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Apollo 12

Day 10: Splashdown for 3 Tail Hookers

Corrected Transcript and Commentary Copyright © 2004-2020 by Lennox J. Waugh and W. David Woods. All rights reserved.

Public Affairs Office - "This is Apollo Control at 227 hours, 59 minutes. Apollo 12 is 85,411 nautical miles from Earth. Velocity, 5,970 feet per second. Flight director Jerry Griffin and the Gold team is in the process of turning over their duties here in the Control Center to Flight Director Glynn Lunney of the Black team. CapCom on the new shift will be astronaut Don Lind. Change of shift news conference scheduled to begin at 10:30 p.m. Central Standard Time in the Houston news center. Participants will be the flight director Jerry Griffin, the CapCom Jerry Carr, and the retrofire officer Charles Deiterich. At 228 hours, this is Mission Control Houston."

Public Affairs Office - "This is Apollo Control at 229 hours, 18 minutes. Apollo 12 presently 80,837 nautical miles from the Earth, traveling at a speed of 6,201 feet per second. Flight Director Glynn Lunney at present is reviewing the mission status with his Flight Controllers and checking out events for todayÂ’s re-entry and splashdown. The crew still has about 5 hours left in their scheduled rest period, the Flight Plan calls for the crew to be awakened at 234 hours Ground Elapsed Time. All systems on the spacecraft continuing to function well at this time. At 229 hours, 19 minutes, this is Apollo Control Houston."

Public Affairs Office - "This is Apollo Control at 230 hours, 22 minutes. It's now been some 4 hours since we last heard from the crew about 226 hours, 18 minutes. This sleep period scheduled to end some 4 hours from now at 234 hours. At the present time Apollo 12 is travelling at the speed of 6,412 feet per second, and the distance from Earth is now decreased to 76,949 nautical miles."

Public Affairs Office - "This is Apollo Control at 231 hours, 18 minutes. At the present time the crew is about 3 hours from the scheduled end of their sleep period. The spacecraft continuing to function normally. We're reading a cabin pressure of 5.1 pounds per square inch, which is normal. Cabin temperature has been running in the low 70's. The base digitals show the spacecraft to be traveling at a speed of 6,614 feet per second at the present time. Altitude 73,421 nautical miles from the Earth and the flight surgeon reports that Dick Gordon, the only crew member on whom we have biomedical data at the present time, is sleeping soundly. At 231 hours, 19 minutes, this is Apollo Control, Houston."

Public Affairs Office - "This is Apollo Control at 232 hours, 18 minutes. We now have less than 2 hours until the scheduled wake up time for the crew. All spacecraft systems continuing to function well. There has been no change in any system status since the last report. It's been a very quiet shift. The spacecraft presently traveling at a speed of 6,848 feet per second. The altitude has just dropped below now the 70,000 nautical mark. We're now reading 69,598 nautical miles from the Earth at this time. At 232 hours, 19 minutes, this is Apollo Control, Houston."

Public Affairs Office - "This is Apollo Control at 233 hours, 18 minutes. We're now 55 minutes away from the scheduled crew wake up time. Apollo 12 traveling now at a speed of 7,110 feet per second and our distance from Earth is decreased now to 65,617 nautical miles. We've had a very quiet sleep shift here. During most of the night the activity is centered around watching spacecraft systems, reviewing the status for todayÂ’s splashdown. This is Apollo Control at 233 hours, 19 minutes."

Public Affairs Office - "This is Apollo Control at 234 hours, 2 minutes. About 15 minutes ago, we got some indication that at least one of the crew was awake and we've seen data here indicating that they are operating the DSKY, their spacecraft computer and our communications engineer reported just a few moments ago that the crew has configured their spacecraft communications for voyage down length. So we will be standing by for a call from the spacecraft, the sleep period is not officially scheduled to end for about 11 more minutes. We also have a weather report from the primary recovery area in the mid Pacific forecast at end of mission calls calls for scattered clouds at 1,800 feet, waves of 4 feet with 5 foot swells, winds out of the East, Southeast at 5 knots. Visibility of about 10 miles, also predicted scattered showers in the recovery area. At present time we show the spacecraft some 62,500 nautical miles from the Earth, traveling at a speed of 7,330 feet per second. We will stand by now for a call from the crew. We don't expect CapCom Don Lind to be putting in a call to the crew for about 10 more minutes."

[Flight Plan 3-197]

234:05:44 Lind: Good morning, Apollo 12.

234:05:49 Gordon: Good morning, good morning. We are just getting cleaned up and eating breakfast.

234:05:54 Lind: Very good. Are you ready for the big day?

234:05:59 Gordon: I don't know. What's happening?

234:06:01 Lind: Oh, we've got a nice little section in the South Pacific reserved for you. And we have most of the Navy standing by to pick you up.

234:06:09 Gordon: Good. We've cleared certain area of all altitudes, huh?.

234:06:13 Lind: That's affirmative.

[Very long comm break.]

234:39:05 Lind: Go, 12.

234:39:09 Conrad: Yesterday, I gave them a tentative storage arrangement and I'd like to modify that just one little bit, and I'll appreciate it if you'd let RETRO know.

234:39:22 Lind: Roger.

234:39:23 Conrad: Instead of storing Dick's suit under the left-hand couch, we have some garbage in the TSB and we'd like put that in the hatch bag. And it's all soft and then we'd like to take Dick's suit and stow it under the right seat and that's the only change.

234:39:41 Lind: Roger; copy.

234:39:48 Conrad: Thank you.

[Very long comm break.]

235:04:00 Lind: Go ahead, 12.

235:04:03 Bean: Morning, Don. Say, this is Al, and I put on that new EKG harness. How about asking the doctors to look at it and see if it's okay?

235:04:13 Lind: Roger...

235:04:14 Bean: I moved the lower - I moved the lower sternal up about 1 inch to keep it off the old spot. But I don't know if that makes any difference or not.

235:04:23 Lind: Roger. We'll have him check it for you.

235:06:26 Lind: Apollo 12, Houston.

235:06:31 Conrad: Go ahead.

235:06:32 Lind: The surgeon reports that he is getting a good signal from both of you, and you're both definitely still alive.

[Very long comm break.]

235:20:44 Conrad: Houston, we stopped PTC for a moment to do some photography and we'll get back in it again in about 10 minutes.

235:20:52 Lind: Very good. When do you plan to do a P23? Will you do that before you...

235:21:01 Conrad: Say again.

235:21:02 Lind: Do you plan...

235:21:03 Conrad: Say again, Houston.

235:21:04 Lind: Do you plan to do the P23 while you're out of PTC before you re-enter?

235:21:10 Conrad: We might as well. Let's see, we might be doing it just a few minutes early. We'll hold to 236. You want to do that?

235:21:22 Lind: Stand by. Okay. We're okay for early, and we have some attitudes for you when you're ready to copy.

235:21:35 Conrad: Okay. I'll be back with you in a minute for the attitudes.

[Long comm break.]

235:31:58 Conrad: Houston, 12. You got a consumables update for me?

MP3 Audio Clip GET 235:32:02 to 235:33:04 [01 mins 12 sec]

235:32:02 Lind: Roger. We'll get it for you momentarily; and in return, can you give us a sleep and PDR –PRD readout?

235:32:13 Conrad: Roger. Across the board 8, 8-1/2, 8-1/2; 11032, 11032, 04034.

235:32:22 Lind: Thank you. Okay. The RCS total at 233 hours is 25.5; Alfa is 26.3; Bravo is 26.6; Charlie is 23.0; Delta is 26.2; H₂ total is 21.9 percent; O₂ total is 27.7 percent.

235:33:04 Conrad: Copied all that. Thank you.

[Comm break.]

235:35:45 Lind: Roger. The P23 optics calibration attitude: roll, 89; pitch, 334; yaw, 0; the optics calibration star is star 24; P23 sighting attitude: roll, 87; pitch, 329; yaw, 316; for the fourth star, substitute star 24, for horizon. Note, if unable to use the star, go to the next star in sequence. No alternate stars will be updated, and please report the type of difficulty with any stars omitted.

235:37:13 Conrad: Okay. P23 boresight optics calibration: 089, 334, 0; star 24: and P23 attitude 087, 329, 316; and, for star 4, substitute star number 24; no alternate stars. Please report difficulty with any stars omitted.

235:37:37 Lind: That's affirmative; and, with star 24, it's the far horizon.

235:37:46 Conrad: Yes. I got that. [Garble] far horizon. [Long pause.]

235:38:43 Lind: Apollo 12, Houston. One flight plan change for you when you want to copy.

235:38:51 Conrad: Okay. Go ahead.

235:38:52 Lind: At 238 hours and 30 minutes, the report of the Command Module RCS injector valve temperatures, I delay that report to 240 hours and that will improve our chances of not having to do any heating.

235:39:17 Conrad: Okay. I just looked at them right now, and over the night during the PTC, they're all above 4 [garble], some just barely, and so we will have gone back into PTC for a while alter the [garble] and I think doing that, we'll probably be in pretty good shape.

235:39:34 Lind: Roger. Thank you, Pete.

235:39:35 Gordon: Don't we have it - We have it until just before you do it.

[Long comm break.]

235:48:47 Lind: Apollo 12, Houston. We would like to - you to give us the High Gain antenna if you would. We would like you to turn the power on. Give us wide beam width, Reacq mode. The pitch angle is minus 79, and yaw is 156.

235:49:10 Conrad: Coming at you.

235:49:28 Conrad: There you go; it's all locked up.

235:49:30 Lind: Thank you.

235:49:31 Conrad: You want to leave it in Wide?

235:49:32 Lind: That's affirmative...

235:49:33 Conrad: ...you want to leave it in Wide? Okay.

[Flight Plan 3-198]

MP3 Audio Clip GET 236:03:55 to 236:04:12 [00 mins 34 sec]

236:03:55 Lind: Go ahead, 12.

236:03:58 Gordon: Hey, would you check with the boys in the back room? Should I have - be having any trouble with Jupiter, as far as seeing it or not? I can't see it. Do I have a right vector in?

236:04:07 Lind: Roger. We're checking.

236:04:12 Gordon: This is a surprise to me. I - you wouldn't think I'd have trouble seeing Jupiter.

236:04:39 Gordon: Hello, Houston; 12. It's all right. I got it now.

236:04:42 Lind: Very good. That gives us a lot of comfort to realize they're all still up there.

236:04:52 Gordon: Why should that be comforting to you? What if we missed one? What would you care?

236:04:55 Lind: Oh, we don't mind if we miss a star, but if all the planets aren't there, you know, the astrologers are really bent out of shape.

236:05:04 Gordon: Well, being there and seeing is one - two different things.

236:05:07 Lind: Roger.

[Long comm break.]

236:10:33 Lind: Go, 12.

236:10:35 Gordon: Don, star 75 is not visible.

236:10:38 Lind: Roger. No 75.

236:10:42 Gordon: And I'm going to press on to star 24.

236:10:45 Lind: Roger.

[Long comm break.]

236:14:25 Lind: Roger.

236:14:33 Gordon: Half the time I can't find him; I lose him.

[Comm break.]

236:16:15 Lind: Say again, Dick.

236:16:17 Gordon: I said that one is about the toughest one I've had.

236:16:21 Lind: We're giving you your Max test since this is your last chance.

236:16:26 Gordon: Well, if they get any dimmer than that, I'm not going to be able to see them.

236:16:30 Lind: Roger.

[Comm break.]

236:19:22 Lind: Is that a Sun reflection, or what's causing the orange ball? Do you know?

236:19:28 Gordon: I don't know. I would suspect it might be the proximity to the Sun, but I'm really not sure of that.

236:19:34 Lind: Roger.

236:19:35 Gordon: I don't have the complete orange - I don't have the complete orange ball in the sextant, but I've got the better half of it.

236:19:44 Lind: Roger. Copy.

236:19:45 Gordon: Look at that - Look at that - Look at that patch and you can see how much of the Moon is in that patch, and that's a little bit more than that in here on the Sun.

236:19:56 Lind: Roger, Dick.

236:20:05 Lind: We suspect that's scattered light, Dick.

236:20:11 Gordon: I'm sure it is.

[Comm break.]

236:22:28 Lind: Go ahead.

236:22:31 Gordon: Don, I can't use this star either. Once I start moving it, there's so much scattered light that I lose the star completely, and I can't keep track of it.

236:22:40 Lind: Roger. That's what the test is to show. Thanks.

236:22:45 Gordon: Okay. I'll press on to the next one.

236:22:47 Lind: Roger.

236:22:51 Gordon: As the famous astronaut once said, press.

[Long comm break.]

236:27:04 Lind: Very good.

236:27:11 Gordon: I'll give you an optics Cal again.

236:27:14 Lind: Okay.

236:27:44 Lind: Dick, Houston. Can you tell us how the horizon compares now with the second batch of trans-lunar that you did when you had a good clear horizon?

236:27:58 Gordon: The second batch - Which second batch are you referring to, Don? On the way out or on the way back in?

236:28:04 Lind: Trans-lunar, on the way out.

236:28:08 Gordon: Well, I think there's probably a little learning process as to what is the horizon you ought to be using. I think far too much is made of that airglow layer, and you can almost use what you think is the horizon, which also includes the airglow layer. And it's really not that undefined. It's fairly definite; it's very easy to use. And I think the second set that I did going out was by far the better one, and I've been using that particular horizon for all of these all the - on the way back in.

236:28:38 Lind: Roger. We copy. Thank you very much.

[Comm break.]

236:31:07 Gordon: Don, go ahead. We'll listen right now.

236:31:11 Lind: Roger. The scores from yesterday in the NFL: Cleveland 28, New York 17; Detroit 16, Green Bay 10; Philadelphia 34, St. Louis 30; Washington, 27, over Atlanta, 20; Los Angeles, 24, to Dallas, 23; Baltimore over Chicago, 24 to 21; Minnesota, 52, over Pittsburgh, l4; New Orleans, 43, to San Francisco, 38. In the AFL: Oakland took Kansas City, 27 to 24; Houston 32, Miami 7; New York 40, Cincinnati 7; Boston 35, Buffalo 21; and San Diego 45, Denver 24. In the news: Splashdown stories and yesterday's news conference are getting good coverage. Pete's boys, Andy and Chris, did a little soaring of their own yesterday. Scott Royce took the boys and Jane up for a ride yesterday. Andy said he'd rather be a soaring pilot than an astronaut. You can work that out with him later, Pete. And Chris's reaction was, "It feels good, but I still like to water ski the best." There's a provocative headline, "Boston Hospital Maternity Wards Are Feeling The Impact Of Two Severe February Snow-storms, "and I'll let you imagine how the story runs. The Houston weather is pretty bad. It's overcast and drizzling, not really a day the Chamber of Commerce would be proud of; however, in the landing area, we're reporting 1800 scattered and a high scattered, winds out of the east at 15 knots with 10-mile visibility. The waves are 3 feet; you've got 5-foot swells, and if you've remembered to pack your lava-lavas it should be a lovely day in the South Pacific.

236:33:26 Gordon: Thank you, Don. It sounds real good, and we'll be happy to see the land of lava-lavas.

236:33:30 Lind: Very good.

236:33:47 Bean: Houston, 12.

236:33:48 Lind: Go ahead.

236:33:50 Bean: What do you want us to disable for PTC, C and - C and D?

236:33:57 Lind: That's good. Yes.

236:34:00 Bean: Okay, fine. C and D are going off and we'll stabilize.

[Comm break.]

236:37:11 Conrad: Hello, Houston; Apollo 12.

236:37:13 Lind: Go ahead.

236:37:15 Gordon: Don, I guess we ought to start thinking about getting these state vectors up to speed. I have the onboard ones for the CSM and the ground CSM state vectors in the LM slots. Do you want us to put the ground vector in both slots now?

236:37:47 Lind: Just a second, Dick; we're talking.

236:37:51 Gordon: Okay.

236:38:27 Lind: Dick, Houston. The vectors that you've got in there now are quite satisfactory for the present, but we're going to send you some much better ones in the Flight Plan, so we'll - We don't think there's any need to play with them now, and we'll send you up some better ones later.

236:38:47 Gordon: Okay. I've got a 239:30 as the time we were talking about. Okay. Very good.

236:38:57 Gordon: I didn't particularly appreciate your saying much better. You could have said a little better, couldn't you?

236:39:03 Lind: Sorry about that. It's early in the morning down here.

[Long comm break.]

236:44:16 Lind: Roger.

236:44:26 Lind: 12, give us a few more minutes to let the rates damp out, please.

[Long comm break.]

236:52:54 Gordon: Roger. We're starting PTC.

236:52:59 Lind: Roger. And I'm about to turn you over to the tender care of Paul Weitz, so we'll see you when you get back to the LRL. And have fun in the South Pacific.

236:53:07 Gordon: Okay, Don. Thank you much, and that you for all your help.

236:53:10 Lind: Very good. We'll see you later. Goodbye.

236:55:17 Music: ["Wind Me up Again"]

Public Affairs Office - "This is Apollo Control at 236 hours, 56 minutes. No one here in Mission Control is able, offhand, to identify that brief bit of music we got from the spacecraft. Apollo 12 now 49,635 nautical miles from the Earth and traveling at a speed of 8,412 feet per second. In Mission Control at this time, we're completing a change in shift. Flight Director Pete Frank has taken over from Flight Director Glen Lunney. Our Capsule Communicator is astronaut Paul Weitz."

[Flight Plan 3-199]

237:04:20 Weitz: Go, 12.

237:04:24 Gordon: Good morning, Paul. Is anybody down there thinking about getting this eclipse as far as we're concerned when the Sun goes behind the Earth? We've got - What we've got is some -We've got some 16-millimeter black and white and some 70-millimeter black and white.

237:04:47 Weitz: Okay. We'll check on it. We're getting the times on that now. We'll pass those up to you and, when we do, we'll give you the dope on the - what they want it taken with.

237:05:05 Gordon: 12, Roger.

237:10:53 Weitz: Hello, 12; Houston. On our last LOS during your roll, we did not acquire High Gain; we expected to. Would you verify if your High Gain angles are pitch, 40; yaw, 270?

