS08-16-2598 - Earth, at a calculated altitude of 102,500 km (based on photo analysis). Pacific Ocean.
012:06:46 Mattingly: Apollo 8, kinda stand by for a burst of noise, as we change configurations on the ground. We're going into test 1; You'll still have up and downlink, and we'll be in this mode for 2 minutes, but you may hear some burst of noise as we change.
012:08:46 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. We're in the middle of our first test, and how about giving me a voice check.
012:08:53 Anders: Roger, Houston. This is Apollo 8. One, two, three, four, five, five, four, three, two, one. Apollo 8, out.
012:08:59 Mattingly: Roger. And read you loud and clear. This comm is unbelievably good.
012:10:21 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. We've finished the first test, and we're now going to change the uplink mode to Uplink Command and Ranging, and we'll be going without upvoice. We'll be in this mode for 2½ minutes and will be sending a test message. It'll have no effect on either your computer or your panel switch configuration. What you might see will be the S-band noise that's associated with the break lock. However, you should still have a good signal on your power meter. This is not a loss of signal, but rather just a loss of the voice modulation, and I'll do you a mark just before we do that so that you can turn your S-band volume down if you so desire, and we'll be back up in this mode that we're in now in 2½ minutes.
012:11:13 Anders: Roger. [Long pause.]
012:11:31 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. We're about to disable the voice modulation on uplink, and we'll be back up no later than 12:13.
This is Apollo Control at 12 hours, 14 minutes into the mission now. Apollo 8 is presently some 57,000 - rather 58,000 nautical miles from Earth, 58,334 [108,034 km] according to our displays here in Mission Control Center, and the spacecraft is traveling at 7,700 feet per second [2,347 m/s]. We do expect, probably for the rest of the night, [that] we'll have a rather quiet period here in Mission Control Center. The commander, Frank Borman, is in his 7-hour sleep period now. He should be about 1 hour along. Following that we will have sleep periods for Command Module Pilot, Jim Lovell, and for Lunar Module Pilot, Bill Anders. Most of the tasks throughout the night, at least night here in Houston, will be housekeeping chores. There will also be eat period for the Command Module Pilot and Lunar Module Pilot before they begin their sleep period. And they will be doing some navigation exercises onboard. And primarily monitoring systems and doing housekeeping chores aboard the spacecraft. At 12 hours, 15 minutes into the flight, this is Apollo Control.
012:14:26 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. Voice check.
012:14:29 Anders: Read you five-by, Houston. [Pause.]
012:14:37 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston.
012:14:40 Anders: Roger, Houston. Read you loud and clear. How me?
012:14:43 Mattingly: Okay, loud and clear. We're back up with you. Completed our second test.
012:14:47 Anders: Okay. [Pause.]
012:14:57 Mattingly: Okay. Our next test will be a test of the uplink voice and ranging with downlink voice and ranging and on low bit rate, so we'll be changing bit rate on you, and we'll be making a voice check in the middle.
012:15:12 Anders: Okay. You've about had it on the High Gain. You might try to get it in, but it's going to hit the scan limit at any second. [Pause.]
012:15:28 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. Looks like we'll get our information before we lose the High Gain.
012:15:34 Anders: Okay. We'll just leave it go.
012:15:36 Mattingly: Roger. [Long pause.]
012:16:21 Anders: They got the scan limit. We'll let it go, Houston, until it breaks lock.
012:16:33 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. Go ahead and switch to the Omni.
012:16:38 Anders: How're you doing with your test?
012:16:40 Mattingly: Okay. We've got three-fifths of the test. We'll have to pick up the rest next time we get a look at High Gain.
012:26:56 Lovell: Houston, Apollo 8.
012:26:59 Mattingly: Go ahead, Apollo 8.
012:27:01 Lovell: Roger. Reading on P21 at - to 69:10 indicates a parallel of about 67.4 [nautical] miles [124.8 km]. I guess we concur here.
012:27:12 Mattingly: You guys are getting pretty good.
012:27:16 Lovell: That's a lot better than our first answer.
012:27:23 Anders: We don't care if we're right, just so MPAD is right.
012:38:20 Lovell: Houston, Apollo 8.
012:38:23 Mattingly: Go ahead, Apollo 8
012:38:26 Lovell: Roger. I'd like to ask a question about this TLI plus 11 maneuver that we copied. In the remarks, you have P37, Delta-V 790.0. Is this the Delta-V that we would use with P37?
