Apollo 8

This is Apollo Control at 86 hours, 54 minutes as the spacecraft went over the horizon and we lost the signal. Capsule Communicator Ken Mattingly passed up to the crew a all systems Go report. ...

We expect to reacquire Apollo 8 in 43 minutes, 52 seconds. This is Apollo Control at 86 hours, 55 minutes into the flight.

This is Apollo Control at 87 hours, 18 minutes into the flight. Our spacecraft is currently nearing the end of its ninth revolution and the beginning of the 10th. We'll have about 21 minutes before we acquire. I would like to pass along some preliminary figures on the Acquisition Of Signal and Loss Of Signal times that we'll have on either side of that Trans-Earth Injection maneuver. These were passed up to the crew previously. The Loss Of Signal time on the 10th revolution will be about 88 hours, 51 minutes, and this will be about 28 minutes, 5 seconds prior to the Trans-Earth Injection maneuver. Following the maneuver, the signal will be reacquired at 89 hours, 28 minutes, 39 seconds. This will be about 9 minutes, 24 seconds after the maneuver. At this time we have 19 minutes, 42 seconds prior to reacquisition of Apollo 8 at 87 hours, 29 minutes into the flight. This is Apollo Control, Houston.

This is Apollo Control at 87 hours, 38 minutes into the flight. At the present time our spacecraft is in its tenth revolution and we are standing by for Acquisition Of Signal as Apollo 8 comes over the horizon. That should be in about 15 seconds. The current velocity is 5,352 feet per second. And at this point we are at the time when we should be acquiring the spacecraft. We will stand by for a call to the crew or for a message from the spacecraft.

At the present time here in Mission Control, Flight Director Milton Windler has just checked with his key flight controllers, and we got the report that we look very good at this time, as the pace begins to quicken, moving toward this Trans-Earth Injection maneuver. Included in the list of numbers read up to the spacecraft and read back down for verification was the information the crew would use for the maneuver, the updated information. And checking over it, we see very few modifications to the preliminary figures we gave you. One minor change is in the longitude and latitude at ignition. The previous longitude was 174 degrees east. That is now updated to 173 degrees, 51 minutes east, and our latitude was 9 degrees, 17 minutes south; and that has changed to 9 degrees, 20 minutes south. All the other figures appear to have remained the same. We have a weight at the time of ignition; that would be 450, rather 45,597 pounds prior to the maneuver. Following the maneuver predicted weight is 32,124 pounds. The difference there is 13,473 pounds and most of that would represent SPS propellant.

This is Apollo Control. Currently our spacecraft velocity is 5,354 feet per second, and our orbit measures 58.8 nautical miles at its low point. We've got a high point of 63.2 nautical miles above the Moon's surface. At 87 hours, 59 minutes this is Apollo Control.

This is Apollo Control at 88 hours 5 minutes. The crew has just been given a Go for the Trans-Earth Injection on this revolution. ...

This is Apollo Control at 88 hours, 20 minutes. At the present time, we are about 31 minutes, 15 seconds from Loss Of Signal. And the crew, at this time, is involved in aligning the platform on their guidance and navigation system. Here in Mission Control Center, Flight Director Milton Windler has just gone around the room again, pulsing all the flight controllers and in every case the word was Go. We have gotten all the necessary information up to the crew at this point that they will need for the maneuver. And at the present time, the mood here in Mission Control Center could best be described, I believe, as one of relaxed confidence. Flight controllers are continuing to pore over their displays, looking at the systems, getting last minute look at all systems before we lose contact with the spacecraft. And we are again, going back over the figures that have been passed up to the crew, verifying every aspect of this maneuver. And aboard the spacecraft, following the platform alignment, the crew will be pretty much up to date on all the things they need to do for the maneuver. At about 88 hours, 48 minutes into the flight, they are scheduled to transfer - the Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell is scheduled to transfer from the lower equipment bay, where he has been doing the guidance and navigation checkout and preparation, to transfer from there to his couch. We have had very little communication with the crew since our last report. ...

This is Apollo Control at 88 hours, 37 minutes. We're now some 13 minutes, 55 seconds from Loss Of Signal. The Guidance Officer has confirmed that the spacecraft at this time is in the proper orientation for the Trans-Earth Injection maneuver. That - maneuver scheduled to occur at 89 hours, 19 minutes, 16 seconds into the flight. There have been a very few brief comments that has passed back and forth from the ground to the spacecraft. ... We'll ... stand by for a live conversation with the crew.

At this point, Flight Director Milton Windler has just advised his flight controllers that we are just about 10 minutes now from Loss Of Signal. And recommend that they take a last look at all their displays before there is communication with the crew. We're coming upon that Trans-Earth Injection maneuver. Currently, the spacecraft is traveling at a speed of 5,331 feet per second. Our current altitude is 63 nautical miles and the orbital parameters are 63.2 nautical miles for apocynthion, 58.6 nautical miles for pericynthion. At 88 hours, 42 minutes into the flight of Apollo 8, this is Mission Control, Houston.

This is Apollo Control at 88 hours, 46 minutes. We are now just under 5 minutes from Loss Of Signal. We will stand by for any communications with the crew, as we - as the spacecraft goes over the lunar horizon and we lose touch with them. At the present time, Jim Lovell should be finishing a sextant star check. This will be a verification of the spacecraft attitude for the maneuver. And he will then be transferring to his couch, joining Commander Frank Borman and the Lunar Module Pilot, Bill Anders, who are in their couches at the present time. We will stand by now for any parting communications with the crew.

At 88 hours, 51 minutes, we show Loss Of Signal with the spacecraft. Our next communications with Apollo 8 should come in about 37 minutes. We are now about 28 minutes prior to our Trans-Earth Injection maneuver. As the spacecraft went over the horizon, Capsule Communicator Ken Mattingly passed along, for the second time, the word that all systems are Go. And we got a very terse Roger back from the spacecraft. At 88 hours, 52 minutes into the flight; this is Apollo Control, Houston.

This is Apollo Control Houston at 89 hours, 19 minutes into the flight. We are now less than 30 seconds to the scheduled time of ignition for the maneuver to start Apollo 8 on its course back to Earth. In the last 15 seconds, prior to ignition, the crew will be burning their Service Propulsion System - rather their Reaction Control System engines to settle propellants. And here in Mission Control Center, we have just counted down to the burn. We should have ignition at this time. That will be a 3-minute and 18-second burn nominally. It will increase the spacecraft velocity by about 3,522 feet per second or some 2,395 miles per hour. Following the maneuver, The spacecraft should have a velocity of about 8,800 feet per second - some 6,000 miles per hour. And here in Mission Control, it is relatively quiet, as it has been since we lost communications with the spacecraft as they went over the Moon's horizon. At this point, flight controllers here in Mission Control, as with the rest of the world, now they are waiting.

Coming up in just a few seconds now, we should have shutdown of the Service Propulsion System engine on the spacecraft that should have occurred at 89 hours - or rather will be occurring at 89 hours, 22 minutes, 34 seconds. Actually, we are just a little less than a minute from that event. And the clock here in Mission Control Center that is counting down to the time when we will reacquire the spacecraft shows that we have 6 minutes, 30 seconds until reacquisition. At this point, the SPS engine should be shut down and we will now be waiting for the spacecraft to come over the lunar horizon and give us a report on their status We now show 5 minutes, 45 seconds until reacquistion.

This is Apollo Control Houston at 89 hours, 26 minutes. Flight Director Milton Windler has just advised his flight control team here in Mission Control Center that we have less than 3 minutes now until reacquisition of the spacecraft and he requested that they monitor their console, get prepared to reacquire and to get a status from the crew. [Pause.]"

This is Apollo Control Houston. We now show less than 30 seconds until reacquistion. We will stand by for the first words from the Apollo 8 crew as they come over the lunar horizon, and into acquisition."

We have AOS signal. There is a little bit of a cheer going up among the flight controllers here. We should be hearing from the crew shortly."

Our station at Honeysuckle reports that we do have a radio signal from the spacecraft. Having a bit of trouble locking up at this point, to the point where we can get voice communications from the crew.

This is Mission Control, Houston. Flight Dynamics Officer says that burn is good.

This is Apollo Control. We continue to get a great deal of noise coming from our site; Honeysuckle, Australia. However, the pertinent information has been received - that is, that the maneuver, the Trans-Earth Injection maneuver, was very close to nominal. Flight Dynamics Officer expressed his pleasure with it and - stand by, here's a call to the crew.

This is Apollo Control at 89 hours, 51 minutes, And in here Mission Control Center, we're continuing to assess the effects of that maneuver, and we're just in the process now of playing back the tape data of the burn. Of course, that maneuver occurring on the back side of the Moon, we were unable to monitor as it occurred. We're now looking at the results we would have seen had we been able to receive communications from the spacecraft as the burn occurred. We just put in a call to the crew. Here is that conversation.

This is Houston. Our capsule communicator in that last exchange was astronaut Donald K. Slayton, Chief of Flight Crew Operations here at the Manned Spacecraft Center. Shortly after we acquired the spacecraft and established communications with the crew, here in the Control Center, our big display up in the front changed from a lunar map to an Earth map and the colors on it are red and green. We also had a Christmas tree brought in and it's now standing down in front of the Control Center. It looks like it stands about 6 feet tall and it's decorated with lights and tinsel and with a big blue ornament on top.