237:11:10 Gordon: Okay. We have minus 40 - plus 40 in pitch.

237:11:14 Weitz: That's affirmative. It should be plus 40.

[Long comm break.]

237:16:37 Gordon: Stand by. [Long pause.]

237:17:00 Gordon: Okay. Say which page, Don?

237:17:02 Weitz: That's Fox 5-8.

237:17:07 Gordon: Oh, okay; 5-8.

237:17:09 Weitz: Right. [Long pause.]

237:17:22 Gordon: Go ahead.

237:17:24 Weitz: Okay. We pick up the checklist there with the EMS drift check, and we would like to know the results of that on the ground when it's complete. And now, about the ninth line down, where it calls out the set Delta-V_c, we'd like you to set the Delta-V_c plus 100 feet a second if you would, please.

237:17:45 Gordon: Okay.

237:17:48 Weitz: And that's it. Thank you.

[Very long comm break.]

Public Affairs Office - "This is Apollo Control Houston at 238 hours now into the flight of Apollo 12. We show Apollo 12 on its continuing trip back to Earth now traveling at a speed of 8,956 feet per second and distance of 44,422 nautical miles away from Earth. We stand by and continue to monitor, and this is Apollo Control Houston."

[Flight Plan 3-200]

MP3 Audio Clip GET 238:10:52 to 238:11:18 [00 mins 32 sec]

238:10:52 Weitz: 12, Houston. Go ahead.

238:10:56 Gordon: Okay. Roger, Paul. This little EMS test that's in the checklist for the P41; I just ran it for 100 seconds. I set it at 100 feet per second. It ran for 100 seconds, and now the EMS reads 102.2. Over.

238:11:13 Weitz: All right. We'll massage that and see what it means down here, Dick. Thank you.

238:11:18 Gordon: Okay.

[Comm break.]

MP3 Audio Clip GET 238:12:55 to 238:13:18 [00 mins 31 sec]

238:12:55 Gordon: Go ahead.

238:12:57 Weitz: Okay, Dick. We're looking right now at a midcourse 7 of about 2-1/2 feet a second. They want to get another - about another half hour of tracking, after which they will work up your maneuver PAD for you then.

238:13:10 Gordon: Okay. We're not in any big rush except to get home, and we'll wait any length time you need for that midcourse.

238:13:18 Weitz: Okey-doke.

[Very long comm break.]

Public Affairs Office - "This is Apollo Control Houston at 238 hours, 35 minutes now into the flight of Apollo 12. Our digital displays in Mission Control Center now show Apollo 12 41,356 nautical miles out from Earth and traveling at a speed of 9,320 feet per second. Meanwhile, our entry clock is up and our ignition clock for midcourse correction number 7, we show MCC 7 occurring 2 hours, 45 minutes from this time and entry at 5 hours and 46 minutes from this time. We'll stand by and continue to monitor and this is Apollo Control Houston."

Public Affairs Office - "This is Apollo Control, Houston at 238 hours, 45 minutes now into the flight of Apollo 12. The Apollo 12 spacecraft presently 40,545 nautical miles now from Earth and traveling at a speed of 9,424 feet per second. The Flight Dynamics Officer in Mission Control Center has just advised Flight Director, Pete Frank, that he has gathered data on the latest vector taken on Apollo 12, and we'll start computing the maneuver pad for MCC-7, midcourse correction 7 which will be passed to the crew. The present vector prior to MCC-7 shows [garbled] angle of minus 6.22 degrees. We're 2 hours and 35 minutes away from forecast Time Of Ignition of midcourse correction number 7 and 5 hours, 37 minutes away from forecast time of entry into the Earths atmosphere. This is Apollo Control, Houston."

238:48:25 Weitz: Hello, Apollo 12; Houston. I have some information for you on the solar corona photos.

238:48:33 Gordon: Stand by a second.

238:48:58 Bean: Go ahead, Paul.

238:49:00 Weitz: Okay. They just want you to take photos coming out of the shadow, and they're requesting that you use the Hasselblad, because you indicated the black-and-white film. Use the 80-millimeter lens, an f-stop of 2.8 focused at infinity. They want you to take as many photos as you can, starting at a GET of 241:55:20. Now this is approximately 2 minutes before your sunrise. To start off with, use a shutter speed of 1 second. As you come out of the shadow, as soon as you can see a hairline Sun, change your shutter speed to 1/125th, and –Stand by 1. I'll have your final setting in just a minute.

238:50:39 Weitz: Okay, 12. And, as I said, as soon as you can see any sign of the sun at all, switch your – change your shutter speed to 1/125th. Take photos at that setting for 5 to 10 seconds, after which as the Sun comes up, then change to f:16 at 1/500th of a second. And you can just take a bunch of photos at that; and, for information, the sunrise time is 241:57:18. Over.

MP3 Audio Clip GET 238:51:25 to 238:52:55 [01 mins 41 sec]

238:51:25 Bean: Roger. Understand. We'll start about GET 241:55:20; we'll use black and white, 80-millimeter lens, and we'll have it set at 2.8, infinity, 1 second. And the first time we see a sliver of Sun, we'll switch it to 1/125th and work on that for about 15 seconds; then we'll shift over to f:11, 1/500th, and take some more.

238:51:54 Weitz: Okay, Al. Change over after the Sun - After you see the first sign of the Sun, go about 10 seconds instead of 15; and after the Sun starts coming up, your final f-stop is 16. That's f:16 at a 500th.

238:52:14 Bean: Understand; f:16 and 10 seconds at the earlier setting of f:2.8 at 1/125th.

238:52:24 Weitz: That's affirmative, Al. Also, in your Flight Plan, we call for a Comm check at 239 hours. We're not going to run that Comm check. We would, however, like you to go ahead and fire up your VHF and we'll hold off until we get indications of a good signal strength on the ground, at which time we'll then run a VHF Comm check.

238:52:51 Bean: Sounds good. I just turned it on right now.

238:52:55 Weitz: Okay. Thank you.

[Comm break.]

238:54:02 Bean: Also, Houston, when you give us an attitude for this solar picture, how about giving it to us so it's good out window 5? That's our best window.

238:54:15 Weitz: Roger, 12.

[Comm break.]

238:56:20 Bean: Go.

MP3 Audio Clip GET 238:56:21 to 238:56:39 [00 mins 34 sec]

238:56:21 Gordon: Go ahead.

238:56:22 Weitz: Okay. That's roll, 300; pitch, 310; yaw, 0, and that should give it to you out window 5.

238:56:35 Gordon: Roger. Roll, 300; pitch, 310; yaw, 0; window 5.

238:56:39 Weitz: Roger.

[Very long comm break.]

239:08:08 Conrad: Houston, 12.

MP3 Audio Clip GET 239:08:11 to 239:08:44 [00 mins 58 sec]

239:08:11 Weitz: Go ahead, 12.

239:08:14 Conrad: Let me give you our final stowage configuration; we swapped back again. We've got everything the way we told you - Dick's - We've got one suit under the left-hand couch, and it has a helmet on, and the other two helmets are on top of the Surveyor bag, tied down right in front of A-4 and A-5. Everything else is the way we gave it to you.

239:08:44 Weitz: Okay. Thank you, Pete.

[Long comm break.]

239:16:07 Gordon: Houston, 12.

239:16:10 Weitz: Go ahead, 12.

239:16:13 Gordon: Do you really want us to run this CMC self-check?

239:16:18 Weitz: Stand by.

[Comm break.]

239:17:35 Weitz: Hello, 12; Houston. We see no requirement for that self-check.

239:17:40 Gordon: Okay.

[Long comm break.]

239:22:12 Weitz: Apollo 12, Houston. We have some words on your P52.

239:22:17 Conrad: Okay.

239:22:18 Weitz: Okay. The attitude based on the PTC REFSMMAT is roll, 091.2; pitch, 161.7; yaw, 021.6. Stars - the stars are 35, Rasalhague, and Pete's old favorite, 37, Nunki. We haven't passed up a burn attitude yet, but you – This will put you at the burn attitude, except you'll be 180 degrees out in roll.

239:23:03 Conrad: Okay.

MP3 Audio Clip GET 239:23:04 to 239:23:15 [01 mins 41 sec]

239:23:04 Weitz: And your High Gain angles are pitch, minus 85; yaw, 255.

239:23:15 Conrad: Okay.

[Comm break.]

239:24:53 Gordon: Roger. Go ahead.

239:24:55 Weitz: Okay. It's midcourse 7 RCS/G&N: 24985, NA, NA, 241:21:57.38, minus 0002.4, plus all zeros, plus 0000.1, 000, 310, 000, NA, NA, 0002.4; 0:05; 0002.4. Your sextant star is 10, 241.7: 39.5. There's no Apollo star available for a boresight check. Your GDC stars are Sirius, 15; Rigel, 12. The angles, 336, 262, 357; four-jet ullage; that's a four quad burn. And just some comments to pass up to you; they're not related to the burn. Since the burn is so short, we'll make no correction for your EMS drift. It looks right now like you have 64 hours of battery time on the water, and we're going around the room now to see whether or not to give you a Go for entry. Over.

239:27:08 Gordon: Hey, you guys are all right. Stop the world; I want to get off.

[Comm break.]

239:29:00 Bean: Houston, Apollo 12. Let us know when you're ready for the readback on that PAD.

239:29:03 Weitz: Okay. We're ready and waiting.

Public Affairs Office - "Read the PAD up. We are standing by now for readback."

239:29:11 Bean: Okay. We thought you were going to do something about that Go.

MP3 Audio Clip GET 239:29:16 to 239:29:55 [2 mins 09 sec]

239:29:16 Weitz: No, we're still massaging it. Go ahead and read it back.

239:29:21 Bean: Okay. 24985, NA, NA, 241:21:57.38, minus 0002.4, plus all zips, plus 0000.1, 000, 310, 000, NA, NA, 0002.4, 0:05, 0002.4, 10, 241.7, 39.5, Sirius 15, Rigel 12, 336, 262, 357, it's four-jet burn.

239:29:55 Weitz: That's affirmative, Al.

[Comm break.]

MP3 Audio Clip GET 239:31:28 to 239:36:02 [04 mins 50 sec]

239:31:28 Weitz: Hello, 12; Houston. We're going to let you come back, so I have an entry PAD for you.

239:31:33 Gordon: Okay. Gosh, you guys are okay today. We'll be ready to copy in just a second.

239:31:56 Gordon: Go ahead.

239:31:59 Weitz: Okay. Entry to the MPL: 000, 151, 000, 244:05:18, 267, minus 158.1, minus 165.17, 06.1, 36116, 6.49, 1167.3, 36198, 244:22:18, 00:29. The next four blocks are all NA down to DO, 400, 02.11, 00:19, 03:27, 08:04, the sextant star is 23, 294.7, 29.0, the boresight star is Procyon, 016, up 14.6; left 1.0; lift vector, up. Use the EMS non-exit pattern. And some times for you here: GET of sunset, 240:32:07; sunrise, 241:57:23. You'll cross the terminator at 244:14:04; and, if you're interested, moonset is at 244:20:05. Over.

239:34:52 Bean: Okay. 000, 151, 000, 244:05:18, 267, minus 158.1, minus 165.17, 06.1, 36116, 6.49, 1167.3, 36198, 244:22:18, 00:29, 400, 02.11, 00:19, 03:27, 08:04, 23, 294.7, 29.0, Procyon, 016; up 14.6; left 1.0; up. Use EMS non-exit pattern, sunset 240:32:07; sunrise 241:57:23. We'll cross the terminator at 244:14:04; moonset, 244:20;05.

239:35:56 Weitz: That's all Charlie, Al.

239:36:02 Bean: Roger.

[Long comm break.]

MP3 Audio Clip GET 239:40:25 to 239:40:40 [00 mins 50 sec]

239:40:25 Weitz: Hello, Apollo 12; Houston. When you take those corona photos, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to turn the lights down in the cabin to try to minimize reflections off the window, Pete. Over.

239:40:40 Conrad: Okay. We'll do that. [Long pause.]

239:41:06 Conrad: And the computer's yours anytime you want it, Houston.

239:41:10 Weitz: Okay. Thank you.

[Long comm break.]

239:49:59 Gordon: Roger. Thank you.

[Long comm break.]

239:53:59 Weitz: Go ahead, 12.

239:54:01 Gordon: The CM RCS injector temp's, are as follows: 5 Charlie, 4.3; 5 Delta, 4.4; 6 Alfa, 4.0; 6 Bravo, 4.5; 6 Charlie, 4.3; 6 Delta, 4.8.

239:54:17 Weitz: Roger, copy, 12. Thank you. [Pause.]

239:54:26 Weitz: Okay, 12. No preheat on the injector.

239:54:29 Gordon: Okay.

[Very long comm break.]

[Flight Plan 3-202]

240:07:50 Weitz: Roger. We got them, 12.

240:07:53 Gordon: Okay. We are going to torque it at this time.

240:07:56 Weitz: Roger.

[Long comm break.]

Public Affairs Office - "This is Apollo Control Houston at..."

240:13:26 Conrad: Houston, 12.

240:13:28 Weitz: Go ahead, 12.

240:13:30 Conrad: We're rolling left to the burn attitude; we going to lose the High Gain?

240:13:39 Weitz: Stand by.

240:13:44 Weitz: Affirmative, 12. Give us Omni Delta, please.

240:13:47 Conrad: Okay.

[Very long comm break.]

240:33:37 Weitz: Go ahead, 12.

240:33:39 Gordon: We're getting a spectacular view at eclipse. We're using the Sun filter for the G&N optics, looking through, and it's unbelievable.

240:33:48 Weitz: Roger. Understand, Dick.

240:33:57 Gordon: The reason it looks so much different is the limb of the Earth is eclipsing it. It's not quite a straight line, but it's certainly a large, large disk right now. Looks quite a bit different than when you see the Moon eclipse the Sun.

240:34:15 Weitz: Roger.

240:34:18 Bean: Anybody down there know how I - what we can set the camera at to use the Sun filter on it? To - to - take a couple of shots of this eclipse right through it?

240:34:31 Weitz: Stand by and we'll check.

240:34:35 Bean: They'd better hustle.

240:34:38 Weitz: Okay.

240:34:47 Bean: Funny thing is, you cannot see the Earth at all when you just shield your hand from the Sun and look out right next to it where the Earth should be. It's not there at all. When you stick your smoked glass up, you can see where it's cutting the - the Sun. Otherwise, it's completely invisible.

240:35:04 Weitz: Roger, Al.

[Long comm break.]

Public Affairs Office - "Apollo Control, Houston at 240 hours, 37 minutes into the flight. We're 45 minutes now away from scheduled Time Of Ignition for midcourse correction number 7. A small burn of 2.4 feet per second in Delta-V. MCC-7 will be retrograde implaned to steepen the entry angle somewhat. Pre-burn is showing an entry angle of minus 6.22 degrees. The Control Center would like to bring it up in the order of minus 6.5 degrees. Continuing to monitor at 240 hours, 38 minutes into the flight, this is Apollo Control, Houston."

240:42:16 Bean: Fantastic sight. What we see now is - The Sun is almost completely eclipsed now, and what it's done is illuminated the entire atmosphere all the way around the Earth, even though the Sun is still on what looks like the western limb of the Moon - the Earth to us.

240:42:34 Weitz: Roger. Understand, Al. And we're still working on getting a procedure for taking some photographs of it.

240:42:40 Bean: Man, it's too light. We're using those for sunrise. I think they'll be exactly the same.

240:42:45 Weitz: Okay.

240:42:46 Bean: But the diameter of the Earth now looks compared - to the Moon - I'd say about 15 times the diameter of the Sun; but it's illuminating the whole atmosphere all the way around. It really looks pretty. You can't see the Earth. It's black just like the - space.

240:43:13 Weitz: Roger. Understand you cannot make out the Earth at all.

240:43:18 Bean: No. You can't see any features on it. All you can see is this sort of purple-blue, orange, some shades of violet, completely around the Earth. It's illuminated.

240:43:29 Weitz: Roger. [Long pause.]

Public Affairs Office - "Apollo Control, Houston. Giving that vivid description was Lunar Module pilot, Al Bean, describing the illumination around the entire atmosphere of the Earth, which at present is providing an eclipse over the Sun. We're 240 hours, 44 minutes into the flight. We now show Apollo 12, 29,137 nautical miles away from Earth and traveling at a speed of 11,213 feet per second."

240:44:18 Conrad: It's very interesting looking at the atmosphere. It has blues and pinks in it, but instead of being banded, it's segmented, which is very peculiar; I don't understand why. It may be the difference between over the landmasses and water or something.

240:44:38 Weitz: Roger, Pete. Understand. Is it kind of like you would see in the desert in the evening sometimes when you get that blue and pink streaking in the sky?

240:44:48 Conrad: Yes. Except, like I say, itÂ’s segmented for about - Right from the Sun, around about a quarter of the Earth is pure blue, and then it becomes pink to about 20 degrees of arc; and then it turns back to blue again. And it's blue all the way around the bottom - to where it turns pink again, and then it turns blue again.

240:45:18 Weitz: Roger, 12.

Public Affairs Office - "That was - that was Pete Conrad adding his description of the view. We're at 240 hours, 45 minutes now into the flight of Apollo 12."

240:47:01 Bean: It's a heck of a time to be without any 70-millimeter color film, I'll tell you.

240:47:07 Weitz: ...[garble]...

240:47:08 Bean: But I know how to get it on a 16-millimeter camera.

240:47:11 Weitz: Okay, Al. Good show. We were just thinking the same thing.

[Comm break.]

240:50:50 Weitz: We're working on it.

240:50:52 Bean: It looks - It looks like this is going to have a luminated atmosphere, probably the whole time it's eclipsed. What it looks like now through the smoked glass is that the Sun is completely set behind the Earth, and you probably know better than I do from some...

