- John Glenn
-
This has been going on since about 1 plus 15. Over. Just after I remarked about the sunset. I looked back up and looked out the window, and all the little swirl of particles was going by. Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. This is Friendship Seven, broadcasting in the blind again on HF.
- John Glenn
-
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.
- Comm Tech
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Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven. This is Guaymas Com Tech, Guaymas Com Tech, transmitting on HF-UHF. Do you read? Over.
- John Glenn
-
Hello, Guaymas Com Tech, Guaymas Com Tech. This is Friendship Seven. Receive your HF loud and clear. How me? Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven. This is Guaymas Cap Com. You're little garbled right now, but understandable. What is, what is your status? Over.
- John Glenn
-
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.
- CAPCOM
-
… 110. Your main inverter temperatures are rising slightly, but everything is okay now. Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. I still have some of these very small particles coming around the capsule. Over.
- John Glenn
-
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.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. For the record, number, the number two film that I'm putting in the camera is the number four roll.
- CAPCOM
-
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.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. Standby. I'm not ready to copy yet; I'm changing film in the camera. Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven, going back and using the number 2 roll if I can get hold of it.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven, I was making a transmission for the record here on what film I was loading. Over.
- John Glenn
-
Hello, Roger, this is Friendship Seven. Loud and clear with you also. Are we still go from Control Center? Over.
- John Glenn
-
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.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, Guaymas. If you have a chance, could you give us a blood pressure check? Over.
- John Glenn
-
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.
- John Glenn
-
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.
- John Glenn
-
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.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, Guaymas Cap Com. We have a scope retract indication on ground. Believe it's ground failure. Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. Yaw is drifting out of orbit attitude and will bring it back in. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, Guaymas. I said the, I have an indication of scope retract. Your say your scope is out, though? Over.
- John Glenn
-
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.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. I have the land in sight out the window. Controlling manually, on fly-by-wire.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. Affirmative. Seems to be controlling now. There may be some drift to the right, however. Over.
- John Glenn
-
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.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, Cap Com. Would you give us the difficulty you've been having in yaw in ASCS? Over.
- John Glenn
-
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.
- John Glenn
-
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?
- John Glenn
-
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.
- CAPCOM
-
Seven, this is Cape. The President will be talking to you and while he is talking I'll be sending Z and R cal.
- John Glenn
-
Roger. This is Friendship Seven, controlling manually on fly-by-wire, having no trouble controlling. Very smooth and easy; controls very nicely. Fuses are still the same on the left panel. Squib is, Squib is armed. Auto Retrojettison is off. ASCS is fly-by-wire, auto, gyro normal. All fuel, all “T” handles are in, Retro Delay is normal. I have beautiful view out the window of the coast at present time. Just departing. Can see the, way down across Florida. Cannot quite see the Cape yet.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger.
- John Glenn
-
Continuing with the report. No sequence panel lights showing. Only abnormal position. Landing bag is off. The EPI is indicating okay. Control fuel is 80 [percent] auto, 100 [percent] manual. Retrograde time set in is 04 plus 32 plus 28. Over.
- John Glenn
-
Roger. I'll be out of communication fairly soon. I thought if the other call was in, I would stop the check. Over.
- John Glenn
-
Roger. Continuing report. Cabin pressure 5.5 and holding nicely. Cabin air is 95 [degrees]; relative humidity, 20 [percent]; coolant quantity is 67 [percent]; temperature is 67 [degrees] on the suit; 5.8 on the pressure; steam temperature is 50 [degrees] and coming down slowly. Oxygen is 70-100 [percent]; amps, 22. Only really unusual thing so far beside ASCS trouble were the little particles, luminous particles around the capsule, just thousands of them right at sunrise over the Pacific. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger, Seven, we have all that. Looks like you're in good shape. Remain on fly-by-wire for the moment.
- John Glenn
-
Roger. This is Friendship Seven. I am controlling fly-by-wire, present time. I have no left yaw low thrust. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger. We still are reading you loud and clear.
Expand selection down Contract selection up - John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven broadcasting blind to Mercury Network on from just off the east coast over middle Atlantic, check completed at 15.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is CYI. The time now 16 32 26. We are reading you loud and clear; we are reading you loud and clear. CYI.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven on UHF. As I went over recovery area that time, I could see a wake, what appeared to be a long wake in the water. I imagine that's the ships in our recovery area.
- John Glenn
-
Hello, Canary. Friendship Seven. Receive you loud and a little garbled. Do you receive me? Over.
- Comm Tech
-
Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is CYI Com Tech, CYI Com Tech. Do you read? Over.
- Comm Tech
-
Friendship Seven, this is CYI Com Tech. Read you loud and clear also, on UHF, on UHF. Standby.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is Canary Cap Com. How do you read? Over.
- CAPCOM
-
I read you loud and clear. I am instructed to ask you to correlate the actions of the particles surrounding your spacecraft with the actions of your control jets. Do you read? Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. I did not read you clear. I read you loud but very garbled. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger. Cap asks you to correlate the actions of the particles surrounding the vehicle with the reaction of one of your control jets. Do you understand? Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is Canary Cap Com. Please complete your status report.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. My status is excellent. I have control of capsule ,m fly-by-wire at present time. Control fuel is 80-100 [percent]; oxygen, 69-100 [percent]; amps, 22. Over.
Spoken on Feb. 20, 1962, 4:09 p.m. UTC (62 years, 10 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet