Deke Slayton (CAPCOM)

Have some Echo sighting data for you if you're interested.

Wally Schirra

Yeah, I'd like to hear about it.

Deke Slayton (CAPCOM)

In the second orbit over Zanzibar, time 15 23 Zulu. Azimuth should be 2.30 (degrees), elevation 83.25 (degrees).

Wally Schirra

Roger, we'll see if we can take a peek at it.

Deke Slayton (CAPCOM)

Our recommendation is that you decrease suit valve to position 3 and observe dome temperature for 15 minutes. If this doesn't help, then go back to 7.

Wally Schirra

Deke, I finally got a grasp on this thing. I'm beginning to feel a little cooler. And the suit inlet temperature is now down to 76 (degrees). Over.

Deke Slayton (CAPCOM)

Roger, understand you would prefer to maintain a status quo, is that correct?

Wally Schirra

No, I've been sneaking up on this thing for almost a whole orbit.

Wally Schirra

Cape Cap Com, Sigma Seven.

Wally Schirra

I really do feel I am getting cooler. The suit inlet is now about 75 to 76 (degrees), so I am making progress. Over.

Deke Slayton (CAPCOM)

Roger, understand. You are getting a slight decrease.

Wally Schirra

That is affirmative. I would rather not throw in the sponge on the settings I have so far.

Deke Slayton (CAPCOM)

Roger, understand. You would prefer to let it stabilize a while longer.

Wally Schirra

Right. I'm going to go back to some more yaw checks.

Wally Schirra

Going to fly-by-wire low.

Deke Slayton (CAPCOM)

Bermuda again shows high thruster action on switch over to fly-by-wire.

Wally Schirra

I'm positive I'm not getting it, because if—I'd be leaping all over—I'd be leaping all over the sky if I were getting highs at this point. I haven't used more than, oh, 1/2 degree per second.

Wally Schirra

Go ahead Cape Cap Com.

Deke Slayton (CAPCOM)

Roger, you are fading. We are about at LOS. Flight would still prefer that you consider going to position 3 after evaluating 8 a while longer.

Wally Schirra

Roger. I'm now getting into attitude. Standby for 0 (degrees) yaw, and pitch and roll. This will be—.

Wally Schirra

Yaw is now approximately 0 at this time—MARK. T. I will look—about 4 degrees left. Correcting in pitch, yaw is okay, going to go back to ASCS to get gyros straightened out, gyros are normal at this time. I'm setting up into the tight pattern.

Wally Schirra

Rates are just about right on, attitudes right on, going to fly-by-wire, gyros normal. At 1 44 50 approximately, we are back into chimp configuration. Understand I will have LOS at Bermuda; next station is Canaries. At this point suit temperature is now down to 75 (degrees), dome is still high.

Wally Schirra

On the 0—on the 0 to 50—on the 0 to 50 Roentgen Scale at 01 hour 46 minutes, there is practically no reading at all.

Canary Islands Comm Tech

Sigma Seven this is Canary Com Tech, transmitting UHF/HF. Do you read? Over.

Wally Schirra

Hello, Canary Com Tech, this is Sigma Seven. I read you loud and clear. How me? Over.

Canary Islands CAPCOM

Roger, Sigma Seven, this is Canary Cap Com, reading you loud and clear. We'd like to get some temperature readings from you. Cabin suit and cabin dome and suit dome. Over.

Wally Schirra

Okay, I'll give you a readout. Suit dome is 80 (degrees), suit inlet temperature is 75 (degrees), cabin dome is 41 (degrees), cabin temperature is 97 (degrees), suit coolant setting is 8, cabin is 3. I will follow . . ..

Canary Islands CAPCOM

Do you feel that these settings now are giving you adequate cooling.

Wally Schirra

I am going to take Flight's suggestion, and reduce my setting to unit 3 for a few minutes, and then try back at 7 if this does not work. Over.

Canary Islands CAPCOM

Roger. I copied.

Wally Schirra

I am now going to setting number 3 on the suit temperature control.

Canary Islands CAPCOM

Roger.

Canary Islands CAPCOM

Roger. What is your present control mode?

Wally Schirra

I am in ASCS.I have completed yaw checks with the window, I am going to try some yaw checks with the periscope at this time.

Canary Islands CAPCOM

Roger.

Wally Schirra

Switching to fly-by-wire low, gyros free.

Wally Schirra

I can definitely see a yaw pattern in the window, in the periscope, in the reticle. The window itself is satisfactory at (-) 34 degrees, I've covered the gyro and am now coming back to the left to remove yaw.

