CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, this is Indian Cap Com. Do you have any feelings from weightlessness? Over.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. Negative, I feel fine so far. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, understand.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. Turning suit water to increase position. I am still running steam temperature of about 60 [degrees.] Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, understand.

John Glenn

I am now on suit temperature setting of 1.7. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, understand. What is your control mode? Over.

John Glenn

Control mode is ASCS automatic. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, understand.

John Glenn

Roger. The night side is light enough; I can even see the horizon okay out through the periscope. Over.

John Glenn

Friendship Seven, Roger.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, this is Indiana CapCom. We now have IOS. Over.

John Glenn

Roger, understand IOS.

CAPCOM

Your voice transmissions are starting to fade very badly. Over.

John Glenn

Roger. Friendship Seven.

CAPCOM

… clear, IOS Cap Com. Out.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven, broadcasting in the blind. Wait a minute. Friendship Seven, broadcasting in the blind, making observations on night outside. There seems to be a high layer way up above the horizon; much higher than anything I saw on the daylight side. The stars seem to go through it and then go on down toward the real horizon. It would appear to be possibly some 7 or 8 degrees wide. I can see the clouds down below it; then a dark band, then a lighter band that the stars shine right through as they come down toward the horizon. I can identify Aries and Triangulum.

Comm Tech

Friendship Seven, Muchea Com Tech. We read you. Would you.

John Glenn

Hello, Muchea Com Tech. This is Friendship Seven, reading you loud and clear. How me?

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CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven. Muchea Cap Com. How me? Over.

John Glenn

Roger. How are you doing Gordo? We're doing real fine up here. Everything is going very well. Over.

CAPCOM

John, you sound good.

John Glenn

Roger. Control fuel is 90-100 [percent], oxygen is 75-100 [percent], amps are 22, all systems are still go. Having no problems at all. Control system operating fine. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger. Do you have any star or weather or landmark observations as yet? Over.

John Glenn

Roger. I was just making some to the recorder. The only unusual thing I have noticed is a rather high, what would appear to be a haze layer up some 7 or 8 degrees above the horizon on the night side. The stars I can see through it as they go down toward the real horizon, but it is a very visible single band or layer pretty well up above the normal horizon. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, very interesting.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. I had a lot of cloud cover coming off of Africa. It has thinned out considerably now and although I can't definitely see the ocean, there is a lot of moonlight here that does reflect off what clouds there are. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger. You had an excellent cutoff, John. Your velocity was 8 feet per second low. V over VR, 1.0002. Can you confirm your retrosequence 1 Easy, Foxtrot, and Hotel from Indian Ocean Ship? Over.

John Glenn

That is affirmative. I did.

CAPCOM

Roger. Your yaw check over ATS was good. Your yaw when you were on fly-by-wire over IOS was excellent.

CAPCOM

Are we clear to send you a Z and R Cal? Over.

CAPCOM

Z Cal coming through now.

CAPCOM

Roger. Shortly you may observe some lights down there. You want to take a check on that to your right? Over.

John Glenn

Roger. I'm all set to see if I can't get them in sight.

CAPCOM

Roger. You do have your visor closed at this time. Over.

John Glenn

This is affirmative. I had it open for a little while; it's closed now. Cabin pressure is holding in good shape. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Z Cal is off. R Cal is coming through now.

CAPCOM

Any symptoms of vertigo or nausea at all? Over.

John Glenn

Negative, no symptoms whatsoever. I feel fine. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger. Your 150 VA inverter is 180°. Looks like it's doing pretty well.

John Glenn

Roger. Looks like it is holding up fine.

John Glenn

That was sure a short day.

CAPCOM

Say again, Friendship Seven.

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Spoken on Feb. 20, 1962, 3:37 p.m. UTC (62 years, 8 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

John Glenn

That was about the shortest day I've ever run into.

CAPCOM

Kinda passes rapidly, huh.

CAPCOM

Okay. Do you have any landmark, any other landmark observations to make? Over.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. I have the Pleiades in sight out here, very clear. Picking up some of these star patterns now. Little better than I was just off of Africa.

CAPCOM

Roger, understand you have Pleiades in sight. Have you sighted Orion yet? Over.

John Glenn

Negative. Do not have Orion in sight yet.

CAPCOM

Within a few seconds, you should have Orion and Canopus and Sirius probably in sight very shortly thereafter. The moon will be off. …

CAPCOM

Do you have time to send us a blood pressure reading? Over.

CAPCOM

Roger. The surgeons are standing by for your blood pressure whenever you're ready.

John Glenn

Roger. I'm already sending it. Did they pick it up? Over.

CAPCOM

Roger. They have it in good shape.

John Glenn

Roger. I do have the lights in sight on the ground. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger. Is it just off to your right there?

John Glenn

That's affirmative. Just to my right I can see a big pattern of lights apparently right on the coast. I can see the outline of a town and a very bright light just to the south of it. On down. …

CAPCOM

Perth and Rockingham, you're seeing there.

John Glenn

Roger. The lights show up very well and thank everybody for turning them on, will you?

CAPCOM

We sure will, John.

John Glenn

Very fine. On down farther to the south and inland, I can see more lights. There are two, actually four patterns in that area. And also, coming into sight in the window now is another one almost down under me. The lights are very clear from up here.

CAPCOM

Roger. Sounds good.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven. This is Woomera Cap Com, reading you loud and clear. We have TM solid. Woomera standing by.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven. We have your blood pressure readout, reading 126 over 90. What kind of results from your physiological tests? Over.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. I have had no ill effects at all as yet from any zero-g. It's very pleasant, in fact. Visual acuity is still excellent. No astigmatic effects. Head movements caused no nausea or discomfort whatsoever. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven. Let's go ahead with this 30-minute report please, starting with the fuse panel positions. Over.

John Glenn

Roger. This is 30-minute report coming up. Have gone through head movements and I get no effect from that. Have gone through the reach test and have no problem with that at all. My orientation is good, vision is clear. My moving target, looking at a light spot back and forth causes no ill effects whatsoever. Running the light test at present time and all lights do check okay in the capsule. I am over a large cloud bank at present time, almost extending to the left of my course which would be to the south. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven. Let's continue on with this 30-minute report.

John Glenn

Roger. Panel rundown follows: The fuse switches on the left panel are all as previously reported, without repeating them again. Squib is armed. Auto Retrojettison is off. ASCS Mode Select is normal, auto, gyro normal. All “T” Handles are in. The Retro Delay is normal, Cabin lights are on both. I have the red filters on, of course. The Telem low frequence is on. Rescue Aids is auto. All sequence panel items are normal except the Landing Bag to the center-off position. Fuel is 90-100 [percent]. Attitude indications are 5 [degrees] right, 3 [degrees] left, 36 [degrees] down. EPI is indicating fairly well, indicating almost over Woomera at present time. Time from launch on my mark will be 58 plus 15. Standby-MARK. Retrograde time is still set at 04 plus 32 plus 28.

John Glenn

Cabin pressure is holding steady at 5.5. Temperature in the cabin is 100 [degrees]. Cabin humidity is 25 percent, Coolant quantity is 67 percent. Suit environment is 62 [degrees]. Inlet pressure. Inlet temperature, … pressure is 5.8 on the suit. Steam temperature is 57 [degrees] and dropping since I turned it down. Oxygen is 74-101 [percent]. Amps 23. Are you still copying? Over.

CAPCOM

Affirmative, Friendship Seven. Go ahead.

John Glenn

Roger. Main Bus is 24, One is 25, 25, 25. Standby One is 25, 25. Isolated 29, and Main 24 again. Fans 113, ASCS 113. All switch fuses on the right are on except Retrojettison and Retromanual in the center-off position. All other switches normal. Over.

CAPCOM

Hello. Roger, Friendship Seven. Read you loud and clear. All systems appear go at this time. Your clocks are in sync. We have the Woomera Airport lights on. Do you, do you see? Over.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. Negative, I do not; there's too much cloud cover in this area. I had the lights at Perth in good shape; they were very clear, but I do not have the lights at Woomera; sorry. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, let's have another blood pressure check please. Over.

John Glenn

Friendship Seven, Roger.

CAPCOM

Hello, Friendship Seven, Woomera Cap Com. 150 volt inverter temperature reading 195 [degrees]; 250 inverter temperature reading 172 degrees.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, this is Woomera Cap Com. What's your cabin temperature reading? Over.

John Glenn

Woomera, standby just a moment, please.

John Glenn

Say again. You wanted cabin temperature?

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven.

John Glenn

Cabin temperature 100 [degrees]. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven. Your Roll Auto Line temperature is reading 110 [degrees].