012:38:43 Mattingly: Okay. That's the option that you use with minimum time.
012:38:51 Lovell: Roger. What I'd like to do is check on our P37 with your TLI maneuver update.
012:39:xx Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. We'd like to make sure that we don't have a misunderstanding that this 790.0 feet per second is the Delta-V. It's not associated with the high speed per feet workaround procedure. This is just a standard P37 Delta-V.
012:40:22 Anders: Roger. But was that the Delta-V that you used to give us the TLI plus 11? Okay.
012:40:32 Mattingly: Okay. That's not the one that the maneuver PAD was based on. That's the number you put in for the minimum time.
012:40:44 Anders: Roger. Understand.
012:40:46 Mattingly: Okay. Sounds like a good idea if you want to go ahead and check out the 37. And we're standing by to work on comm as soon as that High Gain is available.
012:44:54 Anders: Okay. Houston, you got the High Gain.
This is Apollo Control Houston at 12 hours, 45 minutes into the flight. At the present time, Apollo 8 is just beyond 60,000 miles from the Earth - 60,536 nautical miles [112,112 km] and the spacecraft velocity is continuing to decrease gradually. At the present time, the speed is about 7,500 feet per second [2,300 m/s]...
012:46:03 Anders: Houston, do you read? Apollo 8. Over. [Long pause.]
012:46:22 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston.
012:46:25 Anders: Roger. High Gain yours.
012:46:29 Mattingly: Okay. And if you're ready, we are. We'll go right ahead with our comm checks.
012:46:34 Anders: Go ahead.
012:46:40 Mattingly: We're starting in now on our fourth test. Like for you to put your Telemetry Input switch to PCM High.
012:46:59 Anders: It's in High.
012:47:01 Mattingly: Okay. And now we're going to switch uplink to the upvoice backup for about 2 minutes, and it may take a couple of seconds when you hear the upvoice lost. So you can place your uptelemetry to upvoice backup, and in the event that all of this doesn't work out too well, I'm reading 12:47 on my clock now, and let's meet back in our present configuration no later than 12:50.
012:47:33 Anders: Roger. On upvoice backup.
012:47:35 Mattingly: Okay. Thank you. [Long pause.]
012:48:16 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston.
012:48:20 Anders: Roger, Houston. Read you loud and clear.
012:48:22 Mattingly: That's pretty good. That's upvoice backup, and will you confirm that you're in Narrow Beam on High Gain?
012:48:31 Anders: Roger. Narrow Beam.
012:48:33 Mattingly: Okay. Thank you. We're going to continue tracking and watching High Gain Antenna for a couple of minutes. Then I'll give you a call when we're ready to go back.
012:50:03 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. We have completed this test. We'll be switching back to full uplink. When you hear the noise associated with the loss of modulation, you can go back from the Up-telemetry switch to Data.
012:50:16 Anders: Thank you. [Long pause.]
012:50:51 Anders: All the way.
012:50:52 Mattingly: Okay. Loud and clear. [Pause.]
012:50:59 Anders: How's everything looking down there?
012:51:01 Mattingly: Real fine. We've just got one to go here if you'll put your telemetry input PCM switch to Low.
012:51:09 Anders: Roger. Go in Low.
012:51:12 Mattingly: Okay. We'll be in that configuration for about 2 minutes, and then we'll be completed with the comm test.
012:51:20 Mattingly: I have some Service Module RCS quantities if you would like to take them sometime and check them against your onboard calculations.
012:51:31 Anders: Stand by. [Long pause.]
012:52:20 Anders: Roger. Ready to copy. Could you give quad A, B, C, and D in that order?
012:52:24 Mattingly: Okay. Will do. And I'll give you weights in pounds and percentages. Quad A, 231, for 76 percent.
012:52:37 Anders: Roger. Stand by. What time is that for?
012:52:41 Mattingly: Oh, 12 plus 15. [Long pause.]
012:53:06 Anders: Okay. Got it.
012:53:08 Mattingly: Okay. Quad Bravo, 251, 82 percent. Quad Charlie, 240, 79 percent.
012:53:20 Anders: Slow down. [Pause.]
