Apollo 17
Day 3, part 2: Entering the LM
Corrected Transcript and Commentary Copyright © 2017-2022 by W. David Woods and Ben Feist. All rights reserved.
Last updated 2022-12-18
039:27:23 Evans: Okay. Direct O
2 is coming Open now.
039:27:27 Fullerton: Okay.
039:30:11 Schmitt: Direct O
2 is Off.
039:30:14 Fullerton: Roger. [Long pause.]
039:30:55 Fullerton: America, before you open the equalization valve, we'd like one final reading on the LM/CM Delta-P.
039:31:07 Evans: Okitydoke. [Pause.]
039:31:17 Evans: Okay. With this cabin pressure now, it's up to 3.5, almost 3.6.
039:31:25 Fullerton: Okay, Ron. [Long pause.]
039:33:58 Fullerton: Jack, Houston. We're ready to terminate the charge on battery A.
039:34:10 Evans: Standby. Good. CSM/LM pressure equalization, huh? Okay, Cryo Pressure Indicator to Surge/3 and verify cryo. Oh, wait a minute. See if I got the right one here. Recto 2 is on.
039:36:06 Cernan: Okay, Gordo, I cycled the Cryo Pressure Indicator from up to down, back to Surge/3. And we got a Master Alarm and there was no O
2 High Flow with it at all.
039:36:26 Fullerton: Okay.
039:36:34 Cernan: Okay, I just did it again to verify it. And that picked up - it picked up the Master Alarm, although it might be associated with the fact that the surge tank is down and coming back up.
039:36:48 Evans: No, I don't think so.
039:36:50 Fullerton: Roger, Gene. Although, the surge tank shouldn't have caused it.
039:36:57 Cernan: Okay, let me give you one more try on it. Well, that time it didn't wait. All I did was go up to 1 slash 2 and the Alarm came on.
039:37:12 Fullerton: Roger.
039:37:14 Cernan: Okay, I went back to surge/3; it did not. So maybe it's coming on when I go up to 1 slash 2.
039:37:21 Fullerton: Roger.
039:37:26 Cernan: Yes, there it is, Gordy. It's definitely repeatable. I can go up to Pressure Cryo Quantity 1 slash 2 and the Alarm comes on.
039:37:38 Fullerton: Okay, Geno; understand.
039:37:39 Schmitt: You might note that - hey...
039:37:42 Schmitt: Gordo, you might think about the fact that we were getting them when the cabin pressure was high after launch. And there might be some association there, also.
039:37:57 Fullerton: Okay, a good observation.
039:38:05 Evans: Emergency Cabin selector to Off. We got to unbolt it down there somewhere. Underneath the commander's couch. Okay. [Pause.]
039:38:38 Evans: Repress Package valve, Off; should be Off.
039:38:52 Evans: Okay; verify Direct O
2 is Closed. Okay; Tunnel Vent Valve, LM/Command Module Delta-P. Okay, it's greater than 3.1. It's up around 3.6.
039:39:38 Evans: Okay, we're going to open the Pressure Equalization Valves.
039:41:09 Evans: Okay. Delta-P is 2½.
039:41:12 Schmitt: And, Gordy, battery A charge has been stopped and the battery compartment pressure is still reading 0.6.
039:41:22 Fullerton: Roger, Jack.
039:41:36 Evans: Okay. There's the Delta-P of 2. We'll close the equalization valve. Yes, we'll monitor for 3 minutes now.
039:44:01 Fullerton: Geno, Houston. We just wanted to verify that no - none of the lights in the matrix were - flashed when you operated that switch and got the Master Alarm.
039:44:15 Cernan: That's affirmative, Gordo; none of the lights flashed at all.
039:44:18 Fullerton: Roger.
039:44:21 Schmitt: When we get the cabin pressure down, Gordy, here, we might try one more time. Which Gene just did.
039:44:35 Fullerton: Okay, and nothing happened?
039:44:39 Schmitt: That's affirm.
039:44:42 Fullerton: Roger. [Long pause.]
039:45:40 Evans: Okay, still holding at 2.0 on the Delta-P.
039:45:48 Evans: Okay, we'll open the pressure equalization valve and when the cabin pressure gets to 4.0, hit the Repress O
2. [Long pause.]
039:46:58 Evans: Delta-P is about 0.6, we might make it this time.
039:47:20 Evans: Delta-P's - Okay, I'm going to open her right up. Delta-P is 0.2 now.
039:48:29 Schmitt: Okay, Houston, the hatch is open.
AS17-162-24054 - CM Interior, Forward (Tunnel) Hatch - JSC scan
039:48:32 Fullerton: Roger.
AS17-162-24055 - LM Checkout - JSC scan
039:50:39 Evans: Okay, the Extend Latch is Engaged. Red is not visible. GN
2 Bleed button. [Singing] Okay; GN
2 Bleed. Not too much in there.
039:51:06 Evans: Okay, Preload Selector lever - rotate parallel to the orange stripe. Okay. Preload Handle, torque clockwise to unload the old support beams.
039:51:32 Evans: [Clanking noise.] Ah ha! The probe is big. Whoops - Oh, okay.
039:51:43 Evans: The probe is loose in the tunnel. Okay, rotate away from the orange stripe. [Singing] Torque...
039:52:25 Evans: Okay, we'll probe umbilicals. is the LM Power Off? Proceed - doesn't make any difference. Dock Probe Circuit Breakers undone? [Garble]. That's good and tight.
039:52:56 Evans: [Clanking noise.] Oops. This darn thing. Okay.
039:53:22 Evans: Son of a buck. Okay, I'm trying putting those things back on now, just for the heck of it. It's brand new; nice and tight.
039:53:48 Evans: Can you smell nitrogen? Smell something up here.
039:53:56 Evans: Okay, probe umbilicals disconnected and stow. Electrical connector covers are closed. Yes, yes, those are yellow ones. Preload Handle, position against - against the umbilical connector. Okay, that's done.
039:54:18 Evans: Selector Lever is in the mid position. Installation Strut.
039:54:31 Evans: Okay, Installation Strut is unstowed. Capture Latch Release Handle Lock. Okay, the Release Handle is unlocked.
039:54:57 Evans: Okay, Ratchet Handle unstowed to the full extension; boost to the first detent. That's good and tight going back to the first detent. Okay. Fold probe, looks like. Yes, it's out. [Singing.]
039:55:31 Evans: Ooooh! There it comes. That's just like in the simulator. It comes down by itself. It comes - pushes me out of the way, as a matter of fact. Okay. I'll get it a little better.
039:56:00 Evans: Okay, Ratchet Handle pulled to full extension and then ratchet one stroke. Gets it so it gets it off the thing.
039:56:25 Evans: Okay, that's one stroke backwards now. Okay, Ratchet Handle and [garble] Installation Strut are restowed. Capture Latch Release Handle.
039:57:08 Evans: Okay, Capture Latch Release Handle is rotated 180 degrees and it's back in the recess. Okay, let's see if it comes out.
039:57:20 Evans: [Clanking noise.]
039:57:22 Evans: Ooops. Here it comes. I couldn't see it awhile ago, Let me look - the Probe Strut's in the way. That's why you can't see it until now. Where do we want to go with this thing down over here at the...
039:58:23 Evans: Houston, it's a nice clean [garble] and release there on top of the probe. It's nice and clean down there. The button is depressed. There's play around the little button on the end of the probe there too.
039:58:40 Fullerton: Okay, Ron. In about 1 minute, we're going to have a site handover. You'll be talking through Hawaii after that takes place.
039:58:53 Evans: Okay. What's the docking angle? Blew it, I guess. 1.2 degrees, huh?
039:59:23 Evans: Yes, I think I better ver - verify that, just to make sure. COAS looks great.
039:59:41 Evans: Hold a minute, Gene - wait a minute. You got - there we go.
039:59:51 Evans: [Clanking noise.]
040:00:06 Schmitt: [Garble] even getting - [garble] any scratching on here now. [Garble] I [garble] out there.
040:00:27 Fullerton: Ron, this is Houston. We'd like to confirm the tunnel index angle - that's a positive - a plus 1.2, is that right?
040:00:37 Evans: Stand by. I don't believe it yet. I want to check it myself. Well, Gordo, that's what I read, but I figure it's his privilege.
040:00:50 Evans: I was just checking for any scratches on the drogue, but it doesn't look like there is any on there.
040:00:58 Fullerton: Roger.
040:01:04 Evans: See [garble]. [Singing. Long pause.]
040:02:13 Evans: Okay, Houston. The roll docking index is on a 1.2 - a plus - one point - a plus 1.2.
040:02:23 Fullerton: Roger. Plus 1.2.
040:02:28 Evans: And - I took a look up there in the docking latch number 4. The bungee is parallel [garble]. Bungee is parallel, but it's not fully extended. You look down in the end of it you know, and it's not fully extended. And the - capture - the docking latch itself or the docking lever is loose on the docking ring. So, it looks like to me that's when I ought to recock and fire it again.
040:03:12 Fullerton: Okay. We copy that, Ron. Stand by. [Long pause.]
040:04:08 Fullerton: Ron, can you estimate in inches how far down the bungee piston is?
040:04:18 Evans: Yes, it's down about a half an inch.
040:04:21 Fullerton: Roger.
040:04:25 Evans: And, when I take the - and move the handle back a ways and I can take the hook - no I did [laughter]. I took the hook and I pulled it back off the docking ring and then it caught again, so now it won't go back over the docking ring. Maybe I just lifted the hook off the docking [garble] ring with my finger.
040:04:58 Fullerton: Roger. [Long pause.]
040:05:29 Evans: [Garble].
040:05:34 Fullerton: Say, Ron, I would like to caution you again, sticking your finger around or under that hook - there may still be some spring energy stored up there that could release.
040:05:47 Evans: Oh, you bet you. Yes, I know that. No, I was just touching the top of the hook when I pulled it back off the docking ring. I'm pulling back onto the docking ring, and it looks like it's back in the cocked position now.
040:06:08 Fullerton: Okay. I think we've got the picture. [Long pause.]
040:06:42 Evans: Do you want me to open the hatch here, Jack, or do you want to - while they're thinking about that I'll get out of the way and come on and open the hatch.
040:07:22 Evans: [Laughter.] Can't get up and can't get down - Okay...
040:08:27 Fullerton: We're having a long conversation about that latch, Ron. Why don't you all just press on down the checklist and leave it as it is while we think about it?
040:08:38 Evans: Okay. That's what we're doing here Gordo. [Pause.]
040:08:55 Evans: Okay, Gordo, do you want the O
2 Heaters 1 and 2, Off, and 3, Auto? That's what you've got.
040:09:12 Fullerton: Yes, that's fine. [Pause.]
040:09:22 Evans: Okay. He's going to open the hatch and IVT. Gordo, let me give you a little more on that docking latch. When I looked at it, of course, my handle was flush against the edge and it was also - essentially - locked in position. But since the bungee was down on the thing I took hold of it, and I felt that the hook itself was loose. Okay, so I took the handle and the handle will come back - would come back once you pressed the little button, you know, to release the handle. The handle would come back to about a 45-degree position just like it normally does when you try to cock the latches. Okay, with the handle back in that 45-degree position, then I grabbed hold of the hook and brought the hook off of the docking ring with my fingers and back to about that 45-degree position again just like it was comparable to the first cocked position. And that's the way it is right now.
040:10:31 Fullerton: Okay, Ron. [Long pause.]
040:10:57 Schmitt: Okay, Gordo, I'm running up through the tunnel from America to Challenger.
040:11:03 Fullerton: Roger. [Long pause.]
040:11:19 Schmitt: Yes [garble]. Okay [garble].
040:11:25 Schmitt: One piece of tape coming up shortly, provided I can find the tape. Here it is.
040:12:25 Cernan: Piece of tape coming up [garble]. [Long pause.]
040:12:51 Cernan: I'll tell you, Gordo, it's remarkably clean up here. It doesn't look like the snowstorm that I remember coming into last time.
040:13:01 Fullerton: Roger Geno. [Pause.]
040:13:07 Fullerton: We tried to leave it all cleaned up...
040:13:08 Schmitt: [Garble] up here. Hey, you did a good job, friend. [Long pause.]
040:13:30 Schmitt: Hey, that's good. Where is it? Oh, you - straight out there? Let me see; I want to see. I want to take a look at it, too. Hey, there it is; sticking straight out.
040:13:59 Schmitt: Okay, Houston, America has a VHF antenna - looks deployed perfectly.
040:14:08 Fullerton: Roger.
040:14:19 Schmitt: Hey, you guys are upside down in there [laughter]. [Garble]. [Long pause.]
040:15:13 Schmitt: The commander's window has a slight amount of condensation on the - along lower left edge - that's the left-hand edge, really. It seems to be just there when the Sun warms the window.
040:15:30 Fullerton: Roger, Jack.
040:15:39 SC: Okay, Houston. 74 on 1-3.
040:15:43 Fullerton: Okay. [Pause.]
040:15:55 Schmitt: Geez, what was that? [laughter] What was that from? [Garble]. What the heck is this?
040:16:29 Fullerton: Sounds like the cabin repress is working up there.
040:16:34 Cernan: Holy smoley. [Garble].
040:16:38 Cernan: Man oh man, did the heart beat go up on that?
040:16:40 Schmitt: Sorry about that [garble].
040:16:41 Cernan: [Laughter.] [Garble].
040:16:59 Schmitt: Turns out - there's Sun out in the AOT.
040:17:06 Fullerton: Roger, Jack.
040:17:17 Schmitt: Okay. I'm looking out the AOT, and I see a VHF antenna and part of a umbra radar antenna in position 1. Position 2 looks right in the radar antenna, and, as I said yesterday, it looks beautiful.
040:17:48 Fullerton: Roger.
040:17:50 Schmitt: Position 3, I see the other side of America and very, very clean AOT, very clean. Okay, I got a good view of the side of the Service Module, and you can see these little blisters in the side of the covering there quite distinctly. I think people were talking about those before.
040:18:39 Fullerton: Roger. [Long pause.]
040:19:04 Schmitt: Yes, I take that back. That's the side of - that's the side of the Command Module - looking at that has the little blisters on it. Got to get oriented up here. [Long pause.]
040:19:46 Schmitt: Got a great view of the hatch - you [garble] watch your eyes there Gene. Look up, rather than into the Sun [garble]. [Long pause.]
040:20:51 SC: Okay. Step 1 on 1-4.
040:20:56 SC: Okay, Gordy. The LMP OPS is 6100 psi, 6100.
040:21:03 Fullerton: Roger.
040:21:11 SC: And the CDR's OPS is 5900, that's five-nine-zero-zero.
040:21:17 Fullerton: Okay.
040:21:20 - This is Apollo Control. Cernan and Evans [means Schmitt] at this time have gone into the Lunar Module, and they're going through the housekeeping transfer of items from the Command Module into the Lunar Module and will proceed with the checklist of activating the spacecraft, or Lunar Module, spacecraft communications system, and the communications have been split into two links on Earth, Air-to-Ground 1 for the Command Module, and Air-to-Ground 2 for the Lunar Module. They're on hot mike or a voice-actuated circuit, so we can hear them run through the items as they accomplish them aboard the Lunar Module Challenger.
040:22:24 SC: Okay. Zip bag coming up. [Long pause.]
040:23:02 SC: You won't scare me any more if I come on up here with you, will you? [Laughter.].
040:23:18 SC: I got to go back in there.
040:24:00 - This is Apollo Control, a correction on the earlier statement, it is Cernan and Schmitt in the Lunar Module Challenger at this time. Evans had the detail of removing the probe and drogue earlier, but he's by his lonesome, back in the Command Module.
040:24:24 SC: Yes. Do you want to stack part of it over there?
040:24:31 SC: No, wait a minute. There's strips of the stuff, you know, I'll just give you a strip of it. Take it over there.
040:25:38 SC: Okay. Here you go. That's [garble] of them is that enough?
040:27:15 Evans: Yes, go ahead, Jack. Yes, in the tunnel. What do you need.
040:27:28 SC: Okay. [Long pause.]
040:28:15 Schmitt: Checking circuit breakers now, Gordy.
040:28:22 Fullerton: Roger.
040:29:51 Schmitt: [Garble] both circuit breaker panels were as advertised, Gordy.
040:29:57 Fullerton: Okay.
040:36:32 Evans: Am I not looking in the right place?
040:36:37 Fullerton: Let me look. I don't know where one is, right offhand. I'll check here.
040:36:51 Evans: Well, just help me with some terms here. I was just looking again at side of - underneath the power bungee.
040:37:22 Schmitt: Okay, Gordy; we're at the top of 1-13 and all switches, valves were in proper configuration.
040:37:31 Fullerton: Okay, you could have asked me and I could have told you that.
040:37:39 Schmitt: We were just trying to give you a plug - Well, if you don't want them - Well, we'll take it back. [Laughter.] I shouldn't have said anything to the world's most experienced DLMP. Right?
040:38:05 Fullerton: Roger.
040:39:34 Evans: Hey, can you guys open the hatch out there. Take your picture. [Long Pause.]
040:40:27 Fullerton: Ron, at first glance, it doesn't look like you have one onboard, a picture of the latch. We're still looking though, but I don't think we have one.
040:40:38 Evans: Well, it's kind of the conclusion I came to when I didn't find it in the systems data - Hey, I got a little bit to tell you about that. Oh, those little ones underneath the power bungee.
040:40:49 Fullerton: Okay, go ahead.
040:41:13 Evans: [Garble].
040:41:22 Evans: Okay, if you look at the docking latch number 4 up beside of that - Oh, kind of a J-hook looking thing. There is a snowman. In other words, a great big fat thing with a head on top of it. And if you consider the fat thing with the head on it as a snowman, well then, the snowman's head is pointing out a 9 o'clock, on that one. Whereas one that's fully cocked and latched over there, the snowman's head points up at about 11 o'clock. And - Okay, there is a lever that comes right out of the bottom of the power bungee, it looks like, and then it comes out of the bottom then left out of that lever, is another silver slot or silver bar that goes from the lever to the J-hook with the snowman on it. That particular thing that connects the J-hook to the lever coming out of the bottom of the bungee is visible. In other words, it's not sticking back underneath the J-hook. It's visible.
040:42:49 Fullerton: Ron, we've got just a line drawing here and we've still haven't got with you on what's what according to the drawing. Maybe you can hold off until we get a model of the latch, then we can stay with your description.
040:43:08 Evans: Oh, okay, Gordy.
040:43:09 Fullerton: I'll give you a call.
040:45:03 SC: [Laughter.] [Long pause.]
040:45:38 Evans: Yeah, I know it, it's up to you. [Garble] I want to float up in the tunnel. Do you want to float up and look?
040:46:05 Evans: You know, the congestion I had all day yesterday is just about gone.
040:47:39 Schmitt: Gordy, you'll be happy to know that putting the LMP's camera together is 500-percent easier in zero gravity.
040:47:48 Fullerton: Roger.
040:47:53 Schmitt: It becomes a two-hand process.
040:51:30 Evans: Is that temporary stow?
040:53:01 Evans: Hey, Jack, if you get a chance, take a picture back this way.
040:53:41 Schmitt: Okay [garble]. [Long pause.]
AS17-148-22745 - Earth at a distance of approximately 251,000 km (based on photo analysis). North and South America, Antarctica - JSC scan
AS17-148-22746 - Earth at a distance of approximately 251,000 km (based on photo analysis). North and South America, Antarctica - JSC scan
040:55:03 Schmitt: Putting the cue cards up now, and the camera, by the way, Gordy, operated for two frames and the Reseau looked clean, lens looks clean and everything's fine with it.
040:55:16 Fullerton: Okay, Jack; sounds good.
040:55:47 - This is Apollo Control. Schmitt and Cernan at this time still in the Lunar Module going through the activation and housekeeping chores that are scheduled in the Flight Plan. They entered approximately on time as indicated by the Flight Plan. Meanwhile, here in the Control Center, one of the docking collar capture latches is here in the Control Center being examined by flight controllers trying to sort out why some of the latches apparently did not fully engage during the docking operation. Spacecraft now 140,451 nautical miles [260,115 km] from Earth, velocity now is 3,683 feet per second [1,123 m/s]. Continuing to stand by on air-ground 2 for a conservation from the crew of Challenger.
041:01:22 SC: The regular type, huh? [Long pause.]
041:01:37 Evans: Okay, I can do that.
041:01:41 Cernan: Okay, Gordo, we're on the top of 1-15, we're ready to go ahead and transfer the power and we'll give you a call.
041:01:49 Fullerton: Okay, Geno.
041:02:03 Evans: Okay, the LM Power circuit breaker is In. What the - let me know what you want [garble] Okay, going to Off, Reset. Okay, back On. And, I got the old Master Alarm again. The pressure's been - I don't know what it is.
041:02:34 Schmitt: Okay, Houston; we got a good transfer.
041:02:38 Fullerton: Roger.
041:02:39 Evans: Got it again by hitting the panel. [Long pause.]
041:03:38 Fullerton: Ron, this is Houston.
041:03:43 Evans: Yeah, go ahead, Gord.
041:03:45 Fullerton: Okay, we've got considerable conversation going on here about that docking latch, and it's not at all settled yet. But the primary thing we want to guard against is the possibility that it is malfunctioning and that we get it latched down on the ring and can't unlatch it, and, therefore, have problem with undocking, or possibly even prevent it. So, we'd like you steer clear of that until we come up with a final solution. No experimentation, please. Over.
041:04:22 Evans: Okay, I understand. I'll leave them alone. And just one little other bit of information to let you know the handle itself is not free at this point to come on back down like it's - you know. Like, if it were fully cocked, the handle itself would be free to come back down. It is not free, I did not try to put a whole lot of pressure on it, but it's not free.
041:04:51 Fullerton: Okay. I understand. [Pause.]
041:05:01 Schmitt: Okay, Houston. Glycol Pump 2 is On, it's been on about a minute, and we've got good talkbacks from batteries 1 and 4.
041:05:11 Fullerton: Roger, Jack. [Long pause.]
041:05:42 Schmitt: LMP and CDR buses are 262.
041:05:48 Fullerton: Roger. [Pause.]
041:06:00 Fullerton: Okay, Jack, you can go ahead and switch onto high taps on 1 and 4.
041:06:13 Schmitt: That's in work. Okay, 1 and 4 are on high taps.
041:06:30 Fullerton: Roger.
041:08:22 Schmitt: Houston, glycol pressure is 22.
041:08:31 Fullerton: You faded out, Jack. Say again on glycol pressure.
041:08:37 Schmitt: Roger. It's 22.0.
041:08:42 Fullerton: Okay.
041:08:43 Schmitt: Well, you can cut off the decimal.
041:08:55 Evans: Okay, stand by 1. [Pause.]
041:09:10 Evans: Okay, it's off, Jack.
041:11:00 Evans: No, wait a minute, I got to go get it. Which one you on? A? Okay.
041:11:35 Evans: Okay, Jack, I'm Simplex Alpha. Okay, try it again. I got the - how me.
041:11:54 Evans: Okay, Jack, you're cutting out on everything, and all I'm getting is the end of your transmission there.
041:12:04 Evans: Okay, I got counting - 1, 2, 3, 4.
041:12:08 Cernan: Jack, you read Gene? Okay, you - you were loud and clear after your first two words in every case, just like you were cutting out on VOX.
041:12:31 Cernan: We got it all...
041:12:32 Evans: Got it all that time. You got it all that time there now, do you read me too?
041:12:52 Evans: Well, that's interesting. Let me adjust the squelch on this one here.
041:13:17 Evans: Okay. Seems to work. I can't hear the squelch on any of them.
041:13:26 Cernan: Jack, go VHF A Transmitter and Receiver, Off, and B Transmitter, Voice, and leave the Receiver, On.
041:13:32 Schmitt: Okay, Voice, On, and Off on B now.
041:13:37 Schmitt: Okay, TR.
041:13:47 Evans: Okay, I'm going to B now. Okay [garble] how's that? [garble].
041:14:00 Schmitt: Okay. You're loud and clear, Ron. How me?
041:14:04 Evans: Okay, loud and clear that time.
041:14:06 Schmitt: Okay. And my - my VHF Alpha had to go to 2 on the Squelch, and I'm in 3 on Bravo.
041:14:17 Cernan: [Garble] okay?
041:14:18 Schmitt: You're loud and clear, Gene.
041:14:21 Cernan: Okay [garble] but not much.
041:14:26 Schmitt: Okay. How do you read now?
041:14:28 Cernan: Okay I got it.
041:14:29 Schmitt: Okay, I took it B to 2. So it's the same kind of thing I guess.
041:14:35 Cernan: Okay for four minutes in voice, is low bit rate check [garble].
041:14:50 Schmitt: Okay, Houston, how do you read Challenger? Counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Over.
041:14:56 Fullerton: Challenger, Houston. You're loud and clear, although we have a lot of background noise. Not sure whether that's getting through. Do you know if Ron is still on VOX?
041:15:09 Cernan: [Garble] Challenger to give you a call [garble].
041:15:47 Cernan: Hello, Houston, America. How do you read?
041:15:51 Fullerton: America, this is Houston. Over.
041:15:57 Cernan: Okay, stand by, and Challenger is going to give you a call on S-band, and VHF checks are both Go on A and B.
041:16:05 Fullerton: I think I site lost lock on Challenger, we are getting some data. We'll stand by for another check.
041:16:13 Schmitt: We acknowledge that. I heard him the first time. Okay, you ought to be getting in [garble] low bit rate.
041:16:22 Schmitt: Okay, Houston, this is Challenger. Counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. How do you read?
041:16:28 Fullerton: Challenger, Houston. You're loud and clear, with some background noise.
041:16:38 Schmitt: They don't have a good uplink Gene. I had signal strength. And now I don't have any at all.
041:16:46 Schmitt: Okay, Houston, Challenger gave you a call, but he does not have any uplink signal strength at all.
041:16:46 Fullerton: Okay, and we'd like him to hold this configuration right there, until we get the site straightened out and we understand what the problem is.
041:17:01 Schmitt: [Garble] 2.2.
041:17:05 Cernan: Okay, understand hold configuration there. He just got about 2.2 on the signal strength.
041:17:11 Fullerton: Okay, Geno.
041:17:16 Schmitt: And tell them I heard their transmission to you. No, a few minutes ago. I was at zero signal strength and I heard their transmission at least one of them. The first time they acknowledged, that I was going to do it.
041:17:50 Schmitt: Did you shift my hose back? [Pause.]
041:18:05 Fullerton: Hello, Challenger; this is Houston. Do you read me?
041:18:13 Schmitt: Okay, Houston. I read you. You're weak but clear. Signal strength is fluctuating. When you call me, it fluctuated down to about 1.6. Over. And it's 2 now.
041:18:26 Fullerton: Okay, Jack. You're loud and clear. The background noise I've been mentioning, although I guess you haven't heard me mention it until now, is what we expect in Down Voice Backup and Low Bit Rate. How have you read this transmission all the way through? Over.
041:18:45 Schmitt: Did he say "say again?" Gene? Gene, did he say "say again?" I got a little bit - oh he's got three point...
041:18:57 Evans: [Garble] they're not talking to us [garble].
041:18:59 Schmitt: What? Okay, Houston. I've got 3.4 on the signal strength, and try me again.
041:19:12 Fullerton: Okay, Challenger. You're coming in loud and clear. How do you read me?
041:19:19 Schmitt: Okay, Houston. I know you tried to transmit. I could just barely tell that. I could see the signal strength vary down to 3. You were modulating, apparently, but you're not getting through to me.
041:19:36 Fullerton: Okay, Challenger. I'm transmitting simul now in both S-band frequencies, and it sounds to us like for some reason when I transmit, the uplink signal starts to break up. It's just the way you see it. Over.
041:19:52 Schmitt: Okay, Gordy. You're breaking up there. Still modulating, but I cannot read you. Would you - would you tell America what you said?
041:20:03 Cernan: Yes, Gordy, we read you in America loud and clear on that simul.
041:20:08 Fullerton: Okay, Geno. [Long pause.]
041:20:51 Schmitt: Is he talking, Gene? [Long pause.]
041:21:13 Schmitt: As soon as he starts trying to talk, the signal strength drops off about 0.4. Now, I have had - I heard him loud and clear one time when he called you guys.
041:21:24 Fullerton: America and Challenger, we're going to hand over to a different site and try that here in about 30 seconds.
041:21:41 Schmitt: What else do we have to do, get some of these mags stowed? [Pause.]
041:21:54 Schmitt: We've got to stow the mags. Here, put the PPK where it belongs.
041:24:34 Fullerton: Hello, Challenger; this is Houston through Bermuda. How do you copy?
041:24:48 Fullerton: Challenger, this is Houston. How do you read me?
041:24:54 Schmitt: Do you want to [garble] up the camera [garble] tow our LCG back there [garble].
041:25:10 Fullerton: America, Houston [garble].
041:25:16 Cernan: Go ahead [garble].
041:25:22 Cernan: Go ahead Gord [garble].
041:25:24 Fullerton: Okay, Jack. I think he answered us, but he was completely lost in the noise. I could just barely make out [garble] somebody talking. Could he hear us okay?
041:25:41 Cernan: No. If he did hear you, he didn't answer.
041:25:46 Fullerton: Okay. It was my imagination then.
041:25:55 Fullerton: Challenger, Houston. How do you read? [No answer.]
041:26:05 Fullerton: Hello, Challenger; Houston. How do you read? [Long pause.]
041:26:30 Schmitt: [Garble] 3.2 [garble] one word [garble] I heard [garble].
041:27:50 Fullerton: Hello, Challenger. This is Houston. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, how do you copy. Over.
041:28:05 Schmitt: [Garble]
041:29:31 Fullerton: America, Houston.
041:29:36 Fullerton: Can you tell Jack, ask him to verify he's on aft Omni?
041:29:45 Cernan: Okay. I'll have him verify he's on aft Omni. That's affirm. He's verified.
041:29:55 Fullerton: Okay.
