Spacelog Mercury 7

Aurora Seven, do you read? Over.

Go ahead, Indian Cap Com.

Our medical monitor says that we are reading your respiration. I believe this is almost the first time it's come across.

That's very good. I guarantee I'm breathing.

Roger. Understand.

The eye patch is in place, this time.

Going to record—record only at this time.

At 3 hours and 48 minutes and 51 seconds elapsed, I'm taking a good swig of water. It's pretty cool this time. Stretching my legs a tad. It's quite dark. I'm in drifting flight. Oh, boy! It feels good to get that leg stretched out. That one and the right one too.

I drank an awful lot of water and I'm still thirsty. As a matter of fact, I think there— there is a leak in the urinal, I'm sure.

Okay, line touch.

Don't let me forget about the shiny finish on the star chart. It makes it very hard to read.

At 3 53.

I'm using the photometer now—to try and get—a reading. I saw a com—no, it's the balloon that I see, still drifting aimlessly, lighted by moonlight at this time.

None of the colors are—particularly visible. I think—

Excess cabin water light is on at this time, 03 56 24. Am going to turn it down just a tad— so it will be just about where the suit is. I would say, let's see, from that, that it jumped down to freezing.

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

Coming in loud and clear.

Roger. Deke, my control mode is manual; gyros are caged; the maneuver switch is off. My fuel reads 45 and 42 [percent]; the oxygen is reading 76 and 100 [percent]; steam vent temperatures are 68 [degrees] on the suit and I just got excess cabin water light; the needle dropped down to 20. Reset cabin water at about 6 and in this capsule it seems optimum settings are right between 6 and 7. Outside of that, all things, all systems are good. And blood pressure is starting now.

Roger. Okay, starting blood pressure.

The visor has been open for some time, I've been taking some readings on stars through the haze layer with the photometer. The visor is coming closed now.

Roger. Understand visor coming closed.

I'll give you retro time for end of mission and would like to have you set the clock to this at this time.

Roger.

32 34

Understand, 04 32 34.

Good.

Okay. It's going into the clock now—whoop.

We indicate 35.

I do, too. I overshot. Stand by.

That's probably close enough for government work.

For you, to the second.

Roger. Still you indicate 1 second slow on g.e.t.; we indicate you on, on retrotime.

Roger. I am reading 04 32 34.

Would you please exercise prior to your second blood pressure.

Roger. I'll give you the calibrated exercise at this time.

Roger.

Exercise start, now.

Okay, blood pressure start, now. That was 60 cycles in 30 seconds on the exerciser.

60 cycles in 30 seconds.

Did you by any chance try T/M keying over the Cape on your last pass?

I think I may have to mark time for tensiometer reading on the balloon.

Very good.

Understand you still have the balloon with you. It's possible if you go to deploy position and back to release, you can—

Roger. I've tried that a number of times, Deke. I just can't get rid of it.

Okay. Well, she'll probably come into your face on retrofire; but I'm sure you'll lose it shortly after that.

Yeah, I figure. I hope so.

Okay, for your information, cloud—is five-tenths and it's only one-eighth to the north over Port Moresby; so if you see some lights up in that area, we'd like to know about it.

Roger, I'll let you know.

Roger. Still one second off; that's fine.

The flight plan calls for you to have a drink of water over here. Do you feel like you need one—

Roger. I just, I have had three long drinks of water. The last one was, I think, about 10 minutes ago, Deke.

You're probably loaded for bear, then.

Roger.

—?

Roger. Deke, the haze layer is very bright. I would say 8 to 10 degrees above the real horizon. And I would say that the haze layer is about twice as high above the horizon as the—the bright blue band at sunset is; it's twice as thick. A star, stars are occluded as we pass through this haze layer. I have a good set of stars to watch going through at this time. I'll try and get some photometer readings.

Roger. Understand. It's twice as—sunset.

It is not twice as thick. It's thinner, but it is located at a distance about twice as far away as the top of the—the band at sunset.

