Spacelog Mercury 7

Aurora Seven. This is Kano on UHF/HF. Do you read? Over.

Roger, Kano Cap Com. Aurora Seven reads you loud and clear. How me?

Roger, Aurora Seven. Kano Cap Com reads you loud and clear. Welcome back, Scott.

Roger.

Blood-pressure check, please. Hold your button for 4 seconds and then go through the short report.

Roger. Blood-pressure start, nob'. My status is good. The capsule status is good. Furl is 99-98 [percent]. Oxygen, 89-100 [percent]. Cabin is holding good. All d-c power is good. All a-c power is good, 22 amps. Everything is green and you should be reading blood pressure. Over.

Roger. We are reading blood pressure. Do you want to check your UHF low? Over.

Roger. Going to UHF low now, stand by 15.

Hello, Kano. Hello, Kano Cap Com. Aurora Seven UHF low. How do you read?

Aurora Seven. Kano Cap Com reads you loud and clear. Over.

Roger. Reading you the same. Going back to UHF high.

Aurora Seven, Kano Cap Com. How do you read? Over.

Loud and clear, Kano. Send your message.

Roger, Aurora Seven. Are you going to be doing your caging, uncaging procedure now? Over.

Roger. I—am a little behind in the flight plan at this moment. I have been unable at this time to install the MIT film. I finally have it. I'll go through the gyro uncaging procedure very shortly.

Roger.

Okay, the MIT film is now in.

ASCS is operating okay.

What mode are you on now?

Roger. My mode is auto, gyro normal, maneuver off.

Aurora Seven, Kano Cap Com. Be sure you're on fly-by-wire before going through the procedures for uncaging.

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.