Phase 3: 2nd Orbit

Comm Tech

Cape Com Tech. Do you read? Over.

John Glenn

Roger, Cape Com Tech. Friendship Seven. Over.

John Glenn

Hello, Cape Com Tech. Friendship Seven. Over.

Comm Tech

Friendship Seven, this is Cape Com Tech, Cape Com Tech. Do you read? Over.

John Glenn

Roger, Cape Com Tech. Friendship Seven.

John Glenn

Hello, Cape Com Tech. Friendship Seven. Over.

Comm Tech

Friendship Seven, this is Canaveral Com Tech. How do you copy? Over.

John Glenn

Friendship Seven to Canaveral. Read you loud and clear. How me? Over.

Comm Tech

Friendship Seven, Canaveral Com Tech. Read you loud and clear. Standby for Cap Com. Over.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, Cap Com. Would you give us the difficulty you've been having in yaw in ASCS? Over.

John Glenn

Roger. This is Friendship Seven. I'm going on fly-by-wire so I can control more accurately. It just started as I got to Guaymas, and appears to be it drifts off in yaw, to the right at about 1° per second. It will go over to an attitude of about 20°, and hold at that and when it hits about a 20° point it then goes into orientation mode and comes back to zero, and it was cycling back and forth in that mode. I am on fly-by-wire now and controlling manually. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger. Understand. Do you have a retrofire time for 2 Bravo and 2 Charlie?

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. Negative.

CAPCOM

OK, 2 Bravo, 01 50 00; 2 Charlie, 02 05 59. Over.

John Glenn

Ah, this is Friendship Seven. Understand 1 Bravo is 01 plus 50 plus 00; 2 Charlie, correction 2 Bravo is 01 50 00, 2 Charlie is 02 plus 05 plus 59. Is that affirm?

CAPCOM

That is affirmative. Standby one, please.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. What appears to have happened is, I believe, I have no one pound thrust in left yaw. So it drifts over out of limits and then hits it with the high thrust. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Seven, we concur here. Recommending you remain fly-by-wire.

John Glenn

Roger, remaining fly-by-wire.

CAPCOM

Seven, this is Cape. The President will be talking to you and while he is talking I'll be sending Z and R cal.

CAPCOM

Go ahead, Mr. President.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven, standing by.

CAPCOM

Roger, Seven. Having a little difficulty. Start off with your 30 minute report.

John Glenn

Roger. This is Friendship Seven, controlling manually on fly-by-wire, having no trouble controlling. Very smooth and easy; controls very nicely. Fuses are still the same on the left panel. Squib is, Squib is armed. Auto Retrojettison is off. ASCS is fly-by-wire, auto, gyro normal. All fuel, all “T” handles are in, Retro Delay is normal. I have beautiful view out the window of the coast at present time. Just departing. Can see the, way down across Florida. Cannot quite see the Cape yet.

CAPCOM

Roger.

John Glenn

Continuing with the report. No sequence panel lights showing. Only abnormal position. Landing bag is off. The EPI is indicating okay. Control fuel is 80 [percent] auto, 100 [percent] manual. Retrograde time set in is 04 plus 32 plus 28. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, still reading you.

John Glenn

Roger. Are we in communication yet? Over.

CAPCOM

Say again, Seven.

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Spoken on Feb. 20, 1962, 4:25 p.m. UTC (62 years ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

John Glenn

Roger. I'll be out of communication fairly soon. I thought if the other call was in, I would stop the check. Over.

CAPCOM

Not as yet, we'll get you next time.

John Glenn

Roger. Continuing report. Cabin pressure 5.5 and holding nicely. Cabin air is 95 [degrees]; relative humidity, 20 [percent]; coolant quantity is 67 [percent]; temperature is 67 [degrees] on the suit; 5.8 on the pressure; steam temperature is 50 [degrees] and coming down slowly. Oxygen is 70-100 [percent]; amps, 22. Only really unusual thing so far beside ASCS trouble were the little particles, luminous particles around the capsule, just thousands of them right at sunrise over the Pacific. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Seven, we have all that. Looks like you're in good shape. Remain on fly-by-wire for the moment.

John Glenn

Roger. Friendship Seven.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, this is Bermuda Cap Com.

John Glenn

Go ahead, Bermuda.

CAPCOM

Roger, we read you 5 by 5.

CAPCOM

Seven, this is Cape. Go to Bermuda now.

John Glenn

Roger. This is Friendship Seven. Go ahead, Bermuda.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven. Your oculogyric test is due in a minute and 30 seconds.

John Glenn

Roger. This is Friendship Seven. I am controlling fly-by-wire, present time. I have no left yaw low thrust. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, we understand all of your reports.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven. Bermuda.

John Glenn

Go ahead, Bermuda. Friendship Seven.

CAPCOM

Have you started your oculogyric test yet?

John Glenn

Negative, not yet. Just getting set at the present time.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, have you started your test yet?