Scott Carpenter

My control mode is now manual; gyros are caged, and I will allow the capsule to drift for a little while.

CAPCOM

Roger, and John suggests you try to look back, towards the darkness, at sunrise to see those particles.

Scott Carpenter

Toward the darkness.

CAPCOM

Roger. At sunrise, try to look toward the darkness.

Scott Carpenter

Okay, I have done that, and—and—tell him no joy.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, are you in drifting flight?

CAPCOM

Roger.

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Spoken on May 24, 1962, 3:57 p.m. UTC (61 years, 10 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

Scott Carpenter

I am looking down almost vertically. It's possible to distinguish, I believe, four separate cloud layers.

Scott Carpenter

Balloon—I'll maneuver enough to get the balloon out in trail so I can photograph its departure.

Scott Carpenter

I, incidently, have those little particles visible in the periscope at this time.

CAPCOM

Roger. Understand the periscope.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, Cap Com.

CAPCOM

We're still fairly happy with your fuel state now. Don't let—we'd like for you not to let either get down below 40 percent.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. I'll try. I have balloon jettison on and off, and I can't get rid of it.

CAPCOM

Understand that you can't get rid of the balloon.

Scott Carpenter

That's right. It will not jettison.

CAPCOM

Aurora seven, Cap Com.

Scott Carpenter

Go ahead, Cap Com.

CAPCOM

Give us your blood pressure and fuel reading.

Scott Carpenter

Okay. Fuel is 45-42 [percent]. Blood pressure on the air.

Scott Carpenter

I have the particles visible still. They're streaming aft, but in an arc of maybe a 120 or 130 degrees.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, Cap Com. Say again.

Scott Carpenter

Roger, I have these particles drifting aft again, but they do not parallel the line to the balloon exactly. They drift aft within an arc of maybe 120 to 130 degrees.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, Cap Com. Can you give us a comment on the zero g experiment?

Scott Carpenter

Roger. At this moment, the fluid is all gathered around the standpipe; the standpipe appears to be full and the fluid outside the standpipe is about halfway up. There is a rather large meniscus. I'd say about 60° meniscus.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, Cap Com. Repeat as much of your last message as you can.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. The standpipe is full of the fluid. The fluid is halfway up the outside of the standpipe—a rather large meniscus, on angle of about 60 degrees. Over.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven, this is Canary Cap Com on HF. Do you read? Over.

Scott Carpenter

Hello, hello, Canary Cap Com, Aurora Seven. Reading you loud and clear; HF. Transmitting HF. How do you read? Over.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, this is Canary Cap Com on HF. Do you read? Over.

Scott Carpenter

Roger, Canary Cap Com. Reading you loud and clear; HF. How me? Over.

Scott Carpenter

These pictures of the—small groups of closely knit clouds are south of Canary, third orbit.

Scott Carpenter

This must be crossing [Intertropical Convergence Zone] (ITCZ). I have never seen weather quite like this.

CAPCOM

This is Canary Cap Com on HF. Do you receive? Over.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, this is Canary Cap Com. We had no transmissions from you. This is Canary Islands, signing out.

Scott Carpenter

I have the Voasmeter out at this time.

Scott Carpenter

Hello, Canary Cap Com, Aurora Seven. Reading you loud and clear. How me?

CAPCOM

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

Scott Carpenter

Go ahead, Canary. Reading you loud and clear.

Scott Carpenter

I am going—I am in the record only position now. I think the best answer to the autokinesis—is that there is none. I noticed none—and I tend to aline the horizontal with my head—it—a horizontal line under zero g is a line parallel to the line drawn between your eyes. I don't get autokinesis. I don't get—now wait a minute, maybe I'm beginning to.

Scott Carpenter

I should remark that at 3 26 33, I have.in the sky, at any time, 10 particles. They no doubt appear to glow to me. They appeared to be little pieces of frost. However. some appear to be way, way far away. There are two—that look like they might be a 100 yards away. I haven't operated the thruster not for some time. Here are two in closer. Now a densiometer reading on these that are in close. Extinct at 5.5, the elapsed time is 3 27 39. I am unable to see any stars in the black sky at this time. However, these little snowflakes are clearly visible.