CAPCOM

Canary Systems indicates all telemetry readings look good.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. That's good to hear.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, do you have anything to report on your balloon test? Over.

Scott Carpenter

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.

Scott Carpenter

It also oscillates in and out. Sometimes the line is tight and other times it is not.

Scott Carpenter

When I look over to the right side, I have the sensation that—

CAPCOM

This is Kano. How do you read? Over.

Scott Carpenter

Hello, Kano. Aurora Seven. Loud and clear. How me?

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven, this is Kano. How do you read? Over.

Scott Carpenter

Hello Kano. Loud and clear. How me?

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven, this is Kano. How do you read? Over.

Scott Carpenter

Kano, this is Aurora Seven. Reading you loud and clear. How me?

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, Kano Cap Com. What is your status? Over.

Scott Carpenter

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.

CAPCOM

Roger, Aurora Seven. Will you give us a blood-pressure check again—. Over.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. Blood pressure is on the air.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, how are you feeling? Your body temperature is up somewhat. How do you feel? Over.

Scott Carpenter

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].

CAPCOM

Are you perspiring any?

Scott Carpenter

Slightly, on my forehead.

Scott Carpenter

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].

CAPCOM

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.

Scott Carpenter

Roger, I feel fine.

CAPCOM

Can you see anything of the Gulf of Guinea?

Scott Carpenter

Roger. I just—just passed the coastline, and I am over a solid cloud cover at this time

CAPCOM

Roger, Aurora Seven. Would you care to send a greeting to the people of Nigeria?

Scott Carpenter

Roger, please send my greetings and best wishes of me and my countrymen to all Africans. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger. Thank you very much. I'm sure it will be appreciated. Over.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, Kano. Are we still in contact? Over.

CAPCOM

Roger. Would you repeat in a few words why you thought the fuel usage was great? Over.

Scott Carpenter

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.

CAPCOM

Roger. Understand. Over.

CAPCOM

Have you started your night adaptation? Over.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, Kano. Just for your own information, the 250 inverter is on 180 degrees right now. Over.

Scott Carpenter

Say again, please.

Scott Carpenter

At this time, oh-oh, this doggone food bag is a problem.

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Scott Carpenter

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.

Scott Carpenter

Things are very quiet.

Scott Carpenter

Roger: Zanzibar. Loud and clear. How do you read Aurora Seven?

Comm Tech

Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven, this is Zanzibar Com Tech, transmitting on HF/UHF. Do you copy? Over.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. Loud and clear. How me, Zanzibar?

Comm Tech

Auroral Seven, Aurora Seven, this is Zanzibar Cap Com. Read you weak, but readable. Do you have a short report for us?

Scott Carpenter

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.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, Zanzibar Cap Com. Roger, Roger. Do you have the latest—contingency area times?

Scott Carpenter

Roger: I have them.

CAPCOM

Very good. Are you going to start your balloon test?

Scott Carpenter

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.

CAPCOM

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.

Scott Carpenter

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.

CAPCOM

Roger, Aurora Seven. Congratulations on your trip so far and I'm glad everything has gone …

Scott Carpenter

Thank you very much.

Scott Carpenter

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.

CAPCOM

Roger, Aurora Seven. That's a hard one to pronounce, anything that we can do for you …

Scott Carpenter

Negative. I think everything is going quite well.

CAPCOM

Roger, We'll be waiting. Out.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. See you next time.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, this is Indian Ocean Ship. Over.

Scott Carpenter

Roger, Indian Cap Com. Loud and clear. How me?

CAPCOM

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.

CAPCOM

Do you have retrosequence times for 2 Delta, 2 Echo and Golf?

Scott Carpenter

That is negative. I have the nominals.

CAPCOM

Roger. 2 Delta and 2 Echo are still nominal. Area Golf is 03 00 29, 03 00 29.

CAPCOM

Roger, Aurora Seven, I read you loud and clear. Do you have any comments for the . . . Ocean?

Scott Carpenter

That is Roger. I believe we may have some automatic mode difficulty. Let me cheek fly-by-wire a minute.

Scott Carpenter

All thrusters are okay.

Scott Carpenter

However, the gyros do not seem to be indicating properly.

Scott Carpenter

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.

CAPCOM

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.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. I've put blood pressure up on the air already. Over.

CAPCOM

Say again, Aurora.

Scott Carpenter

Blood pressure is on the air now.

Flight Surgeon

Blood pressure is coming through fine.

CAPCOM

Your blood pressure is coming through fine.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, this is Indian Cap Com. We have lost telemetry contact. How do you read me? Over.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. Still reading you okay.

CAPCOM

. . . report to Cape you have checked fly-by-wire and all thrusters are okay. Is there anything else?

Scott Carpenter

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.

CAPCOM

Roger. Did you take xylose?

Scott Carpenter

That is negative. I will do so now.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, confirm you've checked fly-by-wire and all thrusters okay.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. Fly-by-wire is checked; all thrusters are okay.

