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Scott Carpenter
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The line is still not taut. I have some pictures of the line just waving out in back. I would say we have about a one-cycle-per-minute oscillation. It's both in pitch and yaw.
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Scott Carpenter
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Also, Bermuda, the balloon not only oscillates in cones in pitch and yaw, it also seems to oscillate in and out toward the capsule; and sometimes the line will be taut, other times it's quite loose.
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Scott Carpenter
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At 01 45 30, I have turned the cabin, or the suit-water valve all the way off and back up to one.
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Scott Carpenter
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I'm taping now the fuel quantity warning lights in preparation for the dark side. I think also excess cabin water I'll tape. It's not a satisfactory lighting arrangement to …
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Scott Carpenter
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Roger, Canary. My status is good; the capsule status is good; my control mode is automatic; gyros normal; maneuver off. Fuel 51-68 [percent], oxygen 85-100 [percent]; my cabin steam vent temperature now is picking up and reading about 19, suit steam vent temperature still reading 70 [degrees]. I have backed it off to zero and reset it at one. Over.
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Scott Carpenter
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That is Roger. I did quite a bit of drifting flight on the dark side over Woomera and Canton. Over.
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Scott Carpenter
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Roger, I did observe haze layers but not the ones that were separated from the horizon that we expected, and that John reported. I'll keep a sharp lookout next time and try to see them after sunset. On the light side there is nothing more than the bright, iridescent blue layer, which separates the actual horizon from the deep black of space. Over.
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CAPCOM
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Aurora Seven, you are fading rapidly. You are fading. MCC [Mercury Control Center] is worried about your auto fuel and manual fuel consumption. They recommend that you try to conserve your fuel.
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Scott Carpenter
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Roger. The balloon is oscillating through an arc of about 100 degrees. It gets out of view frequently. At this moment, it's nearly vertical. Mark a coastal passage at this time—it seems to—what I'm trying to tell you is that it oscillates 180 degrees, above and below. Over.
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Scott Carpenter
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It also oscillates in and out. Sometimes the line is tight and other times it is not.
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Scott Carpenter
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Roger. My status is good; fuel reads 51 [percent] and—and 69 [percent]; oxygen is 84 [percent] and 100 [percent]; cabin pressure is holding good. All d-c and a-c power is good. The only thing of—to report regarding the flight plan is that fuel levels are lower than expected. My control mode now is ASCS. I expended my extra fuel in trying to orient after the night side. I think this is due to conflicting requirements of the flight plan. I should have taken time to orient and then work with other items. I think that by remaining in automatic, I can keep—stop this excessive fuel consumption. And the balloon is sometimes visible and sometimes not visible. I haven't any idea where it is now, and there doesn't seem to—and it seems to wander with abandon back and forth, and that's all, Kano.
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CAPCOM
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Aurora Seven, how are you feeling? Your body temperature is up somewhat. How do you feel? Over.
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Scott Carpenter
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Roger. I feel fine. Last time around I—someone told me it was 102 [degrees]. I don't feel, you know, like I'm that hot. Cabin temperature is 101 [degrees]. I'm reading 101 [degrees], and the suit temperature indicates 74 [degrees].
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Scott Carpenter
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Since turning down the suit water valve, the suit steam vent temperature has climbed slightly—am increasing from one to two at this time. This should bring it down. The cabin steam vent temperature has built back up to 40 [degrees].
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CAPCOM
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Roger, Aurora Seven, everything looks okay now. We seem to have lost the body temperature readings from previous stations. We are reading 102 [degrees] right now, but as long as you feel okay right now.
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Scott Carpenter
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Roger. I just—just passed the coastline, and I am over a solid cloud cover at this time
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Scott Carpenter
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Roger, please send my greetings and best wishes of me and my countrymen to all Africans. Over.
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Scott Carpenter
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I expended it on—by manual and fly-by-wire thruster operation on the dark side, and just approaching sunrise. I think that I can cut down the fuel consumption considerably on the second and third orbits. Over.
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CAPCOM
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Aurora Seven, Kano. Just for your own information, the 250 inverter is on 180 degrees right now. Over.
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Scott Carpenter
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Actually, the food bag is not a problem, the food inside it is. It's crumbled. I dare not open the bag for fear the crumbs will get all through the capsule.
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Comm Tech
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Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven, this is Zanzibar Com Tech, transmitting on HF/UHF. Do you copy? Over.
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Comm Tech
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Auroral Seven, Aurora Seven, this is Zanzibar Cap Com. Read you weak, but readable. Do you have a short report for us?
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Scott Carpenter
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Roger. My status is good; the capsule status is good; my control mode is automatic; gyros are normal; maneuver is off. Control fuel is 51 [percent] and 69 [percent]; oxygen is 82 [percent] and 100 [percent]. That's about all except I have, so far, been unable to get my suit steam vent temperature down much below 70 [degrees]. Steam vent, or the water control valve, setting at this time is 4 at the prelaunch mark. It may be too high. Turning it off at this time and going to three, which is where the cabin is set. Over.
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Scott Carpenter
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The balloon is out. I don't see any reason for not leaving it on through the dark side, and I just saw a particle going by at about 2 or 3 feet per second.
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CAPCOM
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Roger, understand. According to flight plan, you're supposed to go to FBW about now, and he says you're on auto mode and I wondered if you plan to go through with this. Over.
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Scott Carpenter
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That is negative. I think that the fact that I'm low on fuel dictates that I stay on auto as long as the fuel consumption on automatic is not excessive. Over.
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Scott Carpenter
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I now have the wide, blue horizon band. It looks to be, at this time Capsule elapsed 02 0700, to be about the diameter underneath the sun. It seems to be the same thickness underneath the sun as the sun's diameter. North and south it becomes less distinct and lighter. It extends up farther from the horizon.
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CAPCOM
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Roger. Loud and clear. We have had transmitter trouble on your previous run. We just got a message from the Cape . . . to conserve fuel. I monitored part of your transmission to Zanzibar and understand . . . the situation.
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CAPCOM
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Roger, Aurora Seven, I read you loud and clear. Do you have any comments for the . . . Ocean?
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Scott Carpenter
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That is Roger. I believe we may have some automatic mode difficulty. Let me cheek fly-by-wire a minute.
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Scott Carpenter
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And that is not correct either. The gyros are . . . are okay; but on ASCS standby. It may be an orientation problem. I'll orient visually and . . . see if that will help out the ASCS problem.
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CAPCOM
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Aurora Seven from Indian Cap Com. Your blood pressure on your . . . fairly high and you are supposed to, if possible, give a blood pressure over Indian Ocean Ship.
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CAPCOM
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Aurora Seven, this is Indian Cap Com. We have lost telemetry contact. How do you read me? Over.
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CAPCOM
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. . . report to Cape you have checked fly-by-wire and all thrusters are okay. Is there anything else?
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Scott Carpenter
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That is negative. Except this problem with steam vent temperature. I'm going—I'll open the visor a minute; that'll cool—it seems cooler with the visor open.
Spoken on May 24, 1962, 2:35 p.m. UTC (62 years, 5 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet
