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Cape Canaveral Comm Tech
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Sigma Seven, Sigma Seven. Cape Com Tech, Cape Com Tech broadcasting 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1. How do you read? Over.
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Wally Schirra
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Hello, Quito. This is Sigma Seven. Can you relay to Cape that I read them loud and clear? Over.
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Wally Schirra
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Everything here is all set. Would you relay to the Cape, I have everything under control. We are all set here.
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Quito CAPCOM
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Very fine. Thank you very much. You don't have any word to pass on? Can you say anything in Spanish to the fellows down here?
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Wally Schirra
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I'm afraid I can't. Except I would like to come down and visit you. I'm enjoying a beautiful sight of the country.
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Quito CAPCOM
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Certainly nice to hear that, but could you say just a few greetings to them? They would appreciate it so much. They want to put you on their radio down here.
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Wally Schirra
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I must send my greetings to the other people of our same area. The fact that we are two hemispheres joined is even proven today by our capability of flying over each other's countries realizing that we are one and the same.
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Wally Schirra
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Trying to talk to the Cape. But apparently they don't realize I am still talking. Quito, I can hear them all loud and clear.
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Wally Schirra
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This is Sigma Seven. We don't a transmitter exercise. I do read 1 2 3 4 5 5 4 3 2 1. Sigma Seven. Out. I'm tired of carrying on Com.
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Wally Schirra
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At 7 hours, 59 minutes, 10 seconds, light value reading, for the black and white film, is 13 for ASA 64. Setting light value of 13. Taking picture number 7 with filter. The continent of South America is difficult to photograph because of all the weather. I will take a panorama at this time. Starting at 7 59 almost 8 hours. In fact, it will be 8 hours. MARKT, 7, 8, 9 black photographs, black and white film. Ten photographs, black and white film. The shots are being taken at 250 5.6 (1/250 second and f5.6) at infinity. Taking number 11, looking to the left. I am coming across the South American continent at this point. I have a large river in sight. Take a picture, camera facing down as much as possible. I believe I got the capsule window very nicely there. I'll come back to—B-1 now. I've shot the 12 first pictures. I'm on B-1, shooting at the cloud streaks. I've shot B-2 and these are all black and white shots, with weather bureau filter in at 08 02. I will take the last pictures of this series. That is the end of the weather bureau pictures. I believe we've taken enough to satisfy the requirements. Pulling out the filter. Restoring the slide to the back. Removing black back.
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Wally Schirra
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Bring out color back. Taking a light value reading of the South American continent at 08 04 commencing,—gotta change the ASA number. ASA number changed to 160. Light value being measured at this time. Light value is 15.
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Wally Schirra
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Very interesting terrain pictures. I will take one of the horizon just for posterity. At this time, that picture was A number 12, resetting to B and now have B-1. Taking some colored pictures of the South American continent. I don't think we'll have much luck with them.
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Wally Schirra
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That was at B-2. Coming up on B-3. Pitch down at this time to approximately 10 degrees. The roll error that developed during the period where we had the scanners off has disappeared. At this point, I am going to increase the suit flow to approximately- just a tad to increase the cooling for reentry. See if I can bring it down a little bit more. There is almost perfect attitude. Yaw is good. Pitch is down a little steep. It's definite that the yaw reticle is not good for night work.
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Wally Schirra
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I'm going to stow the camera now for the check on the Durban light. As we did not have any luck with the flare.
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Wally Schirra
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Camera is stowed. Photometer is light enough to take out and leave out. I will make another check on a low-level gadget here before we terminate. And it has gone up about the thickness of one line. Is now reading 0.06 that is less than 0.1. All of these will now be stowed in the glove box; they have been on the hatch, adjacent to the hatch detention spring nearest the emergency rate handle. In a vertical plane parallel to the bag that holds the extra goodies that can't be shoved other places.
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Wally Schirra
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At 08 hours and 10 minutes. Going to pitch up to reentry attitude shortly. No reason to keep glove box open at this time. Have to get the standard source of light, I may be able to get it. Put that away in a hurry. That'll stay there. That is the yaw cover. Everything else is ready.
