Spacelog Mercury 6

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.

Ah—President.

Go ahead, Mr. President.

This is Friendship Seven, standing by.

Roger, Seven. Having a little difficulty. Start off with your 30 minute report.

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.

Roger.

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.

Roger, still reading you.

Roger. Are we in communication yet? Over.

Say again, Seven.

Roger. I'll be out of communication fairly soon. I thought if the other call was in, I would stop the check. Over.

Not as yet, we'll get you next time.

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.

Roger, Seven, we have all that. Looks like you're in good shape. Remain on fly-by-wire for the moment.

Roger. Friendship Seven.

Friendship Seven, this is Bermuda Cap Com.