Scott Carpenter

Roger. Going to fly-by-wire. It doesn't cost so much.

CAPCOM

Roger. Fly-by-wire, Manual on. Is that affirmative?

Scott Carpenter

Manual is—no, I'm, my control mode is pure fly-by-wire now.

CAPCOM

Roger. Flare test coming up. Stand by. Mark 00 [plus] 58 plus 30. All four flares away.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven, this is Woomera. How do you read? Over.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. Reading you loud and clear. Searching for your flares. Stand by.

CAPCOM

Roger. We still have approximately 60 seconds left.

CAPCOM

You're up to minus 50 [degrees] on roll.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. Backing off. Thank you, thank you. Backing off.

Scott Carpenter

I do not have your flares. I'm sorry, Woomera.

CAPCOM

Say again, Seven.

Scott Carpenter

No joy on your flares. I do not have your flares visible.

CAPCOM

Have copied. Evidently the cloud coverage is too tight.

Scott Carpenter

At this time I have extensive cloud coverage—wait.

CAPCOM

Did you try Aux Damp when you're in fly-by-wire to see if you are holding attitudes?

Scott Carpenter

Negative. I have verified that Aux Damp is operating satisfactorily. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger. Understand.

Scott Carpenter

I have some lights on the ground underneath me. Stand by, I'll try to identify them.

CAPCOM

Roger. Wilco.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven, this is Woomera Cap Com. Do you read? Over.

Scott Carpenter

Loud and clear, Woomera. Go ahead.

CAPCOM

Roger. Could you give us a short report at this time?

Scott Carpenter

Roger. My control mode is fly-by-wire, gyros are free, and the maneuver switch is off. Fuel reads 75-85 [percent], oxygen 88 and 100 [percent]. Wait till I pick a washer out of the air. And everything is very good. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger. You're intermittent. What is your suit temperature? Over.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. Suit temperature is now 70 [degrees]. Suit temperature is 70 [degrees]. Steam exhaust is 70 [degrees]. The cabin exhaust is 80 [degrees].

CAPCOM

Roger. Do you confirm—do you have your—back down to the black scribe mark?

Scott Carpenter

That is negative. I have then both set on seven at this time and—an increase in setting resulted in a decrease—in suit temperature. I think I'd like to try—try them at this setting a little while longer. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger. Understand. I believe at this time you're supposed to have your midnight snack.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. I'll get to that shortly.

CAPCOM

Roger. You're starting to drift or fade slightly.

CAPCOM

Are you prepared to go into drifting flight before too long?

Scott Carpenter

Roger. I can do that at this time. At night yawed—

CAPCOM

. . . is that affirmative?

Scott Carpenter

I am going to drifting flight at this time. Over.

Scott Carpenter

Gyros are caged. I have about a 2-degree-per-second yaw rate. All gyros are zero. I have Corvus directly above me. I'm yawing over the top. I feel that my attitude is—the line of sight is nearly—nearly vertical.

Scott Carpenter

I am in VOX record only now. The time is 01 04 00 elapsed. I'm searching the star charts.

Scott Carpenter

The finish on the star chart is so shiny that—it's impossible to read because of reflection.

Scott Carpenter

I've got to turn white lights on, that's all.

Scott Carpenter

Attitudes are of no concern to me whatsoever. I know I'm drifting freely. The moon crossed the window not too long ago.

Scott Carpenter

Let's see, now what can—I am at this moment rocking my arms back and forth and I can make this show up in the roll, yaw, and pitch needle. By moving my torso, I can make the pitch rate needle move up to 1 degree per second. Roll is, needle, rate needle is very sensitive to this. Yaw is also. Let's see, am going to open the visor at this time. Have a few crumbs of food floating around in the capsule.

Scott Carpenter

At 01 06 106—-at 1 minute, 1 hour and 7 minutes elapsed, I'm going above the scale to approximately 8 on cabin and suit.

Scott Carpenter

Hello, hello, Canton Com Tech, Canton Com Tech, Aurora Seven. Weak but readable. Go ahead.

Comm Tech

Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven. This is Canton Com Tech, Canton Com Tech. Do you read? Over.

Scott Carpenter

Hello, Canton Com Tech, Aurora Seven. Loud and clear. How me?

Scott Carpenter

The food—hello, Canton Com Tech, Aurora Seven. How do you read?

Scott Carpenter

Hello, Canton Com Tech, Aurora Seven. How do you read?

Scott Carpenter

First meal at 01 08 52.

Expand selection down Contract selection up

Spoken on May 24, 1962, 1:53 p.m. UTC (61 years, 10 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

Scott Carpenter

Hello, Canton Com Tech, Canton Com Tech, Aurora Seven on HF. How do you read?

Comm Tech

Seven, this is Canton Com Tech. Do you read?

Scott Carpenter

Canton Com Tech, Aurora Seven. Loud and clear. How do you read Aurora Seven on HF? Over.

Comm Tech

Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven. This is Canton Com Tech. Do you read? Over.

Scott Carpenter

Roger, Canton Com Tech. Loud and clear. How me?

Comm Tech

Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven. This is Canton Com Tech. Do you read?

Scott Carpenter

Hello, Canton Com Tech, Canton Com Tech, Aurora Seven. Loud and clear. How me?

CAPCOM

This is Canton. Loud and clear, Aurora Seven. Can you begin with the short report?

Scott Carpenter

Roger. I've been reading you for some time. I've tried to contact you on HF with no success. My status is good; the capsule status is good; control mode is fly-by-wire; gyros caged; maneuver is off. The fuel reads 74-85 [percent]. Oxygen is 87-100 [percent]. The cabin temperature is a bit high at 104 [degrees]. The suit—steam vent temperature is 70 [degrees], and cabin is 80 [degrees], but I believe they're coming down. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger. Did you wish to check your attitude readings with our telemetry? Over.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. My—my gyros are caged at this time. Stand by one.

CAPCOM

Standing by.

Scott Carpenter

I am beginning to pick up what I believe is a—yeah, it's very definitely a cloud pattern equally low.

Scott Carpenter

I am—let's see, Canton, do you have the exact sunrise time for the first orbit? Over.

CAPCOM

Say again, Aurora Seven.

Scott Carpenter

Sunrise time for first orbit. Over.

CAPCOM

I have a sunrise time of 1 plus 21 plus 00.

Scott Carpenter

1 plus 21 00. Roger. Thank you.

CAPCOM

Did you—could you comment on whether you are comfortable or not—would you . . . a 102 [degrees] on body temperature.

Scott Carpenter

No, I don't believe that's correct. My visor was open; it is now closed. I can't imagine I'm that hot. I'm quite comfortable, but sweating some.

CAPCOM

Roger. Can you confirm then that the faceplate is closed, and will be closed for the pass over Guaymas.

Scott Carpenter

That is correct, George. I'll leave the faceplate closed. I have had one piece of the inflight food. It's crumbling badly and I hate to get it all over, and I have had about four swallows of water at that time.

CAPCOM

Roger, four swallows of water.

CAPCOM

You wish to start your comment now on the haze layer—there was the . . . pitch, and at the same time confirm that the flight plan is on schedule.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. I cannot confirm that the flight plan is completely on schedule. At sunset I was unable to see a separate haze layer—the same—height above the horizon that John reported. I'll watch closely at sunrise and see if I can pick it up. Over.

CAPCOM

All readings appear to be normal down here. The capsule looks good from down here.

CAPCOM

. . . queries, you can continue on with your observations. Over.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. Thanks, George, see you next time around.

CAPCOM

Okay, Scott. Good luck.

Comm Tech

Aurora Seven, Hawaii Com Tech. How do you read me? Over.

Scott Carpenter

I am in VOX record now. I heard Hawaii calling, ha ha, Hawaii calling. I will go to transmit directly, and see if we can pick up Hawaii.

Scott Carpenter

Hello, Hawaii Com Tech, Aurora Seven on HF. Loud and clear. How me?

Scott Carpenter

Hello, Hawaii Com Tech, Hawaii Com Tech, Aurora Seven. Loud and clear. How do you read HF? Over.

Scott Carpenter

Going now to record only while I switch back to UHF.

Scott Carpenter

Hello, Hawaii, hello, Hawaii Com Tech, Aurora Seven. Weak but readable. Go ahead.

Comm Tech

Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven, . . . on HF, UHF. How do you read? Over.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. Hawaii Com Tech. Aurora Seven reading you loud and clear. How me?

Comm Tech

Aurora Seven. Hawaii Com Tech. How do you read?

Scott Carpenter

All right. My—I am at 01 19 02. Have been several times completely disoriented. There, I have Cassiopeia directly in the window and am yawing around for the sunrise—photographs. The sky is quite light in the east.

Note

Astronaut Carpenter stated that the disorientation was with respect to the earth, and this occurred only when no visual reference was available. However, he remained oriented with respect to the spacecraft. See footnote 4.

Scott Carpenter

Excess cabin-water light came on at that time. I'll have to go back all the way down and off. Suit is—still high. The cabin-water gage is reading—plus 9, which is hard to believe.

Scott Carpenter

My temperature, my body temperature doesn't feel . . . feel bad at all. My suit—yes, my suit temperature is down now, also.

Scott Carpenter

But the steam vent temperature is—still about—70 [degrees].

Scott Carpenter

I have the fireflies. Hello, Guaymas.

Scott Carpenter

I have the particles. I was facing away from the sun at sunrise and I did not see the particles—just—just yawing about—180 degrees, I was able to pick up—at this.—Stand by, I think I see more.

Scott Carpenter

Yes, there was one, random motions—some even appeared to be going ahead. There's one outside. Almost like a light snowflake particle caught in an eddy. They are not glowing with their own light at this time.

Scott Carpenter

It could be frost from a thruster.