Understand.

It's very narrow, and as bright as the horizon of the earth itself.

Rog.

This is a reading on Phecda in—in the Big Dipper prior to entry in the, the, into the haze layer. It occludes—it is extinct at roughly 2.5. The reticle extincts at 5.5. TM mark for the time in the middle of the haze layer. Spica—stand by.

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

Roger. Stand by, Woomera.

Roger. Standing by.

In the middle of the haze layer, Phecda will not—I can't even get a reading on it through the photometer. Phecda is now below the horizon, or below and mark about 5 seconds ago, now it emerged from the brightest part of the haze layer. It is now clearly visible. Woomera, my status is very good, fuel is 45 and 42 [percent]. Standby, I'll give you a full report very shortly.

Roger. Standing by.

Visor coming open.

Roger. Visor open.

Aurora Seven, this is Woomera. Do you read? Over.

Roger, Woomera, loud and clear.

You say visor is open?

That's negative. I did not open it. I won't open it until I get through with these readings. Phecda now extincts at 1.7 in the mid, in mid position between the haze layer and the earth. Okay, Woomera, my—my status is very good. The suit temperature is coming down substantially. Steam vent temperature is not down much, but the suit environment temperature is 60 [degrees]. I'm quite comfortable. Cabin temperature is 101 [degrees]; cabin is holding an indicated 4.8; oxygen is 75-100 [percent], all d-c power continues to be good, 20 Amps; both a-c busses are good; fuel reads 46 and 40 [percent]. I am in drifting flight. I have had plenty of water to drink. The visor is coming open now. And blood pressure is coming your way at this time.

Hello, Woomera, Woomera Cap Com, this is Aurora Seven. Did you copy my last? Over.

Cabin temperature, cabin water flow is all the way off and reducing back to about 7.5 now, a little bit less. At this time cabin steam vent going to record only.

Cabin steam vent is 10; suit steam vent is 62. I would like to have a little bit more pad on the temperature, but I can't seem to get it. The suit temperature is 60 [degrees]; the cabin temperature continues at 102 [degrees]. I have 22 minutes and 20 seconds left for retrofire. I think that I will try to get some of this equipment stowed at this time.

There is the moon.

Looks no different—here than it does on the ground.

Visor is open and the visor is coming closed now at this time.

I have put the moon—in the center of the window and it just drifts very, very little.

There seems to be a stagnant place in the, my helmet. The suit is cool, but along my face it's warm.

And there is Scorpio.

All right, let's see.

All right for the record. Interesting, I believe. This haze layer is very bright through the airglow filter. Very bright. The time now is 4 17 44.

Now, let me see, I'll get an accurate band width.

That's very handy, because the band width—there is the sun … The horizon band width is exactly equal to the X. I can't explain it; I'll have to, to—

Sunrise. Ahhhhh! Beautiful lighted fireflies that time. It was luminous that time. But it's only, okay, they—all right, I have—if anybody reads, I have the fireflies. They are very bright. They are capsule emanating. I can rap the hatch and stir off hundreds of them. Rap the side of the capsule; huge streams come out. They—some appear to glow. Let me yaw around the other way.

Some appear to glow but I don't believe they really do; it's just the light of the sun. I'll try to get a picture of it. They're brilliant. I think they would really shine through 9 on the photometer. I'll rap. Let's see.

Taking some pictures at F 2.8 and bulb. The pictures now, here, one of the balloon. The sun is too bright now. That's where they come from. They are little tiny white pieces of frost. I judge from this that the whole side of the capsule must have frost on it.

Aurora Seven, this is Hawaii Com Tech, how do you read?

Hello, Hawaii, loud and clear. How me?

Hawaii Com Tech.

Seven, Hawaii Com Tech, I read you momentarily on UHF. How do you read? Over.

Roger, reading you loud and clear Hawaii. How me?

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

Roger, Do you read me or do you not, James?

Gee, you are weak; but I read you. You are readable. Are you on UHF-Hi?