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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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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.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Frank, what we want to do is get a radial upward burn; and as long as you can, through the optics or some other means out the window, figure out where the earth is, then use the appropriate thrusters to thrust upward, radially upward for 3 feet per second. That is what we are looking for for trajectory reasons.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Okay. Understand. I just—as I say, I just can't very well do that now. I don't want to lose sight of this S-IVB.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Roger. We concur with that. I just thought perhaps Jim, through his optics, or you could get some feel for where the earth is. That's what we want to do, is radially upward.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Roger. Frank, do you think you are going to be able to do this burn radially? We would like to add to its magnitude if you are going to make it in some other direction. Over.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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No, I am not even sure we are going to do it yet, Mike. If I can get—we seem to be drifting away from this thing a little bit, although it is still pointing at us quite closer than I'd like.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Apollo 8, Houston. We would like you to do some additional maneuver; it is just a question of how much and in which direction.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Okay. Right now, our gimbal angles are about—roll's about 190 and pitch is about 320 and yaw is about 340. We could certainly do it in this position. That would be alright.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Roger, Frank. You could help us out if you would explain where you are relative to the booster. In other words, with respect to the earth and the radius back there, are you above or below or one side, or where exactly is the booster relative to you?
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Well, it's as I said before. We can't definitely find the earth. I think we are in front and a little bit above—a little bit above the—almost in front of the—directly in the front of the booster.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Perhaps a little bit horizontally displaced towards the—let's see—Houston, to help you, we are looking right directly above the S-IVB with the sun—it's on the right side of the S-IVB and on our—coming in our left number 1 window.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Okay. Understand; the sun is on the right side of the S-IVB and coming in your number 1 window. And are you—when you give us those angles, that means that your plus X-axis is pointed at it with those angles. Is that affirm?
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Jim Lovell (CMP)
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Houston, for information. I am looking through the scanning telescope now, and I see millions of stars; most of them—the venting from the S-IVB.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Right. Are you having any trouble telling which are the stars and which are the S-IVB particles?
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Jim Lovell (CMP)
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Definitely; we are in sunlight, and it looks like they are all S-IVB, but we don't know. I am going to attempt a P52 realign at this time and see what I can do.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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We are working on it, Frank. We are trying to compute what radially outward will be in close terms. Now, you still have the earth—as I understand plus Y and plus Z quadrant. In other words, it's down below you on your right and slightly to your rear? Is that still true?
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Okay. Well, we—of course, in that attitude, you want to burn some upward and some to the left, and we are trying to be more precise than that. Frank, is it still about the same distance away? Are you opening or closing?
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Mike, can you just tell us which way the S-IVB pitches and how far it will pitch to the sling shot maneuver attitude?
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Bill Anders (LMP)
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Alright. Star ID is 03, and star 36, star angle difference 0.01, torquing angle X minus 00034, Y minus 0027, Z plus 00100. Over.
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Jim Lovell (CMP)
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Houston, we are going to have to hold up on the cislunar navigation until after this next little maneuver.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Can you give us an updated readout of your gimbal angles. When your plus X-axis is pointed toward the booster, please?
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Okay. With the COAS right on the S-IVB, the roll reads 105, the pitch is 275, and the yaw is about 325.
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Bill Anders (LMP)
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Roger. If it will help you any, Mike, the earth is plus Y about 45 degrees in a minus X. I can see it out my side window, and it's a beautiful view with numerous cloud vortex.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Roger, Bill. Thank you. Understand; plus X 45 degrees halfway between plus Y and plus Z and slightly minus X.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Roger. Understand. Frank, what we want on this burn is 8 feet per second now, 8 feet per second. We want it radially upward, and we want you to use whatever thrusters are required to burn radially upward at 8 feet per second.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Because of the separation distance we would like to achieve between now and the time of S-IVB blowdown.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Mike, do you want me to go ahead and try to do this, or are you going to give me some gimbal angles?
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Apollo 8, Houston. Go ahead and do it without gimbal angles, if you can do that. Over.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Okay. I don't understand why you want so many feet per second on it, but I think I can—with just a little maneuvering, I can get away from it a lot simpler than that.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Well, we would like the radial upward for trajectory reasons, and the magnitude we'd like because of the separation distance which we're predicting you will have at S-IVB blowdown.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Roger. About 12 minutes before your big blowdown, there is a small continuous vent which opens at a GET of 04:55:55. You may notice that on the booster, 12- or 15-pound thrust.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Roger.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Apollo 8, Houston. Are you going to use P47 to monitor the burn?
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Jim Lovell (CMP)
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Yes, Jim, that's Roger. We are putting it in right now.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Thank you.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Houston, we made the burn at 7.7 plus X plus 00001 Y; and Z's are all zeros. Gimbal angles, roll 180, pitch 310, and yaw 020.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Read you loud and clear. Did you get the information?
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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That's affirmative. I say again, we copied plus X 7.7, one-tenth in Y, no Z; roll, pitch, and yaw, 180, 310, and 020.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Okay. Do you want us to transfer that to the CS—to the LM state vector or just leave it alone? You —
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Affirmative, Frank. We would like you to transfer from the CSM to the LM state vector.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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How is that booster looking now? Is it drifting away rapidly, or how does it look?
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Roger. Understand; 90 degrees from its X-axis and about 1000 feet and separating.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Houston, this is Apollo 8. I think we've got clearance now; we got a little behind on our P23's, but I suggest we go ahead and start those now.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Roger, Bill. Thank you, and at your convenience, could you give us the PRD reading? And as far as the P23 goes, that's just fine to get started with it. It looks like your first star, which is number 14, should be good until about 05:15 GET. Over.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Got that. Copy left to right: 0, 0.64, and 0.02 at 4 hours and 4 minutes. Thank you.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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I have a beautiful view of the S-IVB and the earth here on one. I'll try and get a picture for you.
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Mike Collins (CAPCOM)
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Apollo 8, Houston. We've got you about a minute away from the continuous vent open and 14 minutes away from the big dump, and we would like an estimate on your distance now if you can give it.
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Jim Lovell (CMP)
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Boy, it's really hard to describe what this earth looks like. I'm looking out my center window, which is a round window, and the window is bigger than the earth is right now. I can clearly see the terminator. I can see most of South America, all the way up to Central America, Yucatan, and the peninsula of Florida. There is a big swirling motion just off the east coast, and then going on over toward the east, I can still see West Africa, which has a few clouds right now. We can see all the way down to Cape Horn in South America.
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Frank Borman (CDR)
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Yes. Tell the people in Tierra Del Fuego to put on their raincoats; looks like a storm is out there.
Spoken on Dec. 21, 1968, 4:19 p.m. UTC (55 years, 10 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet
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