Spacelog Mercury 6

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

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

Roger, understand.

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

Roger, understand.

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

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

Control mode is ASCS automatic. Over.

Roger, understand.

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

Roger. Over.

Friendship Seven, Roger.

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

Roger, understand IOS.

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

Roger. Friendship Seven.

… clear, IOS Cap Com. Out.

Roger.

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.

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

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

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

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

John, you sound good.

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.

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

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.

Roger, very interesting.

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.

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

That is affirmative. I did.

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

Roger.

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

Roger.

Z Cal coming through now.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kinda passes rapidly, huh.

Yes Sir.

Fine.

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

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.

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

Negative. Do not have Orion in sight yet.

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

Roger.

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

Roger. Standby.

Roger.

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

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

Roger. They have it in good shape.

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

Roger. Is it just off to your right there?

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. …

Perth and Rockingham, you're seeing there.

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

We sure will, John.

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.

Roger. Sounds good.

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

Roger, Woomera.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Affirmative, Friendship Seven. Go ahead.

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.

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.

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.

Roger, Friendship Seven.

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

Friendship Seven, Roger.

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

Roger.

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

Woomera, standby just a moment, please.

Say again. You wanted cabin temperature?

Roger, Friendship Seven.

Cabin temperature 100 [degrees]. Over.

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

Roger.