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Wally Schirra
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Attitude okay. Pitching back down to reentry attitude, correction retroattitude. No reason to stay at reentry attitude. No reason to stay at reentry attitude, when we can see so well in retroattitude. And this is truly the attitude we need to fly. Coming up on retroattitude. Roll checks out. Yaw checks out. Reentry attitude is on select. Stopping pitch shortly. (Pitch is drifting in very slowly). Pitch is stopped—on pitch. Going to ASCS auto, gyros are normal, maneuver is off.
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Wally Schirra
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Closed face plate. Opened it momentarily, merely to wipe my nose, and try to clear a lens, which I cannot do. Reentry select. Camera is stowed. I will now extinct the standard light source—and cannot move the cabin light on the starboard side; therefore, I will extinct it as a continual reference. There, it is now extinct, at 3.3. Cabin source extincted at 3.3 at 08 hours 15 minutes and 35 seconds CET.
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Wally Schirra
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Moving suit setting to 8 at this time. That is the suit coolant quantity settings to 8. Suit inlet is now 65 (degrees), which is comfortable. In fact, I was quite cool before, but I'd like to get cool again. And the dome is about 73 (degrees).
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Wally Schirra
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Cabin is all set, I don't want to lower the dome any more. It's been very good. Checking on time 18 minutes. Okay on the clock. Thrusters—roll left auto is 119 (degrees). Roll right auto is 115 (degrees). Roll left manual is 100 (degrees). Cabin heat exchanger is 43 (degrees). Pitch up auto is 95 (degrees). Pitch down auto is 95 (degrees). Yaw left auto is 80 (degrees). Yaw right auto 100 (degrees). 250 inverter, oh how nice, less than 160 (degrees). The 150 inverter—is 110 (degrees). Standby is 125 (degrees). Turning to cabin heat exchanger.
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Wally Schirra
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Checking out d-c volts at this time. Main bus 24 (volts), isolated bus 27½ (volts), one is 25 (volts). Two is 25 (volts). Three is 25 (volts). Standby one is 25 (volts), standby two is 25 (volts), isolated is 28 (volts). Back to main. ASCS and fans are both 115 (volts). Drawing 20 amps. Oxygen remaining 50 (psi, in hundreds) primary, 75 (psi, in hundreds) secondary.
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Wally Schirra
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Will perform an orientation test at this time while I'm on ASCS and not so busy. Reaching for manual handle—and on it, exactly on it. Reaching for yaw attitude. I hit it at 20 degrees, right 20 degrees. Reaching for emergency handle. Right on it, negative, that one—slightly off touched the side of the box first. I didn't hit it exactly, I'm sure. That is completion of the orientation test.
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Wally Schirra
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I have the moon in sight. There is Venus. The moon is tracking beautifully. Right on in yaw, right on in pitch, right on in roll. All three axes are very beautiful.
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Wally Schirra
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Seems so sad just a little less than a half an hour left to play with this. I am now going to fly-by-wire low. Gyros free, to pitch down to observe the Durban light. Gyros free, fly-by-wire low, correction, I am going to manual proportional at this point. I have not charged any rates so I will go back to ASCS. Clean. Over to rate command. Manual proportional out. I will try this mode out for size. Down a very small amount, 23 minutes.
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Wally Schirra
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Roger, Indian Ocean Ship. Have not seen the flare. I am pitching back up to retroattitude.
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Wally Schirra
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I mean the Durban lights. I was not able to see them. I see some lights on the ground—at this time—in the middle of the window, which is just about the time for the Durban lights. They are underneath clouds and are not good enough for complete recognition. Over.
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Wally Schirra
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Roger. I am back in—retroattitude. I'm going back to chimpanzee configuration. The gyros are normal. Everything is stowed but the photometer, which will be stowed shortly.
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Wally Schirra
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I have set my suit circuit cooling valve to position number 8 just to precool a little bit, and it is working properly.
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Wally Schirra
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Negative. I am in attitude at this time. I will give you the rest of the checklist for your reading.
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Wally Schirra
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I've got retro correction thrusters on—normal instead of low. I'm going to switch to HF antenna to bicone although I'm using UHF—at this time.
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Wally Schirra
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I am on bicone, and the visor is closed. All other items are in their proper position. Over.
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Wally Schirra
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Roger. Standby. The cabin pressure is 4.9 (psi) almost 5. The suit temperature inlet is 63 (degrees). The cabin temperature is 92 (degrees).
Spoken on Oct. 3, 1962, 8:28 p.m. UTC (63 years, 6 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet