Spacelog Mercury 6

This is Friendship Seven. This is Friendship Seven, broadcasting in the blind again on HF.

This is Friendship Seven, broadcasting in the blind. Sunrise has come up behind in the periscope. It was brilliant in the scope, a brilliant red as it approached the horizon and came up; and just as the—as I looked back up out the window, I had literally thousands of small, luminous particles swirling around the capsule and going away from me at maybe 3 to 5 miles per hour. Now that I am out in the bright sun, they seem to have disappeared. It was just as the sun was coming up. I can still see just a few of them now, even though the sun is up some 20° above the horizon.

Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven. This is Guaymas Com Tech, Guaymas Com Tech, transmitting on HF-UHF. Do you read? Over.

Hello, Guaymas Com Tech, Guaymas Com Tech. This is Friendship Seven. Receive your HF loud and clear. How me? Over.

Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven. This is Guaymas Cap Com. You're little garbled right now, but understandable. What is, what is your status? Over.

This is Friendship Seven on HF. My status is excellent. Everything is going according to plan. Control fuel is 90-100 [percent], oxygen is 72-101 [percent], amps 22. Over.

Roger, Friendship Seven. Would you repeat your oxygen please? Over.

This is Friendship Seven. Oxygen is 72-101 [percent]. Over.

Roger.

Friendship Seven, Guaymas Cap Com. Everything looks fine from here.

Roger. This is Friendship Seven. Understand everything looks okay.

… 110. Your main inverter temperatures are rising slightly, but everything is okay now. Over.

Roger. Friendship Seven.

This is Friendship Seven. I still have some of these very small particles coming around the capsule. Over.

Friendship Seven, Guaymas Cap Com. Say again, please. Over.

This is Friendship Seven. Just as the sun came up, there were some brilliantly-lighted particles that looked luminous, that were swirling around the capsule. I don't have any in sight right now; I did have a couple just a moment ago, when I made the transmission to you. Over.

Roger, Friendship Seven.

This is Friendship Seven. For the record, number, the number two film that I'm putting in the camera is the number four roll.

Friendship Seven. Guaymas Cap Com. We have about 3 minutes yet before we acquire telemetry. I'll give you, I'll give you your retrosequence times for Areas 2 Alpha, Golf, Hotel. Area 2 Alpha is 01 36 38.

This is Friendship Seven. Standby. I'm not ready to copy yet; I'm changing film in the camera. Over.

Roger, we're standing by.

This is Friendship Seven, going back and using the number 2 roll if I can get hold of it.

Negative, number 2 is missing; I'm using number 3.

Friendship Seven, Guaymas Cap Com. Say again, please.

This is Friendship Seven, I was making a transmission for the record here on what film I was loading. Over.

Roger.

Friendship Seven, Guaymas Cap Com. Could you go to UHF now?

Roger. This is Friendship Seven, going to UHF.

Hello, Guaymas, Friendship Seven on UHF. Do you receive? Over.

Roger, Friendship Seven, loud and clear. Over.

Hello, Roger, this is Friendship Seven. Loud and clear with you also. Are we still go from Control Center? Over.

Roger, we're still go.

Roger. Friendship Seven. All systems are go in the capsule. I still have some of these little particles coming around the capsule occasionally here. I can see them against the dark sky even on the day side. Over.

Roger, understand.

Friendship Seven, Guaymas. Do you want your contingency times now? Over.

This is Friendship Seven. Ready to copy.

Area 2 Alpha 01 36 38. Area Golf 03 00 41.

Say again Area Golf again, please.

Area Golf 03 00 41.

Roger, Area Golf is 03 plus 00 plus 41. Is that affirm?

That's affirmative. Area Hotel is 04 32 40.

Roger, 04 plus 32 plus 40 for Hotel.

Friendship Seven, Guaymas. If you have a chance, could you give us a blood pressure check? Over.

Roger. Friendship Seven. Will give blood pressure check. I still have some of these particles that I cannot identify coming around the capsule occasionally. Over.

Roger. How big are these particles?

Very small, I would indicate they are on the order of 16th of an inch or smaller. They drift by the window and I can see them against the dark sky. Just at sunrise there were literally thousands of them. It looked just like a myriad of stars. Over.

Roger. Are they moving by you or floating with you? Over.

Some of them almost float with me. Most of them appear to be moving at about 3 to 5 miles an hour away from me. I'm going just a little faster then they are. Over.

Roger.

Friendship Seven, Guaymas Cap Com. We have a scope retract indication on ground. Believe it's ground failure. Over.

That is affirmative. The scope is extended. The scope is extended. Over.

Roger.

This is Friendship Seven. A lot of cloud cover. I cannot see land yet. Over.

This is Friendship Seven. Yaw is drifting out of orbit attitude and will bring it back in. Over.

Roger.

Friendship Seven, Guaymas. I said the, I have an indication of scope retract. Your say your scope is out, though? Over.

That is affirmative.

Roger.

Friendship Seven, California Cap Com. We have your scope as extended.

That is affirmative, Cal, scope is extended.

Roger, we concur here.

Roger.

This is Friendship Seven. Yaw drifted out of limits about 20 degrees to the right. I'm bringing it back in manually at present time. Over.

Roger.

This is Friendship Seven. Back on ASCS.

Friendship Seven, Guaymas. You were on ASCS when it started drifting out. Over.

That is affirmative.

This is Friendship Seven. Now on fly-by-wire to hold orbit attitude.

This is Friendship Seven. I have the land in sight out the window. Controlling manually, on fly-by-wire.

Friendship Seven. Is the ASCS OK now? Over.

I'll switch back on to it now and see.

This is Friendship Seven. Negative. Seems to, well, standby one.

This is Friendship Seven. Affirmative. Seems to be controlling now. There may be some drift to the right, however. Over.

Roger.

This is Friendship Seven. It drifts about out 20° to the right and then gets a large pulse to kick it back over to the left. It goes in about, the rate runs over to about 3 degrees per second, to the left.

It's drifting again in yaw. Over. And once again pulls through.

Cape Com Tech. Do you read? Over.

Roger, Cape Com Tech. Friendship Seven. Over.

Hello, Cape Com Tech. Friendship Seven. Over.

Friendship Seven, this is Cape Com Tech, Cape Com Tech. Do you read? Over.

Roger, Cape Com Tech. Friendship Seven.

Hello, Cape Com Tech. Friendship Seven. Over.

Friendship Seven, this is Canaveral Com Tech. How do you copy? Over.

Friendship Seven to Canaveral. Read you loud and clear. How me? Over.

Friendship Seven, Canaveral Com Tech. Read you loud and clear. Standby for Cap Com. Over.

Roger.

Friendship Seven, Cap Com. Would you give us the difficulty you've been having in yaw in ASCS? Over.

Roger. This is Friendship Seven. I'm going on fly-by-wire so I can control more accurately. It just started as I got to Guaymas, and appears to be it drifts off in yaw, to the right at about 1° per second. It will go over to an attitude of about 20°, and hold at that and when it hits about a 20° point it then goes into orientation mode and comes back to zero, and it was cycling back and forth in that mode. I am on fly-by-wire now and controlling manually. Over.

Roger. Understand. Do you have a retrofire time for 2 Bravo and 2 Charlie?

This is Friendship Seven. Negative.

OK, 2 Bravo, 01 50 00; 2 Charlie, 02 05 59. Over.

Ah, this is Friendship Seven. Understand 1 Bravo is 01 plus 50 plus 00; 2 Charlie, correction 2 Bravo is 01 50 00, 2 Charlie is 02 plus 05 plus 59. Is that affirm?

That is affirmative. Standby one, please.

This is Friendship Seven. What appears to have happened is, I believe, I have no one pound thrust in left yaw. So it drifts over out of limits and then hits it with the high thrust. Over.

Roger, Seven, we concur here. Recommending you remain fly-by-wire.

Roger, remaining fly-by-wire.

Seven, this is Cape. The President will be talking to you and while he is talking I'll be sending Z and R cal.