240:51:16 Bean: Roger. We're using it at 1/60th at 1 frame a second and I - using 1.4 f-stop and also at 2 - and what - and a 1. What it looks like is the Sun is set, but it's so close to the limb of the Moon on the backside there, that that bright light is being channeled through the atmosphere, and so if you look at it with a naked lie – eye you can't tell the Sun is set yet. Through the smoked glass, you can see that it's no longer a disk there, but you just see a bright white line the diameter of the Sun.

240:51:57 Weitz: Roger, Pete. Understand. Al.

[Comm break.]

240:53:45 Gordon: Houston, 12.

240:53:47 Weitz: Go ahead, 12.

240:53:49 Gordon: We're shooting these at 1/60th at 1.4, and that's where we're going to stay unless you come up with a better suggestion.

240:53:57 Weitz: Roger. We got that, Dick; 1/60th, 1.4 at 1 frame a second. They're working on it in the back room and, actually according to our figures here, you should still be seeing a little piece of the Sun. You don't enter the full umbra until a little after 241 GET.

240:54:16 Gordon: YouÂ’re absolutely correct. We still have a little bit of Sun through the horizon on the western limb.

240:54:22 Weitz: Roger.

240:54:25 Gordon: But right now, the Earth is completely – the atmosphere of the Earth is completely illuminated all the way around, 360, and right in the center it's as black - it's as dark at the –as space behind it itself. This is really spectacular.

240:54:42 Weitz: Roger.

240:54:47 Gordon: Have you got any more adjectives for spectacular? I'd like to use some if you have.

240:54:52 Weitz: No. We'll put somebody to work on that, too. [Long pause.]

Public Affairs Office - "We presently show Apollo 12 at 27,975 nautical miles out from Earth, traveling at a speed of 11,445 feet per second. We're 26 - 1/2 minutes away from scheduled Time Of Ignition of Midcourse Correction number 7 burn. This is a small burn, 2.4 feet per second in Delta-V, done with the reaction control system. It's designed to steepen the entry angle."

240:55:44 Weitz: Hello, 12; Houston. YouÂ’re taking these pictures through the optics, right?

240:55:51 Gordon: Negative, Houston. Through the hatch window.

240:55:53 Weitz: Okay. [Long pause.]

240:56:12 Weitz: 12, Houston. Which lens do you have on the DAC?

240:56:16 Gordon: I have 18 millimeter.

240:56:18 Weitz: Okay. [Long pause.]

240:56:52 Weitz: Okay, 12; Houston. We've got some words for you. Set aligns to f:2, go to Time on your mode select and give us a 1-second exposure, if you would. Hit the button that opens the shutter; hit the button again that closes it.

240:57:16 Gordon: Understand. We'll work on it.

241:00:18 Gordon: Houston, Apollo 12. One thing that puzzles us a little bit, perhaps FIDO can answer it. It looks to us like the Sun is being eclipsed by the Earth - Earth's North pole or South pole. It's kind of hard to tell what - whether it is its East or West limb. Have you got any additional dope there on that?

241:00:37 Weitz: Okay. We'll find out and see which direction it's moving.

[Comm break.]

241:02:58 Bean: I'd say we've got it. Thank you, though, Houston.

241:03:00 Weitz: Roger.

[Long comm break.]

241:11:27 Bean: This has got to be the most spectacular sight of the whole flight. We can see now that the Sun's behind the Earth. We can see clouds sort of on the dark part of the Earth; and, of course, the Earth's still defined by this thin narrow - or thin blue-and-red segmented band. It's a little bit thicker over at the - down where the Sun just set than it is at the other one, but it is really a fantastic sight. The clouds appear sort of pinkish gray, and they're sort of scattered all the way around the Earth. It would be interesting to know exactly what part of the Earth we're looking at or what our nadir is now, because that part doesn't appear to have any clouds, and these others appear to be sort of revolving around it.

241:12:26 Weitz: Roger, Al. Understand that you can see clouds all the way around the Earth including the dark portion of it, and your nadir right now is just about the Indian Ocean.

241:12:37 Conrad: Well, the whole - the whole Earth is dark to us. We looking at the night side, but we can see all the clouds. We haven't been able to distinguish landmasses yet, but we might be able to in a minute when we get a little bit better adapted, and I think the airglow is illuminating the clouds down there.

241:12:56 Weitz: Roger, Pete.

Public Affairs Office - "Apollo Control, Houston. That was both Al Bean and Pete Conrad who reiterating the spectacular view."

241:13:12 Weitz: 12, Houston. I'll give you a time hack to ignition so you can check your DET. It'll be at 8 minutes which is about 40 seconds away.

241:14:04 Conrad: What happened to your time hack?

241:14:07 Weitz: Well, we're going to come up on 8 minutes - Yes, I blew it. I'll give you one at 7:30.

241:14:12 Conrad: Okay. [Laughter] I - you had me worried for a minute.

241:14:16 Weitz: Okay. We're discussing the important parts, such as which side of the world the Sun's set on. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

241:14:28 Weitz: Mark.

241:14:29 Weitz: 7:30.

241:14:30 Conrad: Okay. WeÂ’re right with you. [Long pause.]

241:15:22 Gordon: Say, Houston. It's very interesting. We can see lightning and the thunderstorms down there on the Earth. I don't know how many miles out we are, but all the cloud cover that has thunderstorms in it, we can see lightning - you can see it quite clearly, flashing from wherever we are.

241:15:40 Bean: Yes. They look like - sort of just like fireflies down there blinking off and on.

241:15:47 Weitz: Yes. Yes. You're about 25,750 out.

241:15:55 Bean: Yes. We're starting to look out for these synchronous satellites now. We've been looking up ahead.

241:16:01 Weitz: Okay.

241:16:05 Conrad: Sure hate to run into one up here.

241:16:09 Weitz: Yes. It could ruin your day. [Long pause.]

Public Affairs Office - "Apollo Control Houston. Synchronous satellites serve an altitude of approximately 22,000 nautical miles. We now show Apollo 12 at an altitude of 25,667 nautical miles from Earth, traveling at a speed of 11,941 feet per second."

241:17:01 Weitz: Apollo 12, Houston. If those lightning flashes are fairly frequent, we'd like to see if we can capture some of them on film, which would be the mode you are presently in with the speed set to 1/60th at f:2, remain in the Time on the mode select, and leave the shutter open for 1 to 2 minutes.

241:17:24 Gordon: Oh, yes. They're - they're equally - they're - They're that frequent. There's two areas down there that are quite active right now.

241:17:32 Conrad: Paul, have you got any idea of how to hold that camera still for 1 to 2 minutes?

241:17:37 Weitz: No.

241:17:39 Conrad: Okay.

241:17:40 Gordon: We'll give it her go after we get this burn off.

241:17:43 Weitz: Okay.

[Comm break.]

241:19:06 Weitz: Hello, 12; Houston. On your question on where the Sun went behind the Earth, we've decided that it did go behind the western limb of the Earth in the Northern hemisphere and should reappear on the Eastern limb, still in the Northern hemisphere.

241:19:27 Conrad: Roger.

[Comm break.]

Public Affairs Office - "5 seconds away."

Public Affairs Office - "Guidance and control confirms plus axis"

241:22:13 Bean: Okay. Plus 0.1, plus 0.1, minus nothing.

241:22:18 Weitz: Roger, 12.

[Comm break.]

241:24:15 Weitz: 12, Houston. What did your EMS read after that burn, please?

241:24:21 Bean: I even hate to tell you, it's - I'd say it's 102.4 to burn down to 100 - At the end of the burn, it was 101.4 and moving fast...

241:24:33 Gordon: It was 102.7 at burn time after turning it on the normal switch at the proper 30 seconds before the burn.

241:24:46 Weitz: Roger. Understand.

[Comm break.]

241:27:03 Conrad: Houston, 12. We - we're better night-adapted now, and by golly, we can see India, and we can see the Red Sea, and we can see the Indian Ocean quite early. It's amazing how well we can see, for that matter. We can see Burma and the clouds going around the coastline of Burma, and we can see Africa and the Gulf of Aqaba; it looks like the same photograph Dick and I took on 11.

241:27:37 Conrad: Roger, Pete.

[Comm break.]

241:29:16 Weitz: Roger, 12. That's very interesting. You may now hold the class record for seeing lights.

Public Affairs Office - "Apollo Control, Houston. We show Apollo 12 now 24,000..."

241:29:32 Conrad: I can tell you, there's a couple of ripdoozer thunderstorms down there that are really – really letting go.

241:29:40 Weitz: From what can you see of the geography there, can you tell where the thunderstorms are, Pete?

241:29:46 Conrad: Okay. I'll give you a fix on this one that is really bright.

Public Affairs Office - "Apollo 12 now 24,200 nautical miles from Earth. That's..."

241:30:04 Conrad: I'm going to give you a fix and say that it's about 2,300 miles to the southwest of the tip of India. There seems to be a weather system out there, and it's got thunderstorms all the way along it.

241:30:28 Weitz: Roger, 12.

241:30:52 Conrad: It's - Venus is just below the Earth, and we can see Venus quite clearly, well, you can see all kinds of stars, but Venus is just below the Earth. This is - This is really a sight to behold, to see it at night time like this.

241:31:10 Weitz: Roger.

[Comm break.]

