Spacelog Mercury 6

This is Friendship Seven, returning on fly-by-wire to orbit attitude. Over.

Roger, Friendship Seven, I check your returning to orbit attitude.

Roger, this is Friendship Seven. Out the window, can see some fires down on the ground, long smoke trails right on the edge of the desert. Over.

Roger. We've had dusty weather here, and as far as we can see, a lot of this part of Africa is covered with dust.

That's just exactly the way it looks from up here, too.

Roger. You want to stand by for retrosequence time, Area 1 Charlie?

Roger. Going back on ASCS. Yaw check okay. Can pick up yaw fairly well in the scope. It's a little different display than I had really anticipated, but it checks okay, and I can pick up yaw. I have to be about 5° or so in yaw before I really start picking it up. Over.

Seven, you are fading rapidly. I will broadcast this time in the blind for Area 1 Charlie, 00 32 12, 00 32 12.

00 32 22. Is that affirm? Over.

This is Friendship Seven. Hello, Zanzibar, Friendship Seven. Do you receive? Over.

Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is Zanzibar Com Tech transmitting on HF, UHF, do you copy? Over.

Roger, Zanzibar Com Tech, read you loud and clear. Control fuel is 90 98 [percent] cabin pressure, 5.6 and holding; oxygen, 75-100 [percent]. Over.

This is Friendship Seven in the blind for recording. Much of eastern Africa is covered by clouds, sort of wispy high cirrus looking clouds. Cannot see too much down there except the cloud decks themselves. Catch a sight of the ground underneath once in a while.

Friendship Seven, this is Zanzibar Cap Com, reading you loud and clear.

Roger, Zanzibar.

Message from IOS Cap Com, that he will not release balloon flare this orbit. Will fire parachute flares instead. Did you copy? Over.

Roger, this is Friendship Seven, understand.

Friendship Seven, this is Zanzibar Cap Com. We have solid telemetry contact, report your status. Over.

Roger, this is Friendship Seven. Fuel 90-98 [percent], cabin pressure 55 and holding, oxygen 75-100 [percent], amps 24. Over.

Roger, Friendship Seven, this is Zanzibar Cap Com. Proceed with 30-minute report. Over.

Roger, this is Friendship Seven. Standby one.

This is Friendship Seven, blood pressure.

Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is Surgeon Zanzibar. You've got a good blood pressure trace. It shows the systolic and diastolic, if there's no necessity to repeat, you do not need to.

Roger, this is Friendship Seven, going through exercise.

This is Friendship Seven. Exercise completed, repeating blood pressure.

Friendship Seven, this Surgeon Zanzibar. Your blood pressure was 136 over 80 before exercise. We have good electrocardiographic trace during the time of exercise and you are now in a good level coming down on your blood pressure. Over.

Roger, this is Friendship Seven.

Friendship Seven, this is Zanzibar Surgeon. Blood pressure 136 systolic after exercise, recording well and coming down now to just under 90 for diastolic. Both traces are of excellent quality. Your electro-cardiogram is excellent also. Everything on the dials indicates excellent aeromedical status. Over.

Roger, Friendship Seven. Running through 30-minute check,

This is Friendship Seven. The head movements caused no sensations, whatsoever. Feel fine. Reach test, I can hit directly to any spot that I want to hit. I have no problem reaching for knobs and have adjusted to zero-g very easily, much easier than I really thought I would. I have excellent vision of the charts, no astigmatism or any malfunctions at all.

Roger. You should get it now, okay.

Now, thank you.

Friendship Seven, this is Zanzibar Surgeon, received your report indicating good reach accuracy. No disturbances on head motion, good visual acuity including astigmatism test and good response to exercise. Over. Could you …?

Roger, this is Friendship Seven. Are you ready to copy panel rundown? Over.

Roger, Friendship Seven. This is Zanzibar CapCom. Proceed.

Ah, Roger, Zanzibar CapCom. Friendship Seven. All fuses remain same as previously reported; have not changed any of them. Squib is armed. Auto Retrojettison is off. ASCS is on normal, auto, gyro normal. All “T” handles are in. Retro Delay is normal. The sequence panel is normal. Landing bag is off. Fuel is 90-98 [percent]. The EPI is indicating just about right on schedule. My attitude is 5 [degrees] left, 3 [degrees] right, — 33 [degrees] on pitch. Retrograde time is still set for 04 plus 32 plus 28. Are you receiving? Over.

