- Scott Carpenter
-
I don't know. I'm still warm and still perspiring, but not really uncomfortable. I would like to—I would like to nail this suit temperature problem down. It—for all practical purposes, it's uncontrollable as far as I can see.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger. Understand. You might have to wait a few more minutes before this takes effect. You are on No. 6. Is that right?
- CAPCOM
-
Roger. Systems reports that your suit temperature has dropped 2 degrees over station, if that's any encouragement to you.
- Scott Carpenter
-
Yes, I have. However, the food has crumbled badly; and I hate to open the package any more for fear of getting crumbs all over the capsule. I can verify that eating bite-size food as we packaged for this flight is no problem at all. Even the crumbly foods are eaten with no, with no problem.
- Scott Carpenter
-
I had taken four swallows at approximately this time last orbit. As soon as I get the suit temperature pegged a little bit, I'll open the visor and have some more water. Over.
- Scott Carpenter
-
One of the labels for a fuse switch has slipped out, and sideways, and has tied the adjoining fuse switch together with it. This happened to emergency-main and reserve-deploy fuse switches.
- Scott Carpenter
-
I caged the gyros. They are too critical. I will try and navigate on the dark side without the gyros.
- Scott Carpenter
-
The fuse switch should be glued in better so that turning off one fuse does not turn off the adjoining one.
- Scott Carpenter
-
Oh yes. There is the xylose pill. It didn't melt. All the rest of the stuff in here did melt.
- Scott Carpenter
-
Okay. Xylose pill being consumed at 02 41 35. The rest of the food is pretty much of a mess. Can't stand this cabin temperature.
- Scott Carpenter
-
Roger, George. My control mode is manual. The gyros are caged, maneuver is off. Fuel is 45 and 64 [percent], a little ahead of schedule. Oxygen reads 82-100 [percent]. Steam vent temperature in the suit is dropping slightly. It's a little below 70 [degrees]. Cabin is 4.6 [psia]. Suit temperature has dropped to about 71 [degrees] now. All the power is good, and here is a blood pressure. Over.
- Scott Carpenter
-
I did have the visor open a short time ago for the xylose pill. All of the rest of the food that I have aboard has either crumbled or melted. It's unusable in its present state so I think the xylose pill will constitute my last zero g meal. However, the first one, before the food crumbled, was quite easy. It's no problem to eat this bite-size food—in a weightless state. I also drank some water at that time, which was no problem.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger. I take it, from what you said then, that you have confirmed that your faceplate is closed for the decision on the third orbit.
- Scott Carpenter
-
That is correct. My faceplate is closed. Also, what is the trend of my cabin pressure on the ground? Over.
- CAPCOM
-
We are checking on your request there, Scott. Could you hit that button again? We lost your EKG.
- Scott Carpenter
-
Oh, you want blood pressure or EKG?
Expand selection up Contract selection down Close - CAPCOM
-
No, we lost the EKG. Possibly you could press on those sensors. Okay, Surgeon informs me that the EKG is now returning. Your other question, cabin pressure is staying at 5.1 [psia] approximately.
- CAPCOM
-
Negative on that. It's gone from 5.8 [psia] at launch to approximately 5.1 [psia] in very, very gradual descending trend.
- CAPCOM
-
Do you have any specific comments on your balloon experiments; for example, the best color contrast with the
- CAPCOM
-
Roger. For your information, the second sunrise should be expected in approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
- CAPCOM
-
Everything continues to look very good here on the ground. I've got a reading here on the ground for cabin pressure. This is for your information, is 4.8 [psia]. Now, this does take the trend that has been set up considerably. The suit pressure comes in at 4.9 [psia].
- CAPCOM
-
We find now that the the O2 partial pressure is fluctuating slightly, and the—hanging around 4.2 [psia].
- CAPCOM
-
Did you ?
Expand selection down Contract selection up - CAPCOM
-
As I said before, everything looks very good here. Surgeon is after me here for you to try another blood pressure. Is this convenient?
- Scott Carpenter
-
Negative. I won't be able to hold still for it now. I've got the sunrise to worry about.
- CAPCOM
-
Okay. Roger. We have no further queries. If you have any comments we'll be listening down here.
- Scott Carpenter
-
Negative. I have a beautiful sunrise through the window. I'll record it so you can see it.
- Scott Carpenter
-
Roger. My control mode is manual; gyros caged; maneuver off. Stand by one. My status is good and the capsule status is good. I want to get some pictures of the sunrise. Over.
- Scott Carpenter
-
That is right. I have reported it, and I believe I reported it a long time ago. It is covered with tape at the moment.
- CAPCOM
-
Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven, Cap Com. Cape Flight advises me that we—that they expected the cabin to do such.
- CAPCOM
-
Aurora Seven. This is Cap Com. Would like for you to return to gyros normal and see what kind of indication we have; whether or not your window view agrees with your gyros.
- Scott Carpenter
-
I have some more of the white particles in view below the capsule. They appear to be traveling exactly my speed. There is one drifting off. It's going faster than I am as a matter of fact.
- Scott Carpenter
-
I haven't seen the great numbers of these particles, but I've seen a few of them. Their motion is random; they look exactly like snowflakes to me.
- Scott Carpenter
-
There were some more of those—little particles. They definitely look like snowflakes this time.
- Scott Carpenter
-
Roger. Blood pressure—start—now. I have the balloon—now—pretty steadily below me, not oscillating. And go to gyros normal. Gyros normal now.
Spoken on May 24, 1962, 3:31 p.m. UTC (62 years, 5 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet