Spacelog Mercury 6

Roger, retro sequence is green.

You have a green. You look good on attitude.

Retro attitude is green.

Just past 20.

Say again.

Seconds.

Roger.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, fire.

Roger, retros are firing.

Sure, they be.

Are they ever. It feels like I'm going back toward Hawaii.

Don't do that, you want to go to the East Coast.

Roger. Fire retro light is green.

All three here.

Roger.

Roger, retros have stopped. A hundred. …

Keep your retro pack on until you pass Texas.

That's affirmative.

Check.

Pretty good looking flight from what all we've seen.

Roger, everything went pretty good except for all this ASCS problem.

It looked like your attitude held pretty well. Did you have to back it up at all?

Oh, yes, quite a bit. Yeah, I had a lot of trouble with it.

Good enough for Government work from down here.

Yes, sir, it looks good, Wally. We'll see you back East.

Rog.

All right, boy.

Fire Retro is green.

Roger.

Jettison retro is red. I'm holding onto it.

Good head.

I'll tell you, there is no doubt about it when the retros fire.

Gathered that from your comments.

Everything is looking good, I'll give you a fast readout here. Fuel is 29-27 [percent]. The cabin pressure holding 5.5, cabin air is 88 [degrees], relative humidity is 33 [percent]; coolant quantity, 58 [percent], temperature is 71 [degrees], suit temperature is 71 [degrees], suit pressure is 5.8, steam temperature is 53 [degrees] in the suit, oxygen is, primary 60 [percent], 89 [percent] on secondary.

Looks pretty good on this end. How did the attitude seem to hold? Did you have any diversions in yaw at all?

Negative, very close. I backed it up and worked right along with the ASCS and it looked like it held right on the money.

Roger, we didn't notice any particular disparity here.

Yes, sir.

Do you notice any contrast over the coastline, John?

Say again.

How about contrast over the coastline?

Negative.

Roger.

There is quite a bit of cloud cover down in this area. I can, right on track, I can only see certain areas. I can see quite a bit on up to the north, however.

This is Friendship Seven, going to manual control.

Roger, Friendship Seven.

This is banging in and out here; I'll just control it manually.

Roger.

Friendship Seven, Guaymas Cap Com, reading you loud and clear.

Roger, Guaymas, read you loud and clear also.

Friendship Seven, Friendship Seven, this is Texas Com Tech. Do you read? Over

Roger, Texas, go ahead.

Roger. Reading you 5 square. Standby for Texas Cap Com.

Roger.

This is Texas Cap Com, Friendship Seven. We are recommending that you leave the retropackage on through the entire reentry. This means that you will have to override the 0.05g switch which is expected to occur at 04 43 53. This also means that you will have to manually retract the scope. Do you read?

This is Friendship Seven. What is the reason for this? Do you have any reason? Over.

Not at this time; this is the judgment of Cape Flight.

Roger. Say again your instructions please. Over.

We are recommending that the retropackage not, I say again, not be jettisoned. This means that you will have to override the 0.05g switch which is expected to occur at 04 43 53. This is approximately 4¼ minutes from now. This also means that you will have to retract the scope manually. Do you understand?

Roger, understand. I will have to make a manual 0.05g entry when it occurs, and bring the scope in manually. Is that affirm?

That is affirmative, Friendship Seven.

Roger.

This is Friendship Seven, going to reentry attitude, then, in that case.

Friendship Seven, Cape flight will give you the reasons for this action when you are in view.

Roger. Roger. Friendship Seven.

Everything down here on the ground looks okay.

Roger. This is Friendship Seven.

Confirm your attitudes.

Roger.

Friendship Seven, this is Cape. Over.

Go ahead, Cape. Friendship Seven.

Recommend you go to reentry attitude and retract the scope manually at this time.

Roger, retracting scope manually.

While you're doing that, we are not sure whether or not your landing bag has deployed. We feel it is possible to reenter with the retropackage on. We see no difficulty at this time in that type of reentry. Over.

Roger, understand.

Seven, this is Cape. Over.

Go ahead, Cape. Friendship Seven.

Estimating 0.05g at 04 44.

Roger.

You override 0.05g at that time.

Roger. Friendship Seven.

This is Friendship Seven. I'm on straight manual control at present time. This was, still kicking in and out of orientation mode, mainly in yaw following retorfire, so I am on straight manual now. I'll back it up. …

… on reentry.

Say again.

Standby.