012:53:29 Mattingly: Quad Delta, 245 [115 kg], 81 percent. GNC advises that these numbers are still good even though it is a 12:15 time. And we are completed with the comm test. You can take your High Gain Antenna and go back to Medium.
012:53:57 Anders: Roger. Medium. [Long pause.]
012:54:36 Mattingly: Apollo 8, we would like to dump your tape again, if you are not using it, And the reason we want to do this is we have some - we didn't completely get dumped before the burn. We would like to get that and get the rest of the burn data. There is no hurry on it. We can do it whenever it is convenient for you.
012:54:54 Anders: You got it.
012:54:57 Mattingly: Okay. Thank you.
012:56:18 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. Do you call?
012:56:22 Anders: Negative, negative. Negative, Houston.
012:56:26 Mattingly: Okay. Thank you. Say, we're curious about what you did with your Mae West?
012:56:52 Anders: We thought we might bleed the CO
2 out into the vacuum connector here in our next water dump. We forgot it the last time. Did you copy?
012:57:10 Mattingly: Roger. Doesn't seem like there is any problem with going ahead and dumping it in the cockpit if you like. [Long pause.]
012:57:37 Anders: It is CO
2, isn't it?
012:57:39 Mattingly: That's affirm. [Long pause.]
012:58:15 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. We asked it again, and it looks like no problems at all with going ahead and bleeding it down in the cockpit. And then if you need it again on entry or after entry, well, we can blow it up with oral tube.
012:58:33 Anders: Roger. Understand.
013:02:11 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. [No answer.]
013:03:10 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. [No answer.]
013:04:18 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. [No answer.]
013:06:12 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston.
013:06:16 Anders: Houston, Apollo 8. Read you loud and clear. How us?
013:06:19 Mattingly: Okay. Loud and clear. Didn't get you there for a while.
013:06:24 Anders: We have been reading you all along, Houston.
013:06:28 Mattingly: Roger. Did you attempt to transmit, or were you just not getting through?
013:06:35 Anders: Roger. We attempted to transmit, and it sounded like you had a stuck mike there for a little while.
013:06:46 Mattingly: Okay. That shouldn't make any difference to us on that duplex mode. Okay. What I was calling for, Apollo 8 - we have got a maneuver PAD that is TLI plus 25. I would like to read up to you when you are ready for it.
013:07:24 Anders: Go ahead, Houston. TLI plus 25.
013:07:28 Mattingly: Okay. TLI plus 25, and this will be an SPS/G&N. 63087; minus 1.62, plus 1.29; 027:56:29.64; minus 0016.3, plus 0000.1, plus 5275.9; 177, 137, 001; November Alpha, plus 0020.1; 5275.9, 6:23, 5254.3; 14, 234.7, 33.7; 023, up 19.5, left 1.7; plus 11.45, minus 165.00; 1278.0, 35890, 074:38:16; north stars: 068, 097, 356; no ullage. For the fast return P37 Delta-V, 7900 to the Indian Ocean. High-speed procedures are not required. Over.
013:10:35 Lovell: Houston, Apollo 8. Maneuver PAD as follows. How do you read? Over.
013:10:40 Mattingly: Loud and clear.
013:10:43 Lovell: Roger. TLI plus 25; SPS/G&N; 63087; minus 1.62, plus 1.29; 027:56:29.64; minus 0016.3, plus 0000.1, plus 5275.9; 177, 137, 001; not applicable, plus 0020.1; 5275.9, 6:23, 5254.3; 14, 234.7, 33.7; 023, up 19.5, left 1.7; plus 11.45, minus 165.00; 1278.0, 35890, 074:38:16; north set; 068, 097, 356; no ullage, P37 fast return of 7 - 700 and 7900 Delta-V Indian Ocean. High speed not required.
013:12:12 Mattingly: That's correct, Apollo 8. And we'll have a couple more things for you before too long. We're working an a flyby PAD at this time. And we're going to be talking some more to you about the problem of looking at stars in the sextant and telescope. And what we'd like to do as soon as the black team comes on the MOCR, while we have two teams here, we would like to get a rehash from you on exactly what you see and what you don't see and under what conditions, and see if we can define it so that everyone here understands what you've been telling us. And if you have any comments concerning the timeline - knowing that we got off our timeline before the burn - if you have any comments about that method of getting back on schedule, we'd like to hear those, too.