041:29:55 Cernan: [Garble] earlier when he was [garble] that he had good signal strength [garble] he would transmit [garble].
041:30:07 Fullerton: Roger.
041:30:07 Fullerton: But on this last set of checks, we didn't hear anything [garble]
041:30:13 Cernan: Apparently not.
041:30:16 Fullerton: Okay.
041:30:21 Cernan: There was one time earlier when he had zero signal strength where he said he could hear you transmitting to us very weak but clear.
041:30:32 Fullerton: Okay. [Long pause.]
041:30:59 Fullerton: Hello, Challenger. Hello, Challenger; this is Houston. How do you read?
041:31:04 Schmitt: Okay. You're loud - well, you're about 3 by, Gordy, but very clear.
041:31:11 Fullerton: Okay, Jack. We can hear about 1 by 1 in the midst of a lot of noise, but we could tell you're sounding much better.
041:33:28 Schmitt: No. I've got 2 now signal strength. [Long pause.]
041:34:17 Fullerton: Challenger, this is Houston. Going up to you through Bermuda, and your - you should come down through Goldstone. How do I sound now? [No answer.]
041:34:41 Fullerton: Challenger, Houston. How do you read?
041:34:52 Schmitt: You're 1.8, 1.8. Yes. Never heard him. [Long pause.]
041:35:34 Fullerton: Hello, Challenger; Houston. How do you read?
041:36:46 Schmitt: Gordy received me, didn't he? Well, he started to say something; then he dropped off.
041:36:50 Schmitt: Now he's up. Haven't heard him. [Long pause.]
041:37:57 Fullerton: America, Houston.
041:38:04 Fullerton: Okay. We're going to go back to Goldstone, both up and down, and we'd like Jack to do step 406 on the checklist; in other words, go to Voice. S-Band Voice to Voice, the Biomed to Right. And we're going to give it a try in the normal configuration. Over.
041:38:27 Cernan: They want step 406, gentlemen. Biomed, Right; and S-Band Voice to Voice.
041:38:35 Fullerton: That's affirmative.
041:38:39 Cernan: [Garble] he's going there now.
041:38:40 Fullerton: Roger. [Long pause.]
041:38:59 Cernan: Houston, do you read Challenger?
041:39:03 Fullerton: Roger, Challenger. Read you weak but clear. How do you read?
041:39:09 Schmitt: Okay, Houston, You just came in loud and clear. How do you read?
041:39:13 Fullerton: Okay. And that time, you're loud and clear, Jack and sounds real good.
041:39:20 Schmitt: Okay, Gordy. Let me say once again, way back when we first started and Gene was talking to you, I heard one of your answers, weak but clear, with zero signal strength showing here. Now, that might have been through Ron's VOX, I don't know. Since then, you've been able to modulate the signal strength, with occasional weak words. And - and then, when that signal strength was up around 3.2, where it is now, then you came in loud and clear with a broadcast. I answered you, you said about three words, then dropped off completely. And then we - we changed configuration.
041:40:04 Fullerton: Okay, Jack. That correlates with what we've seen here in the way of signal strengths dropping in and out. Stand by, and I'll see where we want to go from here.
041:41:20 Fullerton: Challenger, Houston. We'd like you to do step 7. We'll check out the telemetry High Bit Rate.
041:41:30 Schmitt: Okay; step 7. [Pause.]
041:41:40 Fullerton: And, Challenger; Houston. Making a voice check. How do you copy?
041:41:47 Schmitt: Roger. You're loud and clear. How me?
041:41:49 Fullerton: You're loud and clear. [Long pause.]
041:42:45 Fullerton: Challenger, Houston. We're looking at the High Bit Rate for a minute here while we're waiting. Would you check the Cross Tie circuit breakers, panel 16? Verify they're open.
041:43:05 Schmitt: That's verified. Cross Tie's Bus and Bal Loads, Open.
041:43:10 Fullerton: Roger. [Long pause.]
041:43:51 Fullerton: Challenger, Houston. We'd like you to accomplish step number 8.
041:44:04 Schmitt: Roger. Step 8. [Long pause.]
041:44:23 Schmitt: Okay, Houston. How do you read the Challenger? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Over.
041:44:27 Fullerton: Challenger, you're loud and clear. How me?
041:44:31 Schmitt: Loud and clear.
041:44:33 Fullerton: Roger.
041:46:01 Fullerton: Challenger, Houston. Go ahead with step 9. Report the ED Bat Voltages.
041:46:12 Schmitt: Wilco. Stand by. [Long pause.]
041:47:03 Schmitt: Okay, Houston. ED Bats A and B are 37.2.
041:47:09 Fullerton: Roger. Okay. And go ahead with step 10, and then we'll go back and try to find out what's wrong with Down Voice Backup.
041:47:35 Schmitt: Gordo, say again, please.
041:47:38 Fullerton: Go ahead and check the sequence camera, if you haven't already, Jack, and then we'll have some steps for you to check out what was wrong with Down Voice Backup.
041:47:56 Schmitt: All righty. Stand by. [Long pause.]
041:48:15 Schmitt: Sequence camera - sequence camera is Go.
041:48:19 Fullerton: Okay.
041:48:23 Schmitt: And I'm ready for your step.
041:48:25 Fullerton: Stand by 1.
041:50:36 Fullerton: Challenger, Houston. We'd like the Ranging switch to Off/Reset, and the Voice switch to Down Voice Backup, then give us a call. Over.
041:50:49 Schmitt: Okay. Off/Reset on Range, and Down Voice Backup on Voice.
041:50:53 Fullerton: That's affirmative.
041:51:01 Schmitt: Okay, Gordy. On Down Voice Backup, how do you read? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
041:51:08 Fullerton: Okay, Jack. You're readable. You're - okay, Challenger. We read your transmission, but you're just about - just about lost in the noise. Give us another count, please.
041:51:30 Schmitt: Okay, Houston; this is the Challenger. You were loud and clear, loud and clear. No different from the transmissions in Voice, and counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. How do you read? Over.
041:51:44 Fullerton: Okay, Jack. It got a lot better. You're - you're perfectly readable now. Sounding good.
041:51:53 Schmitt: That sounds good. [Long pause.]
041:52:08 Fullerton: Okay, Jack. Would you go to High Bit Rate?
041:52:13 Schmitt: Roger. Challenger's High Bit Rate. How do you read High Bit Rate?
041:52:18 Fullerton: Okay. Still the same. Loud and clear. [Long pause.]
041:52:36 Fullerton: Okay. We'd like Biomed, Off now, Jack.
041:52:43 Schmitt: Roger. Going Biomed, Off. Okay, Houston. How do you read the LM? Down Voice Backup; Biomed, Off; PCM, Hi. Over.
041:52:54 Fullerton: Okay, Jack. You're loud and clear.
041:53:00 Schmitt: Okay, Gordy. And that was hot mike, so that's working fine up here. And you're loud and clear, also.
041:53:11 Fullerton: Okay, Jack. Let's try PCM, Lo, now.
041:53:18 Schmitt: Okay. Talking to you Down Voice Backup; Biomed, Off; and PCM, Lo. How do you read? Over.
041:53:25 Fullerton: Okay. Same old, loud and clear.
041:53:30 Schmitt: Okay, Gordy. Certainly is clear up here. You're coming through 5 by at signal strength 3.2, and - all appearances up here, that previous problem was an uplink. But I guess you were not reading me. is that correct?
041:53:53 Fullerton: Well, I was - The answer is yes and no at various times. We think, though, we have a good handle on the problem.
041:54:02 Schmitt: Okay; very good. [Long pause.]
041:54:16 Schmitt: Are you ready for us to press on here, Gordy? We're all stowed and - in pretty good shape in the LM.
041:54:25 Fullerton: Okay. We'd like you to check one more switch first before moving on. Check the Updata Link switch to Off.
041:54:36 Schmitt: Okay, That is verified Off.
041:54:39 Fullerton: Roger. [Long pause.]
041:54:57 Fullerton: Want you to stand by a minute or two Jack, until we verify a funny-looking parameter here on that uplink switch.
041:55:13 Schmitt: Standing by. What's that? No, they want - they got something looking funny on the uplink - they're [garble] I guess on the uplink switch.
041:55:32 Fullerton: Challenger, Houston...
041:55:33 Schmitt: They want to look at it.
041:55:35 Fullerton: That was a bad call. We were reading the data wrong. You're clear to press on with the checklist now on page 1-20.
041:55:45 Schmitt: Okay. We'll press on. Geno, here is your jettison bag. You can get back to Ron.
041:56:04 Schmitt: Okay, S-band PR Off, VHF Off; I can hear you. PM Off.
041:58:06 Fullerton: Roger, Geno.
042:02:11 Cernan: Okay, Houston. We just transferred to CSM power, and the caution warning light did go off.
042:02:20 Fullerton: Roger.
042:07:37 Cernan: Gordo, we're about wrapped up here in Challenger. It looks like there's some life in the old bird, huh?
042:07:48 Fullerton: Roger.
042:07:56 Cernan: Okay. We'll give you a call when we get the hatch closed. Ron's doing some housekeeping in the Command Module, and we're going to take it slow getting back in.
042:08:05 Fullerton: Okay, Geno.
042:16:01 Evans: Okay, Houston. The drogue's going in.
042:16:14 Overmyer: Roger, Ron. We've got a couple of questions for you about those - about the latch. Good old latch number 4 gave us problems I guess, huh? [No answer.]
042:16:38 Overmyer: America, Houston.
042:16:43 Evans: America, go ahead.
042:16:45 Overmyer: Ron, can you take a look at the latch number 4, and is the hook back away from the ring approximately one inch, as opposed to resting against the ring? [No answer.]
042:17:42 Overmyer: America, Houston, did you copy my question? [No answer.]
042:18:22 MCC-H: We're going back to air-ground one.
042:18:22 Evans: Okay, I heard somebody going to air-ground one that time, and...
042:18:36 Overmyer: Roger, Ron. Got a couple of questions on those - that latch number 4 if you can answer it for me.
042:18:56 Overmyer: America, Houston. [No answer.]
042:19:38 Overmyer: America, Houston. We're back with you after some site changeover. How do you read?
042:19:46 Evans: Okay; loud and clear. How me, Bob?
042:19:48 Overmyer: Real good, Ron. On that number 4, latch number 4, is the hook backed away from the ring about 1 inch as opposed to resting against the ring? Do you have about an inch clearance on that hook right now?
042:20:14 Evans: Well, there's about ½ inch.
042:20:17 Overmyer: Okay. Understand about ½ inch. In what position was the latch handle when the hook was first moved back, Ron? Was it kind of like in a normal stroke-back, or was it just flopping back?
042:20:32 Evans: No, when I first looked at it, the latch handle was - see, the hook itself was over the ring when I first looked at it.
042:20:41 Overmyer: Roger. We understand that...
042:20:41 Evans: The hook was over the ring, and the - and the latch handle was flush, you know. It looks just like a normal - hooked docking latch, you know.
042:20:54 Overmyer: Roger. Understand.
042:20:55 Cernan: And, Bob, this is Gene. I can confirm that it did not fold back easily, because I - I checked it yesterday. I didn't check - I checked to see that the hooks were over as well as where the handles would fold back, but I obviously didn't check to see whether that one was seated. But the handle was locked.
042:21:17 Evans: Yes, that's right.
042:21:18 Overmyer: Roger. Understand. And the first thing you saw was the depression in the bungee. is that - is that affirm?
042:21:24 Evans: Yes, that's affirm. And the bungee is depressed about 3/8 - 3/8 to a ½ inch you know.
042:21:30 Overmyer: Roger. [Long pause.]
042:21:48 Evans: You can push the - you can push the hook about an inch away from the ring, but the normal - just a resting position on the thing is about a finger's width or ½ inch from the ring.
042:22:04 Overmyer: Roger. In other words, the loose - The hook is loose so it flops a little bit; you can move it back and forth. Is that affirm?
042:22:12 Evans: Yes. I can move it from about ½ inch to an inch from the edge of the ring - clearing the edge of the docking ring.
042:22:18 Overmyer: Roger. Ron, when you pulled the hook - when you pulled the handle back, did you reach and pull the hook back with it, or did it come back with the handle like a normal pullback then?
042:22:31 Evans: No, the - the hook did not come back with the handle. The hook did not come back with the handle. Although, when I - when I pulled the handle back to - you know, which is - which is kind of a normally uncocked position - and then it wouldn't go any further, you know. It wouldn't go an farther. And then the latch itself - or the hook - the J-hook; I'll call it the hook. I moved it off the docking ring back to this position that was about an inch or ½ inch from the docking ring. And it stays right there now. And I can't push it back up into the docking ring at all. Can't push the hook back up to the docking ring at all.
042:23:25 Overmyer: Okay. We copy that. [Long pause.]
042:23:38 Overmyer: Okay, Ron. Our plan here is to leave it like it is. And we're going to think about it tonight, and we'd like you to just keep pressing on. Just leave it alone, okay?
042:23:48 Evans: Okay. Sounds good. It'll clear the docking ring; no problem.
042:24:02 Cernan: Houston, America. While Ron is putting in the probe and getting the hatch back in, I'm going to go ahead and maneuver. How does that sound?
042:24:16 Overmyer: That's real fine, Gene.
042:24:30 - This is Apollo Control at 42 hours, 27 minutes Ground Elapsed Time. We're estimating the change of shift press conference in 15 minutes; 15 minutes at 6:15 Central Time in the small briefing room. Spacecraft communicator now is Bob Overmeyer. During this past checkout of the Lunar Module, we've had considerable difficulty in some of the communications configurations in the way the downlinks and the uplinks were set up. And some bit of difficulty in sorting out just what the nature of the problem with one of the docking latches is. People will be examining this through the night and during the checkout of the LM tomorrow, or additional work in the LM, perhaps the thing can be sorted out. Apollo 17 presently at 143,562 nautical miles [265,877 km] out from Earth traveling at a velocity of 3,590 feet per second [1,094 m/s]. At 42:28 and standing by, this is Apollo Control.
042:26:14 Schmitt: Bob, are you all going to want Omni or High Gain on this?
042:26:20 Overmyer: Stand by on that. [Long pause.]
042:26:37 Overmyer: We're all locked up on the High Gain. We'd just like you to leave it on High Gain. The angles you see in the Flight Plan are in case it breaks lock. That's what you need for - with this attitude.
042:33:10 Evans: Okay, Houston. The probe is installed. We'll get the hatch in now.
042:33:15 Overmyer: Roger, Ron.
042:33:21 Evans: I'm not going to connect the umbilicals unless you really want to look at probe temperature.
042:33:30 Overmyer: Stand by on that, Ron. We concur on that, Ron.
042:33:43 Evans: Okay; good.
042:39:28 Evans: Okay, Houston. The hatch went in nominally, once the probe installation strut was stowed in the right position.
042:39:42 Overmyer: Roger.
042:41:10 - This is Apollo Control at 42 hours, 41 minutes. Apollo 17 now 144,002 nautical miles [266,692 km] from Earth. Velocity, 3,577 feet per second [1,090 m/s]. The change-of-shift briefing is ready to start in the News Center briefing room. We'll take down this air-ground line and tape any communications during the course of the briefing and replay them at the conclusion of the news conference. This is Mission Control, Houston, at 42 hours, 41 minutes.
042:43:47 Overmyer: 17, Houston. We are recommending Quads Bravo and Delta for spin up.
042:43:56 Evans: Okay; Bravo and Delta. Thank you.
042:57:34 Evans: Okay, Houston. At 042:56:52.04, I started the stop watch, and also the watch read 18:30:01.
042:57:53 Overmyer: Okay, Ron. We got that.
043:02:24 Evans: Okay, Houston. We've started on the heat select radial and lineal part - part of it. The little pie-shaped things are changing color as we go out. The lineal part of it - all of the chips seemed to have been concentrated on the front edge of the glass, and they're all pretty much in the linear direction or in XX-direction. At this point in time, I haven't seen any movement yet.
043:02:58 Overmyer: Roger, Ron. Aren't they on [garble] heads the same way they were on the backup unit the other evening in the White Room - on the lamp?
043:03:10 Evans: Yes, all those chips seem to be - well - in an XX - I got the lineal direction, the lineal part of the experiment in the XX-direction. And all the chips are lined up in that XX-direction on the front or the top of the glass.
043:03:31 Overmyer: Roger. That's just the way you were in the backup unit the other day in the White Room.
043:03:37 Evans: Yes, that's right.
043:11:36 Evans: Okay, Houston. We've started the cooldown in Light 5 position there. The radial cells, they all started to change color except the one from about 10 o'clock to 12 o'clock.
043:11:52 Overmyer: Roger. Except from 10 to 12. We've got it. Did the lineal [garble] stay right in line there, Ron?
043:12:02 Evans: Yes, the crystals or chips that are inside there didn't move at all. Yes, they're [garble] - -
043:12:09 Overmyer: Roger.
043:12:15 Evans: On the color patterns behind there - the one on the left, as you look at the unit - the color crystals only changed down to about 0.9 of the first square as you come down from the top. The rest of them are all black on that partic - on the left row.
043:12:39 Overmyer: Roger, Ron.
043:12:41 Evans: So that's the maximum extent of the - that's the max extent of the heating.
043:12:47 Evans: You might check and see if the guys want to heat it a little bit longer the next time, when they do it in the PTC.
043:12:55 Overmyer: Yes. Roger, Ron. We're copying everything you're saying, and we've got all kinds of support here; we - in fact, we've got one backup unit here watching what you're doing, so we'll keep you posted on what we think.
043:13:08 Evans: Oh, okay.
043:13:12 Schmitt: Is the backup CMP operating it?
043:13:16 Overmyer: Matter of fact, that's affirm.
043:13:21 Schmitt: That's the way to do things.
043:13:25 Overmyer: And, Ron, we'd like you to stay nominal on the heating time due to the film limitation.
043:13:33 Evans: Okay; will do.
043:15:09 Evans: Okay, Houston; 17 here. is there enough film in there to allow me to keep the camera running while I try to fill up that flow pattern?
043:15:22 Overmyer: Stand by on that, Ron.
043:15:27 Overmyer: It's affirmative, Ron. You can leave it running.
043:15:39 - This is Apollo Control at 43 hours, 16 minutes. Apollo 17 is 145,178 nautical miles [268,870 km] from Earth, traveling at a speed of 3,543 feet per second [1,080 m/s]. The crew is now in the midst of the heat flow and convection demonstration. This is the demonstration that's designed to provide more exact data on the behavior of fluids in a low gravity field. This type of investigation is really not possible on Earth where gravity determines flow of fluids. In space the flow forces surface tension. There are three test cells involved in this demonstration for measuring and observing the fluid flow, behavior and the results are recorded with the 16-mm camera aboard. We have about 5 minutes worth of tape that accumulated during the news conference and we'll play that for you now and then pickup live.
043:16:51 Evans: Okay, Houston. The first thing I noticed, as soon as I opened the Flow four turns, it started running out a little bit, even - even without doing the inject. Okay; that's because the Inject thing was open just a little bit, but it's all right.
043:17:11 Overmyer: Roger. We copy.
043:17:22 Evans: Okay; I'll try to squirt some fluid in there...
043:17:26 Overmyer: Okay.
043:17:27 Evans: ...with the fluid inject thing. [Long pause.]
043:18:11 Evans: Okay; I'm taking it in quite slow. It's noted there are quite a few small bubbles coming out with it. So far, so good. It hasn't overflowed the - the first capillary ring. And it's taken off, and it's going by capillary action toward the bottom and toward the top.
043:18:40 Overmyer: Roger, Ron.
043:19:27 Evans: Okay; it finally met together at - that part going around the top and around the bottom - met together 180 degrees opposite of the inject port and now is starting to go out across the middle and fill up from the inject port.
043:19:46 Overmyer: Roger.
043:19:47 Evans: We're getting a lot of big bubbles coming out now. That's after about a turn and a half.
043:19:55 Overmyer: Roger. We copy.
043:21:41 Evans: Okay; that's two turns now. The meniscus is still holding on the first inner ring - it looks like all the way around, at least as far as I can see. The bubbles - big bubbles that have been coming out now, and also the fluid have taken over the right half of the bottom of the dish. We're starting to fill in a little bit, maybe a fourth of an inch - fourth of an inch circumference coming around from the left side opposite the injection port.
043:22:22 Overmyer: Roger.
043:22:31 Evans: Okay; I'll keep going here. We're about two and a half turns now. And it looks like all of the bubbles have already come out. We're getting real fluid now coming out. It's a real pretty picture anyhow.
043:22:48 Overmyer: Roger.
043:22:55 Evans: Okay; that's three turns. I don't believe we're going to be able to cover the entire bottom with the four turns.
043:23:27 Evans: Okay. That's four turns, and - it's covered up the right - oh, three-fourths of the floor of the thing and about three-eights of an inch on the left side of the - of the floor - three-eights of an inch annulus all the way around, except for the right - oh, say right two-thirds of the floor.
043:23:55 Overmyer: Roger, Ron. You can use more than four turns if you need it.
043:24:01 Evans: Okay; let's go ahead and try to cover up the whole floor on the thing before we do it. The bubbles are in there, and I'm afraid they're going to stay un - unless they disappear when we heat it.
043:24:11 Overmyer: Roger. [Long pause.]
043:24:35 Evans: There now it's - it's coming out with no bubbles now, and it looks like it almost formed a meniscus on top of itself - on top of where the bubbles were.
043:24:50 Overmyer: Roger, Ron. Is it continuing to spread out?
043:24:54 Evans: Yes, it's continuing to spread out now, and without pumping anything into it at all - I did that last turn fairly fast - and it seems to be spreading of its own accord now, and it should go on over and cover up the bottom, I think. Once it completely covers up the bottom, I think we should go ahead and start the heat High on this pattern.
043:25:59 Evans: Okay. Now the - Everything's all hooked together now. We completely filled up the bottom of the floor.
043:26:15 Evans: Hey, for some reason, the bubbles seem to be starting to break now.
043:26:21 Overmyer: Roger. We copy that, Ron. [Long pause.]
043:26:54 Evans: Okay. I don't know if it's coincidence or what, but all the bubbles are formed together, essentially in the center - along the plus-X-axis direction. And they're about 1 inch wide. And then they start about three-quarters - I mean three-eights of an inch in from the circumference.
043:27:18 Overmyer: Roger. [Long pause.]
043:27:58 Evans: Okay; I was going to try to break the bubbles with a pencil, but if you try to push a pencil into the bubble, it just moves aside.
043:28:22 Evans: So that being the case, I'm going to go ahead and start the - start the timer.
043:28:29 Overmyer: We concur on that, Ron.
043:28:33 Schmitt: That's called the old push-a-bubble-with-a-pencil trick.
043:28:38 Overmyer: Roger. Just need a sharper pencil, Jack.
043:28:44 - Air-to-Ground is live now.
043:28:45 Schmitt: Either that or a thinner bubble. [Long pause.]
043:29:16 Schmitt: This is the best Friday afternoon matinee I've ever been to.
043:29:24 Overmyer: How about Friday evening, Jack?
043:29:32 Schmitt: Well, I've lost track. I don't think - I don't think there's any...
043:29:35 Evans: Stand by.
043:29:37 Evans: Mark. That was 1 minute after the start.
043:29:41 Overmyer: Roger.
043:29:44 Evans: I'll give you another mark when I go to High on the - with the Select switch. [Long pause.]
043:30:37 Evans: Mark it.
043:30:39 Overmyer: Roger. [Long pause.]
043:31:35 Evans: Each bubble looks like it's locus of - it looks like it's starting one of the Bernu - Bernudi cells.
043:31:46 Overmyer: Say that again, Ron.
043:31:51 Evans: Okay; each one of those bubbles looks like it's the locus - or the start of one of the Bénard cells.
043:31:57 Overmyer: Roger.
043:31:59 Evans: So far, the bubbles aren't breaking.
043:32:02 Overmyer: We copy that.
043:32:08 Schmitt: Is Stu getting - did Stu get bubbles on his pattern, Bob?
043:32:13 Overmyer: We're not running it down here. We're just demonstrating on the demonstrator there, but Stu can tell you.
043:32:19 Schmitt: Oh, I thought you were running...
043:32:20 Roosa: Roger, Jack. Yes, I - you're talking of the one we - that we did, right?
043:32:29 Schmitt: That's right. Well, I am now. I thought you were running it down there also.
043:32:35 Roosa: No. Okay. The one that we did in flight - Yes, I had - I had a lot of bubbles, but I couldn't get mine - Krytox out across the center. So, you all are already well ahead of what I did.
043:32:53 Schmitt: Gee, I'm sorry you had to admit that, Stu.
043:32:56 Roosa: Oh, you all just do such good work.
043:33:05 Evans: Another thing is, it seems to me like, in one g, the Bénard cells started completely back to the edge, you know, right back to the edge of the circle. And in this case, at least, they haven't filled in yet back to the edge of the circle at all. They all started out in the center and are working around the bubbles, and then it's now - just now starting to form a few of them where there aren't any bubbles.
043:33:31 Overmyer: Roger, Ron.
043:33:36 Roosa: How large are the cells, Ron?
043:33:44 Evans: Well, they're varying considerably in size. I can see one that's about a half an inch across, and then the other ones - they've got a great big bubble in it, and yet the cell itself is down to maybe an eighth of an inch. The bigger ones seem to be on the outside; and, of course, there are very few bubbles on the outside also.
043:34:15 Evans: And the bigger ones, generally right now, are averaging about - oh, a fourth to three-eights of an inch in their cross - cross section [garble].
043:34:54 - This is Apollo Control.
043:34:57 Evans: The cells tend to be somewhat polygonal. Let's see, we've been going 6 minutes - 4 minutes into the eating part of it and the cells are polygonal but they don't seem to be quite as straight-lined as they were on the ground.
043:35:18 Overmyer: Roger. We copy. [Long pause.]
043:35:28 - Stu Roosa, Apollo 17 back-up Command Module Pilot, is talking to the crew now from the CapCom console. Stu performed a demonstration similar to this on his Apollo 14 flight. That demonstration was not as sophisticated as the 17 test and the 17 demonstration is expected to provide more exact data on the fluid behaviour.
043:36:18 Evans: It almost looks like it's reached a steady state now. It's 9 minus 27 minutes.
043:36:28 Evans: Hey, I think the one thing I neglected to mention is that we essentially have a convex surface from the - the material; in other words, con - convex with the high part in the middle; and, of course, that's where the bubbles are, too, but I think you'd generally have that type of a surface anyhow. And, it hasn't broken the meniscus of the lower, or the thinnest ring.
043:37:34 Schmitt: We should have had some popcorn on our stowage list.
043:39:46 Evans: Okay; now the Bénard cells are starting to form in that outer annulus that went all the way around.
043:45:51 Evans: Okay; we went back to light 4 now. And we never did get any real poliginal [sic] cells formed around the outer annulus. And even the cells that were formed on the thing, it seemed like the particle flow within the cells was very slow when you compare that with the way it was in one G.
043:46:19 Overmyer: Roger, Ron.
043:47:59 Evans: Okay; I'm trying to - suck the stuff back in the - the entry tube there, and it looks like part of it's coming in.
043:48:21 Overmyer: Roger, Ron. We copy that. [Long pause.]
043:49:02 Evans: And the camera is down to about 50 percent here, so I'm going to go ahead and turn it off now.
043:49:08 Overmyer: Roger, Ron. [Long pause.]
043:49:36 Overmyer: Ron, if I didn't tell you, we concur with turning the DAC off there.
043:49:43 Evans: Okay; yes, I got you. I'll turn it off. [Long pause.]
043:50:02 Evans: You know, I just happened to think, after I've already sucked part of those bubbles back in there, we've got enough fluid in there to pump it out the next time without sucking that back in there, don't we?
043:50:14 Roosa: I'm sorry, Ron. Say that again.
043:50:19 Evans: Don't we have enough of the Krytox fluid without sucking that back in there? Maybe I can just wipe the Krytox off with some Kleenex, and maybe there won't be any bubbles the next time.
043:50:32 Roosa: Okay; stand by. [Long pause.]
043:50:55 Roosa: Ron, I guess we understand you've pulled some back in, but you haven't pulled any of the bubbles. Now, if you pull any more in, you're going to start the bubbles back in. is that correct?
043:51:06 Evans: Yes; that's correct.
043:51:08 Roosa: Okay; why don't you stand by here on that then?
043:51:14 Evans: Let me see - I'll see if I can push the bubbles out of the way here with something.
043:51:23 Roosa: Okay. The consensus is that we would like to not pull the bubbles back in. I think you've got a good idea.
043:51:39 Roosa: It's the old keep-the-bubbles-out-of-the-Krytox trick.
043:51:44 Evans: [Laughter.] Okay; I'll see if I can do it. [Long pause.]
043:52:05 Schmitt: I see you're finally getting caught up in the humor of the thing there, Stu.
043:52:11 Roosa: Oh, I've always been in good humor. It sure sounded like that baffle did the trick, Ron. [Long pause.]
043:52:32 Evans: Yes, I think it did, too. It looks like it worked real well.
043:52:44 - This is Apollo Control at 43 hours, 52 minutes. Krytox, which is a heavy oil, is one of the fluids being used in the demonstration. Apollo 17 is now 146,455 nautical miles [271,235 km] from Earth. Velocity, 3,505 feet per second [1,068 m/s]. And this shift of Orange flight controllers being directed by Charles Lewis, one of the several gentlemen recently promoted to Flight Director. The regular Orange Flight Director Pete Frank is an observer for this shift.
043:56:16 Roosa: And, 17, just so you say we didn't give you our cue, we're standing by for the 1-17 procedures there in your Experiments Checklist - the film cycling.
043:56:44 Evans: Okay; we'll have to get that shortly.
043:56:47 Roosa: Okay. [Long pause.]
043:57:47 Schmitt: Okay, Stu, we got you on that. The Saturday afternoon or Friday evening matinee was absorbing us so, we almost missed it.
044:03:28 Schmitt: Okay, Houston. Data Systems coming On.
044:03:31 Overmyer: Roger.
