Spacelog Apollo 8

It's looking good, Frank. We just took in another batch of data, and we are processing it. It looks initially like we won't even need a midcourse number 2. As soon as we process this data, we will have some confirmation for you. It should take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to finish the job.

Go ahead.

Apollo 8, this is Houston. We are showing your pericynthian 64 nautical miles. Your next midcourse at 28 will be less than 1 foot per second. We will have a firm confirmation on this in about 2 hours.

Houston, Apollo 8.

Apollo 8, Houston. Go ahead.

How do you read?

Reading you loud and clear, Frank. Good morning. How are you doing?

Just fine. We just broke lock for a minute, and I wondered why.

Roger.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead.

Roger. Your break lock is due to the fact we switched our antennas over from Honeysuckle to Madrid. Over.

Roger. Thank you.

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Roger, Frank. We would like to bring you up to date on your trajectory. This midcourse coming up at 28 hours GET turns out to be very small, 0.7 feet per second, and we would like not to do it. Our data is looking extremely good and extrapolating it forward; it shows the midcourse number 4 at LOI minus 8 hours would be about 4 feet per second. In the meantime, the free return trajectory is looking very good with a water splash point off the coast of Africa. So it looks like you are right down the old center line, and we propose not to do the next midcourse. Over.

Fine with us.

Okay. And in regard to your timeline here, we suggest that you let Bill and Jim sleep for an extra period of time and don't wake them up until 26:30 GET, and that would cause deletion of P52 and P23 at 26 hours GET. Over.

Roger. Understand. Delete P52 and P23.

Affirmative. Delete those at 26 hours, wake the other two guys up at 26:30 at which time they can eat, and then chlorinate the water supply after they have eaten.

Roger.

That would put us back on our nominal flight plan at 28 hours GET. Over.

Roger.

How's all that grab you?

Fine.

Apollo 8, Houston, Over.

Go ahead, Houston.

Roger, we're switching antennas again at 23:40 GET. You can expect a momentary break lock, and also we would like to bring you up to date on the passive thermal control. We expect to keep the same PTC attitude until 28 hours GET. Over.

Fine; thank you. How is the thermal control working?

Working good, Frank. I can give you some details if you want it.

Go ahead.

I am all ears, Houston. Go ahead with the details.

Okay. Stand by one until we switch our antennas, Frank. We'll be right with you.

Roger.

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Go ahead.

On your PTC, quads A, C, and D seem to be just about identical. Quad B is running slightly cooler, but only very slightly so. The temperature readouts in all respects are normal, so apparently the PTC is working well from a thermal viewpoint. And as far as the fuel consumption goes, it's minimal, just about like we expected. Have you got any comments about PTC? How does it seem to you?

Seems fine. Seems to be working all right, just like you said. I was just wondering how the readouts from the SPS were, too.

Apollo 8, Houston. The SPS temperature is normal. If anything, it's slightly warmer than we expected, so you are in real good shape in that respect.

Thank you.

Frank, the PU valve temperature is running about 72 degrees, which is better control than we got here in this room.

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Roger. It is time to do a cryo fan cycle, Frank, on all four fans, a short burst from each of them as you did before.

Understand, 2 minutes each on all cryo fans.