241:32:10 Weitz: Hello, 12; Houston. For your information, weather does not have any surface reports from that region, but the satellite picture does show quite extensive cloud coverage of the area you're reporting the lightning.

241:32:26 Conrad: Okay. I got a - Unfortunately, we've got our Earth map stashed away. I wish I had it out. I'm not sure that I'm giving you the absolute exact location. And the other thing is, it looks like, just north of India and I'd say all up through China and Russia, if that's what we're looking at, the whole area in there looks like it is completely covered with clouds.

241:32:54 Weitz: Roger. Understand, Pete.

241:33:04 Conrad: Also, also, right in the center of the Earth now, we have some real bright light shining, staying on - that - that Dick's looking at with the monocular. It's really bright.

241:33:20 Weitz: Roger. Understand. Does it appear to be coming from your nadir point, which should be just off the Eastern coast of India now?

241:33:28 Conrad: Yes. Looks like it's coming just about out of the center of what we're looking at. I would say south of Burma and east of India.

241:33:39 Weitz: Roger. That's just about your nadir. [Long pause.]

241:34:11 Conrad: I can't imagine what that is.

241:34:21 Weitz: We can't either. We're checking for possibilities.

241:34:27 Conrad: It's a steady light, and it appears in size to be as big as any of the thunderstorms flashing.

241:34:39 Bean: Yes. It's as big as Venus at least. [Long pause.]

241:34:XX Weitz: Roger. Understand.

241:34:XX Bean: It's hard to tell if it is exactly in the center of the Earth or not, it's pretty close to being right in the center. Maybe just a little bit to our right, whatever that means. Just a little bit to the side that the Sun did not go behind the Earth on.

241:35:21 Weitz: Roger. I think we understand that.

241:35:26 Conrad: And looking at the airglow with the monocular is - Boy, there is another sight now that is not like being in Earth orbit whatsoever. It's -it's a bright red next to the Earth, and then it's got a green band in it, and then it's got a blue band.

241:35:52 Weitz: Would you say these color bands encircle the Earth now, Pete?

241:35:58 Conrad: Yes. But it's not the same all the way around. What I'm seeing is - is sunrise, really. The Sun is - this is about 40 degrees from the Sun, and there's a red - bright red band - and then a sort of a light green band that's very thin, and then a blue one which must be all of the atmosphere.

241:36:25 Weitz: Roger.

[Comm break.]

241:38:08 Weitz: 12, Houston. Can you still see that bright light about in the center?

241:38:14 Conrad: We're - Al - Al - we rolled so Al could take the sunrise pictures, and the Sun has pretty well wiped out that view that we had. Now the Sun's started up, and the Earth has turned black again.

241:38:26 Weitz: Roger. Understand.

[Long comm break.]

241:43:57 Weitz: Go ahead, 12.

241:44:00 Gordon: Paul, does it look like we are going to have an update to our entry PAD - or not, after that burn?

241:44:11 Weitz: Stand by. I'll check on it, Dick.

241:44:35 Weitz: 12, Houston. They want to get a little more tracking on you. It looks good. Some of the - some of the times may change a second or two, but as soon as they get a good track, we'll send it on up.

241:44:47 Gordon: Okay. Not pushing, just curious.

241:44:49 Weitz: Roger.

[Comm break.]

241:46:21 Weitz: Hello, 12; Houston. If it's not already there, will you select the left VHF antenna, please?

241:46:31 Gordon: Roger. Left VFH antenna.

241:46:33 Weitz: Okay. And, also, the ground readout of suit pressure dropped to zero a few minutes ago. Will you give us your onboard readout?

241:46:44 Conrad: Oh, it sure did. It reads zero also.

241:46:48 Weitz: Okay, we just wanted to confirm it. Thank you.

[Comm break.]

241:48:31 Weitz: I'll check on it, Al.

241:48:43 Weitz: I understand, Al, that you can see the Sun, now. Is that right?

241:48:52 Bean: That's affirmative. I've been watching it for about the last 4 or 5 minutes. I didn't put a clock on it, but I started that sequence you gave me when the Sun started to peek around. I expect that the time I got that came out of the computer was the time when it's going to be fully out.

241:49:08 Weitz: Okay, Al. Good show.

[Very long comm break.]

[Flight Plan 3-203]

242:14:10 Conrad: Go ahead.

242:14:11 Weitz: Okay. The forecast hasn't changed since this morning, Pete. Still calling for good weather; 1,800 foot, scattered, variable, broken, 10 miles; the wind is out of the East at 15; we've got 3-foot waves on top of 5-foot swells, and they're running about 40 degrees apart. The altimeter is 2,988, which gives a Delta-H of plus 38 feet. Your landing time now looks like 2058 Zulu. Sunrise was at 1612 – Zulu that is, and sunset will be at 04:24. There are some widely scattered showers in the area, less than 10 percent. Okay, on the recovery forces, the Hornet's on station. They will have three helos there, [garble] four of them. Swim 1 and 2, with swimmers onboard; Recovery 1 for the swimmer and a medic, and Photo 1. We've also got two E-1's that'll be airborne - that's Airboss and Relay 1. We've got two C130's. It will be 40 minutes getting to on station and they've got a Para rescue on board. Their calls are Samoa Rescue 1 and 2. Over.

242:15:58 Conrad: Houston, 12. We copied all that.

242:16:02 Weitz: Roger.

[Comm break.]

242:18:21 Weitz: Hello, 12; Houston. Give us 0mni Alfa, please. [Long pause.]

242:18:46 Weitz: 12, Houston. Omni Alfa, please. [No answer.]

242:19:18 Weitz: Hello, Apollo 12; Houston. Requesting 0mni Alfa.

[Long comm break.]

242:25:20 Conrad: Hello, Houston; Apollo 12.

242:25:22 Weitz: Go ahead, 12.

242:25:24 Conrad: Roger. We'd like to go through the logic sequence.

242:25:31 Weitz: Stand by. [Long pause.]

242:25:47 Weitz: Okay, 12. We were waiting for High Bit Rate. We have it now, so go ahead.

242:25:52 Conrad: Okay. We'll give you a holler as we get to them.

242:25:55 Weitz: Roger.

242:26:15 Conrad: Okay. We're down to ELS Auto, Houston, and we're ready for the sequence logic 2 on up.

242:26:34 Gordon: 61 logic, Mark; 62 logic, Mark.

242:26:40 Weitz: 12, Houston. You're Go for Pyro Arm.

242:26:43 Conrad: Roger.

[Very long comm break.]

242:37:14 Weitz: Apollo 12, Houston.

[Comm break.]

[Comm break.]

[Comm break.]

[Comm break.]

242:43:47 Weitz: Hello, Apollo 12; Houston. Negative downlink; request you tune for Max. Over. [No answer.]

242:44:35 Weitz: Hello, Apollo 12; Houston in the blind. Negative downlink. Try to raise us on any antenna you can, including VHF. Over.

[Comm break.]

242:47:26 Weitz: Hello, Apollo 12; Houston. Over.

[Long comm break.]

[Comm break.]

242:53:19 Weitz: Hello, 12; Houston. Over.

242:53:22 Conrad: Go ahead, Houston.

242:53:23 Weitz: Okay. We haven't been able to get a hold of you guys for a little bit. Where have you been?

242:53:27 Gordon: Right here.

242:53:28 Conrad: Sitting on the checklist Omni Charlie like it said, which apparently wasn't the right one.

242:53:35 Weitz: Yes. We tried to get an Omni Alfa call to you, but didn't get it in in time, I guess.

242:53:40 Conrad: Okay. What do you need?

242:53:45 Weitz: I'll find out if they want anything different.

242:53:48 Conrad: Okay.

[Comm break.]

242:57:35 Bean: That's affirmative. We're just getting ready to align again, and we'll perform it right after we align.

242:57:42 Weitz: Okay. Thank you.

242:57:44 Bean: And the boresight star even checks out.

242:57:46 Weitz: How about that?

[Comm break.]

[Flight Plan 3-204]

243:01:30 Weitz: Roger. We've got them.

[Long comm break.]

243:08:19 Weitz: Roger, 12.

[Comm break.]

243:10:47 Gordon: Houston, 12. EMS check's okay.

243:10:50 Weitz: Roger, Dick. Thank you.

243:10:53 Gordon: And we're down in the checklist at final storage.

243:10:56 Weitz: Roger and 12 Houston. A reminder is that the camera settings for your fireball and chutes photos are not in the checklist. They only appear in the Flight Plan there.

243:11:13 Gordon: Roger. Thank you; we got it.

[Long comm break.]

243:17:52 Weitz: 12, Houston. We're ready with your state vector if you'll give us Accept.

243:17:58 Conrad: Okay. Just a second. You've got it.

243:18:05 Weitz: Got it.

[Comm break.]

243:20:54 Conrad: Roger.

243:23:37 Weitz: Hello, Apollo 12; Houston. The only change worth noting on your PAD is the EMS range to Go.

243:23:46 Bean: Okay. What's that?

243:23:48 Weitz: That is now 1166.3.

243:23:46 Bean: Roger. Copy 1166.3.

243:24:02 Weitz: That's right.

[Comm break.]

243:26:12 Weitz: Hello, 12; Houston. Give us a right antenna on VHF, will you, please?

243:26:17 Gordon: Roger. Right antenna, VHF.

243:26:33 Conrad: Okay, Houston. Are we Go for Pyro Arm for Command Module RCS Prep?

243:26:39 Weitz: Stand by.

243:26:56 Weitz: 12, Houston. You're Go for Logic Arm.

243:27:01 Gordon: Logic 1, Mark; Logic 2, Mark.

243:27:16 Weitz: 12, Houston. You're Go for Pyro Arm.

243:27:18 Gordon: Roger. Go for Pyro Arm.

[Comm break.]

243:29:59 Gordon: Okay, Houston. We'll be coming up with the Command Module RCS check in just a minute.

243:30:04 Weitz: Roger, 12. We're ready whenever you are.

243:30:09 Gordon: 0kay.

[Comm break.]

243:31:46 Conrad: Looked good up here, too.

243:31:47 Gordon: Roger. It looked good here.

[Comm break.]

243:33:59 Weitz: Uh-oh, 12; Houston. Give us Omni Charlie, please.

243:34:04 Gordon: Going Omni Charlie.

[Very long comm break.]

Public Affairs Office - "This is Apollo Control Houston – at 243 hours, 42 minutes now into the flight. Recovery has just advised Flight Director Pete Frank that all Recovery Aircraft are on station and functioning. To quickly run down crew composition of these aircraft: Air Boss - this is an E1B tracer, the pilot is Commander Van E. Spradley, Co-Pilot is Lieutenant Al Pierce of Rochester, New York, Controller is Lieutenant Junior Grade Mike Meaney of Portland, Oregon and Technician, Aviation Electrician's Mate First Class Angus Davis of Weder, Utah. The Recovery number 1 Aircraft, this is the helicopter, SH3D sea king, which will carry the decontamination swimmer, will be piloted by Commander William Aut, age 36 of St. Louis Missouri, Co-Pilot Lieutenant Junior Grade Glenn Casey, age 27 - Co-Pilot: Lieutenant Junior Grade Glen Casey, age 27, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Decontamination Swimmer, Lieutenant Junior Grade Ernest Lee Jahncke, 26 years of age of Greenwich, Connecticut, the remaining 2 crewmen, the first crewman, Chief Aviation Antisubmarine Warfare Operator, Ken Cunningham, 27, Tiff City, Missouri, 2nd Crewmen, Aviation Antisubmarine Warfare Operator Second Class, Abram Dominguez, age 33, of Tombstone, Arizona. Swim 1, this is the Helicopter that is 10 nautical miles uprange from the carrier is piloted by Lieutenant Bill Sherrod, 28, Immokalle, Florida is his home, Co-Pilot: Lieutenant Junior Grade Larry Lybarger, age 27 of Anchorage, Alaska. The helicopter carries 3 swimmers who will deploy the sea anchor or potentially can deploy the sea anchor and flotation collar, and these include Lieutenant Junior Grade William C. Robertson, 27, Hampton, Virginia, Swimmer Sonar Technician First Class Arles L. Nash, age 29, Edinboro, Pennsylvania, and Photographers Mate Third Class William R. Pozzi, 22, Lynwood - yes - the Swim 2 Helicopter is positioned 15 nautical miles downrange, is piloted by Lieutenant Grey Linker, age 26, Moresville, North Carolina. The 3 swimmers aboard..."

243:45:48 Weitz: Hello, 12; Houston.

243:45:51 Conrad: Go ahead, Houston.

243:45:52 Weitz: Just a reminder, Pete. Since the - Your steam pressure readout on the secondary system has been erratic in the re-entry phase; Just double check that you're on Primary.

243:46:05 Conrad: Roger. We're on Primary.

243:46:08 Weitz: Roger. [Long pause.]

243:47:25 Weitz: Hello, 12; Houston. Give us VHF left, please.

243:47:31 Conrad: Roger. VHF left.

[Long comm break.]

243:52:25 Gordon: Okay, Houston. Bus ties.

243:52:28 Weitz: Roger, 12.

[Long comm break.]

243:56:25 Weitz: Apollo 12, Houston. I'll give you a time hack at 25 minutes, which is about 50 seconds away, and if one of you wants to turn down your S-hand volume, we'll get a VHF voice check.

243:56:39 Gordon: 0kay.

243:56:53 Weitz: Hello, Apollo 12; Houston. S-band/VHF Simul. How do you read? [Pause.]

243:57:13 Weitz: Stand by for a mark at 25 minutes: 3, 2, 1...

243:57:19 Weitz: Mark [Long pause.]

Public Affairs Office - "Less than 10 minutes away from time of separation of Command and Service Modules."

243:58:11 Weitz: Hello, 12; Houston. Were you reading our VHF?

243:58:14 Gordon: That's affirmative.

243:58:16 Conrad: Affirmative.

243:58:18 Weitz: Roger. [Pause.]

243:58:26 Weitz: 12, Houston. If you're talking VHF now, you're very broken and garbled, and we're not reading you, yet.

243:58:34 Gordon: Hello, Houston; Apollo 12. How do you hear?

243:58:36 Weitz: Loud and clear, Dick.

243:58:37 Gordon: Okay.

[Long comm break.]

Public Affairs Office - "Apollo Control Houston 244 hours into the flight now and looking at the display which shows the onboard computer, we see Apollo 12 in Program 61, which is the Entry maneuver to Command Module/Service Module separation attitude. And Apollo 12 now 3,688 nautical miles away from Earth traveling at a speed of 25,161 feet per second. Apollo Control Houston, 244 hours, 3 minutes."

Public Affairs Office - "Apollo Control, Houston at 244 hours, 3 minutes. The Command and Service Module should be yawing very shortly to out of plane 45 degrees. We'll continue to monitor."

Public Affairs Office - "Apollo Control, Houston. Now we show Apollo 12 with a velocity of about 25,161 feet per second. We're at 244 hours, 5 minutes into the flight. Present altitude 3,688 nautical miles. Standing by, this is Apollo Control. The Guidance and Control Officer confirms that 12 is moving to separation attitude at this time. We're at 244 hours, 6 minutes into the flight."

[Flight Plan 3-205]

244:06:00 Weitz: Roger, 12.

[Comm break.]

Public Affairs Office - "This is Apollo Control standing by for separation less than a minute away now."

Public Affairs Office - "Separation is confirmed by the guidance and control officer in Mission Control. We're at 244 hours..."

244:07:32 Weitz: 12; Houston. We confirm separation.

244:07:35 Conrad: Roger.

[Long comm break.]

Public Affairs Office - "This is Apollo Control Houston. The Guidance and Control Officer confirms that Apollo 12 flying a ring A reaction control system entry. We are at 244 hours, 9 minutes into the flight. Apollo Control Houston monitoring the display showing the onboard computer. The onboard computer still in Program 62, when Program 63 comes up, on the computer, we will try to get an over the shoulder look at range to go to splash and velocity rates; we'll stand by and continue to monitor that display. We are now reading Program 63, noun 64, we show a velocity..."

MP3 Audio Clip GET 244:11:14 to 244:11:20 [00 mins 15 sec]

244:11:14 Weitz: 12, Houston. I'll give you another back on your DET at 10 minutes, which is about 1 minute from now.

244:11:20 Conrad: Okay. [Long pause.]

Public Affairs Office - "We show a velocity reading of 31,037 feet per second, a range to go of 4,305.2 nautical miles. Apollo Control Houston - Apollo 12 clipping along now - we show a velocity of about 31,355 feet per second - range to go to splash 4,229 nautical miles..."

244:12:14 Weitz: Stand by for your mark. 3, 2, 1...

244:12:19 Weitz: Mark.

244:12:20 Weitz: Ten minutes.

244:12:22 Conrad: Roger. We're right with you.

[Long comm break.]

Public Affairs Office - "The last tracking station in the Pacific to have data will be Guam. We're now at 244 hours, 14 minutes into the flight of Apollo 12, continuing to speed in at a rapid clip, we now read 32,360 per second, range to go 3,867 nautical miles."

Public Affairs Office - "This is Apollo Control, Houston 244 hours, 15 minutes now into the flight. Present velocity, 32 813 feet per second. Range to go 3,641 nautical miles. Less than seven minutes now until time of entry in the Earth's atmosphere. We show a velocity of 33,190 feet per second, range to go of 3,476 nautical miles. Guidance and Control reports 12 is looking very good, very small Reaction Control System usage at this time. We're at 244 hours, 16 minutes now into the flight of Apollo 12. Less than 6 minutes to go till entry now. We show a velocity reading of 33,704 feet per second, range to go of 3,223 nautical miles. Less than 5 minutes to go until entry. We show a velocity now of about 34,217 feet per second. Range to go to splash of 2,934 nautical miles. We're at 244 hours, 17 minutes now into the flight of Apollo 12. Retrofire officer confirms that we're looking good from his vantage point. We now show a velocity reading of 34,577 feet per second, range to go to splash of 2,729 nautical miles."

