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.

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?

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?

John Glenn

Hello, Canary, Friendship Seven. Over.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is Canary CapCom. Read you loud and clear. Over.

John Glenn

Canary, Friendship Seven. Roger. Control check complete. Capsule in ASCS and holding. I have booster in sight out the window. It's probably about 1 mile away and going down under my position and a little bit to my left. Over.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. Everything is still Go. Capsule is in fine shape. Holding pressure at 5.8. Over.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is Canary Cap Com. Do you read? Over.

John Glenn

Hello, Canary Cap Com, loud and clear on HF. How me? Over.

CAPCOM

I read you loud and clear. Would you give me your fuel on your control systems check.

John Glenn

Roger. This is Friendship Seven. Control systems cheek was perfect. Control systems checks perfect, Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven, understand control systems check was perfect.

John Glenn

That's affirmative.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, this Canary Cap Com. Could you get started with your station report? Over.

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Spoken on Feb. 20, 1962, 2:50 p.m. UTC (62 years, 10 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

John Glenn

Hello, Canary, Friend Seven. Repeat please. Over.

CAPCOM

What is your space, spacecraft station, status report?

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. Standby. I'm getting out some equipment. Over.

John Glenn

Hello, Canary, Friendship Seven, switching to UHF. Over.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, Canary Cap Com. Say, again.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, Canary Cap Com. Read you.

John Glenn

Hello, Canary, Friendship Seven on UHF. How now? Over.

CAPCOM

I read you loud and clear.

John Glenn

Roger, understand loud and clear. I read you much better also, than I did on HF. Over.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven, Everything is going fine.

John Glenn

Getting, getting some of the equipment together. Over.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven. What is your spacecraft status report? Over.

John Glenn

Roger. Standby, Will give status report. I am in orbit attitude for your tracking. Status report, follows: Fuses all number one except Tower Sep number two. Emergency Retrosequence, Emergency Retrojettison, and Emergency Drogue are in the center-off position, Squib is Armed. Auto Retrojettison is off. ASCS is normal, auto, gyro normal. All “T” handles are in the “in”-position. Retro Delay is normal. Cabin Lights are on both. Photo Lights are still on. Telemetry Low Frequency is on. Rescue Aids are on automatic. Ah, Jettison Tower, and Sep Capsule lights are out. The pressure regulator is still in the “in”-position. Launch control is on. All sequence panel positions are normal except Landing Bag is off. Are you receiving? Over.

CAPCOM

Understand. We have telemetry solid.

John Glenn

Roger, you have telemetry solid

John Glenn

Control fuel is 90-98 [percent], I repeat, 90-98 [percent].

CAPCOM

Automatic fuel is 90 [percent], 98 [percent].

John Glenn

That is affirmative. Attitude: roll 0 [degrees], yaw 2 [degrees] right, pitch —33 [degrees]. Rates are all indicating zero. I am on ASCS at present time. The clock is still set for time to ret, for retrograde time of 04 plus 32 plus 28. I have retrograde times okay from Bermuda. Cabin pressure holding steady at 5.7. Cabin air 90 [degrees]. Relative humidity, 30 [percent]. Coolant quantity is 68 [percent]. Suit environment is 65. Suit pressure is indicating 5.8. Steam temperature 60 [degrees] on the suit. I am very comfortable. However, I do not want to turn it down just yet. Primary oxygen is 78 [percent]; secondary, 102 [percent]. Main bus is 24. Number one is 25, 25, 25. Standby one is 26; Standby two is 25; Isolated, 29, and back on main. Ammeter is indicating 23. ASCS is 112. Fans are 112. Over.

CAPCOM

I understand, I understand your retrosequence time is 04 32 28. Over.

John Glenn

That is affirmative. That's what's set in the clock. The horizon is a brilliant, a brilliant blue. There, I have the mainland in sight at present time coming tip on the scope, and have Canaries in sight out through the window and picked them up on the scope just before I saw them out of the window. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven. This is Canary CapCom. Repeat blood pressure check, repeat blood pressure check.

John Glenn

Roger, repeating blood pressure check now. Starting, pumping up.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. Have beautiful view of the African Coast, both in the scope, and out the window. Out the window is by far the best view.

John Glenn

Part of the Canaries was hidden by clouds.

CAPCOM

Roger, I read you. We're getting the blood pressure now.

John Glenn

Roger, Friendship Seven.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven this is Canary CapCom. Your, your medical status is green; it looks okay.

John Glenn

Roger. This is Friendship Seven. What is blood pressure? Over.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven. Your blood pressure is 120 over 80, repeat 120 over 80.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, this is Canary CapCom. Your 150 volt-amp inverter is 175°, and holding.

John Glenn

Roger. Friendship Seven.

CAPCOM

Your 250 volt-amp inverter temperature is 150 [degrees], and holding.

John Glenn

Friendship Seven. Roger.

CAPCOM

Your auto fuel line temperature is 70°, your manual fuel line temperature is 100°.

John Glenn

Say again fuel temperatures. Over.