Spacelog Mercury 7

I have gotten badly behind in the flight plan now.

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.

Roger. Give me the whole lot of them, Deke, or the ones that are coming. Give me rise, set, and rise.

Roger. Will do. Your next sunrise will be 02 50 00.

Roger. Copy.

Sunset 03 41 20.

Roger.

Sunrise 04 19 00.

Roger. Copy.

Well, it sounds like you're doing real well up there, Dad.

Roger. It's a little warm.

I suspect so.

Been riding your horse the last couple of days.

Good.

For your information, Cape informs that if we don't stay on manual for quite a spell here we'll probably have to end this orbit.

I'll be sure and stay on manual.

Roger.

You've got a lot of drift left here yet too.

Say again.

You've got drift capability left yet, too.

Roger.

Did you see any lights over the Australian . . .?

I did. That is, Roger. I did see some lights. I couldn't identify them, however.

Roger. Understand.

Would you give us another readout on your suit steam temp? Has this changed any?

It may have gone down just a tad. It's about zero now; I mean about 70 [degrees] now. It was a little bit higher. The visor is closed and I'm beginning to feel a little cooler.

Very good.

We indicated 2-degree drop at suit inlet, so it sounds like you're making out a bit.

Roger. My control mode now, Deke, is manual; gyros free; and the maneuver is off.

Roger. I understand. Manual; gyro free; and maneuver off.

Roger

Aurora Seven, this is Muchea Cap Com. Are you reading?

Still reading, Muchea.

Very good.

We are just kind of leaving you alone. How is your balloon doing, incidentally?

I haven't found it since it got dark. It's—it's—it rambles quite a bit, Deke. It's not inflated fully, and it doesn't stretch out on the line tight like I expected. It bounces in and out and oscillates up and down and sideways. Have no good tensiometer readings yet.

Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven, this is Woomera Cap Com. How do you read? Over.

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

Roger. You are loud and clear, also.

We copied your transmission over Muchea. Understand you still have the balloon on. Is that an affirmative?

That is affirmative. I have the balloon on. However, I haven't seen it for some time. It wanders quite a bit and I do not have it in sight at this moment. I believe that—it might be visible against the earth background at this time.

Roger. Do you see the moon at all?

I am faced the wrong way and limited in maneuverability I have left because of my fuel state. I can see the terminator between moonlit side, and unmoonlit side. Over.

Roger. Understand.