John Glenn

Roger, understand before California contact.

CAPCOM

Roger. Would like to confirm your control systems status, fly-by-wire low yaw right is inoperative.

John Glenn

That's affirmative.

CAPCOM

Good in all axes. Over.

John Glenn

That is affirmative

CAPCOM

Can you give status on your ASCS system? Over.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. ASCS started out operating, it would drop into orientation mode in yaw and that would throw the other axes out. It was doing this for a while it world drift off slowly, yaw right and there would be no correction until it went out about 20° . Then it would come rapidly back across and correct itself from a 20° right attitude, would come back across to a left attitude in orientation mode. This continued for a while. I took control, that was right after Guaymas. By the time I had gone over Africa the condition had just reversed, had just reversed. The same thing, only the other direction. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, I understand.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, if you're ready, could we conduct this 30 minute report? Over.

John Glenn

Friendship Seven. Roger. All switch fuses still same position. Squib is armed. Auto Retrojettison is off. ASCS mode selector is normal, rate command, gyro, normal. Manual fuel handle is pulled. Automatic fuel is still on. Retro-Delay, normal, Landing Bag is off. Everything else on sequence panel is normal. Fuel. …

CAPCOM

Could we have a blood pressure check? Start your button, then exercise the bungee cord, then start your blood pressure check again. Over.

John Glenn

Roger. Friendship Seven. Blood pressure coming on.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven. We're reading your blood pressure, what kind of result on your visual acuity test? Over.

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Spoken on Feb. 20, 1962, 5:20 p.m. UTC (62 years, 1 month ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

John Glenn

Roger. Friendship Seven. Visual acuity still good. Can read same lines I did when starting out. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger. Would like to go through this 30-minute report again, starting with the Auto Retro-jett switch. Go ahead.

John Glenn

Auto Retro-jettison is armed. I'm having to break this in the middle because I need to keep looking out the window to control accurately. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven. … discussion. Over.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. Auto Retro-jettison is off. ASCS mode selector is normal, rate command, gyro normal. All “T” handles are in except manual, and it is out. I am controlling manually at present time. Landing Bag switch is off. Sequence panel is all normal except for that. The control fuel is 60-82 [percent]. Attitudes at present time on manual control are roll 5 [degrees] right, yaw 15 [degrees] right, pitch —34 [degrees] in orbit attitude. My time from launch is 2 plus 33 plus 60, MARK! Correction that would be 2 plus 34 on that mark. Did you receive? Over.

John Glenn

Roger. Cabin pressure is 5.5 and holding. Cabin air is 95 [degrees]. Cabin excess water light is still on. I'm turning it down a little bit more yet.

John Glenn

Cabin relative humidity is indicating 20 [percent]. Coolant quantity is 66 [percent]. Suit is 68 [degrees] on temperature, pressure 5.8 indicated, steam temperature, 50 [degrees] in suit circuit and comfortable. Oxygen is 65-100 [percent] amps 20. Voltages: main 24, 25, 25, 25; standby one is 25, 25; isolated 29; and back on main. Fans is 113, ASCS 113. I have two warning lights on, the excess cabin water and fuel quantity. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven. Aeromed would like to know whether you have conducted your exercise on bungee cord. Over.

John Glenn

Negative, I have not done that recently. Will conduct that now as part of this check. You had a blood pressure.

CAPCOM

You are fading now. Standby for Canton in a few minutes. This is Woomera Cap Com, Over and Out.

John Glenn

Okay, exercise conducted. Blood pressure starting.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. Woomera, are you still receiving me? Over.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven.

Comm Tech

Friendship Seven, Canton Com Tech.

John Glenn

Hello Canton Com Tech. Friendship Seven. How did you receive UHF-HI? Over.

Comm Tech

Friendship Seven, Canton Com Tech. Reading you loud and clear. Standby for Cap Com.

John Glenn

Roger. Canton Cap Com, Friendship Seven. Fuel 62-75 [degrees], oxygen 65-98 [percent], correction 65-100 [percent], amps 23. My condition is good. The sunrise is coming around the capsule right now. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven. This is Canton. We have TM solid; go ahead, Over.

John Glenn

Roger. This is Friendship Seven, and now that the sunrise is starting, I have all these little particles coming around the capsule again, just at sunrise.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven.

John Glenn

I also can see the light on my, on steam from the thruster when I operate it. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven. Are, are your thrusters working, are all your high thrusters working okay. Over.

John Glenn

This Friendship Seven. Affirmative, operating okay.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. I think my, I can see a little bit of steam spitting against the dark sky here occasionally from my pitch down manual thruster. Over.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. All these little particles; there are thousands of them; and they're not coming from the capsule. They're something that's already up there because they're all over the sky. Way out I can see them, as far as I can see in each direction almost.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, this is Canton. Our telemetry here indicates that everything is okay. Over.

John Glenn

Roger, Friendship Seven.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, this is Canton. Our Aeromed would like to hear any comments you have on weightlessness, nausea, dizziness, taste and smell sensations. Over.

John Glenn

Friendship Seven, I have no sensations at all from weightlessness except very pleasant. No ill effects at all, I'm not sick; feel fine. I have had no, no dizziness: I've run the head checks, the head movements and have no problem with that. I've run the oculogyric check and have no problem with that. I haven't been able to use much of the equipment this orbit, however. I've been mainly concerned with this control problem. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven. Our fuel quantities here agree with yours. Our 150 fans inverter temperature is 200 [degrees]. The ASCS temperature is 190 [degrees]. Out

John Glenn

Roger, Friendship Seven.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, this is Canton. Do you have all the retro times that you need? Over.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. I believe so. I have Foxtrot coming up here, I mean Golf coming up, at 03 00 39. Is that affirm?