044:03:38 Schmitt: Aux TV's to Science, and SM/AC Power is coming On.
044:03:41 Overmyer: Roger.
044:03:48 Schmitt: Okay; Mapping Camera is Standby...
044:03:51 Schmitt: Mark it.
044:03:53 Overmyer: Roger. Mark it.
044:03:56 Schmitt: Pan Camera Mode, Standby...
044:03:58 Schmitt: Mark it.
044:03:59 Overmyer: Roger.
044:04:03 Schmitt: I guess that's verified.
044:04:19 Schmitt: Pan Camera Power to Power.
044:04:22 Evans: Barber pole and a gray.
044:04:24 Overmyer: Roger.
044:04:33 Evans: Self Test is going to Heaters. [Long pause.]
044:05:05 Schmitt: Okay; we're standing by for your cue on Mapping Camera, On, and Self Test.
044:05:11 Overmyer: Roger. Stand by on that. [Long pause.]
044:05:50 Overmyer: 17, you're Go for cycling the Pan Camera and the Mapping Camera.
044:05:58 Schmitt: Okay. [Long pause.]
044:06:11 Evans: Okay; Mapping Camera has gone On; Pan Camera to Self Test. Barber pole and release. [Long pause.]
044:06:44 Overmyer: Looks like 10 seconds on the Pan Camera there. [Long pause.]
044:07:26 Evans: Okay; Pan Camera Power is coming Off.
044:07:29 Overmyer: Roger, Ron. [Long pause.]
044:08:20 Evans: Okay; Mapping Camera going Off.
044:08:23 Overmyer: Roger, Ron. [Long pause.]
044:09:02 Overmyer: That's 30 seconds off on the Mapping Camera, Ron.
044:09:09 Evans: Okay; SM/AC power is Off.
044:09:17 Schmitt: S-Band Aux TV's Off, and Bit Rate, Low, now?
044:09:24 Overmyer: That's affirmative. [Long pause.]
044:09:40 Cernan: Say, Bob, say again those jets you're commended for PTC.
044:09:45 Overmyer: We recommended Bravo and and Delta for spinup - B, D.
044:09:51 Cernan: Okay; do the rates look okay to you?
044:10:00 Overmyer: That's affirmative. [Long pause.]
044:10:59 Overmyer: Jack, Houston.
044:11:05 Schmitt: Go ahead.
044:11:06 Overmyer: Jack, when you get done with the PTC area here, we'd like you to get out the Flight Plan Supplement. We'd like to get a food report from you all on your food intake for today.
044:11:20 Schmitt: I thought we gave you that in the morning. Happy to do it, but...
044:11:24 Overmyer: That's affirm, Jack...
044:11:24 Schmitt: You want a special report? is that what you want?
044:11:25 Overmyer: We'd just like to have it - prefer tonight.
044:11:33 Schmitt: It sounds like you don't think we're eating enough.
044:11:40 Overmyer: Ron, would you check your Noun 78?
044:11:57 Evans: Ah-ha! Thank you.
044:12:00 Overmyer: Roger.
044:13:27 Overmyer: Jack or Ron, when you come around, we'll ask you to stow the High Gain on our call, and we'll be wanting Omni Bravo.
044:13:37 Schmitt: Roger. [Pause.]
044:13:46 Schmitt: And are you ready for the trotting gourmet's report?
044:13:51 Overmyer: Roger. Everybody's here with all ears.
044:13:58 Schmitt: Okay. The CDR today had scrambled eggs and three bacon squares and a can of peaches and pineapple drink for breakfast. And then later on in the day, he had peanut butter, jelly, and bread with a chocolate bar and some dried apricots. And the LMP had scrambled eggs and four bacon squares, an orange drink, and cocoa for breakfast, and potato soup, two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and a cherry bar, and an orange drink. And that hero of the matinee, the matinee idol of Spaceship America, had scrambled eggs, bacon squares, peaches, cinnamon toast, orange juice, and cocoa for breakfast. That's how he keeps his form. And, for lunch, he had a peanut butter sandwich and citrus beverage. And that's it, since there's nobody else up here.
044:15:51 Overmyer: Roger. We copy that. We'd like you to stow the High Gain at this time and Omni Bravo. [Long pause.]
044:16:37 Overmyer: Jack, we appreciate all your information, and we'd like to just pass on some recommendations here from the ground that we'd like you to keep on with your regular menu as much as possible. And, if you do cut anything off, we'd like you to concentrate on eating the meats, the juices, and the fruitcake, which are the most effective for maintaining your electrolyte balance.
044:17:07 Cernan: Okay, Bob. We understand what you're saying. We're shooting at eating - eating it all. It's just a lot of food, that's all.
044:17:18 Overmyer: Roger. We understand, Gene. Also, on that group of foods, peanut butter's great for the bal - electrolyte balance, also; so you're doing okay.
044:17:30 Schmitt: I knew it was good for something. It couldn't be that good without being good for something.
044:17:35 Cernan: I think we're all trying to make a concentrated effort also to keep quite a bit of water down.
044:17:42 Overmyer: Roger. I understand. Real fine.
044:18:32 - This is Apollo Control at 44 hours, 18 minutes. The Flight Surgeon, John Zieglschmid, is pleased with the food report for today. Apollo 17 is 147,306 nautical miles [272,811 km] from Earth, traveling at a speed of 3,481 feet per second [1,061 m/s].
044:26:07 Evans: Houston, 17.
044:26:10 Roosa: Go, 17; Houston.
044:26:14 Schmitt: Okay. Got a little information on what we were talking about yesterday with respect to southern Pacific weather, if you've got nothing else going on.
044:26:26 Roosa: Go; speak to me.
044:26:32 Schmitt: Okay, looks like a little - cyclonic circulation we had over New Zealand is still there. It's - looks like the front it was associated with is broken up a little bit; however, that pattern is - seems to be hugging the New Zealand area, and - but not - has not intensified. If - if not - it may have even weakened a little bit since yesterday. It's hard to be sure exactly. The front does not look as strong, and it still seems to be hanging - just stabilized, and with all of Australia clear now and the western edge of that front being just offshore north of Brisbane. The - there is - east of New Guinea - in the vicinity of the Solomon islands, it looks like a fairly moderate-sized cyclone developing at the western edge of the - of a front that was somewhat farther north and west than the one over New Zealand. North of that - Wake/Kwajalein region that was of interest yesterday to the ARIA people - still seems to be in general overcast condition, but the clouds do not look very heavy or impacted at all. New Guinea is just on the limb, so...
044:28:17 Schmitt: Yes, I think I lost them.
044:32:00 Roosa: Okay, I think we've got you now, 17.
044:32:08 Cernan: You're loud and clear, Stu.
044:32:10 Overmyer: Okay. [Long pause.]
044:32:51 Schmitt: Stu, I think we lost you about the time I lost view of the Earth and mentioned the Wake/Kwajalein area; right?
044:33:00 Roosa: That's affirmative. We didn't get much of the Kwajalein report.
044:33:08 Schmitt: There was nothing new to add over yesterday. There just seems general cloudiness in the area, but they do not look too intense or well organized. Just probably a general overcast.
044:33:19 Roosa: Okay. [Long pause.]
044:33:36 Schmitt: I'll try to get some exercise, and then I'll be back at you with some more information. Maybe we can see the Philippines by then.
044:33:53 Schmitt: And, Stu, I've got my biomed hooked up. Are you guys bringing it in during this exercise thing? This is Jack.
044:34:03 Roosa: Yes, Jack. We'll check on that.
044:34:11 Roosa: Okay; you're coming in loud and clear, Jack.
044:35:37 - This is Apollo control at 44 hours, 35 minutes. Spacecraft distance 147,866 [nautical miles, 273,848 km].
044:35:49 Cernan: Stu, are you reading?
044:35:51 Overmyer: Roger. We're reading you loud and clear.
044:35:55 Cernan: Okay, I think that big storm that Jack was referring to - that has moved off to the - well to the east of Australia. Very definite counterclockwise rotation and then it stretches to the south or what might even be the southeast. And then just rolls right - we [garble] a big frontal pattern and then it rolls right into another - another clockwise - clockwise rotating low down there near Antarctica. It gives me the impression of a - of a parrot's comb when he's got his feathers ruffled. And it, in turn, has another low trailing it, arcing and then flowing into another - another low that is very near the continent down there of Antarctica. They form a chain, as I just described froming - coming from - well, possibly southeast of Antarctica - it's hard to really tell what east is down there - on up to due west of Australia by several hundred miles.
044:37:13 Overmyer: Roger. [Pause.]
044:37:21 Cernan: South of Australia, you get a hint of a very large cloud mass, from there all the way down to Antarctica, that has the tendency to...
044:37:46 - This is Apollo control that was Gene Cernan picking up Jack Schmitt's weather observations as Jack is now in an exercise period. Spacecraft is in the Passive Thermal Control mode and is rotating. We've broken lock on the Omni antenna. We'll pick up another antenna very shortly. Spacecraft distance 147,953 nautical miles [274,009 km]; velocity, 3,462 feet per second [1,055 m/s].
044:39:43 Overmyer: 17, Houston. [No answer.]
044:40:11 Overmyer: 17, Houston.
044:40:15 Cernan: Go ahead.
044:40:17 Overmyer: Just wanted to get comm there again. We had some switchover there. You might be interested; we've got an ATS map in here from this morning. Just - you're just about on - We can see the flow patterns in the Antarctic just about at - 120 degrees west, which is a little closer to South America than what you're calling, I guess. But we do - we do see that activity down there.
044:40:46 Cernan: Okay, Bob. And there is a very large cloudy air mass between Australia and Antarctica. It has a tendency to want to start a rotation, and you can see a hint of that; it's not too strong right now. We're seeing about three-quarters of the Earth, I guess. Judging from our clocks and what we can see, it looks like the Sun is setting out over the west coast; and it leaves us with about three-quarters of the Earth available to us.
044:41:20 Overmyer: Roger. It'll be about 06:15 Los Angeles time right now, so it's probably sunset out there.
044:42:38 Overmyer: Ron, just a reminder from the Flight Plan change last night. You'll have a P52 coming up here at 45 hours in your Flight Plan.
044:42:51 Evans: Roger. Mighty fine; thank you.
044:42:54 Overmyer: Roger, Ron.
044:43:01 - This is Apollo Control at 44 hours, 43 minutes. That was a reminder that we are approaching the time where we are going to make the first step in a two step adjustment caused by the late launch. This will be to bring the Greenwich Mean Time, the Ground Elapsed Time and the Flight Plan together. What this first step will account for an hour of 2-hours-and-40-minutes adjustment that will be made eventually. The clocks will not be recycled at this time at 45 hours. The clock recycling will be accomplished later in the mission at 65 hours Elapsed Time. This 1 hour adjustment consists of moving the activities that were scheduled in the Flight Plan to take place between 46 hours and 30 minutes and 47 hours up to 45 hours in the Flight Plan. Therefore, during the hour from 45 hours to 46 hours we will have accomplished all the Flight Plan activities that were originally scheduled to be accomplished from 46 to 47 hours. This will put us 1 hour ahead on the Flight Plan. We would pick up the activities originally scheduled at 47 hours at 46 hours under this plan. And this would proceed in an orderly fashion one hour ahead up to the 65-hour mark at which time we will synchronize the Ground Elapsed Time clock to 67 hours and 40 minutes and at that time go to the 67:40 time in the Flight Plan and we will be back on schedule.
044:46:27 Overmyer: Jack, just for information, you've got your heart rate to 103.
044:48:19 Overmyer: Jack, you've got your heart rate to about 103; and we lost data right now.
044:48:40 Overmyer: Jack, just for information, the last heart rate we had was 103; and it's - we lost data right now, so 103 is max we saw right now.
044:48:55 Schmitt: Okay, I was just doing some isometrics. I just tried running in place again then.
044:49:00 Overmyer: Roger. Do you want us to call you your heart rate if - if we get data in here now?
044:49:07 Overmyer: Okay.
044:50:18 Overmyer: Okay, you're up to 115, Jack.
044:58:20 - This is Apollo Control at 44 hours, 58 minutes. Moving the GET clock ahead at 65 hours will affect the time that has previously been given for the lunar sphere of influence crossing. Newsmen who are interested in this time should add 2 hours and 40 minutes to the time previously given, which would make the time for lunar sphere crossing now 73 hours, 23 minutes, 24 seconds Ground Elapsed Time. The distances and the velocities that were previously predicted will remain the same. Those are 190,725 nautical miles [353,223 km] from Earth; 33,639 nautical miles [62,299 km] from the Moon; and an Earth reference to velocity of 2,340 feet per second [713 m/s]. Apollo 17 is now 148,668 nautical miles [275,333 km] from Earth...
044:59:52 Overmyer: ...resting, or did you quit?
044:59:56 Schmitt: No, I'm resting right now. Didn't seem like my arms have the stamina they did yesterday to hold the artificial g. What...
045:00:02 Overmyer: [Garble] understand.
045:00:02 Schmitt: ...did I get to?
045:00:05 Overmyer: We copied about a maximum of about 118...
045:00:07 Schmitt: What heart rate did...
045:00:07 Overmyer: ...on the heart rate.
045:00:11 Overmyer: About 118 max, Jack.
045:00:15 Schmitt: Roger. Understand.
045:00:17 Overmyer: Don't let me - let me harrass you. I just wan kidding you on that. Whatever you think is fair.
045:00:27 Schmitt: You're not harrassing me. When my arm's rested, I'll try again. [Long pause.]
045:00:39 - Spacecraft velocity now 3,441 feet per second [1,049 m/s].
045:00:50 Overmyer: Couple of interesting data points for you, Jack. We saw the - while you were doing that, we saw the PP CO
2 go up; and we saw the tanks destratify again the same way.
045:01:05 Schmitt: Very good. Next mission they'll have to Flight Plan it.
045:01:08 Overmyer: That's affirmative.
045:01:12 Schmitt: You saw the P CO
2 go up?
045:01:17 Overmyer: That's affirmative. Let me get the numbers here, if you want. It took a jump from 1.3 to 2.4 on that.
045:01:27 Cernan: Okay. That was with two of us going, and part of the time, three of us going.
045:01:33 Overmyer: Roger. Understand.
045:01:33 Cernan: Now we've still got one going.
045:01:36 Overmyer: Well, it's not unexpected. I just thought you'd be interested.
045:01:49 Cernan: Sounds sort of normal.
045:03:01 Cernan: Hey, Bob, with this change in the hour, what time does penumbra start?
045:03:08 Overmyer: Say again the question, Jack. What time does what start?
045:03:13 Cernan: With the change in hour, what time does the penumbra - what time do we enter the lunar penumbra?
045:03:27 Overmyer: Right now, we don't - Tommy doesn't think we're going to go into the penumbra, and we're verifying that.
045:03:37 Overmyer: Say Ron, could we ask a question about the heat-flow experiment setup?
045:03:44 Evans: Sure. Sure, go ahead.
045:03:47 Overmyer: You mentioned that the lineal chips were all on the - in the XX plane, and we're just wondering - do you mean along the XX axis of the spacecraft?
