Spacelog Apollo 8

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

DOWN-VOICE BACKUP. Roger and out.

Thank you.

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

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

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

Go.

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

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

…

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

Houston, Apollo 8. …

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

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.

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

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

Roger.

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

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.

Roger. Go ahead.

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.

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.

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

Reading you weak but clear now, Bill.

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

Apollo 8, Houston.

Apollo 8, Houston. Go ahead.

Please be informed that the … Over.

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.

Roger. What … are we going through right now?

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

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.

Roger. We're switching over to backup now.

Reading you very weak.

We are reading you loud and clear, Houston.

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

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

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

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

It's in RANGING now.

Thank you.

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

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

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

Roger. Understand.

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

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

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.

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

Roger. Thank you.

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

Stand by and we'll check it, Bill.

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

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

Okay, Mike. Thanks.

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.

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

Houston, this is Apollo 8.

Go ahead, Apollo 8.

Oh, hi, Ken. How are you doing?

Roger. Fine. How you been?

Is this Jerry?

This is Ken.

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

Affirmative.

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?

Okay. Stand by on that.

Houston, Apollo 8. Over.

Go ahead, Apollo 8.

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

Wilco. You're referring to the RCS?

Roger.

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

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

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.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

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.

Go ahead.

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.