Spacelog Mercury 7

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.

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

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

Standing by.

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

Roger.

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

Say again, Aurora Seven.

Sunrise time for first orbit. Over.

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

1 plus 21 00. Roger. Thank you.

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

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.

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

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.

Roger, four swallows of water.

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.

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.

Roger.

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

Roger, the—

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

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

Okay, Scott. Good luck.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

I have the fireflies. Hello, Guaymas.

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.

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.

It could be frost from a thruster.

Going to transmit to—record only, at this time.

The weightless condition is a blessing, nothing more, nothing less.

I am now photographing large cloud banks over the Pacific on a southerly direction.

I'm drifting slowly to retroattitude at this time.

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

Roger. Aurora Seven, this is Guaymas Cap Com. How me? Over.

Roger, Guaymas, loud and clear. My control mode is now fly-by-wire; gyros are caged, I'm in— maneuver is off. I'll go to automatic mode directly. My status good; the capsule status is good. The fuel is 69-69 [percent], oxygen is 88-100 [percent]. The cabin steam vent has gone to plus 10, I believe that's a bad gage reading, and suit temperature steam vent is coming down slowly, now reading 68 [degrees]. Over.

Roger. Understand 68 [degrees]. How is your temperature comfort? Over.

Roger. My body comfort is good. I am tracking now a very small particle, one isolated particle, about—there is another, very small, could be a light snowflake.

Roger. We're reading—we're having a—a bad body temperature reading on you, 102.4 [degrees], probably erroneous.

I can't believe it. My suit temperature shows 60 [degrees] and I feel quite comfortable. I'm sure I would be sweating more than this if my temperature were 102 [degrees].

Your suit-inlet temperature, near 61 [degrees], so it looks pretty good.

Roger.

Roger. It looks like we have a go for the second orbit as everything appears all right for you.

Roger. I was hoping you'd say that, Gordo.

You start to conserve your fuel a bit and maybe, perhaps, use a little more of your manual fuel.

Roger. Can do.

Roger, are you ready for Z and R cal?

Roger, send them.

Z cal coming on now.

And, mark, coastal passage.

Say again.

Mark, coastal passage coming over the—Baja.

Good.