- CAPCOM
-
Loud and clear. You were coming in slightly garbled. Could you give us your fuel, oxygen and amps? Over.
- John Glenn
-
Negative, I am on manual at present time. I'm down to 60 [percent] on automatic fuel, so I cut it off and I'm on manual at present time. Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. I am getting some erratic indications in all axes. When I align everything on orbit attitude by the instruments I am considerably off where I should be. I'm rolled some 20° to the right; I'm also yawed to the right a little bit. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger, understand. Are you satisfied with the fly-by-wire and manual proportional systems? Over.
- John Glenn
-
That's affirmative. When I first had trouble with it, it was malfunctioning in low yaw left, and now low yaw left is operating okay, but low yaw right is not operating. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger. Have you tried caging your gyros and re-erecting them. What do you think about this? Over.
- John Glenn
-
Negative, have not yet. I want to get an alignment as soon as I get back in daylight and do just exactly that. I think my, I'm probably not—my scanners are probably not working right. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
They wanted this answer. Do you have your retrosequence times 2 Dog, Easy, and Golf from Indian Ocean Ship?
- John Glenn
-
Negative, I have no ill effects whatsoever. I don't even really notice it now. I'm just, very comfortable.
- John Glenn
-
I have the constellation of Orion up here in the window now. I'm holding a position on it.
- CAPCOM
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Friendship Seven, Muchea Cap Com. Do you still have high, both high thrusters in fly-by-wire? Over.
- CAPCOM
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Friendship Seven, Muchea. Just a reminder to take your exercise after the blood pressure. Over, Woomera.
- CAPCOM
-
The Cape advises that you conduct this horizon check and cage the gyros, before California.
Expand selection up Contract selection down Close - CAPCOM
-
Cape advises that you conduct this horizon check, and cage the gyros before California contact. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger. Would like to confirm your control systems status, fly-by-wire low yaw right is inoperative.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. ASCS started out operating, it would drop into orientation mode in yaw and that would throw the other axes out. It was doing this for a while it world drift off slowly, yaw right and there would be no correction until it went out about 20° . Then it would come rapidly back across and correct itself from a 20° right attitude, would come back across to a left attitude in orientation mode. This continued for a while. I took control, that was right after Guaymas. By the time I had gone over Africa the condition had just reversed, had just reversed. The same thing, only the other direction. Over.
- John Glenn
-
Friendship Seven. Roger. All switch fuses still same position. Squib is armed. Auto Retrojettison is off. ASCS mode selector is normal, rate command, gyro, normal. Manual fuel handle is pulled. Automatic fuel is still on. Retro-Delay, normal, Landing Bag is off. Everything else on sequence panel is normal. Fuel. …
- CAPCOM
-
Could we have a blood pressure check? Start your button, then exercise the bungee cord, then start your blood pressure check again. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger, Friendship Seven. We're reading your blood pressure, what kind of result on your visual acuity test? Over.
- John Glenn
-
Roger. Friendship Seven. Visual acuity still good. Can read same lines I did when starting out. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger. Would like to go through this 30-minute report again, starting with the Auto Retro-jett switch. Go ahead.
- John Glenn
-
Auto Retro-jettison is armed. I'm having to break this in the middle because I need to keep looking out the window to control accurately. Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. Auto Retro-jettison is off. ASCS mode selector is normal, rate command, gyro normal. All “T” handles are in except manual, and it is out. I am controlling manually at present time. Landing Bag switch is off. Sequence panel is all normal except for that. The control fuel is 60-82 [percent]. Attitudes at present time on manual control are roll 5 [degrees] right, yaw 15 [degrees] right, pitch —34 [degrees] in orbit attitude. My time from launch is 2 plus 33 plus 60, MARK! Correction that would be 2 plus 34 on that mark. Did you receive? Over.
- John Glenn
-
Roger. Cabin pressure is 5.5 and holding. Cabin air is 95 [degrees]. Cabin excess water light is still on. I'm turning it down a little bit more yet.
- John Glenn
-
Cabin relative humidity is indicating 20 [percent]. Coolant quantity is 66 [percent]. Suit is 68 [degrees] on temperature, pressure 5.8 indicated, steam temperature, 50 [degrees] in suit circuit and comfortable. Oxygen is 65-100 [percent] amps 20. Voltages: main 24, 25, 25, 25; standby one is 25, 25; isolated 29; and back on main. Fans is 113, ASCS 113. I have two warning lights on, the excess cabin water and fuel quantity. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger, Friendship Seven. Aeromed would like to know whether you have conducted your exercise on bungee cord. Over.
- John Glenn
-
Negative, I have not done that recently. Will conduct that now as part of this check. You had a blood pressure.
- CAPCOM
-
You are fading now. Standby for Canton in a few minutes. This is Woomera Cap Com, Over and Out.
- John Glenn
-
Roger. Canton Cap Com, Friendship Seven. Fuel 62-75 [degrees], oxygen 65-98 [percent], correction 65-100 [percent], amps 23. My condition is good. The sunrise is coming around the capsule right now. Over.
- John Glenn
-
Roger. This is Friendship Seven, and now that the sunrise is starting, I have all these little particles coming around the capsule again, just at sunrise.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger, Friendship Seven. Are, are your thrusters working, are all your high thrusters working okay. Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. I think my, I can see a little bit of steam spitting against the dark sky here occasionally from my pitch down manual thruster. Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. All these little particles; there are thousands of them; and they're not coming from the capsule. They're something that's already up there because they're all over the sky. Way out I can see them, as far as I can see in each direction almost.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, this is Canton. Our telemetry here indicates that everything is okay. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, this is Canton. Our Aeromed would like to hear any comments you have on weightlessness, nausea, dizziness, taste and smell sensations. Over.
- John Glenn
-
Friendship Seven, I have no sensations at all from weightlessness except very pleasant. No ill effects at all, I'm not sick; feel fine. I have had no, no dizziness: I've run the head checks, the head movements and have no problem with that. I've run the oculogyric check and have no problem with that. I haven't been able to use much of the equipment this orbit, however. I've been mainly concerned with this control problem. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger, Friendship Seven. Our fuel quantities here agree with yours. Our 150 fans inverter temperature is 200 [degrees]. The ASCS temperature is 190 [degrees]. Out
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. I believe so. I have Foxtrot coming up here, I mean Golf coming up, at 03 00 39. Is that affirm?
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. I'm trying to get some pictures of these particles that are outside here. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, this is Canton. We also have no indication that your landing bag might be deployed. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Negative, we had a request to monitor this and to ask you if you heard any flapping, when you had high capsule rates. …
- John Glenn
-
Well, I think they probably thought these particles I saw might have come from that, but these are, there there are thousands of these things, and they go out for, it looks like miles in each direction from me and they move by here very slowly. I saw them at the same spot on the first orbit. Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. I am in manual. While on the dark side, I aligned myself with the horizon, when up to 0 0 0, and caged the gyros and uncaged again. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger, Friendship Seven. Will be losing contact any minute now, you have reentry checks to make and approximately 10 minutes, until California contact. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, this is Hawaii Cap Com, I read you loud and clear. What is your status report? Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger, Friendship Seven. The first part of your transmission was broken up; could you say again, fuel?
- CAPCOM
-
Roger. Read 62-74 [percent], Friendship Seven. Cape would like to know if you have made the visual check on the gyros yet?
- John Glenn
-
This is affirmative. During the dark side I went to 0 0 0 as best I could and caged and uncaged the gyros. I'm rechecking this at present time. Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. Roll appears to be about 20° off. At present time, I am indicating 20° right roll when I am lined up perfectly with the horizon. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger, Friendship Seven. Understand you still have a 20° error in your attitude indication after caging the gyros.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. That's affirmative. It's drifted off again. It was correct at that time; it apparently has drifted off. It's about 20° off in roll.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, could you give us a readout on all three axes; we'd like to compare ground readouts.
- John Glenn
-
Roger, Friendship Seven. Roll indicates 19 [degrees] right, yaw, 2 [degrees] left, pitch —22 [degrees]. Over.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. Drift rates are very difficult to pick up for some reason. I have not been able to get real accurate drift rates. I feel that. …
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. I have a pretty good run here on, on yaw check. I believe my yaw is pretty accurate. Roll is off by about 20° to the right at present time.
- CAPCOM
-
Roger, Friendship Seven. Roll is off by 20° to the right; yaw looks pretty good. Hawaii. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Friendship Seven, Hawaii Cap Com. MCC confirms that they are GO at the present time for third orbit.
- John Glenn
-
This is Friendship Seven. I have a better alignment now on the day side, I believe, on these, on the attitude. I will probably cage and uncage gyros again. Over.
- Comm Tech
-
Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is California Com Tech, California Com Tech. Do you read? Over.
- Comm Tech
-
Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is California Com Tech, California Com Tech. Do you read? Over.
- Comm Tech
-
Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is California Com Tech, California Com Tech. Do you read? Over.
- Comm Tech
-
Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is California Com Tech, California Com Tech. Do you read? Over.
- John Glenn
-
Roger. Receiving you much better now, Wally. Very good. Fuel is 62-62 [percent], oxygen 62-95 [percent], amps are 25. All systems are still go. I have had some erratic ASCS operation. I caged and uncaged on the night side and it appears to be working fairly well now although I was drifting again in roll a moment ago. It appears to have corrected itself in roll, however, without me caging again now. Over.
- CAPCOM
-
Good, John. We have a go all the way on this. I'd like to give you your inverter temperatures. Your fans are 215 [degrees], your ASCS 198 [degrees]. We're not going to do anything about them. Looks real good.
Expand selection down Contract selection up - John Glenn
-
Roger. I'll go back into orbit attitude, drifting toward it at present time. Do you have TM solid now? Over.
- John Glenn
-
It's rather, it's more difficult to pick up drift than I thought it would be. Your best drift really is to look out the window and try and get something moving away from you out the window.
- CAPCOM
-
You understand that your capsule elapsed time is running about a second slow compared to GET.
- CAPCOM
-
You have your end-of-orbit time, and that has not changed and I believe you have Area Golf also.
- CAPCOM
-
That is correct. You can correct your Area Golf by subtracting one second and subtract one second from Hotel.
- John Glenn
-
Roger. Understand for my retrosequence for end-of-mission is 04 plus 32 plus 39. Is that affirm?
Spoken on Feb. 20, 1962, 5:17 p.m. UTC (62 years, 8 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet