Phase 1: Launch

John Glenn

Roger. The clock is operating. We're underway.

CAPCOM

Hear loud and clear.

John Glenn

Roger. We're programing in roll okay.

John Glenn

Little bumpy along about here.

CAPCOM

Standby for 20 seconds.

CAPCOM

2 — 1, mark.

John Glenn

Roger. Backup clock is started.

John Glenn

Fuel 102-101 [percent], oxygen 78-100 [percent], amps 27.

CAPCOM

Roger. Loud and clear. Flight path is good, 69 [degrees].

John Glenn

Roger. Checks okay. Mine was 70 [degrees] on your mark.

John Glenn

Have some vibration area coming up here now.

CAPCOM

Roger. Reading you loud and clear.

John Glenn

Roger. Coming into high Q a little bit; and a little contrail went by the window or something there.

John Glenn

Fuel 102-101 [percent], oxygen 78-101 [percent], amps 24. Still okay.

John Glenn

We're smoothing out some now, getting out of the vibration area.

CAPCOM

Roger. You're through max. Q. Your flight path is. …

John Glenn

Roger. Feels good, through max. Q and smoothing out real fine.

John Glenn

Cabin pressure coming down by 7.0 okay; flight very smooth now.

John Glenn

Sky looking very dark outside.

John Glenn

Cabin pressure is holding at 6.1 okay.

CAPCOM

Roger. Cabin pressure holding at 6.1.

John Glenn

Roger. Have had some oscillations, but they seem to be damping out okay now.

John Glenn

Coming up on two minutes, and fuel is 102-101 [percent], oxygen 78 102 [percent]. The g's are building to 6.

CAPCOM

Roger. Reading you loud and clear. Flight path looked good. Pitch 25 [degrees] Standby for.

John Glenn

Roger. BECO, back to 1 1/2 g's. The tower fired; could not see the tower go. I saw the smoke go by the window.

CAPCOM

Roger. We confirm staging on TM.

John Glenn

Still have about 1 1/2 g's. Programming. Over.

John Glenn

There the tower went right then. Have the tower in sight way out. Could see the tower go. Jettison tower is green.

CAPCOM

Roger, Seven. Still reading you loud and clear. Flight path looks good.

John Glenn

Roger. Auto Retrojettison is off; Emergency Retrojettison Fuse switch, off; Retrojettison Fuse switch, off.

John Glenn

UHF/DF to normal.

CAPCOM

Flight path looks good; steering is good.

John Glenn

Roger. Understand everything looks good; g's starting to build again a little bit.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, Bermuda has you.

John Glenn

Roger. Bermuda standby. This is Friendship Seven. Fuel 103-101 [percent], oxygen 78-100 [percent]. All voltages above 25, amps 26

CAPCOM

Roger. Still reading you loud and clear. Flight path is very good. Pitch, -3 [degrees].

John Glenn

My pitch checks a -7 [degrees] on your -3 [degrees].

John Glenn

Friendship Seven. Fuel 103-101 [percent], oxygen 78-100 ]percent], amps 25, cabin pressure holding at 5.8.

CAPCOM

Roger. Reading you loud and clear. Seven, Cape is Go; we're standing by for you.

John Glenn

Roger. Cape is Go and I am Go. Capsule is in good shape. Fuel 103-102 [percent], oxygen 78-100 [percent], cabin pressure holding steady at 5.8, amps is 26. All systems are Go.

CAPCOM

Roger. 20 seconds to SECO.

John Glenn

Indicating 6 g's.

CAPCOM

Still looks good.

John Glenn

SECO, posigrades fired okay.

CAPCOM

Roger, stand. …

John Glenn

Roger. Zero-g and I feel fine. Capsule is turning around.

John Glenn

Oh, that view is tremendous

CAPCOM

Roger. Turnaround has started.

John Glenn

Roger. The capsule is turning around and I can see the booster during turnaround just a couple of hundred yards behind me. It was beautiful.

CAPCOM

Roger, Seven. You have a go, at least 7 orbits.

John Glenn

Roger. Understand Go for at least 7 orbits.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. Can see clear back; a big cloud pattern way back across towards the Cape. Beautiful sight.

CAPCOM

Roger, still reading you loud and clear. Next transmission, Bermuda.

John Glenn

Roger. Understand next transmission, Bermuda. Capsule did damp okay and turned around. Scope has extended, okay. Taking off the filter I had on it before launch.

John Glenn

Making electrical check.

John Glenn

All batteries 25 or above, on main. Going through orbit checklist.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven. Orbit checklist.

John Glenn

Landing Bag is off. Emergency Retrosequence, off. Emergency Drogue Deploy is off.

CAPCOM

Emergency Landing Bag is next.

John Glenn

Roger. Landing Bag was already off. I got it first and reported it. Retromanual is off, and we're all set. This is very comfortable at Zero-g. I have nothing but very fine feeling. It just feels very normal and very good.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven. Standby for retrosequence times.

John Glenn

Roger. Ready to copy.

CAPCOM

Roger. 1B, 00 17 50.

John Glenn

Roger. 1 Bravo is 00 plus 17 plus 50.

John Glenn

Roger, 01 plus 28 plus 54.

CAPCOM

Roger, end of mission is 04 32 47.

John Glenn

Roger. 04 plus 32 plus 47. Do I have okay for resetting clock? Over.

CAPCOM

Negative, don't reset the clock. Your V over VR is unity, your apogee altitude is 138 [nautical miles] and are you starting your control systems check?

John Glenn

Roger. As soon as we get done with this transmission. I understand am I cleared to control systems check.

John Glenn

Roger. Starting controls check.

John Glenn

Starting controls check.

CAPCOM

Your attitudes look okay here.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven. Anything to report on control systems checks.

John Glenn

Not yet, everything appears to be going okay. Am now on the yaw part of the check. Going off right on schedule.

CAPCOM

Very good, very good.

John Glenn

Control so far is excellent. Very good, no problems at all so far on control.

John Glenn

Aux Damp pulls it right in every time. No problems.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, Bermuda. Do you still read?

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Spoken on Feb. 20, 1962, 2:50 p.m. UTC (62 years, 8 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

John Glenn

Roger, Bermuda, still read you loud and clear. Still completing control check. Having no problem at all so far.

CAPCOM

Roger, you're still loud and clear.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. Working just like clockwork on the control check, and it went through just about like the Procedures Trainer runs. It's very smooth and I checked. …

CAPCOM

On UHF, if you read, go to HF.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, Bermuda CapCom on HF.

John Glenn

Hello, Hello, Bermuda. Receive you loud and clear; how me?

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, Bermuda CapCom on HF.

John Glenn

Hello, Bermuda, Hello, Bermuda CapCom. Friendship Seven reads you loud and clear. Hello, Bermuda, Friendship Seven. How me?

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, this Bermuda CapCom on HF.

John Glenn

Hello, Bermuda CapCom, this is Friendship Seven. Read you loud and clear; how me?