013:13:06 Borman: Roger. We have one request. CDR would like to get clearance to take a Seconal.
013:13:21 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo. That's a Go.
013:13:29 Anders: Roger. And, Houston, this is 8. We might go over our future Nav sighting schedule if it's going to be revised at all.
013:13:45 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. Ho planned revisions.
013:20:02 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston.
013:20:05 Lovell: Go ahead, Houston.
013:20:07 Mattingly: Okay. [I] have your flyby PAD now so I can give that to you whenever you're ready for it. [Pause.]
013:20:18 Lovell: Standby. Ready to copy. [Long pause.]
013:20:36 Mattingly: Okay, Apollo 8. Here we go on a flyby maneuver PAD. This will be an SPS/G&N; 63087; minus 1.62, plus 1.29; 060:59:48.04; plus 0096.2, plus 0056.8, minus 0207.7; 000, 000, 000; November Alpha, plus 0020.2; 0235.9, 0:22, 0228.2; 03, 039.9, 31.4; 013, up 04.8, right 3.7; plus 14.18, minus 165.00; 1290.4, 36160, 146:29:11; north stars; 323, 090, 056; no ullage. Remarks: number one, this requires realignment to preferred
REFSMMAT. Two, this will raise the perilune to 550 nautical miles. Over.
013:23:30 Lovell: Roger. Read back.
013:23:35 Mattingly: Go ahead.
013:23:38 Lovell: Flyby; SPS/G&N; 63087; minus 1.62, plus 1.29; 060:59:48.04; plus 0096.2, plus 0056.8, minus 0207.7; 000, 000, 000; N/A. Are you with me so far?
013:24:07 Mattingly: Keep going.
013:24:09 Lovell: Plus 0020.2; 0235.9, 0:22, 0228.2; 03, 039.9, 31.4; 013, up 04.8, right 3.7; plus 14.18, minus 165.00; 1290.4, 36160, 146:29:11; north; 323, 090, 056; no ullage. Realign for preferred
REFSMMAT, and perigee is 50.
013:25:01 Mattingly: That's a perilune to 550.
013:25:05 Lovell: Understand. 550.
013:25:08 Mattingly: That's affirm, and that's perilune.
013:27:13 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston.
013:27:17 Lovell: Go ahead, Houston.
013:27:19 Mattingly: Okay. We've completed the dump and the tape recorder is yours, and we listened to the call data voice playback, and you've been given a Go for your first test in creative writing.
013:27:36 Lovell: Roger. Are we in low bit rate now?
013:27:43 Mattingly: That's negative. You're in high bit, and you understand that it's your tape recorder?
013:27:53 Lovell: Roger. Are you going to stay in high bit [rate] all along, or are you going to be back to low [bit rate] here soon, not that it matters much to us, really.
013:28:12 Mattingly: Okay. We plan to stay in high bit rate. We're going to ask you if it made any difference, and you read our minds. That's pretty good for 63K [i.e. 63,000 nautical miles].
013:28:22 Lovell: Roger. That's an altitude record for mind reading.
013:30:59 Lovell: Houston, Apollo 8.
013:31:01 Mattingly: Go ahead, Apollo 8.
013:31:04 Lovell: Roger. Onboard calculations indicate that at 13 hours, 30 minutes GET we are now 64,200 [nautical] miles above the Earth. That's using Aldrin's slide rule.
013:31:24 Mattingly: We've got 63,855 [118,259 km]. [Long pause.]
013:31:37 Anders: Houston, this is Apollo 8. We're going to try to keep the conversation down here for a while so the CDR can go to sleep.
013:31:45 Mattingly: Okay. We would like to get some comments from you before you sign off concerning the telescope, sextant, and verification that you have done something with the CO
2 in your Mae West and comment on the window status.
013:32:06 Lovell: Roger. Is it a requirement that we do something with the CO
2 at this time? Over.
013:32:11 Mattingly: No. That is negative.
013:32:14 Lovell: Roger. We have maintained the same condition. We have left it as it was, and we will take care of it later.
013:32:21 Mattingly: Okay. [Pause.]
013:32:32 Lovell: Let me at this time go over the comments about the navigation as I see it so far.
