Spacelog Mercury 8

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.

Fly-by-wire low did check out very well.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Indian Ocean Ship this is Sigma Seven. Do you read? Over.

Indian Ocean Ship. Sigma Seven. Do you read? Over.

Indian Ocean Ship. Sigma Seven. Do you read? Over.

Indian Ocean Ship. Sigma Seven. Do you read? Over.

. . . how do you read? Over.

Indian Ocean Ship. Sigma Seven. Do you read? Over.

Roger, Sigma Seven. Read you 5 by 5.

Roger, Indian Ocean Ship. Have not seen the flare. I am pitching back up to retroattitude.

Roger. Were you able to check the Durban lights?

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.

. . . short report.

Say again. Over.

Could you give us a short report? Over.

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.

Roger.

I have set my suit circuit cooling valve to position number 8 just to precool a little bit, and it is working properly.

Roger. Can we have one more blood pressure at this time? Over.

Roger. Coming up.

Sigma Seven. Did you say that your att—your mode was ASCS retro?

I'm coming to that just now.

Roger.

I have the moon setting at this point.

Say again.

The moon just set. And I have lightning in sight over this area.

Roger. Are you about ready to go through your pre-retrosequence checklist?

That's affirmative. Just stand by 1 second. Will go to ASCS.

Okay.

Okay, ready for pre-retrosequence checklist.

Do you want some help with it?

Say again.

Do you want some help with the checklist?

Negative. I am in attitude at this time. I will give you the rest of the checklist for your reading.

Roger. Would you push to stop blood pressure, please.

Roger. Have got that done. I've got attitude select retro.

Roger.

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.

Roger.

I am on bicone, and the visor is closed. All other items are in their proper position. Over.

Roger.

Checklist complete except for squib switch arm.

Roger. Could you give us a cabin pressure and suit readout?

Cabin pressure is 5., 5.0 (psi).

Roger.

I am warming up gyros although they should have a bypass anyway.

Sigma Seven. Everything looks good. IOS standing by.

Roger, IOS. It looks good here.

Sigma Seven. We have 1 minute to LOS.

Roger, I am completely secure here and ready for retrofire on command.

Roger.

All attitudes check out perfectly here. How do they check with you there?

. . ..

. . ..

At this time, I have completed the high thruster checks. A delayed report. Each axis worked beautifully. I now have 75 (percent) auto (fuel) and 75 (percent) manual (fuel).

All attitudes are responding very nicely. Suit heat dome is about 72 (degrees), suit inlet is about 63 (degrees), coming down just a tad. Definitely it—optimum flight setting of about 7½ to 8 for this vehicle. I will crack it up another notch to 8. I have set the—suit regulator for the coolant quantity to position 8, at CET 08 36 23.

Cabin, at this time, is monitoring at about 4.8 (psi). The suit apparently about 4 (psi), and the suit pressure gage is reading 4.9 (psi). This is the suit pressure gage on the suit.

The index finger—finger-tip light left hand finally failed. They really do not have the long-time durability that we're looking for.

The horizon is very clear. Roll and pitch look very good. Yaw looks good. I believe we've got a medley of stars coming into sight now to give us a fix.

One gets the illusion that you're on a train or some other vehicle, due to the humming, and you feel that you should be on a track of some kind and you're driving down. Much like the sound of the ship when you're under way at sea. The blower noise, I assume, and the inverters give you the same illusions

Okay. We got Grus, and we got Jupiter in the right position. So our yaw reference is right on the money. No problem with that. When I lean way down I can pick up Jupiter, and Formalhaut should come down very shortly after.

Have a slight roll to the right, which is indicated by the gyro as well. Coming on 8 minutes and 50 seconds.

T_r-10 relay must have set in, although I have no clues—other than the ASCS rate gyros coming up and I can't bet on those since they're in anyway by the switch being selected to T_r-10 bypass.

Gyros normal. Attitude—fly-by-wire. Retrofire armed, the 3 fuses are armed. We are fat!

There is Jupiter,and there is Formalhaut in the middle of the window, this time around. Attitude is real stiff now. Just by chance, I assume. Roll is right on, yaw is right on.

Cabin PO₂ at this time is about 3.9 to 4.0 (psi). Cabin heat exchanger is about 50 (degrees), at this time. Dome just happens to be on an upswing now.

Dome, cabin dome is about 57 (degrees). Cabin temperature is 90 (degrees). Suit inlet is 62 (degrees). Oxygen remaining 50 (psi, in hundreds) primary, 75 (psi, in hundreds) secondary. All electrical looks good. Fuel remaining, still is, 78, 78 (percent).

Coming up on the 5 minute to go to retrograde light.

Five minute to go retrograde light is on.

Attitude looks very good, nice and stiff. Pressure is holding very well. Vehicle looks very good.

Roll left, not so good. Let's see what we have. Five degrees roll shows up very readily.

Checking over the other systems. They all seem to be fairly constant. Suit dome is still about 71 (degrees), suit inlet is 62 (degrees), which this time is comfortable. Cabin pressure and suit pressure and suit pressure gauge all match within about 1/10 of a psi. Getting some light in the periscope at this time.

About 2 minutes to go to retrofire. I'm in UHF-hi, transmit and record, R/T. All fuse switches are in the proper position but for the landing switch fuses.

Here comes some sunlight.