045:04:03 Evans: Yes; along the XX axis of the spacecraft.
045:04:12 Overmyer: Is the long XX axis of the lineal cell along the XX axis, Ron?
045:04:21 Evans: Yes, that's affirmative. It's right-side up, if you're looking at the connect panel, you know?
045:04:30 Overmyer: Yes. That's - we'd - they'd like it so that that - the axis of that lineal cell was - would be parallel to the bottom of the panel 100, as an example. It's prob - right now, it's perpendicular to the bottom of panel 100, isn't it?
045:05:00 Evans: Well, wait a minute. [Long pause.]
045:05:15 Evans: Yes, the lineal thing is, right now, perpendicular to the bottom of panel 100.
045:05:42 - This is Apollo Control at 45 hours, 5 minutes. Ron Evans is making preparations to again perform the heat flow and and convection demonstration.
045:07:33 Evans: Hey, Houston; America.
045:07:36 Overmyer: Go ahead, Ron.
045:07:41 Evans: Okay, I think I see what you're saying. I'm sorry; I read the thing with lineal cell in a plus-X direction. But what they mean is, lineal cell in the - in - [laughter]...
045:07:55 Overmyer: Lineal word, I guess, is the...
045:07:55 Evans: [Garble] lineal cell up.
045:07:57 Overmyer: Roger.
045:08:01 Evans: Okay, I'll turn around the other for this PTC part of it then.
045:08:05 Overmyer: Wait a minute on that, Ron. We're having a debate whether we want to, maybe, continue the next part in the same attitude or just rotate it.
045:08:15 Evans: Okay. Seems to me like you'd like to - maybe leave it in the same attitude. [Long pause.]
045:08:44 Overmyer: Ron, the only rational reason to change it right now is we're hearing words that if you had rotated to the other way, that you'd get better pictures out of the DAC due to the lighting reflection on it. The PI would like to change it back to the other way.
045:12:31 Overmyer: 17, just for information, we will not be going into the penumbra.
045:12:40 Schmitt: Okay. Sorry to hear that.
045:15:49 Overmyer: Ron, we see your 52; and you can go ahead and torque.
045:16:06 Overmyer: Ron, Houston. We're watching your 52, and you can go ahead and torque.
045:16:16 Evans: Okay, Houston; 17. Thought you said go ahead and torque. Is that correct?
045:16:21 Overmyer: That's affirmative, Ron.
045:16:25 Evans: Okay. We'll torque at 1630.
045:16:31 Overmyer: Roger.
045:17:01 - This is Apollo Control at 45 hours, 17 minutes. Flight Dynamics Officer Bill Boone has just informed the Flight Director Chuck Lewis that 9 hours of tracking since the midcourse correction No. 2 burn confirms the burn was indeed a good one. On the present trajectory of the spacecraft, the height, the closest approach to the Moon, is 52 [nautical] miles [96 km].
045:23:54 Overmyer: Ron, a couple reminders - LOI...
045:25:03 Overmyer: 17, Houston. [No answer.]
045:25:58 Overmyer: 17, Houston.
045:26:08 Evans: Roger. Go ahead.
045:26:09 Overmyer: Roger, Ron. Just a reminder on the LOI [sic] canister change - Have you gotten into that?
045:26:21 Evans: No, not yet. We're - probably get started on this...
045:26:25 Overmyer: Okay. On the...
045:26:26 Evans: On the heat flow first.
045:26:27 Overmyer: Roger. Understand. We'd like to know when you start on that heat flow, Ron, because we need to get the DSE to high bit rate.
045:26:42 Evans: Okay. I'm having a little trouble getting them mounted - in a stable position this way,
045:26:48 Overmyer: Understand.
045:29:50 Evans: Okay, Houston; this is 17. I'm about ready to start it here in about 45 seconds here; let me know when you get the tape recorder going.
045:29:59 Overmyer: Roger, Ron.
045:30:09 Overmyer: Okay, we got the tape recorder in High Bit Rate.
045:30:18 Overmyer: Hey, stand by 1, Ron. We got a little change here we'd like to make on the plan on page 2-6.
045:30:31 Evans: Okay. Stand by for zero. 3, 2, 1...
045:30:36 Evans: Mark it. It's reset. Start the stop watch.
045:30:39 Overmyer: Roger. And, Ron, on the checklist on page 2-6 after the 16-minute "End of test and proceed to next test" we'd like to turn the DAC Off at that position.
045:30:57 Evans: Okay. Will do.
045:30:58 Overmyer: And, then, you turn it back on at the re - where it says "Reset stop watch and start." The time zero there - point. Prior to that, turn it on. I'll remind you of it.
045:31:10 Evans: Okay. You don't want to watch me fill that pan again, huh?
045:31:21 Overmyer: Say again, Ron.
045:31:26 Evans: You don't want to watch me fill the pan again.
045:31:28 Overmyer: Yes. Roger. Yes, it'll be up before then. We'll watch you fill the pan. We just - while you're taking time wiping it and all that, that's when we - we don't want to use up the film there.
045:31:50 Evans: Okay. I'm with you. Actually, I've already cleaned out the - the little area there.
045:32:05 Overmyer: Roger. I've got 1 minute on my timer right now - about 01:27, actually.
045:32:11 Evans: Oh, thank you. [Pause.]
045:32:24 Evans: Well, we'll start at 2 minutes.
045:33:37 Overmyer: You're still on the front page with the [garble].
045:38:41 - This is Apollo Control at 45 hours, 38 minutes. Distance now 149,941 nautical miles [277,691 km] from the Earth; velocity, 3,405 feet per second [1,038 km].
045:47:50 Evans: Okay, Houston. The DAC is Off now.
045:47:53 Overmyer: Roger. DAC Off. [Long pause.]
045:48:12 Overmyer: Say, Ron.
045:48:20 Evans: Go ahead, Houston.
045:48:22 Overmyer: Yes, Ron. If it's not too much bother, it's one of those nice things to have. The PI would like you to take a picture with the - with the 35-millimeter indoor of the orientation of the heat flow as it's mounted. See if you can get that, if it's not too much problem.
045:48:42 Evans: Okay. No problem. Good idea.
045:48:48 Overmyer: And that should be magazine SS, which is the same one you'll use for - with the ALFMED tomorrow.
045:49:00 Evans: Affirmative; okay. [Long pause.]
AS17-162-24056 - CM Interior, Heat Flow Experiment Panel (Ron Evans obscured on the right) - JSC scan
AS17-162-24057 - Ron Evans with Heat Flow Experiment Panel - JSC scan
045:49:23 Evans: Okay. I opened the flow about four turns. A little bit is running out - one big bubble in it. And I still have a little bit left over, even though I wiped it out pretty good awhile ago. The meniscus is up to the bottom ring, and I think we put in eight things in there where it's going to try to get the meniscus up to the top baffle. is that correct?
045:49:56 Overmyer: That's correct, Ron.
045:51:16 Evans: There must have been a few more bubbles down in there again. That was two turns now, and I've got it about half full all the way across.
045:51:29 Overmyer: Roger.
045:51:31 Evans: But, maybe there's just about eight or 10 bubbles in it. [Long pause.]
045:52:30 Evans: [Garble] That's three turns. The fluid is essentially [garble] and we're still going on the first - fourth turn now, and it's still develops a meniscus around the lower baffle - the smaller baffle.
045:54:56 Evans: Okay. Looks like about six of the bubbles have developed into three, for some reason.
045:55:07 Overmyer: Roger. [Long pause.]
045:55:57 Evans: Oh-oh. It was doing real well there. Then on seventh turn, a bunch of bubbles came in again.
045:56:03 Overmyer: Roger.
045:57:24 Overmyer: Ron, I might have given you a bad call before. We don't want the DAC on until just before that 2-minute mark here, where just prior to going Experiment/Heat Select - Flow Pattern - Low. At that point, is where we want the DAC on.
045:57:44 Evans: Okay. You want the DAC on when it starts heating up.
045:57:47 Overmyer: That's affirm.
045:57:51 Evans: Okay. You, know - I may have lost track of the turns here, but I think we've got 7½ or 6½ turns in here. And it still hasn't overflown that first lower baffle. I've got a tremendous concave - convex surface on the fluid, but it still hasn't broken the meniscus of the first baf - baffle.
045:58:20 Overmyer: Roger. We copy that.
045:58:55 Evans: Okay. I'm going to go ahead and take it another turn, because it was my understanding we wanted to try to get in the second baffle, anyhow. So, I'm going to take another turn of Krytox and put some more in there.
045:59:08 Overmyer: That's correct, Ron. [Long pause.]
045:59:37 Overmyer: Ron, if that - if that doesn't do it, they're saying you might want to take a pencil or something and stir it up a bit and try and break it up from lower baffle into the upper baffle.
045:59:50 Evans: (Chuckle) Okay. I'm afraid, I may have it all over the place if I do that, but I'll try it.
045:59:55 Overmyer: Roger. Very slowly.
045:59:59 Evans: [Laughter.] Right. [Long pause.]
046:00:55 Overmyer: Ron, just a question while you're watching it here. Do you have any bubbles in the lineal cell?
046:02:56 Evans: Yes. This one is going to be interesting. There are about, oh, a dozen, nine to a dozen - small bubbles right next to the inject board and then about the same number right in the center of the convex portion of it.
046:03:14 Overmyer: Roger, Ron. Did you - we didn't copy your answer to our question about any bubbles in the lineal.
046:03:26 Evans: No, I didn't get to your question on that. In the lineal unit there are no bubbles whatsoever.
046:03:32 Overmyer: Roger. Thank you.
046:03:33 Evans: And there might have been very slight movement. Matter of fact, I can see just a very slight movement, even now. The particles, in there, they're still lined up in the YY direction essentially though, although it looks like some of them may have deviated from the front of the lineal unit back toward the center, or toward the back of the lineal unit, as you call it.
046:04:10 Evans: Well, I missed the 2-minute start time there, but I can keep track of it here.
046:04:14 Evans: So we'll start the DAC, and then I'll turn this to Low at 02:45.
046:04:31 Overmyer: Okay. We got a hack on it, Ron. If you started it, we started our clock.
046:04:38 Evans: Okay. You know, just for future reference here, if we like to do things in zero g and without jarring or jiggle, we want to make sure that the switch actuates with a minimum of pressure.
046:05:07 Overmyer: Roger, A good point.
046:05:11 Evans: [Laughter.]
AS17-162-24058 - CM Interior, Heat Flow Experiment Panel - JSC scan
046:06:16 Evans: Okay. That's just now starting to develop. Look like circular cells, great big ones. And then some of the bigger ones are subdividing now.
046:06:32 Overmyer: Okay. We got that.
046:06:32 Evans: [Garble] are even - some of them are even getting bigger. One of them is - oh, about three-quarters of an inch in diameter, and it hasn't divided yet, at all.
AS17-162-24059 - CM Interior, Heat Flow Experiment Panel - JSC scan
046:06:53 Roosa: Those are real good comments, Ron. I was in just talking with the experimenters, and if you've got nothing else to do, giving us some sizes of those cells would certainly be very beneficial.
046:07:13 Evans: Okay. [Pause.]
046:07:22 Evans: Okay. Frame 27 was taken at an elapsed time of about 4 minutes.
046:07:37 Roosa: Okay. We got that.
046:07:42 Schmitt: Stu, this is Jack. I was taking the pictures. I took four pictures about 20 seconds apart - of the sequence just after he started it. And that ended with - or started with frame 26.
AS17-162-24060 - CM Interior, Heat Flow Experiment Panel - JSC scan
046:08:05 Roosa: Okay. Frame 26 for 4 seconds - I mean for 4 frames.
046:08:14 Evans: Okay. That one cell I spoke of that was about three-quarters of an inch in diameter now is about an inch long and maybe three-quarters of an inch wide. Each - All of the cells seem to be bigger, in general. They're bigger this time. There is two small ones at about an eighth of an inch and - and along one side. The other one is a half-inch, a half-inch - oh, a quarter of an inch, a half inch, and then a circular when you get around the outs - out - annulus of the cup. Then you start getting circular sides instead of straight sides. All of the flow comes from the little center spot and flows outward from the center toward the outside of the cells.
AS17-162-24061 - CM Interior, Heat Flow Experiment Panel - JSC scan
046:09:07 Roosa: Okay. We - we copy that...
046:09:07 Evans: [Garble] all of the bubbles have disappeared, except two.
046:09:19 Roosa: Ron, is the smallest cell you see about an eighth of an inch across?
046:09:26 Evans: The smallest cell I see is a four-sided one; it looks like a diamond. And it's an eighth of an inch on one side, an eighth of an inch on the other side, and maybe 3/16 on the other two sides.
046:09:39 Roosa: Okay. That sounds - that's a good description, Ron. I know on mine some of the smaller ones didn't show up in the - in the film, and we were not - not sure what size they are. So you might, before you quit, bracket the - the smallest or the biggest cells by your estimate of the size.
046:10:17 - This is Apollo Control at 46 hours, 10 minutes. Apollo 17 is 150,976 nautical miles [279,608 km] from Earth, traveling at a speed of 3,375 feet per second [1,029 m/s].
AS17-162-24062 - CM Interior, Heat Flow Experiment Panel - JSC scan
046:11:20 Schmitt: [Garble] any rate, frame number 31, frame number 31 [garble].
046:11:36 Evans: And the information first half of the experiment. The orientation was 90 degrees from this one, [Laughter] in that the lineal cell was on the right, and the lineal cell was aligned with the XX axis.
AS17-162-24063 - CM Interior, Heat Flow Experiment Panel - JSC scan
046:12:00 Roosa: Okay, Ron. We got - We had a drop in our signal strength there, and we did get your last comment about the orientation. We missed some comment about the frame numbers; I think came from Jack.
046:12:14 Evans: Okay. Something's a little different on this one here. Right at the top of the flow circle, it looks just like a finger. It's a curved surface that goes out and almost touches the - the circumference of the dish. And it looks just like if you're holding your finger up and looking at it. It's that type of a shape to it. It comes back down, and it's about a half an inch wide. The flow again emanates from a source that is almost on the fingertip, you might say.
046:12:58 Roosa: Okay. We copy. [Pause.]
046:13:10 Evans: Okay. Somehow, that fingertip finally touched the complete circumference, and the tip of the finger disappeared.
046:13:24 Evans: Okay. My - my small one-eighth inch - or one-eighth of an inch sided diamond joined with another one, now, and one side of the diamond is gone. I still have three sides of the diamond and the fourth side of the diamond, or the upper right-hand corner of the diamond, you might say, has disappeared and goes on with another little square - or rectangle. One - one end of the rectangle is about 3/l6 of an inch long; the other two sides are about three-eights of an inch long.
046:14:07 Roosa: Ron, what's the location of that - of that diamond and rectangle in the - in the circular dish? And is it near the edge, or is it towards the center?
046:14:18 Evans: There are almost - No, it's almost in the center. Towards the center. Almost in the center. On the left edge, as you look at the piece of equipment , as you're looking at it, there are absolutely no patterns at all. There is a flow. You can see a stream of flow. Whoops. I can get up then and start looking at it. I blew on it when I was talking. You can see a stream of flow from the circumference in toward the outer group of cells. The outer group of cells is at least half an inch from the circumference though, at that point.
