Spacelog Mercury 7

You are manual control. Is that right?

That is correct. My control mode is manual; gyros free; maneuver off. Over.

Roger. Could you give us . . . could you give us cabin temperature?

Roger. Cabin temperature is 102 [degrees] at this time.

Roger. What is the suit temperature?

Okay, stand by.

Suit temperature is 74 [degrees]; suit steam exhaust is 71 [degree].

Roger. Understand. Are you feeling a little more comfortable at this time?

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.

Roger. Understand. You might have to wait a few more minutes before this takes effect. You are on No. 6. Is that right?

That is right. Suit temperature is No. 6.

Roger. Systems reports that your suit temperature has dropped 2 degrees over station, if that's any encouragement to you.

Roger. Thank you. It is.

Roger.

Have you taken any food thus far?

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.

Roger. How about water?

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.

Roger. You are still coming in very loud and clear.

Roger.

. . . out at this time.

For the record now—

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.

I caged the gyros. They are too critical. I will try and navigate on the dark side without the gyros.

The fuse switch should be glued in better so that turning off one fuse does not turn off the adjoining one.

I guess I'd better try to get that xylose pill out. I hate to do this.

Oh yes. There is the xylose pill. It didn't melt. All the rest of the stuff in here did melt.

Hello, Canton Com Tech. Aurora Seven reads you loud and clear. How me?

This is Canton Cap Com. Read you loud and clear. Could you begin your short report, please?

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.

Okay, standing by for blood pressure.

We are receiving the blood-pressure check. Over.

Roger.

Do you plan on eating as called for by … Over.

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.

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.

That is correct. My faceplate is closed. Also, what is the trend of my cabin pressure on the ground? Over.

Stand by, please.

We are checking on your request there, Scott. Could you hit that button again? We lost your EKG.

Oh, you want blood pressure or EKG?

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.

Roger. No change in reading since launch. Is that correct?

Negative on that. It's gone from 5.8 [psia] at launch to approximately 5.1 [psia] in very, very gradual descending trend.

Roger. My cabin pressure indicator is reading 4.8 [psia] at this time.

Roger, I have no comment on this, just that the trend appears to be good here on the ground.

Roger.

Do you have any specific comments on your balloon experiments; for example, the best color contrast with the

Yes, I would say the day-glow orange is the best.

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].

Roger.

We find now that the the O2 partial pressure is fluctuating slightly, and the—hanging around 4.2 [psia].

Did you ?

O2 partial pressure is fluctuating—4.2 [psia]—Over.

Roger, copied, George, thank you.

As I said before, everything looks very good here. Surgeon is after me here for you to try another blood pressure. Is this convenient?

Negative. I won't be able to hold still for it now. I've got the sunrise to worry about.

Okay. Roger. We have no further queries. If you have any comments we'll be listening down here.

Negative. I have a beautiful sunrise through the window. I'll record it so you can see it.

Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven, Hawaii Com Tech. How do you read me? Over.

Roger, Hawaii, Aurora Seven. Loud and clear. How me?

Aurora Seven, this is Cap Com. Can you give me a short report, please.

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.

Roger. Give me the short report first.

Roger. Fuel is 45-62 [percent]. Over.

Roger. 45 and 62 [percent].

Roger.

Aurora Seven. Did you drink over Canton; did you drink any water over Canton?

That is negative. I will do, shortly.

Roger, Surgeon feels that this is advisable.

Roger.

Do you have an auto-fuel warning light?

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.

Roger.

Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven, Cap Com. Cape Flight advises me that we—that they expected the cabin to do such.

Roger, thank you.

. . . temperature exhaust . . . steam exhaust?

Roger. Suit exhaust is 70 [degrees]. Cabin exhaust is 49 [degrees].

Roger.

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.

Roger. Wait one.

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.

Roger. Understand.

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.

Roger. Have you tried returning …

Negative. Let me get within scanner limits first.

Say again.

I must adjust my attitude to within scanner limits first.

Roger.

There were some more of those—little particles. They definitely look like snowflakes this time.

Roger. Understand. Your particles look like definite snowflakes.

However—

Can we get a blood pressure from you, Scott?

Roger. Blood pressure—start—now. I have the balloon—now—pretty steadily below me, not oscillating. And go to gyros normal. Gyros normal now.

Roger. TM indicates your—zero pitch.

Aurora Seven, Aurora Seven, this is California Com Tech, California Com Tech. Do you hear me? Over.

Hello Cal Com Tech, Aurora Seven. Loud and clear. How me?