013:32:42 Lovell: In the beginning, the operation with the S-IVB precluded immediate starting up of our sightings as we had scheduled since we had another evasive maneuver. The dumping of [propellant from] the S-IVB caused a tremendous amount of - of pseudo-stars in the area which made an optics calibration practically impossible. The method which we had worked out did not seem to work too well. The method which I finally used was to go into
P23, go to Sirius, which was our brightest star, get the shaft and trunnion, and then fly the spacecraft up to Sirius to use that for the optics cal, which we did at a later time. With regards to light scatter, it appears that at almost any attitude during our Passive Thermal Control, we are receiving light scattering in the scanning telescope. It takes the form mostly of a wide band of light right across the center of the scope about 10 degrees either direction of zero. It is very difficult to see stars in this area. The realignments have been good. I have been able to pick up the star in the sextant to do the alignment, but I was not able to identify the star which we used in such cases as Regor or Menkent in the scanning telescope. The first star sighting which I took of the Earth showed a very indistinct horizon. But there did appear to be a very - or somewhat sharp line between what appeared to be the Earth's horizon and the atmosphere. The landmark line-of-sight filter appeared to help out this horizon definition. There is a very hazy and indistinct horizon through - between the space and the top of the atmosphere itself, and this is a very difficult one to use. As I said before, at times, looking at the Moon with the Sun in the near vicinity, the area around the Moon, the space around the Moon is not dark, but is a light - appears as a light blue. And this is also the same case as looking into the sextant during alignments with the star - with the Sun in somewhat [the] vicinity of the optics. However, I have no difficulty in finding these stars in the sextant. I also had no difficulty in spotting the stars I used, such as Sirius, Procyon, or Canopus against the Earth during our star-horizon measurements. I can see all three of those stars against the Earth background. I believe it will be very difficult to do a backup GDC alignment using the north set stars, since Navi is not too bright of a star. I was able to spot star constellations in the scanning telescope if they were very bright and well known, such as Cetus and Orion; stars of this nature. I was not able to perceive other constellations. That's about the only comments I have at this time. Over.
013:36:48 Mattingly: Okay. Fine; thank you very much.
013:36:55 Lovell: We are going to do - Houston - future maneuvers for P53 [may mean P23] in a lower - slower mode of auto maneuver. Essentially, we are going to load the
DAP with 11101 to save fuel.
013:37:16 Mattingly: Roger. That will be a 11101 DAP load.
013:37:20 Lovell: Roger. We are going to try to save fuel that way.
013:37:23 Mattingly: Good show. [Pause.]
013:37:29 Anders: With respect to the window, Houston, the windows 1 and 5 have moderate haze on them. Satisfactory for visual observation, but possibly not for photography. Windows 2 and 4 are clear. Window 3 is almost opaque. Over.
013:37:53 Mattingly: Okay. Thank you.
013:37:57 Anders: And how is battery B looking to you? [Long pause.]
013:38:27 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. It looks like it may take another 6 hours on this battery B charge. It turns out that the charge rate is less than what we are getting on the ground curves, but it is still above the Apollo 7 curves, and it looks like it is going along now in good shape. And I would like to have verification that the timeline leading up to the midcourse correction was satisfactory from your point of view.
013:38:57 Anders: Roger. Seemed quite satisfactory.
013:38:59 Mattingly: Okay. Thank you. And we will stay off the loop until you give us a call.
013:39:04 Anders: Roger. You don't bother us, but our replies make a lot of noise.
013:39:13 Mattingly: Okay.
This is Apollo Control. During that rather lengthy series of conversations with the spacecraft, we heard Commander Frank Borman request permission from the ground to take a Seconal tablet, that is a short acting sleeping pill. Frank was scheduled to begin his sleep period at about 11 hours GET or about 12 hours - or rather of about 2 hours, 45 minutes ago. We also, during that pass, heard a number of sequences of numbers passed up to the spacecraft. This is part of the block data updates that are routinely sent up at specified periods in the Flight Plan, so that the crew always has onboard data that they can use in the computer to re-enter or return to Earth should it be necessary for any reason and assuming that they do not have any communications with the ground. At the present time Apollo 8 is at an altitude of about 64,600 nautical miles [119,600 km]. The speed on the spacecraft is continuing to decrease more slowly now as we move farther from the Earth. That velocity at present time is reading 7,236 feet per second [2,206 m/s]. At 13 hours, 44 minutes into the flight; this is Apollo Control.