046:15:04 Roosa: Okay, Ron. We're copying all that.
046:15:18 Evans: Yes. I think there is a general migration of - of the cells. Kind of toward the bottom of the circle, if you want to look at it that way. They seem to be stretching kind of in that direction, too.
046:15:40 Roosa: Okay. You're saying that's toward minus X?
046:15:47 Evans: [Garble] No, toward the plus Y, as you're looking at it.
046:15:52 Roosa: Okay. They're migrating toward plus Y.
046:15:53 Evans: I'll - I'll try to make all directions, with respect to - with respect to the right-side-up of the equipment, you know.
046:16:01 Roosa: Okay. We've got you.
046:16:06 Evans: And the first finger I talked about was at 12 o'clock. It has joined the edge now and almost disappeared. The second finger was - still essentially the way it was - is getting slightly closer to the edge. There's maybe - oh, less than 1/32 of an inch between the tip of the finger and the edge. And it goes out at - at 2 o'clock. Okay, from 3 o'clock on around to about 7 o'clock, the cells - it's in a shadow, and I can't see for sure if they're touching the edge or not, but it looks like they're probably essentially touching - the [garble] the edge.
046:16:56 Evans: And then from 7 o'clock on around to 12 o'clock again, none of the cells are touching the edge at all. And they're - oh, an average of three-eighths of an inch from the outside circumference.
046:17:15 Roosa: Okay. We're getting all that, Ron. [Long pause.]
046:18:03 Roosa: And, Ron, we'd like to verify that the fluid is up to the second baffle.
046:18:11 Evans: That's verified. It's up to the second baffle.
046:18:15 Evans: All I had to do was start it in one position, and as soon as I started it - started it in one position, it whipped all the way around it. From the point I started it, it went all the way around in both directions.
046:18:28 Roosa: Okay. That sounds beautiful. That ought to be a good data point for something.
046:18:35 Evans: Yes. Right.
046:18:37 Evans: I think that in the low flow here, evidently things are even a little bit slower than they were in the high rate - in the high - in the high heat rate. But my little diamond now, is almost joined with the rectangle. And I think given half a chance, it's tending to go into another five-sided figure.
046:19:09 Roosa: Okay. We copy.
046:20:44 Evans: And we start to cool down [garble].
046:21:12 Evans: Okay. As we're cooling down, the flow patterns tend to join together, so far. The ones on the outer periphery dissolve into straight lines. Straight lines are emanating in a radial direction from the center of the circle.
046:24:10 Evans: And, Houston, if you're listening; or DSE if you're listening. Had a little bit of film - oop, there's the end of film right now. May as well stop it. Hey, I went to High for a little ways.
046:24:24 Roosa: Okay, Ron. You came back in; I didn't get all of that. Understand you ran out of film. And say the other.
046:24:35 Evans: Well, I still had a little bit of film when the cooldown - the 2-minute cooldown period was left, so I went back to High on the Flow Pattern just to see what would happen. And it looked like they were starting out with - again larger-sized cells developing into smaller ones. And, initially, all of the cells were about a half an inch in diameter, and they were closer to the periphery of the dish than they were in the Low Flow position.
046:25:15 Roosa: Okay. We copy that, Ron. After - after you went to High - after the 19 minutes - how long was it before you started seeing a change?
046:25:37 Evans: It was within a minute there. See, it cooled down fairly rapidly at the end of the 2 minutes. All of the cells had essentially dissolved. You had some radial lines on the outer perim - The cells that were on the outer side degraded into a strictly radial lines, back to the second row of cells. The row of cells that were on the inside kind of joined together and all ended up into one or two large cells about an inch - or about 3¾ of an inch across.
046:26:18 Roosa: Okay. Sounds like real good data...
046:26:20 Evans: Still got the High going.
046:27:42 Evans: I still have it in High, and the pattern that's developing is almost identical to the - what was happening in the Low, except it seems to be happening at a faster rate.
046:28:00 Roosa: Okay. We copy that...
046:28:01 Evans: [Garble] triangle or a little diamond developed down there and then - and it disappeared. Only this time, it kind of joined with a different little cell, but it was the same cell next to it. I still have the big one. It's about an inch long, at 11 o'clock, as I had before. I still have a finger that's developing about 12 o'clock, and another one about 2 o'clock. And they seem to be migrating again toward the bottom of the dish.
046:29:57 Roosa: Okay, Ron. It sounds like you've really wired that experiment in great shape, and all the - and everybody's real happy with the - with the data. I guess now you might as well tear it down and press ahead.
046:31:32 Roosa: Okay, Ron. We're back with you now, and everybody's real happy about the data and experiment. And it looks like you did a super job, and you might as well tear it down and press ahead.
046:31:48 Evans: Okay. I still got it in High, and I'm kind of sucking the fluid back down the - the intake. And as I get the fluid thinned out, low and behold there's a whole bunch of bubbles underneath there. And each bubble is a source for one of those little cells. It's the internal source.
046:32:24 Roosa: Okay, Ron. We got that. You may have made a breakthrough for science.
046:32:32 Evans: [Laughter.] Okay.
046:34:07 Overmyer: 17, Houston.
046:34:11 Evans: 17, go ahead.
046:34:13 Overmyer: Ron, just a reminder that we're scratching that page 3-45 that - from 46 to 47 - that's scratched out. And from then on all the times, you just subtract an hour from it, if you haven't done that already.
046:34:28 Evans: Let's see. Yes, we've already done that, Bob. Thank you.
046:34:32 Overmyer: Roger. Just a reminder on that. And EECOM is over here trying to figure out if you changed the canister or not. Just a reminder on that one.
046:34:42 Evans: Okay. We'll get that as soon as I get this out of the way. Okay?
046:34:45 Overmyer: Sure. While you're back there - Panel 100 and that - you might park the optics. We see they're not in Zero.
046:35:02 Overmyer: And along that same line, Ron, we did notice several times while people were watching through the optics that they went to Zero. And it's no problem if the rates are low, but just a reminder that we don't want to bump them into the stops with any kind of a rate.
046:35:25 Evans: Yes. I concur with that, Bob. I guess I didn't realize we were doing that.
046:35:31 Overmyer: We just picked up some data points down here that people - You were all looking around, I guess, and you might - it's easy to miss that Trunnion going to Zero, I guess.
046:35:48 Schmitt: Houston, 17.
046:35:50 Overmyer: Go ahead, Jack, or Gene.
046:35:56 Schmitt: I'm ready to update your weather in the Western Pacific, if you're interested.
046:36:02 Overmyer: Roger. Go ahead.
046:36:07 Schmitt: Still can't quite figure out what that circulation around New Zealand means. It looks like it's merging with some more weather to the southeast. I suspect it's stormy there, but I still - It's not a terribly well-developed storm, although it seems to be broadening in its extent. Australia is completely free of any significant weather and almost completely free - free of clouds. The - There appears to be a front - although right now it does not look too intense - approaching from the southwest. And it looks like it's about 5 degrees of longitude south of the southwestern tip of Australia. The typhoon Cirrus - or Therese, I guess it is - appears to be just about the same position it was yesterday. And that is north of Borneo and between Vietnam and the Philippines.
046:37:26 Overmyer: Roger. We see that on the prog here, Jack.
046:37:33 Schmitt: Okay...
046:40:02 Overmyer: Jack, we've been out of comm here. We've missed any of your last report here.
046:41:36 Overmyer: Ron, did you ever get your P23 data from today.
046:41:42 Evans: That's negative; never did.
046:41:44 Overmyer: Okay. Just got some updating information for you, if you want to listen to it. I don't think you need to copy it down.
046:41:53 Evans: Very good. Go ahead.
046:41:54 Overmyer: Okay, Ron, the effective horizon was 25, plus or minus 6 nautical miles, which is real fine. The substellar pointing error was 1 arc-minute, plus or minus 1 arc-minute, which is less than the 1-sigma error. The marking data was extremely consistent, and all techniques and procedures were excellent. And the horizon updates from the current onboard value of 28 - is not required, so you're extremely good P23. Outstanding.
046:42:31 Evans: Hey, that's good to hear. Great. Thank you.
Diagram of the substellar point during a P23 measurement.
046:42:36 Overmyer: And I do have one input from your other half. There's a concern that if you spill grape juice on your flight suit, it's hard to get out. So be sure - and when you're eating - drinking grape juice - you want to make sure you learn to drink it right.
046:42:54 Evans: [Chuckle.] Okay. We - we'll try that, for sure.
046:46:58 - This is Apollo Control at 46 hours, 46 minutes. The display which shows distance and velocity is referenced to the Moon at this time so these numbers I'm about to give you will be Moon-referenced and not Earth-referenced. Apollo 17 is 80,322 nautical miles [148,756 km] from the Moon. Velocity, 3,349 feet per second [1,021 m/s]. The crew is in a meal period at this time and we don't expect much conversation for some time. Earlier today, while the Lunar Module was being checked out and during a test of simultaneous dual communications capability from Challenger and America, a portion of the conversation was lost due to a communication line configuration in the Public Affairs distribution system. We have now obtained tape of this lost conversation from the Air/Ground recorders in the Control Center and will play that for you now.
046:50:40 Schmitt: Houston, 17.
046:50:42 Overmyer: Go ahead. 17, Houston. Go ahead.
046:50:47 Schmitt: I need to make a correction. Roger. I need to make a correction. It looks as if that storm area that was in New Zealand yesterday has moved up across the two islands and is now sitting northwest. It's getting a little hard to identify the smaller islands in the pacific, but - pretty sure I've got it in the right place now looking at the map. And it is northwest of New Zealand. And it looks like New Zealand is probably having reasonably good weather today, although I suspect it rained last night.
046:51:27 Overmyer: Roger, Jack. That's interesting because on my prog it doesn't show a thing down that area. This just may not be up to date here yet.
046:51:36 Schmitt: Well, there may be nothing down there except some cloud patterns and - but that's all I can see, of course. The front that's south of Australia now - I presume front - just looking at a fairly well-developed, although narrow, cloud line, is about 5 - about 10 degrees south of Perth right now, southwest of Perth and runs on a northwest-southeast line - over to a point about 10 or 15 degrees southwest of Tasmania. And then it intersects a curved front that runs from there up to - to Tasmania, and then back around down south of New Zealand about 10 degrees.
046:52:42 Overmyer: Roger, Jack.
046:56:24 Cernan: Say, Bob, this is Gene. I got some new sensors on. You might want to take a look at them.
046:56:29 Overmyer: Roger. Good show, Gene. We were just wondering about that, and I'll bug the guys on my left here and make sure they're looking at them. [Pause.]
046:56:51 Overmyer: We're not getting any data yet, Gene.
046:56:55 Schmitt: Bob, we're starting to get [garble] from just off Luzon on the northeast trend [garble] seen so far a shadow line of fairly thick high clouds overlying some thick lower clouds behind the front.
046:57:29 Overmyer: Roger. You might have - be of interest onboard there, the FIDOs... [Long pause.]
046:58:52 Overmyer: Jack, we've been having comm dropouts here on this Omni as you swing around on us.
046:59:03 Schmitt: Okay. What - where did I leave you, Bob?
046:59:08 Overmyer: Well, I'm not sure because we picked up a number of different bits, and then we dropped it all.
046:59:17 Schmitt: Did you get the overcast over Korea and Manchuria bit?
046:59:22 Overmyer: Negative. I didn't get that.
046:59:36 Schmitt: Okay. That generally - South China looks clear. I haven't had a real good look at it yet, it's out on the limb. It's clearly, however, overcast over Korea and Manchuria. It does not appear to be frontal weather there, though. The dominant front in the northwestern Pacific stretches on a northwest line from just off Luzon on up as far as I can see to the terminator. And it seems to be an extremely strong front with what I would guess is heavy air-mass weather all along it. And up to the east-northeast of Japan, there's an excellent example of a shadow line from some fairly thick high clouds on solid overcast of lower clouds. Don't see any major cyclone development along it, or wave development. It just locks like a very strong air-mass front.
047:00:51 Overmyer: Roger, Jack. We've got it on our prog here. We don't show the one on the northeast part of Japan, but we do show a front prog for tomorrow morning going off of Taiwan and - right from Taiwan eastward - past the Ryukyu islands and just on into the northern Pacific there. Looks like pretty heavy cloud mass over there.
047:01:14 Schmitt: Roger. That's the one I'm - Roger. That's the one I'm looking at. Extremely heavy. And right now it - in fact starts about at Luzon. It looks like Taiwan is almost on the back side of it.
047:01:30 Overmyer: Yes. That's what our prog - it shows it right on Luzon and then Taiwan's clear.
047:01:37 Schmitt: Very good.
047:01:39 Overmyer: We'll keep up with you yet there, Jack. Say, you may be interested. We've got 9 hours of good tracking on the - after the midcourse - and we show a perilune of about 52 [nautical] miles [96 km] which confirms a good midcourse.
047:01:59 Cernan: Sounds outstanding...
047:02:00 Evans: That's great.
047:02:01 Cernan: You can cross off the canister, by the way; it's changed.
047:02:05 Overmyer: Okay. EECOM's happy about that now, finally. And, Gene - the CD - your data looks good.
047:02:17 Schmitt: Okay. I never had a chance to tell you, Bob, but you - as you see - I presume - I - the LMP no longer has sensors on.
047:02:29 Overmyer: Roger. We confirm that.
047:02:34 Schmitt: By the way, those were the - I guess you know - the sensors that we put on at the Cape. And they still seemed to be in good shape when I took them off. I figured I'd let things rest a while, and then I'll put them on again tomorrow.
047:02:49 Overmyer: Roger. Looks like you've got eat period scheduled here for an hour, and then into the presleep checklist.
047:02:59 Schmitt: Whoopee! The old preslip [sic] checklist.
047:12:19 Stafford: Apollo 17, Houston.
047:12:25 Cernan: Go ahead, T.P.
047:12:26 Stafford: Yes. I was going to say, is that talkative commander onboard?
047:12:32 Cernan: How are you doing down there?
047:12:34 Stafford: Well, I feel lots better. Like I told you Geno, I think that you were the jinx on Gemini 9 for all the delays. Over.
047:12:43 Cernan: No way; you got a longer history than I do.
047:12:47 Stafford: Everything's looking great.
047:12:52 Cernan: Yes, it's looking good onboard. We're - I think we're pretty well squared away. We've got our stowage in shape, and we're in the house-cleaning routine. And that's about 50 percent of the battle.
047:13:06 Stafford: Right.
047:13:10 Cernan: The weather down there didn't look too good today. How's it been?
047:13:13 Stafford: Well, as it started out, it was below minimums this morning and finally, this afternoon, it cleared up. But it was strictly zilch this morning and starting last night. There's another front due in here later tonight.
047:13:28 Schmitt: Yes, we've been watching that one.
047:13:32 Stafford: Well, Jack, you're turning into a very trained weather observer besides being a geologist.
047:13:40 Schmitt: Oh, I'm enjoying it immensely, Tom, as you may have gathered.
047:13:45 Stafford: Right.