Canary Islands CAPCOM

Roger. Did you, how far did you have to come back on yaw?

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Wally Schirra

I am not there yet. I'd say about 25 to 30 degrees, I'm stopping yaw at this time. The periscope checks with the window and the reticle and I'm going to give a mark shortly, to try to get all the rates stopped. I am just about in retroattitude now, and yaw looks real clean. I'm going to pull off and look. It's about 1 degree of yaw, to the right—MARK.T. Okay, I'm satisfied with that kind of day yaw check. That was done in retroattitude. I had a real good cloud layer, that was what was the cue.

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Spoken on Oct. 3, 1962, 2:06 p.m. UTC (63 years, 6 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

Canary Islands CAPCOM

Roger. How do you feel about systems at the present time now?

Wally Schirra

All systems are green except for the suit cooling and it definitely is—the dome temperature is going up at this time. I'm going to go back on ASCS for a while and hack out a network.

Canary Islands CAPCOM

Roger.

Wally Schirra

I will not go to ASCS. Ah, by the way, how about taking a look at my high thrusters. Have you seen any high thruster action at all?

Canary Islands CAPCOM

Standby.

Wally Schirra

I shouldn't have had any at all.

Canary Islands CAPCOM

Wally, did you already switch to ASCS?

Wally Schirra

Negative. I have not switched.

Canary Islands CAPCOM

Do it now.

Canary Islands CAPCOM

Go ahead and switch.

Wally Schirra

I'm going—have I had any high thruster action so far?

Canary Islands CAPCOM

Negative.

Wally Schirra

Okay, that's good. I'm still in fly-by-wire low, standby switching now, flop. I'm going—.

Canary Islands CAPCOM

No high thrusters.

Wally Schirra

Okay, good deal going, gyros normal.

Canary Islands CAPCOM

Roger, that is affirmative.

Wally Schirra

I have completed my day yaw checks. I am very satisfied with the technique of taking care of roll as I . . .

Canary Islands CAPCOM

Sigma Seven, Sigma Seven this is . . .. Do you read? Over.

Wally Schirra

This is Sigma Seven. I had to give up on this lower temperature. Everything's going up.

Canary Islands CAPCOM

Okay, I'll report that to the Cape.

Wally Schirra

I'm going to set in to number . . ..

Kano Comm Tech

Sigma Seven this is Kano Com Tech, transmitting on UHF/HF, do you read?

Wally Schirra

Roger, Kano. I read you loud and clear. How me?

Kano CAPCOM

. . . read you here. Report . . . setting number.

Wally Schirra

Okay. I've set it back to 7.5.

Kano CAPCOM

Roger. I copied 7.5.

Wally Schirra

The suit dome went up to 82 degrees.

Kano Comm Tech

Sigma Seven this is Kano Com Tech, transmitting on UHF/HF. Do you read? Over.

Wally Schirra

Could you read me, Canaries?

Wally Schirra

Hello Kano, hello Kano.

Kano Comm Tech

Sigma Seven Sigma Seven this is Kano Com Tech, transmitting on UHF/HF. Do you read? Over.

Wally Schirra

Kano, I read you loud and clear. How me? Over.

Kano Comm Tech

Sigma Seven Sigma Seven this is Kano Com Tech, transmitting on UHF/HF. Do you read? Over.

Wally Schirra

Kano this is Sigma Seven. Read you loud and clear. How me? Over.

Kano CAPCOM

Roger, Seven, I read you weak but readable. Standby this frequency for . . ..

Kano CAPCOM

Sigma Seven, . . . how do you read?

Wally Schirra

I read you loud and clear. I wonder whether Canary's got my last on the suit system. I've got 82 degrees on the dome and went back up to a setting of 7.5 on the coolant valve. Over.

Kano CAPCOM

Sigma Seven, Kano Cap Com.

Wally Schirra

Kano Cap Com, Sigma Seven, go ahead.

Wally Schirra

Hello, hello Kano Cap Com, Sigma Seven. Over.

Wally Schirra

Kano, Cap Com this is Sigma Seven. Go ahead.

Kano CAPCOM

Sigma Seven, Kano Cap Com . . ..

Wally Schirra

Kano Cap Com, this is Sigma seven, go ahead.

Kano CAPCOM

Sigma Seven, we don't read you.

Wally Schirra

Roger, Kano. This is Sigma Seven. I read you loud and clear. Sigma Seven switching to HF.