Spacelog Mercury 7

Canary Systems indicates all telemetry readings look good.

Roger. That's good to hear.

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

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.

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

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

Hello.

This is Kano. How do you read? Over.

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

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

Hello Kano. Loud and clear. How me?

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

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

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

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.

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

Roger. Blood pressure is on the air.

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

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].

Are you perspiring any?

Slightly, on my forehead.

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].

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.

Roger, I feel fine.

Can you see anything of the Gulf of Guinea?

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

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

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

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

Roger.

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

Say again, Kano.

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

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.

Roger. Understand. Over.

Have you started your night adaptation? Over.

Roger

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

Say again, please.

… Over.

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

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.

Things are very quiet.

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

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

Roger. Loud and clear. How me, Zanzibar?

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

We'll be getting to Muchea shortly.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The reticle now extincts at about 5.6.

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

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

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.

Roger What's it running now?

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.

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

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

Rog.

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

Roger Understand 26.

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

Roger.

G.m.t. hack of 15 10 42—-mark.

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

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

Starting. Roger. Starting now.

What mode of communications are you using at this time?

I am on UHF high, Deke.

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

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

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

I see no difference. They're identical.

Roger: is the modulation pretty good?

Very good.

Roger

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.

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.

Roger. I was unsuccessful last pass.

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

Roger

Mark!

Z cal is coming off.

Roger.

On with R cal.

Roger.

Blood pressure stop.

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

Roger.