Roger, Friendship Seven. Continue with the report.

Roger. This is Friendship Seven. The window, attitude indications, and periscope all check right together in good shape. I can see the dark side coming up in the periscope back behind me at present time. Cabin pressure is 5.5 and holding. Cabin temperature is 95 [degrees]. Relative humidity is 28 [percent]. I have turned the cabin—my suit temperature onto the increased water position for more cooling. Steam temperature is presently indicating 61 [degrees]. Oxygen is 75—100 [percent]. I didn't give suit temperature. Suit inlet temperature is 65 [degrees] and pressure is 5.8. Over.

Roger, Friendship Seven. Continue with the report.

Roger. All other switches on right panel are normal except for Retrojettison and Retromanual fuse switches in the off position. Over.

Roger, Friendship Seven. Could you give me suit exhaust temperature? Over.

Roger. Suit exhaust temperature, steam temperature is 61 [degrees]. I have just turned it down. Over.

Roger, Friendship Seven. Continue with battery voltages. Over.

Roger. Battery voltages: Main is 24, Number One is 25, Two is 25, Three is 25. Standby One 25, Standby Two 25, Isolated 29. Ammeter is 22; ASCS, 112; fans, 113. Over.

Roger, Friendship Seven. Are you ready to copy your Contingency Area 1 Delta retrosequence time? Over.

Roger. Say 1 Delta.

1 Delta is 00 50 24. Did you copy? Over.

Indian Com Tech, Friendship Seven. Loud and clear, how me?

Roger, Friendship Seven, reading you loud and clear—

This is Friendship Seven. Had a beautiful sunset and can see the light way out almost up to the northern horizon.

…

Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven,. … Over.

Indian Cap Com, I'm receiving you very garbled. Over.

Roger, … , now. Over.

Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is Indian Cap. Over.

Go ahead Indian Cap Com. I read you fairly good now. Over.

Roger. Proceed with the rest of your status please. Over.

Say again, Indian. Over.

Would you give me your status and consumable readings please? Over.

Roger. This is Friendship Seven. My status is very good. I feel fine. Fuel is 90-98 [percent], oxygen 75-100 [percent], amps, 21 present time, cabin pressure holding at 5.5. Over.

Roger, understand, reading you loud and clear now. Over.

Roger, loud and clear.

This is Friendship Seven. At this, MARK, at this present time, I still have some clouds visible below me, the sunset was beautiful. It went down very rapidly. I still have a brilliant blue band clear across the horizon almost covering my whole window. The redness of the sunset I can still see through some of the clouds way over to the left of my course. Over.

Roger, under. …

The sky above is absolutely black, completely black. I can see stars though up above. I do not have any of the constellations identified as yet. Over.

Roger, understand Friendship Seven.

Friendship Seven. Would you confirm you received retrosequence time 1 Delta from Zanzibar? Over.

This is Friendship Seven. Roger, 1 Delta is 00 50 24.

Roger. I have areas 1 Echo, Foxtrot, and Hotel. Are you prepared to copy? Over.

Standby one.

Roger. Let me know.

All right, go ahead with retrotimes. Over.

Roger. Area 1 Echo is one hour, 15 minutes, 42 seconds. I say again, one hour, 15 minutes, 42 seconds. Over.

Roger. One Echo is 01 plus 15 plus 42.

Roger. Area Foxtrot is one hour, 28 minutes, 50 seconds. I say again, one hour, 28 minutes, 50 seconds.

Roger. Foxtrot is 01 plus 28 plus 50.

That is affirmative. Area Hotel is four hours, 32 minutes, 42 seconds. Four hours, 32 minutes, 42 seconds. Over.

Roger. 04 plus 32 plus 42. Over.

Roger. That is affirmative. Over.

Roger. This is Friendship Seven. I am having no trouble at all seeing the night horizon. I think the moon is probably coming up behind me. Yes, I can see it in the scope back here and it's making a very white light on the clouds below. Over.

Roger, understand.

Friendship Seven, we have launched our flare. You understand it is. … Over.

That is affirmative.

We have been advised that it has been ignited. Do you see anything? Over.

This is Friendship Seven. Negative. I don't have anything in the scope or out the window.

Roger, understand.