This is Apollo Control, Houston at 14 hours, 14 minutes, 28 seconds now into the flight of Apollo 8. Here in Mission Control Center we've just had a change of shift briefing. The Black team is now aboard. The black team with Flight Director Glynn Lunney now relieving Milton Windler and his maroon crew. At the present time Mr. Lunney is going around the room talking to his flight controllers who have been briefed for the past 40 plus minutes by the earlier team, talking over the situation which is very nominal at the present time. We've had no conversation with the crew whatsoever since the last report. However, this is consistent with their desires as they're going into a quiet period of flight at the present time. Apollo 8 continuing very well on its trajectory course. We copied from our displays an altitude of 66,705 nautical miles [123,537 km]; velocity continuing to slow down. Our current reading of 7,101 feet per second [2,164 m/s] in velocity. This is Apollo Control at 14 hours, 15 minutes, 46 seconds now into the flight of Apollo 8.
This is Apollo Control, Houston 14 hours, 36 minutes, 07 seconds now into the flight of Apollo 8. We're continuing in our quiet mode with the crew. There has been no conversation since our last report - no conversation. Things are settled and quietly paced in the Mission Control Center at the present time with Glynn Lunney discussing various aspects of the mission that has preceded this shift with his various flight controllers. One thing that has been truly remarkable has been the communication thus far in the mission. Our prime acquisition site at the present is a wing site at Honeysuckle, Australia. This is being located at Tidbinbilla, Australia, but a comment or two has been made in the control center that the communications have, in fact, even surpassed those we found in simulations with the crew in the Apollo mission simulator at the Cape. We repeat at this time we've had no further contact with the crew. The Apollo 8 spacecraft at the present time in excess of 68,000 nautical miles [126,000 km] in altitude, velocity continuing to decrease. We currently read about 7,000 feet per second [2,100 m/s]. At 14 hours, 37 minutes, 44 seconds into the flight of Apollo 8, this is Apollo Control, Houston.
014:43:00 Anders: Houston. Apollo 8. How do you read? [Pause.]
014:43:14 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. Go ahead. [Pause.]
014:43:26 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. You're very weak. You got the proper Omni? [Long pause.]
014:44:02 Anders: Houston. Apollo. How do you read?
014:44:04 Mattingly: Loud and clear, Bill. Go ahead.
014:44:06 Anders: Okay. I'm just wondering how your tracking's doing.
014:44:14 Mattingly: Okay. We're still tracking you. We don't have any firm solutions, yet.
014:44:25 Anders: Okay. Things [are] looking nominal up here. How about down there?
014:44:33 Mattingly: Okay. The systems basically look good, Bill. We're going to be coming up on a cryo fan cycle period in another few minutes, and you can go ahead and do that when you get ready.
014:44:46 Anders: Okay. [Pause.]
014:44:51 Mattingly: And I guess we picked up some suspicions about the fuel cell 2 radiator out tab. How does that compare on board?
014:47:56 Anders: Houston, Apollo 8. [Pause.]
014:48:09 Mattingly: Apollo 8, you called?
014:48:13 Anders: Roger. We're showing Rad[iator] Out Temp on fuel cell 2 would be about 90 degrees, and on 1 and 3 it would be slightly lower - maybe 75 or 80 degrees. About an hour ago you wondered about fuel cells performance; it looks like 1 and 2 are lower in performance than 3. Over.
014:48:45 Mattingly: Roger. We show the same numbers on your outlet temperatures and thought that was a sensor failure. We've been watching the thing and we'll keep you advised of anything we see.
014:49:11 Mattingly: And on the performance, you're right - they are not quite the same, 1 and 2 are a little bit lower but all of these are sitting within the ballpark.
014:49:24 Anders: Roger. Fuel cell 1 has shown slightly a proportionately higher H
2 flow than O
2 flow all day long.
014:49:35 Mattingly: Okay. [Pause.]
014:49:41 Anders: I'm showing 0.062 H
2 and 0.48 O
2.
014:49:53 Mattingly: Roger. We'll take some cal[ibration] curves on those. [Long pause.]
014:50:23 Mattingly: Okay. These things look reasonable to us and we'll keep looking at them. Our Rad Out shows about 0.43 as opposed to your 0.48 on the oxygen, and we'll keep an eye on the cal curves and just sort of watch it for you.
