Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Would you go S-band AUX switch to DOWN-VOICE BACKUP. Over.

Frank Borman (CDR)

DOWN-VOICE BACKUP. Roger and out.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Houston, be advised that it looks like your Quindars are clipping your voice during your transmission.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger, Understand. Are we still experiencing this intermittent condition that was there a few minutes ago?

Frank Borman (CDR)

Not always, but often in the beginning and in the end of your transmission.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. Understand. I'll give it a little extra time.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Could you try to find us a better OMNI antenna? Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. We are unable to read you on this OMNI antenna. Over.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Houston, Apollo 8. …

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. We understand you are copying us. While we are trying to reestablish contact with you, would you put your optics switch to zero? We show you are drifting off in trunnion and request that you zero your optics.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. We copy your optics zeroed, and how are you reading us now? Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. We are down to 25 percent on your waste water dump and ready to terminate. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger, Our next COMM test is ranging only test. I have four switches I would like you to throw, which will cause you to lose voice communications for approximately 3 minutes. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Alright. The first one is S-band NORMAL mode voice, OFF; the second, S-band NORMAL mode PCM, OFF; the third, S-band NORMAL mode RANGING switch to RANGING; and fourth, the S-baud AUX tape switch, OFF. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Request S-band NORMAL mode RANGING to OFF and S-band NORMAL mode PCM to PCM. I say again. S-band NORMAL mode RANGING, OFF; S-band NORMAL mode PCM to PCM.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. We'll stand by in this configuration for a moment.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Three communication switch positions. First, S-band AUX tape to DOWN-VOICE BACKUP; S-band NORMAL mode PCM, OFF; TELEMETRY INPUTS PCM, HIGH. I say again, S-band AUX tape to DOWN-VOICE BACKUP; S-band NORMAL mode PCM to OFF; TELEMETRY INPUTS PCM to HIGH.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Roger. Houston, this is Apollo 8. How do you read?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Reading you weak but clear now, Bill.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Roger. We still have a bad look angle on this antenna.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Please be informed that the … Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8. Houston. Unable to copy. After about a minute of this configuration, we're going to return to normal voice, and at that time we should be able to hear you better.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Roger. What … are we going through right now?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. We are in Mode 7 dash 10, and the COMM test mode is on page 223. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Three switch positions. TELEMETRY INPUTS PCM switch to LOW; S-band NORMAL mode VOICE to VOICE; S-band NORMAL mode PCM to PCM. I say again, TELEMETRY INPUTS PCM switch, LOW; S-band NORMAL mode VOICE to VOICE; S-band NORMAL mode PCM to PCM. Over.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Roger. We're switching over to backup now.

Bill Anders (LMP)

We are reading you loud and clear, Houston.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Requesting S-band NORMAL mode ranging to RANGING. I say again. S-band NORMAL mode ranging to RANGE. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Requesting S-band NORMAL mode ranging to RANGING. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Houston, Houston, Apollo 8. How do you read?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Beautiful, Frank. I'm reading you loud and clear. How me?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. How do you read? Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. Reading you loud and clear. How me?

Frank Borman (CDR)

You're loud and clear, Michael.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Okay. We're still looking for the S-band NORMAL mode ranging to RANGING.

Frank Borman (CDR)

I guess we didn't hear that one. Going to RANGING.

Frank Borman (CDR)

And—Houston, Apollo 8—what size antenna are you going to now?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. We're working through Ascension, a 30-footer. Over.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Okay. We—our signal strength is … AGC is pretty low up here.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Requesting S-band OFF state to OFF. This should put us back in the normal configuration. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Okay. S-band OFF state to OFF. That returns us to normal configuration, and we need a couple or items from you. First, the CMP and LMP status report (including PRD readings on all three crewmembers), and we'd like to know did you chlorinate the water after your last meal. Over.

Frank Borman (CDR)

No, we haven't chlorinated the water, yet. We'll get the other for you.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Houston, do you show the FM—Houston, Apollo 8—do you show the FM on now?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Stand by and we'll check it, Bill.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Because our S-baud off state has been OFF. Possibly—we don't have control of it.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. We've switched on all the communications switch; functions are operating normally, Bill.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Mike, the PRD readings for the CDR are 4—that's 0.04, for the CMP is 0.64, and for the LMP is 0.25.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Good. I copy 0.04, 0.64, 0.25. Thank you.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Houston, this is Apollo 8.

Expand selection down Contract selection up

Spoken on Dec. 22, 1968, 6:50 p.m. UTC (55 years, 10 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

Frank Borman (CDR)

Oh, hi, Ken. How are you doing?

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Roger. Fine. How you been?

Frank Borman (CDR)

Hey, listen, we still have this TV coming up here—let's see—31:20?

Frank Borman (CDR)

We're about in the right position for high gain; we wondered if you wanted to take a trial run and see if it will work. Or do you just want to wait and try it when they're supposed to go on the air with it?

Bill Anders (LMP)

Houston, Apollo 8. Over.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Roger. Could you ask the GNC to give us an update on our prop quantity, please?

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Wilco. You're referring to the RCS?

Bill Anders (LMP)

If you'll give it to me kinda slow, I'll plot it.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Okay. In reference the early TV, we're losing the high-gain antenna now, and it looks like the only way we would have gotten the early TV pass in anyhow was to send it to remote site and look at it there. So we're going to scrub that idea and we'll just pick up with the scheduled TV. The COMM checks that are remaining are the high-gain dependent type, and we'll put those off until the TV session is completed, and we are working on the fuel propellant curve for you now.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Okay, Apollo 8. What we're going to do on the TV is to go ahead and let you crank it up as soon as we get back on the high-gain antenna, and it looks like—my guess is that this will be about 31:07, and we'll just use this to—as long as we have the coverage there. I have an update to your TLI plus 35 PAD. Now we have to correct a couple of times on there. So when you get that out, let me know and I'll read it to you.

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Okay. On the TLI plus 35 pass, the update I want to give you is the last three lines in the block: the EMS range to go 13084 35985 0984217. Over.