Public Affairs Office - "We've lost data with the Guam tracking station. We, however, will retain voice communications and capability through an ARIA aircraft. As we lost data, we read a velocity of 34,780 feet per second and a range to go of 2,617 nautical miles."

MP3 Audio Clip GET 244:19:26 to 244:19:58 [01 mins 54 sec]

244:19:26 Weitz: Hello, Apollo 12; Houston through ARIA.

244:19:30 Conrad: Loud and clear, Houston [garble].

244:19:40 Weitz: Roger, 12.

244:19:50 Conrad: On my mark, you'll have moonset, Houston. You can check your time. 3, 2, 1...

244:19:57 Conrad: Mark.

244:19:58 Conrad: Moonset.

[Comm break.]

MP3 Audio Clip GET 244:22:30 to 244:36:24 [31 mins 52 sec]

Public Affairs Office - "Apollo 12 should be entering the Earth's atmosphere at this time at 400,000 feet."

244:22:30 Weitz: 12, Houston. Coming up on blackout. We'll see you at 3:28.

[Long comm break.]

Public Affairs Office - "Copy heading south 12 - we copied the Hornet is heading south 12 knots for its terminal position for splash, which would be 5.25 nautical miles north of our target point."

Public Affairs Office - "Apollo Control Houston, Recovery reports the Hornet has radar contact from Apollo 12."

Public Affairs Office - "We're less than 30 seconds away from the time when blackout period should be ended. Mission Control may try to get Yankee Clipper between the blackout and drogue deploy which occurs at some 23,000 feet to get some readings off the computer display keyboard, but its current plan is not to attempt to contact the Yankee Clipper after drogues have been deployed."

244:25:51 Weitz: Hello, Apollo 12; Houston. Over. [No answer.]

244:26:37 Weitz: Hello, Apollo 12; Houston. Over. [Long pause.]

244:27:04 Conrad: Hello, Houston. You read Apollo 12 out of blackout?

Public Affairs Office - "Apollo Control Houston. Report from the Hornet indicates that that radar contact showed a range of 103 nautical miles and a bearing of 261 degrees."

244:27:08 Weitz: Roger, 12. Reading you loud and clear now.

244:27:12 Conrad: Okay. It's right on the money.

244:27:16 Weitz: Roger. We concur, Pete.

Public Affairs Office - "Pete Conrad says right on the money."

244:27:17 Gordon: We're taking our second dive in.

244:27:19 Weitz: Roger.

244:27:25 Gordon: Pulling 3g's, and it starts the Earth mode.

244:27:29 Conrad: That first time I get a shower at 6g [garble] thought I'd wiped all the water out of the tunnel [garble]. We're doing great.

244:27:33 Weitz: Roger. 12. [Long pause.]

Public Affairs Office - "Very good voice reception through ARIA."

244:28:04 Gordon: Okay, Houston. We've got 50 miles to go on my mark.

244:28:08 Gordon: Mark.

[Comm break.]

244:29:23 Weitz: Hello, 12; Houston. We have radar and S-band contacts on you.

244:29:29 Conrad: Roger. [Long pause.]

Public Affairs Office - "We should be getting that drogue chute deployment right now and we're standing by."

244:30:44 Bean: Got drogues, Houston. [Long pause.]

Public Affairs Office - "Al Bean reports deployment of the drogues."

Public Affairs Office - "Less than 10 seconds away from main chute deployment."

244:31:29 Conrad: 10,000. Standing by for mains.

244:31:33 Conrad: There go the mains. Three, but they're not reefed. There they go. They dereefed. Hello, Houston; Apollo 12. Three gorgeous beautiful chutes. And we're at 8,000 feet, on our way down in great shape.

Public Affairs Office - "Al Bean reports that the 3 main chutes have deployed."

244:32:04 Weitz: 12, Houston. Give us your Lat-Long, please.

244:32:11 Bean: Air Boss, we read you loud and clear, and we're okay.

244:32:15 Air Boss: Roger, Apollo 12. Set your contact report, please. [Pause.]

244:32:33 Air Boss: Say again. Over.

244:32:40 Recovery: This is Recovery. Tally ho; I have a visual.

244:32:47 Air Boss: [Garble].

244:32:51 Recovery: This is Recovery. I am 3 miles north of the 300 radial. Three miles - I have a visual. He is bearing 135 from me, 6000. I am – pretty good [garble]. Looks good.

244:33:11 Air Boss: Roger [garble] 2 had zero bearing...

244:33:31 Recovery: The Command Module is just above the cover of the clouds at 5,500 feet.

244:33:44 Photo 1: Photo 1 has [garble] zero, zero.

244:33:51 Photo 1: [Garble] 200.

244:34:01 Recovery: This is Recovery. I still have a visual. He's just beginning to sink into the clouds.

244:34:07 Air Boss: Apollo 12, Apollo 12, this is Air Boss transmitting in the blind. Your primary transmitter is inoperative, inoperative. Switch to Secondary 259.7 and [garble]. Over. We have a visual on you; we have a visual on you.

244:34:29 Recovery: This is Recovery. I've lost visual contact. He hit the clouds. I'm [garble] down. Tally ho, another visual: 4 miles, getting N 130 [?], passing through 4,000 feet.

Public Affairs Office - "What appeared to be smoke from the spacecraft is the dumping of propellants."

244:34:54 Recovery: This is Recovery. Passing through 3,500. Range 4 miles on the Command Module; three chutes; looks good. Going into another cloud.

244:35:11 Air Boss: [Garble] 12, how do you read Air Boss?

244:35:20 Conrad: Roger. Read you same. We're all okay.

244:35:24 Air Boss: Roger. Understand. You look great.

244:35:34 Recovery: Recovery 1 has visual [garble] 100. This is Recovery. Seems to be about 1,500 feet above the water, three good chutes.

244:35:47 Air Boss: Roger, Recovery. Roger.

244:36:14 Recovery: This is Recovery. Still in contact.

244:36:23 Recovery: Splashdown.

Public Affairs Office - "We'll record splash at Ground Elapsed Time of 244 hours, 36 minutes, 24 seconds."

Public Affairs Office - "Apollo 12 landed stable 2; the inflation bags will upright them."

Public Affairs Office - "It takes about 6 or 8 minutes to upright the Command Module from a stable 2 position with apex up."

Public Affairs Office - "A preliminary estimate from the Hornet places Apollo 12 some 2.5 nautical miles from the ship."

Public Affairs Office - "And the Command Module is uprighting itself at this time."

Public Affairs Office - "That report confirming stable 1 says the spacecraft is uprighted at this time."

Public Affairs Office - "The first swimmer deployed will attach a sea anchor, an underwater parachute to stop the drift of the Command Module."

Public Affairs Office - "That is Dick Gordon talking from the Apollo 12 spacecraft."

Public Affairs Office - "The first swimmer into the water is Photographers Mate Third Class William R. Pozzi, Pozzi spelled P-O-Z-Z-I, age 22, Lynwood, California."

Public Affairs Office - "Swim 1 will drop the flotation collar and two additional swimmers."

Public Affairs Office - "The remaining swimmers from Swim 1 - are Lt. [Junior grad] William C. Robertson, 27, Hampton, Va. and Sonar Technician First Class Arles L. Nash, 29, Edinboro, Pa. Swim 1 And are attaching it to the CSM attachment ring."

Public Affairs Office - "The floatation collar is pulled out one side at a time and pulled around with bungy lines two air bottles will inflate. "

Public Affairs Office - "The first of three rafts will be deployed very shortly."

Public Affairs Office - "Yankee Clipper for ten days a space worthy vessel now proving to be a sea worthy vessel. We're standing by."

Public Affairs Office - "The tether line will be hooked to the sea anchor ring."

Public Affairs Office - "The last swimmer in was the decontamination swimmer, Lt. (Junior grade) Ernest Lee Jahncke. Lt. Jahnke is 26 years old from Greenwich, Connecticutt."

Public Affairs Office - "At the given point, the Apollo 12 crew will open the hatch and receive flight coveralls and face masks from the decontamination swimmer who will be standing on the flotation collar. The decontamination swimmer again is Lt. Jahnke."

Public Affairs Office - "The Hornet reports spacecraft now 900 yards upwind of spacecraft of the Hornet. The Hornet now 900 yards upwind of the Yankee Clipper."

Public Affairs Office - "The first astronaut coming out now of the Command Module."

Public Affairs Office - "All three astronauts now in the raft."

Public Affairs Office - "Conrad, Gordon, and Bean was the exit order from the spacecraft."

Public Affairs Office - "Conrad, Gordon, and Bean was the exit order from the spacecraft."

Public Affairs Office - "The pickups will be made with the recovery net or so-called "Billy Pugh Net" which is in position."

Public Affairs Office - "The "Billy Pugh Net"..."

Public Affairs Office - "The recovery net of "Billy Pugh Net" looks much like a hanging chair. Its center of gravity is toward the back and has the effect that scooping up or..."

Public Affairs Office - "We repeat that last report. The first astronaut aboard is Commander Gordon, condition good."

Public Affairs Office - "We repeat that last report. The second astronaut aboard Commander Alan Bean."

Public Affairs Office - "The Apollo 12 crew is now aboard."

This concludes the Apollo 12 Flight Journal.

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