Spacelog Mercury 7

Read you loud and clear also. We have radar track. Please remain in orbit attitude.

Roger. Understand. I, my control mode is fly-by-wire, gyros normal, maneuver off. I am picking up retroattitude and automatic control very shortly. Over.

Roger. Will you verify that your retrodelay switch is in the normal position?

Retrodelay is normal. I say again, retrodelay is normal.

Roger. Will you please proceed with the short report, fuel and oxygen readings.

Roger. Fuel 103-100 [percent]. Oxygen 89-100 [percent]. All the power is good. Aurora seven status is Go in all respects. Over.

Roger. Say again fuel, please. Over.

Fuel 103-100 [percent]. Over.

Roger. Have copied.

Please send blood pressure. Over.

Roger. Blood pressure start now.

I have, west of your station, many whirls and vortices of cloud patterns. Pictures at this time—2, 3, 4, 5. Control mode is now automatic. I have the booster directly below me. I think my attitude is not in agreement with the instruments. It's probably because of that gyro free period. Outside of a minor difference in attitude indications, everything is proceeding normally.

Can you confirm orientation, ASCS and fly-by-wire . . . operating normal?

Roger. Wait one.

Roger. Canary, TS plus 5 is verified. Manual is satisfactory in all axes. Fly-by-wire and auto is satisfactory, all axes. Aux Damp is okay also. Over.

Roger. I have copied. I have new end of orbit, end of mission and 1 Bravo times for you. Are you prepared to copy?

Stand by one.

Send your message, Canary.

Roger. End of orbit time 01 28 17. End of mission, 04 32 27. 1 Bravo 16 plus 56. Did you copy? Over.

Roger. End of orbit 01 28 17, Hotel 04 32 39, 1 Bravo 16 56. Over.

Correction. Aurora Seven, correction 1 Bravo. Make that 16 plus 52. Over.

Roger. Understand. 16 52.

Roger. Apogee altitude is 143 [nautical miles]. Perigee 86 [nautical miles]. Did you copy? Over.

Roger. Roger. Understand.

I'm going to be unable to complete the MIT pictures on this pass, I believe. Negative, negative, I can fix the problem. Too much film was out of the canister, that was the problem. Film is now in tight. The small back going on now.

At 00 29 43, the first time I was able to get horizon pictures with MIT film. Set at F8 and 125th. A picture to the south into the sun, directly down my flight path is number two. Number three, 15 degrees north at capsule elapse 00 30 17.

Stowing the camera at this time. Going to the gyro uncaging procedure at this time. Fly-by-wire, now. Gyros going to cage. Maneuver at this point is on.

Pitching down, yawing left.

Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven. This is I.O.S. Com Tech on HF and UHF. How do you read? Over.

Roger, Indian Com Tech. Aurora Seven reading you weak but readable. Go ahead.

Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven. This is I.O.S. Com Tech on HF and UHF. How do you read? Over.

Hello, Indian Ship Cap Com. Aurora Seven. Loud and clear. How me?

Hello, Indian Cap Com, Indian Cap Com, Aurora Seven. How do you read?

Hello, Indian Cap Com, Indian Cap Com, Aurora Seven. How do you read?

At 00 34 28, I'm increasing the cabin water valve and the suit valve to 6 [degrees]. Steam vent temperature now reads 65 and 75 [degrees].

Mark African coastal passage, about 20 seconds ago.

I'm using the airglow filter at this time. Visor is coming open for a better look at that. Hello, Indian Cap Com, Aurora Seven. Do you read?

Station calling Aurora Seven. Say again.

Okay. That took me some time to aline my attitudes properly. Three more pictures with MIT film: 2, 3, directly into the sun at an elapsed time of 00 39 42.

The big back is going on the camera at this time. There was a period there when nothing was recorded because I was in VOX power off, instead of record. The big …

At 00 43 02, I think my gyros are properly alined.

What in the world happened to the periscope?

Oh, its' dark, that's what happened. It's facing a dark earth. Sunset F16 to F, okay; we'll start with F16. Up north, coming south. Try some at 250.

It's getting darker. Let me see. Muchea contact, sometime. Oh, look at that sun.

F11.

F5.6 That was those last four, were F3.8. It's quite dark. I didn't begin to get time to dark-adapt.

Photo lights are off. Cabin lights are going to red at this time. Oh, man, a wide, a beautiful, beautiful red like in John's pictures. Going to fly-by-wire.

It is a reflection. It is a reflection in the window. That's too bad.

I see at this point; I'm not sure I am recording on VOX record. I will go to transmit. I have Venus, now approaching the horizon.

It's about 30 degrees up. It's just coming into view. Bright and unblinking. I cannot—I can see some other stars down below Venus. Going back to ASCS than at this time.

Bright, bright blue horizon band as the sun gets lower and lower—the horizon band still glows. It looks like five times the width of the—the diameter of the sun. I'm at—now at 00 47 34 elapsed.

It's now nearly dark, and I can't believe I'm where I am.

Oh, dear, I've used too much fuel.

Well, I'm going to have to increase. Let's see, going to ASCS at this time.

My fuel reads 75-100 [percent] at this time. The window—is Venus occlude. No, that—that is not correct. Venus did not occlude. I'm getting out the equipment to measure Venus occlusion.

There is too much red light in the cockpit from the time correlation. Venus at above the—horizon.

Aurora Seven. This is Muchea Cap Com. How do you read?

Hello, Muchea Cap Com, Aurora Seven. Loud and clear. How me, Deke?

Rog. Coming in very good, dad. Sound very good. How's things going?

Roger. Things axe going very well. My status is very good. The capsule status is very good. The control mode is normal. Automatic gyros normal and maneuver off. Fuel is 72-100 [percent]. Oxygen 88-100 [percent]. Everything is normal with the exception of—-the fact that I am a tad behind in the flight plan. Over.

Roger. Understand.

Blood pressure is starting now.

Okay. Blood pressure starting. We suggest that you do not exercise during the blood pressure since your temp is up.

Roger. This is the story on the suit temp. I have increased two 10-degree marks since lift-off. And now about—well, 15 degrees above launch mark. My steam vent temperatures read 69 and 80 [degrees]. I'll take one more stab at increasing or decreasing temperature by increasing flow rate. If this doesn't work, I'll turn them off and start lower. Over.

Rog, Understand. I'll give you some retrotimes while you're sending blood pressure. End of orbit is 01 28 18. End of mission is 04 32 28.

Roger. Understand. End of orbit 01 28 18 and 04 32 28 for end of orbit. Over. End of mission.

That's affirmative. We indicate your clock is 1 second slow and this is compensated for.

Roger. Thank you.

G.m.t. time hack at this time—we're coming up on 13 36 57. Mark.