That rendition of The Night Before Christmas was read up to the crew by Astronaut Harrison Schmitt - Jack Schmitt - who worked with Lovell quite extensively prior to the mission and going over the lunar sightings and photography that he would do at lunar orbit. At 90 hours [break in recording]

This is Apollo Control, Houston; at 90 hours, 18 minutes. Our displays here in Mission Control are now beginning to show the effects of that Trans-Earth Injection maneuver. We show an altitude above the Moon at this time of 2,802 nautical miles. Our spacecraft velocity is 6,050 feet per second, and slowing. And our weight following that maneuver is now 32,180 pounds. On board the spacecraft at the present time, the crew is finishing up some last minute activities connected with onboard navigation and then they plan to get a little bit of rest, Frank Borman is scheduled to be in a sleep period at this time. And we have had some indications from the crew that Lovell and Anders also hope to get a little bit of rest as soon as possible. We have some brief conversations with the crew. ... We will ... stand by briefly for any live communications with the spacecraft.

This is Apollo Control at 90 hours, 50 minutes into the flight of Apollo 8. At the present time our spacecraft is at an altitude above the Moon of 4,504 nautical miles and traveling at a speed of 5,645 feet per second. We've heard very little from the crew since our last report. ... We'll ... stand by for a conversation.

This is Apollo Control at 90 hours, 50 minutes into the flight of Apollo 8. At the present time our spacecraft is at an altitude above the Moon of 4,504 nautical miles and traveling at a speed of 5,645 feet per second. We've heard very little from the crew since our last report. ... We'll ... stand by for a conversation."

This is Apollo Control. We're expecting Capsule Communicator Ken Mattingly to put in a call to the crew shortly. While we wait for that, we'll pass along some information that we have been requested to gather, also some additional information on the results of the Trans-Earth Injection maneuver. The Trans-Earth Injection burn occurred on time. It lasted for 3 minutes and 23 seconds. We had originally estimated that it would last about 3 minutes, 18 seconds. We obtained almost precisely the amount of velocity change from that burn that had been planned. The figure that we have at this point is a velocity change of 3,522.8 feet per second. We've been shooting for 3,522.3 feet per second. So we would have only have been off about 5/10 of a foot per second. As a result of that maneuver, our current figure is that splash will occur in the mid-Pacific at 147 hours, 4 minutes, 59 seconds. That's a very precise figure and I doubt it will continue to hold true through the post phase and trajectory analysis that will be done en route back to Earth. We do anticipate that figure will change. Coming up at 100 hours, 47 minutes, 47 seconds G.E.T., we will be going through the change in the sphere of influence. This will be the point where the Moon's gravity ceases to be the dominant influence on the spacecraft. It will also be the point at which the spacecraft will reach its minimum and Earth velocity and then start to accelerate toward Earth. This will occur at an altitude above the Moon of 33,821 nautical miles and at that point will be 175,528 miles from Earth. The velocity at that point will be 4,839 feet per second with respect to the Moon. And it will be 4,106 feet per second with respect to Earth. We're also requested to pass along some figures on altitude and velocity at the beginning of the Trans-Earth injection maneuver and at the end of that maneuver. At the beginning of the maneuver, our velocity was about 5,350 feet per second, and following the maneuver, our velocity was 8,841 feet per second. Our altitude at the beginning of the Trans-Earth Injection maneuver was 60 nautical miles above the surface of the Moon. And at the conclusion of that maneuver, 3 minutes and 23 seconds later, it was 66.5 nautical miles. At the present time our altitude above the Moon is 4,876 nautical miles and our velocity is 5,587 feet per second and continuing to decrease very gradually. We are still anticipating sometime in the near future a call to the crew and we will pick back up again when that call comes through. This is Apollo Control at 90 hours, 58 minutes into the flight of Apollo 8.

This is Apollo Control at 91 hours, 22 minutes. Since our last report, we've had a couple of brief conversations with the crew. They indicated that they were very tired and they had perhaps gotten about 2 hours of sleep prior to the Trans-Earth Injections maneuver. Frank Borman advised that he and Jim Lovell were going to attempt to get some sleep shortly and that Bill Anders would stand watch while they were getting some sleep and then when one of them awoke, Bill would get some sleep. We'll ... stand by as our Capsule Communicator puts in a call to the crew.

This is Mission Control, Houston; at 91 hours, 31 minutes. Our spacecraft is at an altitude of 6,673 nautical miles above the Moon and we're traveling at a speed of 5,375 feet per second. Appears that we're going to have no further communications with the spacecraft at this time and we'll take the circuit down and come back up when next we reestablish contact or with a periodic status report.

This is Apollo Control at 92 hours, 8 minutes into the flight of Apollo 8. And at the present time our spacecraft is at an altitude of 8,545 nautical miles above the Moon, traveling at a speed of 5,238 feet per second. It's been some time before we have heard from the crewmen. At about 91 hours, 25 minutes, we had a report from the spacecraft that Commander Frank Borman and Jim Lovell, Command Module Pilot, would be attempting to get some sleep. And Bill Anders was to stand watch. ..."