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Jim Lovell (CMP)
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Roger. The DELTA-TIG looked like it was right on. Burn time appeared to us to be about 2 seconds longer, 517. VGX was reading 95485 when we got it. The attitude was nominal. VI was reading 35452 at cut-off, H-dot 04552, and H is 01791. DELTA-VC on the EMS was minus 20.6.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Booster begins maneuver to SEP attitude at 03:10:55. Takes 5 minutes, so it arrives at 03:15:55, and SEP time, 03:20:55. Your SEP attitude, the gimbal angles on the PAD remain good.
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Bill Anders (LMP)
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And would you keep a special eye on the purge tank and cryo O2 tank 1 DELTA-V for us since our flowmeter is pegged out, we got no warning on O2 high flow.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Yes, reading you loud and clear, Frank. Understand you've started the maneuver to SEP attitude.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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We're reading about the same as we were before on that oxygen flow. The reason it's that high is due to the cabin gas changeover. According to Apollo 7, if your data repeats theirs, you can expect it to be high for another few hours.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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You can expect that the S-IVB will be 10 degrees off in pitch at SEP attitude; however, that is GO. There is no problem involved.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Roger. We have you about 30 seconds prior to separation, and everything's looking good.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.
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Bill Anders (LMP)
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This is Apollo 8 on VHF and S-band. How do you read?
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Roger. Loud and clear. We are taking pictures of the S-IVB; the postseparation sequence is completed, and we seem to have a high gain.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Roger. We would like to ask whether you did a VERB 66 ENTER to transfer the state vector from CSM to LM slot. We didn't copy that down here.
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Jim Lovell (CMP)
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And at the same time, we can see Africa. West Africa is beautiful. I can also see Gibraltar at the same time I'm looking at Florida.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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How about your VHF check? We would like to get that done before you get too much further away.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Okay, good. Thank you. VHF alfa Simplex, and we will get configured for it; and in between times, give us a clue as to what it looks like from way up there.
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Jim Lovell (CMP)
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Roger. Well, Mike, I can see the entire earth now out of the center window. I can see Florida, Cuba, Central America, the whole northern half of Central America, in fact, all the way down through Argentina and down through Chile.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Houston, this is Apollo 8. We've lost sight of the S-IVB here. The separation maneuver may be delayed slightly, or else we will go ahead and make it without having her in sight.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Roger. We have the S-IVB in sight again now. We have done the separation maneuver.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Apollo 8, Houston. We would like to get an approximate GET of your SEP maneuver to use for our ephemeris tracking data.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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— We have the—Mike, we have the exact callout here for you and a burn status report.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Alright, DELTA-VX minus 00011, DELTA-VY plus 0002, DELTA-VZ minus 0002, roll 0, pitch 180, yaw 0. Over.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Roger. At your convenience, would you please go P00 and ACCEPT? We're going to update to your W matrix. And also when you get a chance, we would like to know about the SLA panels. Did they all depart? And do you have any comments about the SLA?
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Houston, Apollo 8. Will you give us the information when you want us to stop the venting and so on?
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Roger. What is the venting information are you inquiring about: the O2 flow high out through the waste tank or waste compartment, or are you talking about your evaporator?
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Apollo 8, Houston. You can go back to BLOCK. We have gotten in the load to the W matrix update.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Roger. It looks like I might have to do a couple more small maneuvers to stay away from the front of this S-IVB, the way we are ending up now. Do you want me to do these with our P47 if we have to do them?
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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I'd like to give you some idea about your trajectory. It looks like a midcourse correction number 1, projected out to TLI plus 6 hours, would be only 7 feet per second. So, of course, any further maneuvers you do would add to that, which is probably good.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Roger. Understand; that is supposedly a non-propulsive vent. The big blowdown maneuver, it starts maneuvering to blowdown attitude at 04:44:55, and the vent occurs at 05:07:55.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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That is the nonpropulsive vent, but it's pretty spectacular. It's spewing out from all sides like a huge water sprinkler.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Roger. Big vent time 05:07:55, and it will start maneuvering to vent attitude beginning at 04:44:55. Bill has got the tape recorder back.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Yes, you took the words right out of my mouth, Frank, and we would like to know also how far away from the S-IVB you are now.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Roger. I believe we are going to have to vent or thrust away from this thing; we seem to be getting closer.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Roger. Understand, Frank; go ahead whenever—just give us some idea of when you did it and how much.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Okay, Frank. On your additional separation maneuver, we recommend that you make a radial burn, point your plus X-axis toward the earth, and thrust minus X for 3 feet per second. Over.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Okay. The reason we want a radial burn is to increase your midcourse correction so we can use the SPS. Stand by on it.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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How close to a radial burn can you get without losing sight of the S-IVB, Frank?
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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We can pitch down some. Jim has the earth in the optics so we could pitch some and get pretty close to one, I guess.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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We can give you a pitch gimbal angle on radial direction if that would be a help. It's 181 degrees; pitch gimbal angle would be exactly radial at 4 hours and 10 minutes. I don't know whether that solves your visibility problem or not.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Frank, if you use zero, then make the SEP if possible in the plus X thrusters. That's the direction of the burn we'd like.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Well, can't do that. I'll thrust right square into that S-IVB.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Apollo 8, Houston. At blowdown, that S-IVB should be oriented to perform a retrograde blowdown along the local horizontal.
Spoken on Dec. 21, 1968, 4:06 p.m. UTC (55 years, 9 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet
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