014:50:39 Anders: Okay. Thank you. [Pause.]
014:50:46 Mattingly: If you'd like to set up some kind of a comm check or specified time like every 30 minutes or so on these quiet periods, that would be okay with us. Might help to let us know that we're still in business.
014:51:03 Anders: Alright. Just give me a call every now and then.
014:51:06 Mattingly: Okay.
015:03:30 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. Sometime when it's convenient, get your biomed switch over to the right, and you don't need to answer; just pass it up to you.
This is Apollo Control Houston at 15 hours, 33 minutes, 22 seconds into the flight of Apollo 8. The Apollo 8 spacecraft, at the present time, is 72,032.7 nautical miles [133,404.3 km] in altitude. Our current velocity reading on Apollo 8 is 6,764 feet per second [2,062 m/s], continuing to slow down. During this status [update] time since our last conversation, we've had a brief contact with the crew, with Bill Anders.
This is Apollo Control Houston... Our capsule communicator [is] Ken Mattingly. Ken is due to be relieved shortly. His relief, Jerry Carr, is now aboard. As you can tell [from the last conversation between Bill and Mission Control], they were cross-checking, both from the spacecraft and the ground, various systems readings. We look very good, at this time, as we continue with a relatively calm and quiet period in this, the Apollo 8 mission at 15 hours, 36 minutes, 54 seconds into the flight of Apollo 8. This is Apollo Control Houston.
016:00:27 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. How about a comm check, and did you get that fuel cell purge - correction, the cryo fans, On?
016:00:37 Lovell: Roger. We had the cryo fans, On, each for about 3 or 4 minutes.
016:00:41 Mattingly: Okay. Real good. We weren't real sure that's what we were watching, and you're coming through loud and clear.
This is Apollo Control, Houston. 16 hours, 1 minute, 04 seconds into the flight of Apollo 8. The Apollo 8 spacecraft at this time 73,818.6 nautical miles [136,711.8 km] in altitude; our current velocity reading 6,659.5 feet per second [2,029.8 m/s]. Bill Anders and Jim Lovell should be finishing up on an eat period very shortly here, while spacecraft commander, Frank Borman, still in his sleep period, has about 2 hours to go. About 30 minutes from this time, the Apollo 8 crew is scheduled for a guidance and navigation platform alignment, with that coming at approximately 16 hours, 30 minutes into the flight. We've had no further contact with the crew and at 16 hours, 02 minutes, 10 seconds we will continue to monitor and this is Apollo Control Center, Houston.
016:14:06 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston.
016:14:08 Lovell: Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8 here.
016:14:13 Mattingly: Okay, Jim. Got an update here to the Flight Plan. You've got the 16:55 star visibility check, and what we've got on that, [it] looks like Navi is still our star, and the numbers associated with that are roll, 102.6; pitch, 328.9; yaw, 346.3. That gives you a shaft and trunnion of zero. And if you think you can - if you think you can do something with this, why, we would like to go ahead and give it a try and see if we can either verify it or maybe we'll both learn something if we verify it if you can do it with Navi.
016:15:03 Lovell: Roger. Stand by one.
016:19:52 Lovell: Houston, Apollo 8. Over.
016:19:57 Mattingly: Apollo 8, Houston. Go.
016:20:04 Lovell: Roger. We'll maneuver at this present time and try to pick up that attitude and get Navi, although I think it's a waste of time, but we will give it a try.
016:20:13 Mattingly: Roger. Standing by for results.
This is Apollo Control Houston. 16 hours, 20 minutes, 25 seconds now into the flight of Apollo 8. The Apollo 8 spacecraft, at this time, 75,034.9 nautical miles [138,964.4 km] in altitude. Velocity reading on our display is 6,588.7 feet per second [2,008.2 m/s].
This is Apollo Control Houston [at] 16 hours, 22 minutes. [Concerning] our [most recent] conversation with Jim Lovell and the Apollo 8 spacecraft. From the ground, by the way, that was Ken Mattingly, our Capsule Communicator. They have just exchanged head sets only moments ago. The discussion dealt with the star visibility sightings that are due to take place in Ground Elapsed Time of 16 hours, 55 minutes. Some 30 minutes from this time. So at 16 hours, 23 minutes, 8 seconds into the flight of Apollo 8, continuing on its precise course, very nominal, very good, this is Apollo Control, Houston.