Jim Lovell (CMP)

Houston, we are going to have to hold up on the cislunar navigation until after this next little maneuver.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger, Jim. We understand.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Can you give us an updated readout of your gimbal angles. When your plus X-axis is pointed toward the booster, please?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Could you give us those gimbal angles, Frank, when you have a chance?

Frank Borman (CDR)

I'm getting the COAS right on it now so it will be accurate.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Okay. With the COAS right on the S-IVB, the roll reads 105, the pitch is 275, and the yaw is about 325.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. Copy roll 105, pitch 275, and yaw 325.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Roger. That should be 115 for the roll.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Houston, Apollo 8. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Go ahead.

Bill Anders (LMP)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger, Bill. Thank you. Understand; plus X 45 degrees halfway between plus Y and plus Z and slightly minus X.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Negative. It's 45 degrees in the plus Y, in the XY plane towards minus X. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. Understand in the XY plane, toward X 45 degrees.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Forty-five degrees from plus Y to minus X.

Bill Anders (LMP)

It's behind us to the right, if that will help.

Frank Borman (CDR)

I can still see the Cape and isthmus of Central America.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Why do you want to use—do so much, Mike?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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)

Mike, do you want me to go ahead and try to do this, or are you going to give me some gimbal angles?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Go ahead and do it without gimbal angles, if you can do that. Over.

Frank Borman (CDR)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Understand; OMNI B Baker.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

And, Apollo 8, could you give us your burn information whenever you have it?

Bill Anders (LMP)

Roger. We are maneuvering to the attitude now.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Okay, Houston. I understand you want 8 feet per second burn, is that right?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Right. Eight feet per second, radially upward.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Well, we are as close to being radially upward as we can determine.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Are you going to use P47 to monitor the burn?

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Yes, Jim, that's Roger. We are putting it in right now.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Thank you.

Frank Borman (CDR)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. I copy plus X 7.7. Y 0.1; and roll, pitch, and yaw 180, 310, and 20.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Did you get that information, Houston?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. How are you reading?

Frank Borman (CDR)

Read you loud and clear. Did you get the information?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Roger. The burn was made at—initiated at 04:45.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Okay. Do you want us to transfer that to the CS—to the LM state vector or just leave it alone? You —

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Affirmative, Frank. We would like you to transfer from the CSM to the LM state vector.

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Spoken on Dec. 21, 1968, 5:28 p.m. UTC (55 years, 11 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

Frank Borman (CDR)

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

How is that booster looking now? Is it drifting away rapidly, or how does it look?

Frank Borman (CDR)

Bill is the only one that can see it. Just a minute

Bill Anders (LMP)

We're 90 degrees from its X-axis, and we must be out 1000 feet and moving out.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. Understand; 90 degrees from its X-axis and about 1000 feet and separating.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Plus or minus a couple of thousand.

Frank Borman (CDR)

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.

Frank Borman (CDR)

We're well clear of the S-IVB now, Houston.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Roger. We'll start P23.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Houston, Apollo 8 with a PRD reading.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Roger. At 4 hours 4 minutes, Commander is 0, CMP 0.64, LMP 0.02.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Got that. Copy left to right: 0, 0.64, and 0.02 at 4 hours and 4 minutes. Thank you.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Roger. At 04:53, it was 0.01, 0.64, 0.03, and negligible on the survey meter.

Frank Borman (CDR)

I have a beautiful view of the S-IVB and the earth here on one. I'll try and get a picture for you.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Stand by. Our distance is about 3000 feet we would estimate.

Frank Borman (CDR)

And we can see the vent.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8. Houston. Say again.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Good grief, that must be quite a view.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Yes. Tell the people in Tierra Del Fuego to put on their raincoats; looks like a storm is out there.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. Will do. Do you care to give them a 24-hour forecast?

Frank Borman (CDR)

Probably as good as any other.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Go ahead.