Spacelog Mercury 7

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.

Okay, if you're ready, I'll give you the emergency voice check. We will turn off UHF and HF transmitters for this so that you will not have to change volume.

Roger, standing by.

Aurora Seven. Muchea Cap Com. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 command voice. How do you read?

Roger, Deke. Read you loud and clear, loud and clear emergency voice.

Very good, Very good. Switching back to UHF.

Roger.

Aurora Seven, Muchea Cap Com on UHF. How do you read?

Roger. Muchea Cap Com. Loud and clear. Tell Jerry and Gus and Lewis and—everybody else there, that I worked with “hello.” John Whittler, if you see him, tell him to saddle Butch up. Break, break. Is your cloud cover such that I can expect [to] see light—or flares at Woomera? Over.

Roger. The cloud coverage here is 3,000 [nautical miles] overcast stratus, and we think you'll probably see them through the clouds. Woomera is clear.

Roger.

Seven from Muchea. Would you send us one more blood pressure?

Roger. Starting now.

We're going to send you a Z cal at this time.

Roger. And—go ahead and send it. I'll—you'll be interested to know that I have no moon, now. The horizon is clearly visible from my present position; that's at 00 54 44 elapsed. I believe the horizon on the dark side with no moon is very good for pitch and roll. The stars are adequate for yaw in, maybe 2 minutes of tracking. Over.

Roger, Understand. Sounds very good. Z cal off; R cal coming on. Mark.

Suggest that you back the fuel control back to your first black mark.

Roger. I'll try that. Going all the way off and back up a little bit lower than where I was.

Roger. Your suit temperature is down a bit at this point.

Say again, Deke.

Your suit temperature is down, which is good.

Well, that's a result of an increase in flow lately. I would think that—I'll try increasing rather than decreasing.

Hello, Woomera Cap Com, Aurora Seven. Do you read?

Roger. This is Woomera. This is Woomera Cap Com. Reading you loud and clear. How me?

This is Muchea Cap Com. They will not be contacting you for another 3 minutes.

Roger. Go ahead, Deke. Just trying to get the word on the flare.

Roger. Understand. I'll give you the settings, correction, the attitudes for the first flare at this time. It would be plus 80 [degrees] yaw, minus 80 [degrees] in pitch.

Roger Understand, Deke. Plus 80 [degrees] yaw, minus 80 [degrees] pitch.

Roger. Okay. The Cape now advises to keep the suit setting where it was since it's coming down.

Roger. I—for your information, I have increased it just slightly. My readings now are 7 [psia] and 7 [psia] on suit and cabin. What are my inverter temperatures and thruster line temperatures, Deke? Are they okay?

Rog. We are losing you. We are losing you on air-ground. Would you care to contact Woomera at this time?

Roger.

Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven, this is Woomera. Read you loud and clear. How me?

Roger, Woomera. Reading you loud and clear, also. I'd like readout on my inverter temperatures—and mark on your flare. Over.

Roger. We're going to have the flare in approximately 2 minutes. We'll give you a readout on your temperatures.

Roger. And for your information, Rate Command is also working in all axes. Over.

Roger. Rate—rate Command in all axes.

That—that signifies that all control systems are operating satisfactorily. Over.

Roger. Understand. All systems okay. We have your temperatures. Your 150 inverter, 152 [degrees]. Your 250 inverter, 167 [degrees]. Do you copy? Over.

Roger. Copied, thank you. Standing by.

We're going to have the flares. All four of them go at approximately 00 [plus] 58 plus 30. We do have an eight by eight coverage.

Roger. I am at—plus 80 [degrees] yaw, minus 80 [degrees] pitch now.

Roger. We'll give you a time hack when we come up to flare test.

Roger.

This is Woomera Cap Com, Seven. Surgeon reports all systems look good down here. And Systems reports everything okay on his panel.

Roger. Thank you. It looks good to me, also.

Roger. You are loud and clear. Coming up on the flare test—in approximately 25 seconds.

Roger.

Good air-to-ground.