- CAPCOM
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Friendship Seven, Cap Com. Would you give us the difficulty you've been having in yaw in ASCS? Over.
- John Glenn
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Roger, Seven, we have all that. Looks like you're in good shape. Remain on fly-by-wire for the moment.
- John Glenn
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Roger. This is Friendship Seven. I am controlling fly-by-wire, present time. I have no left yaw low thrust. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, have you started your test yet?
Expand selection up Contract selection down Close - John Glenn
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This is Friendship Seven broadcasting blind to Mercury Network on from just off the east coast over middle Atlantic, check completed at 15.
- CAPCOM
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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
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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
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Hello, Canary. Friendship Seven. Receive you loud and a little garbled. Do you receive me? Over.
- Comm Tech
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Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is CYI Com Tech, CYI Com Tech. Do you read? Over.
- Comm Tech
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Friendship Seven, this is CYI Com Tech. Read you loud and clear also, on UHF, on UHF. Standby.
- CAPCOM
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Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is Canary Cap Com. How do you read? Over.
- CAPCOM
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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
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This is Friendship Seven. I did not read you clear. I read you loud but very garbled. Over.
- CAPCOM
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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
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Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is Canary Cap Com. Please complete your status report.
- John Glenn
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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.
- CAPCOM
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Understand your auto fuel is 80 [percent], your manual fuel is 100 [percent], Main O2 is 69 [percent], secondary O2 is 100 [percent]. Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. The sun coming through the window is very warm where it hits the suit. I get quite a bit of heat from it.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. Negative, not at present time. I am going to start into a yaw right very shortly. Over.
- John Glenn
-
That is affirmative. At one time, I had no left low thrust in yaw, now that one is working, and I now have no low right thrust in yaw. Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. Have yawed 165 [degrees], holding orbit attitude in roll and pitch. Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. I like this attitude very much, so you can see where you're going. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, this is Kano. Any time you're ready, we'd like your status report. We hear you loud and clear, also.
- John Glenn
-
Roger, Kano. This is Friendship Seven. I am presently returning to orbit attitude from 180° yaw check. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger, Friendship Seven. We marked that your part of the transmission pretty clearly over ATS, and understand you like the old attitude.
- John Glenn
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This is Friendship Seven. My status is good. Control fuel is 76-100 [percent]; oxygen, 68-100 [percent]; amps, 25. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger, Friendship Seven. We are monitoring your inverters. Your 150-volt inverter 200°, your 250, 180°-180°.
- CAPCOM
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Friendship Seven, we have telemetry solid and check all your systems out okay. We will remind you to start pre-darkside check list as soon as you lose contact with us.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. I now have control in low thrust to the left. I do not have control in low right thrust. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger. Confirm you have control in low thrust to the left, but no control in low thrust to right.
- John Glenn
-
Negative. Friendship Seven. I'm in orbit attitude. I'll try and go back on ASCS and see if it works. Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. The capsule appears to be holding in ASCS okay, but I believe we are off in yaw. Do you confirm? Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. I'm going to depart from flight plan for a moment and try and work this out a little better here, we are drifting in yaw. I am cutting automatic yaw off. And, and will control manually in yaw temporarily. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, this is Kano Cap Com. I do not think I can read you, handing over to Zanzibar.
- Comm Tech
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Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven this is Zanzibar Com Tech, transmitting on HF UHF. Do you read? Over.
- Comm Tech
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Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is Zanzibar Com Tech, transmitting on HF UHF. DO you read? Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, this is Zanzibar Cap Com, reading you weak but readable. We have solid telemetry contact. Report your status. Over.
- John Glenn
-
Roger. This is Friendship Seven. My status: I am on ASCS, it is not holding all the time. My trouble in yaw has reversed. During the first part of the flight, when I had trouble over the west coast of the United States, I had a problem with the yaw, with no low thrust to the left; now I have thrust in that direction but do not have low thrust to the right. When the capsule drifts out in that area, it hits high thrust and drops into orientation mode, temporarily. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger, Friendship Seven. This is Zanzibar Cap Com. Continue with your 30-minute report. Over.
Expand selection down Contract selection up - John Glenn
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Roger. This is Friendship Seven. Thirty-minute report follows: Head movements cause no nausea or no bad feelings at all. I am surprised that I can look as close to the sun as I can; the sun is shining directly on my face at present time, and all I have to do is to shade my eyes with my eyebrow. All fuse switches are still as previously reported on left panel. ASCS Mode Select is normal, auto, gyro normal: Squib is armed, Auto Retrojettison is off. All “T” handles are in except manual and I have it pulled so that I can immediately go to manual as a backup in case the ASCS malfunctions further. The Rescue Aids are normal. Landing bag is off. All other sequence panel items are in normal position. Control fuel is 68-100 [percent], repeat, 68-100. EPI is indicating my approximate position. Time from launch is 02 plus 06 plus 30 MARK. Retrograde time for [area] H is still set for 04 plus 32 plus 28. I would like to know if Canaveral wants me to reset that into the clock. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, this is Zanzibar Cap Com. We don't have word from Canaveral instructing us to instruct you to change the clock at this time.
- John Glenn
-
Roger. This is Friendship Seven. Thirty-minute report continues. Cabin pressure is 5.6 and holding. Cabin temperature is 95 [degrees] and dropping slowly. The relative humidity is 20 [percent], coolant quantity is 67 [percent], and suit environment temperature is 68 [degrees], pressure is 5.8. Steam temperature is 47 [degrees], and I'm turning that down a little bit more now. Oxygen is 68-100 percent; amps, 22; voltages: main 24, 25, 25, 25; standby one, 25, 25. Cabin excess water light is on, turning that one down. Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. Sun, I want to make a mark here when the sun goes down. Sun is on the horizon at the present time, a brilliant blue out from each side of it. And I'll give a mark at the last. The sun is going out of sighs. Ready now, MARK (2:09:06). There's a brilliant blue out on each side of the sun, horizon to horizon almost. I can see a thunderstorm down below me somewhere, and lightning.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, this is Zanzibar Cap Com. Contingency time for Area 2 Delta, 02 38 31 Did you copy? Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, this is Zanzibar Cap Com. Please comment an reach accuracy and visual acuity. Over.
- John Glenn
-
Right, visual acuity is good. I have no problem reading the charts, no problem with the astigmatism at all. I am having no trouble at all holding attitudes either. I'm still on fly-by-wire. I'm on normal ASCS but I'm backing it up with manual at present time. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
The inverter temperatures are 205° for fans inverted 190° for ASCS inverter. We are losing telemetry contact. Stand by to contact IOS, Zan.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. I still have very bright light along the horizon; orange at the bottom, yellowish layer, then blue, then very dark on top.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. I read you okay, Indian Com Tech. This is Friendship Seven. I am on straight manual control at present time. I have 92 percent fuel. Over on, on manual, auto fuel is at 64 [percent]. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is Indian Cap Com. You are fading in and out. Say again your fuel positions. Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. Capsule dropped into orientation mode again on ASCS. I took it over manually and am reorienting at present time. Over.
- John Glenn
-
Right, it dropped into orientation mode. I have fuel quantity warning light on in automatic. I'm okay at present time. Have capsule under control and using manual. Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. Fuel, 62-90 [percent]; oxygen, 68-100 [percent]; amps, 20. Over.
- John Glenn
-
Roger. This is Friendship Seven. I have good night horizon check, can control okay on night horizon.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven. this Indian Cap Com. Can you see any constellations and identify them? Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. Affirmative. I'm pitching up at present time to try and identify some of them. At capsule attitude in orbit, you can't see very much of the sky. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, this is Indian Cap Com. Are you prepared to copy your retrosequence time? Over.
Spoken on Feb. 20, 1962, 4:28 p.m. UTC (62 years, 8 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet