Phase 4: 3rd Orbit

Comm Tech

Canaveral Com Tech. How do you copy? Over.

John Glenn

Hello, Canaveral Com Tech. Friendship Seven. Loud and clear; how me?

Comm Tech

Roger, Friendship Seven. This is Canaveral Com Tech. Copy you loud and clear, also. Standby for Cap Com please.

John Glenn

Hello, Cap Com. Friendship Seven. Fuel is 62-60 [percent]; oxygen is 62-95 [percent]; amps 23. Over.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, reading you loud and clear. I'll give you the 3 Bravo Time, 03 22 26. Over.

John Glenn

Roger, 03 22 26, for 3 Bravo. Is that affirm?

CAPCOM

… 3 Charlie 03 40 18. Over.

John Glenn

Roger, 03 40 18 for 3 Charlie.

CAPCOM

That is correct. At this time change your retro setting manually to 04 32 38. Over.

John Glenn

Roger, 04 plus 32 plus 38.

John Glenn

Roger, retrograde time is reset to 04 plus 32 plus 38. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Seven. We recommend for the third orbit that you use gyros as you desire either normal or free so that in the event prior to retrofire on the third orbit that the scanners and ASCS do not program properly you may use your gyros in the free position for attitude reference. Over.

John Glenn

Roger. This is Friendship Seven. I have a fair, pretty good line-up now on the gyros, I believe. The check that I made on the night side was okay but they drifted off again, apparently rather rapidly in fact. I got another check on it and they seem to have corrected back pretty good now. I did not have to cage them again. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Seven, we understand. The only problem is that you may not have enough light time prior yo retrofire.

CAPCOM

Let the gyros work in the free position if you desire. Over.

John Glenn

Roger. Friendship Seven.

CAPCOM

Also, Seven, we recommend that you allow the capsule to drift on manual control in order to conserve fuel. Over.

John Glenn

Roger. Friendship Seven.

CAPCOM

Seven, this is Cape. Standby for Z Cal.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, this Bermuda Cap Com. We read you loud and clear.

John Glenn

Roger, Bermuda. Hear you loud and clear also.

CAPCOM

Seven, this is Cape. Over.

CAPCOM

Correct your 3 Bravo time to 03 22 22. Over.

CAPCOM

Well, Seven, I'm having trouble, the seconds should be 32. Over.

John Glenn

Hello Bermuda. Friendship Seven. It's over to you. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven. We have nothing for you, you're in good shape.

John Glenn

Roger, this is Friendship Seven. I have the Cape in sight down there. It looks real fine from up here.

CAPCOM

Yea, verily, Sonny.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven, Flor-, I can see the whole state of Florida just laid out like on a map. Beautiful.

John Glenn

Even from this position out here, I can still see clear back to the Mississippi Delta.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven, checking down in Area Hotel on the weather and it looks good down that way. Looks like we'll have no problem on recovery.

CAPCOM

Very good. We'll see you in Grand Turk.

John Glenn

In fact, I can see clear down, see all the islands clear down that whole chain from up here, … I can see way beyond them and area Hotel looks excellent for recovery.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, Bermuda Cap Com.

CAPCOM

Cape recommends that you reenter on ASCS with manual for backup.

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Spoken on Feb. 20, 1962, 6 p.m. UTC (62 years, 1 month ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

John Glenn

Roger, this is Friendship Seven. Understand recommend ASCS with manual backup.

John Glenn

This, this operation of ASCS has been very erratic. I have not been able to pin it down to any particular, one particular item. It went off one direction in yaw at one time; it went off the other the next time. I felt for a little while that pitch was drifting. It seemed to have a little stuck thrust in pitch at one time and I have to keep correcting that and that corrected itself and then I was off in roll just after I came off the dark side this time. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, understand. I have all that down. Could you give us a blood pressure please?

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, can you give me both your primary and secondary oxygen?

John Glenn

Roger, primary oxygen is 62 [percent], secondary is 94 [percent].

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. I'm letting it drift a little bit to the right here to look up north.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, Bermuda Cap Com.

John Glenn

Go ahead Bermuda.

CAPCOM

Your fans inverter temperature is 205 [degrees] and your ASCS temperature is 195 [degrees].

John Glenn

Roger, sounds real good, Gus, fine.

CAPCOM

You're in good shape.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, you want to go to HF now?

John Glenn

Roger, Friendship Seven. Going to HF.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, Bermuda Cap Com. How do you read on HF?

John Glenn

Bermuda, Friendship Seven. Loud and clear; how me?

CAPCOM

You're weak but readable, John.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, Bermuda we have lost TM contact.

John Glenn

Roger, understand LOS.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. I've drifted around almost to the 180° point again.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, Bermuda Cap Com. Are you still in contact?

John Glenn

Roger, this is Friendship Seven. I'm around at the 180 [degree] point. I'm facing the direction I'm traveling, Gus. Do you still receive? Over.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, Bermuda Cap Com. We do not read you.

Comm Tech

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

John Glenn

Hello, Canary Com Tech. On HF; how do you receive me? Loud and clear from you. Over.

Comm Tech

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

Comm Tech

Rog, Roger. Read you 5 by, read you 5 by, here in the Canaries. Over.

John Glenn

Roger, Friendship Seven. I read you loud and clear on HF, also.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is Canary Cap Com. I read you loud and clear.

John Glenn

Roger, Canary. Loud and clear here also.

CAPCOM

Would you give me a brief station report? Over.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. Fuel is 62-54. [percent]. Oxygen is 62-94, [percent], amps 24. Over.

CAPCOM

Understand that auto fuel is 63 [percent] and manual fuel is 94 [percent]. Over.

John Glenn

Negative. Manual fuel is 54 [percent], 54 [percent]. Over.

CAPCOM

54 [percent]. Over.

John Glenn

Canary, did you get manual fuel at 54 [percent] fiver four? Over.

CAPCOM

Roger. Manual fuel at 54 [percent].

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, this is Canary Cap Com. How do you feel?

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. I feel fine; no effects whatsoever, none.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven. Are you still seeing the particles around your capsule?

John Glenn

Negative. I don't seem to see them around here on this side. I saw a few, just a few just after I left Canaveral and turned around facing forward. They were coming toward me at that time. I was going, so I know that they were not coming from the capsule at all. I saw the particles in huge quantities at each sunrise so far. Over.

CAPCOM

Say again, Friendship Seven.

John Glenn

The particles I saw were mainly at sunrise each time around. Over.

CAPCOM

I understand. What control mode are you on?