CAPCOM

Temperature is reading 95 [degrees]. Over.

John Glenn

Roger, Friendship Seven.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. Getting some pictures of star. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven.

CAPCOM

Hello Friendship Seven, Woomera Cap Com. Do you read me? Over.

John Glenn

Roger, Woomera Cap Com. Still read you loud and clear. How me?

CAPCOM

Weak but readable, Friendship Seven. All systems appear go at this time. Blood pressure reading 125 over 90. You have an HF check coming up in about 2 minutes and 30 seconds, and Canton acquisition approximately 7 minutes. Over.

John Glenn

Roger, Friendship Seven. Thank you very much. All systems are still go at this time. Switching to HF. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven. This is Woomera Cap Com. Out.

John Glenn

Hello Woomera, Friendship Seven on HF. Do you receive me? Over.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. This is Friendship Seven, broadcasting in the blind to the Mercury network. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. This is Mercury Friendship Seven. Out.

CAPCOM

This is Canaveral Cap Com, testing the HF. GMT 15 52 05, MARK. I did not read the capsule. Cape, out.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, this Kano. GMT 15 53 02. I did (Kano) not read your transmission. Kano, out.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, this is Zanzibar Cap Com. … This is Zanzibar Cap Com, out.

Comm Tech

Friendship Seven. This is Canton Com Tech. Do you read? Over.

John Glenn

Hello, Canton. Hello, Canton. This is Friendship Seven. Read you loud and clear, how me? Over.

John Glenn

Hello Canton. Hello Canton, Friendship Seven. Read you loud and clear. How me? Over.

Comm Tech

Friendship Seven, Canton Com Tech. Read you loud and clear, also. Stand by for Cap Com.

John Glenn

Roger. This is Friendship Seven. Com Tech Canton. Fuel 90-100 [percent], oxygen 73-101 [percent].

CAPCOM

Seven, this is Canton Cap Com. Go ahead. Over.

John Glenn

Roger, Canton Cap Com. My report follows: Fuel 90 100 [percent], oxygen 73-100 [percent], amps 22, cabin pressure holding steady at 5.5 Over.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, this is Canton Cap Com. Would you repeat that please?

John Glenn

Roger, Canton. Friendship Seven repeating. First, do you have TM solid? Over.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven, this is Canton. Affirmative, we do have TM solid.

John Glenn

Roger, message follows: Control fuel 90-100 [percent], oxygen 73-100 [percent], amps 22, cabin pressure 5.5 and holding steady. Over.

CAPCOM

Ah, Roger, Friendship Seven. What control mode are you in the present time? Over.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. Still in automatic, automatic. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven. Canton standing by.

John Glenn

Roger, Friendship Seven.

CAPCOM

Friendship Seven. This is Canton Cap Com. All systems on the ground appear go. Your 150 volt-amp inverter temperature is presently 188° repeat 188° . Your clocks are in sync. Over.

John Glenn

Roger, Friendship Seven. Thank you.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven, preparing to eat. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. I had a big storm in sight off to the south, of course, for a little while and had lightning flashes going around on top of the clouds. I could see it very clearly. Over.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. Opening visor, going to eat. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. Having no trouble at all eating, very good. In the periscope, I can see the brilliant blue horizon coming up behind me; approaching sunrise. Over.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven. You are very lucky.

John Glenn

You're right. Man, this is beautiful

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Spoken on Feb. 20, 1962, 4:01 p.m. UTC (62 years, 7 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. Have eaten one tube of food, shutting the visor. I've had no problem at all eating. Oh, the sun is coming up behind me in the periscope, a brilliant, brilliant red. Over.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. It's blinding through the scope on clear. It's started up just as I gave you that mark; I'm going to the dark filter to watch it come on up.

John Glenn

This is Friendship Seven. I'll try to describe what I'm in here. I am in a big mass of some very small particles, that are brilliantly lit up like they're luminescent. I never saw anything like it. They round a little; they're coming by the capsule, and they look like little stars. A whole shower of them coming by.

John Glenn

They swirl around the capsule and go in front of the window and they're all brilliantly lighted. They probably average maybe 7 or 8 feet apart, but I can see them all down below me, also.

CAPCOM

Roger, Friendship Seven. Can you hear any impact with the capsule? Over.

John Glenn

Negative, negative. They're very slow; they're not going away from me more than maybe 3 or 4 miles per hour. They're going at the same speed I am approximately. They're only very slightly under my speed. Over.

John Glenn

They do, they do have a different motion, though, from me because they swirl around the capsule and then depart back the way I am looking.

John Glenn

Are you receiving? Over.