Spacelog Mercury 7

Roger. C.e.t. on my mark will be 4 hours 1 minute, 35 seconds, stand by. MARK, 4 01 35.

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?

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?