Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

we would like to take control of the DSE for a while, Bill.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. We would like to get an approximate GET of your SEP maneuver to use for our ephemeris tracking data.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Good, 03:40 and a foot and a half—feet per second. Right?

Frank Borman (CDR)

— We have the—Mike, we have the exact callout here for you and a burn status report.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Alright, DELTA-VX minus 00011, DELTA-VY plus 0002, DELTA-VZ minus 0002, roll 0, pitch 180, yaw 0. Over.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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?

Frank Borman (CDR)

They all departed, and they worked fine.

Frank Borman (CDR)

We are in P00 and ACCEPT.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Houston, Apollo 8. Will you give us the information when you want us to stop the venting and so on?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Roger.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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?

Frank Borman (CDR)

Evaporator. We are configuring now to stop boiling.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. You can go back to BLOCK. We have gotten in the load to the W matrix update.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Houston, Apollo 8. The back pressure valve is closed, and the water flow is OFF.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Back pressure valve closed, and water flow OFF. Thank you.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Houston, Apollo 8 here.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Go ahead.

Frank Borman (CDR)

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?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

That's affirmative, Frank, on this P47.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Okay. And give me the time again when it starts to dump, please.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. We're working on an exact GET of that, Frank.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Frank Borman (CDR)

I just want to stay from away from in front of this thing.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. We concur. Looks like it is chasing you, huh?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Say again.

Frank Borman (CDR)

The S-IVB is really venting.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger.

Expand selection down Contract selection up

Spoken on Dec. 21, 1968, 4:47 p.m. UTC (56 years ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

Frank Borman (CDR)

That is the nonpropulsive vent, but it's pretty spectacular. It's spewing out from all sides like a huge water sprinkler.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. Get some pictures of it.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Say again that big vent time, so I can write it down please, Houston.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Frank Borman (CDR)

We're receiving VHF music now, Houston. Thank you.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Frank Borman (CDR)

I guess we are between 500 to 1000 feet.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Herb Alpert seems pretty good.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Roger. I believe we are going to have to vent or thrust away from this thing; we seem to be getting closer.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. Understand, Frank; go ahead whenever—just give us some idea of when you did it and how much.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Could you stand by one? We are working on something here.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Frank Borman (CDR)

You are loud and clear, Mike. Go ahead.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Frank Borman (CDR)

I don't want to do that; I'll lose sight of the S-IVB.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Okay. The reason we want a radial burn is to increase your midcourse correction so we can use the SPS. Stand by on it.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

How close to a radial burn can you get without losing sight of the S-IVB, Frank?

Frank Borman (CDR)

Well, I don't know because I can't see the earth now, Mike.

Frank Borman (CDR)

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.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Well, then zero would be just as good, wouldn't it?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Well, can't do that. I'll thrust right square into that S-IVB.

Frank Borman (CDR)

What will he maneuver to as far as the gimbal angle for his blowdown?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. At blowdown, that S-IVB should be oriented to perform a retrograde blowdown along the local horizontal.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Is it still chasing? Does it look like it is closing on you, Frank?