Spacelog Mercury 8

Ha, ha. Good show. Stand by I'll call the Cape. See if they have anything.

Okay, Al.

Okay. Post retro, I read 65 (percent) auto (fuel), and about—78 (percent) manual (fuel). Manual lever is in. I'm in ASCS at this time.

Understand you are still in ASCS but the manual lever is in.

That is correct. What is my nominal time for 0.05g.

Standing by Wally. We have LOS. See you later.

Roger, Al.

Sigma Seven, Sigma Seven this is Watertown Com Tech. UHF. How do you read?

Roger. Watertown Com Tech this is Sigma Seven. Read you loud and clear. How me?

Sigma Seven this is Watertown Com Tech. I read you weak, I read you weak. Please make another transmission.

Roger. I read you loud and clear, Watertown. How do you read me now?

Sigma Seven, Sigma Seven this is Watertown Com Tech. I read you broken up. I read you broken up. Please make another transmission.

Roger, Watertown. I read you loud and clear. Please make your transmissions to me in the blind, if I do not acknowledge.

Sigma Seven, Sigma Seven this is Watertown Com Tech. I read you 3 by 3. Stand by, I'll turn you over to Com—Cap Com.

Roger.

Sigma Seven this is Watertown Cap Com.

Roger. Watertown Cap Com. How do you read me?

Weak and unreadable, at the moment. But I will transmit in the blind. Please check to make sure your face plate is closed and sealed. Do you read?

Roger. Face plate closed and sealed.

Will you verify that your scope is fully retracted and the door closed. Does it look dark?

The scope is retracted, and I think you'll have to confirm that for me.

Understand—I just barely understood you, but I'll go ahead. Will you confirm that the UHF/DF switch is in the R/T position.

That is correct.

I am standing by to check out my RSCS mode at the proper time.

Sigma Seven. Did not understand the last transmission but assume you read that we should have UHF/DF switch in the R/T position. I do not have any landing recovery information for you at the moment, but I'll pass it on to you if I can.

Roger. Have you acquired track?

Expect LOS blackout anytime. I'll keep transmitting in the hope that it will get it on your tape recorder.

Roger.

At main chute deploy if you get a chance, will you shut off your three water controls to help out the data reduction people?

Wilco. If I get a chance. Ha, ha.

Sigma Seven. Don't forget to watch your your cabin pressure and your altimeter. If they do not check, pull your decompress or your snorkle handle.

Roger. Understand.

Sigma Seven. I'll keep on talking in the hope that we can clear this blackout problem. At 17K, your O₂ emergency light should come on. At that time pull your snorkle.

You should have sent your blood pressure.

I did.

I still have you on T/M. No blackout yet.

Roger. I'm going to check out rate command at this time.

Roger. Understand. Checking out rate command.

Sigma Seven. Do you still read?

Sigma Seven. Read you loud and clear. How me?

Clear.

Roger.

Wally, by the way, how do you feel? All your systems okay at this time?

Oh, they're beautiful—very good. Every control mode has worked perfectly.

Lost you on T/M.

Roger.

I have selected aux damp and rate command at this. The window is almost completely occluded. It would be impossible to see out of it at this point.

I'm seeing things come off, but I can't see them very clearly. There we go into 0.05, a green. I am hands off at this point. In rate command, in aux damp. And I have a roll rate started. A slight pitch rate, not bad at all. I can see out the window for some strange reason at last. There goes another long spiral like looking device. I will give another blood pressure at this point, subsequent to 0.05 g. All rates are very nominal. Rate command is working quite well I would say.

Going back into g-field. And the attitude looks very stable. I'm rolling right around the horizon. I'm going to stop my blood pressure at this time—and sit back here and regroup. I can see the ion layer. I'm inverted at this time.