Spacelog Mercury 6

There are literally thousands of them.

This is Friendship Seven. Am I in contact with anyone? Over.

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.

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.

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.