CAPCOM

Aurora Seven, Indian Ocean Cap Com. I do not read your transmission.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. Indian Cap Com, Aurora Seven.

Scott Carpenter

Well, I have—I am in record only, and I am getting warm now.

Scott Carpenter

Don't know what to with the cabin.

Scott Carpenter

I'll turn it up and see what happens.

Scott Carpenter

I have gotten badly behind in the flight plan now.

Scott Carpenter

Okay, evaluating capsule stability at this time. The capsule is most stable.

Scott Carpenter

I seem able to put it at zero rates. All right, I will do that now. At capsule elapsed 02 17 32, I will zero out all rates.

Scott Carpenter

That's as close to zero as I can make it. At 02 17 49, my rates are zero and attitudes are zero plus, or at zero, minus 3, minus 48. Let those rest awhile, and I'll see what we can do about suit temperature.

Scott Carpenter

Cabin is rising. Suit temperature seems to be rising too. I'm going to let it go out until 02 25 00 to see if this is going to bring it down some.

Scott Carpenter

I don't need to exercise. I really don't feel I need the exercise. I would get too warm.

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Spoken on May 24, 1962, 2:47 p.m. UTC (62 years, 5 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

Scott Carpenter

We'll be getting to Muchea shortly.

Scott Carpenter

Have a slight pitch up rate at this time, at 02 19 13. I'll zero that out, now. Fly-by-wire—have a slight yaw left rate—I'll zero out now. Attitudes at this time are minus 30.

Scott Carpenter

Both busses are okay. All—let's see—number two battery is down to 22. One, is 24; three, is 24; standby one and two, are 24; isolated, is 27; main, is 23; main IBU, is 27. Two—two is now up. Main battery number two is up.

Scott Carpenter

I am over the dark side now. The moonrise has not occurred and although I still see the lighted area from the setting sun behind us.

Scott Carpenter

Now, I do have the haze layer at this time. It seems to be brighter than—it's good to open the cabin, open the visor.

Scott Carpenter

The reticle now extincts at about 5.6.

Scott Carpenter

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

CAPCOM

Read you loud and clear also. What's your status?

Scott Carpenter

Roger. My status is good; control mode is fly-by-wire; gyros normal; maneuver off. Fuel is 45-6-70 [percent], that's 45-70 [percent], and oxygen is 84-100 [percent]. I have only one minor problem, and that is my inability to get the suit steam vent temperature down, Deke.

CAPCOM

Roger What's it running now?

Scott Carpenter

Well, I'm reading 70 [degrees]. I'm really a little at a loss as to how to get it down, my suit—-water valve is set now past the marks. This doesn't seem to being it down, and neither does putting it . . . negative. That's wrong. The cabin was past the marks. The suit temperature is at prelaunch value of about four. I'm going to go to a setting of plus 6 at this time and see if that will bring it down below 70 [degrees]. Over.

CAPCOM

Okay. Fine. We're indicating 84 [degrees] suit which is a bit high.

Scott Carpenter

Roger My gage shows 7, 76 [degrees] on the suit.

CAPCOM

Okay. Let me give you a couple of retrotimes here. You have a 2 Dog nominal; Gold is 03 . . . 29; Hotel 04 32 26.

Scott Carpenter

Roger Understand 26.

CAPCOM

We're including your clock is still one second slow.

CAPCOM

G.m.t. hack of 15 10 42—-mark.

Note

Editor's note: this is 02 25 25 in Capsule Elapsed Time

Scott Carpenter

Roger. I'm right on and so is the backup.

CAPCOM

Roger. Would you send us a blood pressure, please?

Scott Carpenter

Starting. Roger. Starting now.

CAPCOM

What mode of communications are you using at this time?

Scott Carpenter

I am on UHF high, Deke.

CAPCOM

Fine. Roger. Would you try using your mike button once instead of your VOX. See how this comes in.

Scott Carpenter

Roger Soon as I get through the blood pressure. I can do it now.

Scott Carpenter

This is using the push to talk. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. How now?

CAPCOM

I see no difference. They're identical.

Scott Carpenter

Roger: is the modulation pretty good?

Scott Carpenter

Capsule stability, Deke, is very, very, good. I've noticed that I can put in a 1-degree-per-second rate on the needle just by moving heads and arms,—my head and arms. Over.

CAPCOM

Very good, excellent. For your information, there will be no flares at Woomera on this pass, since the cloud cover won't allow you to see them anyway.

Scott Carpenter

Roger. I was unsuccessful last pass.

CAPCOM

Okay, I'm going to send you a Z cal at this time.

CAPCOM

Z cal is coming off.

CAPCOM

On with R cal.

Scott Carpenter

Blood pressure stop.

CAPCOM

Blood pressure stop. Okay, we're going to oscillate R cal a couple of times here in attempt to reset our temperature problem.