047:13:45 Schmitt: Very interesting place to watch; I'll tell you.
047:13:48 Stafford: Absolutely superb.
047:13:52 Cernan: How are things on the home front, T.P.?
047:13:55 Stafford: Geno, things couldn't be better.
047:14:01 Cernan: Well, you might sound all the good words from us.
047:14:03 Stafford: Oh, will do. I plan to drop by and burn a cup of coffee tomorrow.
047:14:11 Cernan: I'd love to invite you up here for supper.
047:14:16 Stafford: And I wish I could join you. I could make another couple of remarks, but they'd be X-rated; so I shouldn't.
047:14:25 Schmitt: Okay. I'll accept that.
047:14:30 Cernan: You notice I haven't yet.
047:14:33 Stafford: [Chuckle] I'm very well pleased, Geno. Your - your language is superb.
047:17:38 Overmyer: 17, Houston, just a couple of words. We'd like you to know we're real satisfied with all the LM data that we saw during the LM activation work today, and, looking at it, the data looked real good.
047:17:54 Schmitt: Great, Bob. I was - you had me worried there for a while with that comm. Do you have a good idea what caused that?
047:18:02 Overmyer: Yes, we're sure about 99.9 percent of it was just ground linkup.
047:18:10 Schmitt: Yes, that's certainly the way it acted onboard.
047:18:14 Overmyer: I guess there won't be any need to go back and change the Checklist on that, but there's a lot to be said for maybe going to a real good stable condition and then getting a good firm checkout before you go into that downvoice backup mode and things like that. And I think that's what we'll do in the future.
047:18:31 Schmitt: Understand.
047:18:33 - This is Apollo Control at 47 hours, 18 minutes. That completes the tape from this afternoon. At this time Apollo 17 is 79,293 nautical miles [146,851 km] from the Moon with the lunar referenced velocity of 3,343 feet per second [1,019 m/s]. The Flight Director has just gotten another update on the S-IVB impact prediction, based on tracking to date. The newest prediction is that the impact will occur at an elapsed time of 86 hours, 59 minutes, 55 seconds; at 3 degrees, 58 minutes south latitude; 12 degrees, 35 minutes west longitude. While that tape was playing, there were several conversations with the crew, including one between Brigadier General Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan. Stafford was Cernan's spacecraft commander in both Gemini and Apollo. We'll play those conversations for you now and then come back up live.
047:45:49 Schmitt: Houston; 7 - 17
047:45:54 Overmyer: Go ahead, Jack.
047:45:57 Schmitt: Yes, I'm just a little curious about the difficulty on holding the Omnis. Is that about the same as past missions, or are we losing a little bit more than usual?
047:46:12 Overmyer: We're going to have Ed here give us a description for a minute, so let me stand by.
047:46:44 Overmyer: Jack, according to that - to our stalwart INCO over there, due to this new 210 (-foot antenna) down at Tidbinbilla, we're holding actually longer than in the past history.
047:47:00 Schmitt: Okay. I just guess I've never been on this end before.
047:47:04 Overmyer: Roger. Do you - do you hear it onboard when we break lock there?
047:47:13 Schmitt: Yes, matter of fact, with the Squelch Enabled, we lose all the background noise. And we know when we're picking you up because we start to get background noise again.
047:47:27 Overmyer: Roger. In other words, you - you are able to stop talking or something when you - when you know we're breaking lock then.
047:47:36 Schmitt: Well, if we happen to be talking when you break lock - no, unless we're watching the meters we won't. We lose you when you get about 55 - say 60 percent signal strength. And apparently we're not talking to you when we have less than that.
047:47:52 Overmyer: Roger. Yes, INCO gave me a briefing tonight and showed me what chart to watch so I can look at numbers when to talk. I've been talking to myself too much, lately.
047:48:07 Schmitt: Yes, they have a beautiful chart there for that purpose.
047:48:13 Overmyer: I never really wanted to be an INCO, but I guess I was forced to tonight.
047:48:23 Schmitt: There are lots of comments for that one, Bob; but I'd better not say anything.
047:48:26 Overmyer: Roger.
047:48:27 Schmitt: Ed would never speak to me again.
047:48:29 Overmyer: Well, that's all right. We can't X-rate the transcripts, so we'll just have to take - take it easy.
047:48:52 Schmitt: Say, Bob, I've got another question about the Challenger.
047:48:54 Overmyer: Go ahead, sir.
047:49:01 Schmitt: [Music] Yes, sir. The battery voltage on low taps, strangely enough, was just like the simulator; but I had expected that the simulator might have been wrong - that we would have seen higher voltage there. is that - is that about what you guys expected?
047:49:23 Overmyer: Roger. They said they expected that because the extra time on the pad that they're running. That 2-hour-and-40-minute delay is coming into play again.
047:49:35 Schmitt: Oh, yes, yes. That's right. Good. I forgot all about that. Something made that slip my mind.
047:49:43 Overmyer: Well, things have been going so well that I can't blame you forgetting that.
047:49:53 Schmitt: [Garble] Stanley Holloway's crazy Flight Plan updates that we've just forgotten that we were ever late.
047:50:00 Overmyer: Roger. Say, by the way, we like the music in the background. Sounds pretty good.
047:50:09 Schmitt: Yes, we sort of - didn't - we didn't get it out at all until today. [Music: Whipped Cream by Al Hirt] I don't know whether we forgot about it or too many other learning things going on. It's - it's quite pleasant.
047:50:23 Overmyer: Roger. I don't think you forgot about it. I think you were just glued to those windows.
047:50:30 Schmitt: Well, I still am, as a matter of fact. The old Earth's coming by. And, say, I mentioned a couple of fronts that joined together about 20 degrees south of - of - the south coast of Australia. And it looks like that's a fairly healthy storm center developing down in there - conceivably may migrate up across Tasmania and maybe up - up the Sydney-Brisbane coastal area in the next few days.
047:51:07 Overmyer: Roger. Where is the exact center of that, Jack? it took me a second to get my prog out here.
047:51:15 Schmitt: Well, just a second. Let me give you better from the map.
047:51:18 Overmyer: Roger. [Long pause.]
047:52:05 Overmyer: While you're looking at your map, I just might mention to Gene, I just talked to your - your better half over there, and everybody's fine and happy.
047:52:18 Cernan: Great. Always like to hear news like that, Bob.
047:52:21 Overmyer: Roger. [Pause.]
047:52:31 Schmitt: Bob, did you get that - 15 to 20 degrees south southwest of Adelaide?
047:52:43 Overmyer: Roger. [Long pause.]
047:53:20 Overmyer: 17, Houston. Are you into your pre... [No answer.]
047:53:42 Overmyer: 17, Houston. Are you into your presleep checklist [garble]? [No answer.]
047:54:54 Overmyer: 17, Houston. Are you into your presleep checklist now?
047:55:02 Cernan: We're just about ready to get started, Bob. We're running a little bit behind, but - we'll catch up here.
047:55:08 Overmyer: Okay. No sweat.
047:55:16 Schmitt: [Music] Trying to get some more of this good food down.
047:55:19 Overmyer: Roger. Keep saying those words. The people on my left appreciate that.
047:55:29 Cernan: Yes, but it does take awhile.
047:55:32 Overmyer: I'm sure of that.
047:55:38 Schmitt: You know what we really need is Rita to fix it for us.
047:55:43 Overmyer: That's affirmed. I'll go along on that. [Long pause.]
047:56:18 Cernan: Okay, Bob, I'm going to cycle H
2 Fans 1 and 2.
047:56:24 Overmyer: Okay, we're watching.
047:57:48 Cernan: Fans are Off.
047:57:51 Overmyer: Roger.
047:59:15 Schmitt: Bob, we're still on November November frame 140, and I'm going to take two more pictures before I go to sleep.
047:59:23 Overmyer: Roger, Jack. We copy that. November November frame 140. And you ought to be on 142 when you go to sleep, I guess, huh?
047:59:35 Schmitt: That's affirm.
AS17-148-22747 - Earth at a distance of approximately 289,000 km (based on photo analysis). Australia and Antarctica - JSC scan
AS17-148-22748 - Earth at a distance of approximately 289,000 km (based on photo analysis). Australia and Antarctica - JSC scan
048:09:36 - This is Apollo Control at 48 hours, 9 minutes. Apollo 17 now 77,623 nautical miles [143,758 km] away from the Moon and the lunar-referenced velocity, 3,333 feet per second [1,016 m/s]. Here in the Control Room, Flight Director Gene Kranz and his White team are preparing to relieve the Orange team which has been directed tonight by Flight Director Chuck Lewis. Major activities during this shift have been the heat flow and convection demonstration which has been performed twice during this shift. Once, while the spacecraft was nulled in all three axes and again after the Passive Thermal Control spinup mode had been established. That demonstration is to provide data on behavior of fluids in a low gravity field and the information learned from the demonstration could be valuable in the future science experiments and perhaps for manufacturing processes in space. The crew is in its presleep checklist at the present time and we have a - again a new update on the S-IVB impact just provided by the Flight Dynamics Officer - updates impact time to 86 hours, 59 minutes, 38 seconds at 3 degrees, 37 minutes south latitude; 12 degrees, 7 minutes west longitude. We do not anticipate a change of shift briefing at the end of this shift. Handover is scheduled for midnight and there will be no change of shift briefing. At 48 hours, 12 minutes; this is Mission Control, Houston.
048:14:46 Schmitt: Houston, 17.
048:14:49 Overmyer: Go ahead.
048:14:53 Schmitt: Roger. One final word. I got those pictures; and, I tell you, that typhoon off - north of Borneo - looks like it's right off the coast of - the east coast of Vietnam now, and it's about as tightly organized and solid as anything I can remember seeing in photographs. It looks as if, from yesterday, it's moved quite a bit to the west.
048:15:26 Overmyer: Roger. We concur. The prog for 12:00 - Let's see, that's about 6 hours from now - shows it to be right over the Vietnam area, the Viet - Vietnam peninsula there. So it looks like it's moving the way they're progging it, huh?
048:15:42 Schmitt: Yes; well, it's right there. Yes, it certainly is. It's - it's moved from just a little bit west of Luzon over to the coast there. So it's a pretty healthy storm.
048:15:59 Overmyer: Roger. It looks - on the prog chart here - it looks real tight. It's a very - very centralized thing and real tight circular.
048:16:12 Schmitt: Oh, yes, you better believe it. It in really - it is tight. It - it's really - really no bigger than the - in terms of cloud pattern - no bigger than the - say, South Vietnam itself.
048:16:31 Overmyer: Roger. How're you getting that, Jack? Are you looking with the monocular now?
048:16:39 Schmitt: That's affirm. Monocular still gives real good resolution on the cloud patterns. [Music] Naked eye, you just see the masses; but with the 10-power monocular, it's perfectly adequate for seeing the kind of patterns we're talking about.
048:17:00 Overmyer: Roger. I understand.
048:19:59 Overmyer: Well, guys, I guess I won't get the chance to say goodnight to you because Parker's going to come in to put you to bed.
048:20:09 Schmitt: Heavens.
048:20:13 Overmyer: And we'd - we'd like you to clear...
048:20:15 Schmitt: You can still say goodnight, Bob.
048:20:16 Overmyer: ...the DSKY, if you will.
048:20:20 Schmitt: Say goodnight, Bob.
048:20:22 Overmyer: Say goodnight, Dick, huh? One last word. You know, we're always hounding you guys - really don't mean to - but we - we'd like to see a clear DSKY so something doesn't burn out. Don't know the exact words on that, but...
048:20:39 Cernan: Okay, we - we'll give you a clear DSKY.
048:20:42 Overmyer: Roger.
048:20:50 Cernan: Goodnight, Robert.
048:20:57 Overmyer: We'll see you tomorrow, troops. And we had a good show today, and We'll have more tomorrow.
048:21:17 Schmitt: Ron says goodnight, Bob.
048:21:22 Overmyer: Roger.
048:28:25 Schmitt: Robert Parker, are you there?
048:28:29 Parker: That's affirmative.
048:28:33 Schmitt: Well, you're just in time to put us to sleep. And I'll give you one last little old observation here. Extremely bright zero phase point right off the northwestern corner of Australia right at Carnarvon, it's as bright as I've seen. They must have a pretty good surf or something going in there.
048:28:58 Parker: Okay; that sounds good. [Long pause.]
048:29:29 Parker: Okay, 17, we copy all that; and I gather you're going to sleep at this point.
048:29:37 Schmitt: Well, we're going to try, Bob. I don't think any of us are real sleepy right now, but we're going to give her the old space try, here; and I'm sure we'll be asleep before long. Ron is on watch; and, if you don't wake him up with your voice, give him a crew alert. He says he'll wake up with a Master Alarm.
048:29:59 Parker: That's a healthy sign. All right, guys; if I stick around long enough in the morning, I'll wake you up.
048:33:25 Cernan: Okay, Robert, are you happy with your high - antenna configuration?
048:33:34 Parker: That's affirm. INCO is happy.
048:33:40 Cernan: Okay, you have anything else for us? I'll take care of our sleep configuration if you don't.
048:33:47 Parker: Okay, stand by. I'll go around the MOCR here with white.
048:33:54 SC: [Laughter.]
048:34:00 Parker: Okay. A lot of happy people down here with nothing to ask you.
048:34:07 Cernan: Okay. Nice to have everybody happy. And you - that includes the - the biomed on the commander, huh?
048:34:22 Parker: Okay, I guess they're happy.
048:34:40 Cernan: Okay, are you going to sing to Ron in the morning to wake us up?
048:34:44 Parker: Depends on how soon you guys decide to wake up in the morning. I'll be around for 8 hours anyway.
048:34:57 Cernan: What's your expected GET of awake?
048:35:19 Parker: Stand by, Okay, 17, it should say 56...
048:35:20 Cernan: [Garble] 56.
048:35:21 Parker: Go ahead.
048:35:26 Cernan: Yes, we're just going to say the same thing.
048:35:28 Parker: Okay. Should show 56 on your clock.
048:35:45 Parker: In fact, Dr. Kranz, here, just decided that you guys get another half hour in the morning if you wanted it. But you better tell us now because we'll wake you up at 56 and ask you if you want the other half hour then, unless you tell us.
048:36:06 Cernan: Yes, why don't you give us another half hour; and if we happen to wake up and want to move around, well, we'll do it.
048:36:12 Parker: Okay; We'll wake you up at 56:30.
048:39:12 - This is Apollo Control at 48 hours, 39 minutes. We now have turned off the voice subcarrier up to the spacecraft and INCO, just a few minutes ago, reported that the crew has also turned off the voice subcarrier from the spacecraft, indicating that they have completed their presleep preparations and should begin scheduled 8-hour rest period shortly. Spacecraft Communicator, at the present time, is astronaut Robert Parker. He has replaced Robert Overmyer in that position. And in Mission Control we're set to maintain the watch while the crew is sleeping, keeping an eye on spacecraft systems via telemetry. Apollo 17 is now 76,630 nautical miles [141,919 km] from the Moon and everything appears to be functioning normally aboard the spacecraft at this time. At 48 hours, 40 minutes; this is Apollo Control, Houston.
