Spacelog Apollo 8

We had a little egg nog at Charlie Duke's tonight. Val Anders dropped by. She's looking fine. Tell Bill she's doing real fine.

Fine.

How do you like shift work, Jerry?

It's great Frank. You've got the black watch watching you tonight.

Boy, Jerry. That earth is sure looking small.

Roger. I guess it'll get smaller, too.

Yes, we're getting along pretty good, though, now.

Real good. It looks like you're approaching 150 000 miles.

Roger.

How does the moon look, Frank?

Say again.

Have you looked at the moon lately?

No. I saw it yesterday, but we haven't seen it today.

Frank, you've probably already been told this, but you looked great on TV today. One little homey item, though. In the El Lago area you were upstaged by Santa Claus. He came along on a fire engine just about the time you guys came along. So most of the little critters were all outside.

That's good. I wish we could have got that one lens working. I'd like to share the view here we have of the earth.

Frank, we've got some guys looking at it. We might be able to find a way to make it work for you. Hopefully, by a couple of hours before TV time tomorrow, we'll have an answer.

Very good.

Jack Schmitt is working with us, too.

Very good.

Ah, Jack Schmitt's working with it, too.

Very good. That's Typhoid Jack.

(Laughter)

This COMM so good we don't figure we'll have much to debrief.

Roger. Probably the biggest part of the debrief will be the medical part.

Roger. You're sure right. Oh, we're all in fine shape.

Houston, Apollo 8. We have just completed the canister change.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead.

Apollo 8, this is Houston. We have a handover coming up in 2-1/2 minutes to Guam. Over.

Okay, Jerry. Thank you. Hey, Jerry?

Go ahead.

How about a long-range guess on what the weather is going to be like in the recovery area on Friday.

Apollo 8, Houston, with a weather watch.

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Roger, Frank. For 7 degrees, 38 minutes north, 165 west landing area, we are showing 2000 scattered, 12 000 broken, high over at 10; the wind's from the east at 12, 4-foot swells, about an 82 degree temperature. There will be some rain showers in about 10 to 30 percent of the area with ceilings around 2000. If there is—turns out to be a thunderstorm in the area, it will probably have a ceiling around 500 feet.

Apollo 8, Houston. Did you copy that weather okay?

Roger. I said thank you. Do you read me now?

Roger. Reading you much better. We got the voice coming down through Honeysuckle now.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Roger, Frank. Can you cycle the H₂ and O₂ cryo fans now for us?

Roger. Will turn her now, the H₂. Manual—2 minutes.

Roger.

You may need to call us now and then. Everybody is a little drowsy.

Sure did, Frank. Thanks.

Houston. Apollo 8.

Apollo 8, Houston. Go.

Apollo 8, Houston. Go.

Roger. The cabin temperature is down to 60, and it's getting pretty chilly in here. Have you got any approved solutions on how to bring it up without stirring up this nice thermal balance we have?

Roger. Stand by.

Frank, do you have your cabin fans on?

Negative.

Roger.

We haven't had them on since we separated.

Okay.

Go ahead.

Roger, Frank. Midcourse number 3 looks like just a shade more than 1 foot per second, so we don't recommend that you do it. That leads us off into a midcourse 4 of only about 3 feet per second right now. Your trajectory is looking real good. Your height at pericynthian is 70 miles.

Roger. Understand. Thank you.

Roger. Roger, Frank. Little few thoughts on what is coming up now. The star sightings when Jim gets up; looks right now like we've had enough of the earth horizon, and everything looks real good; and we are ready to start on some lunar horizon sightings. So when Jim gets up, we will pass the flight plan update to him for a set of stars with the moon. Also, around 48, or after the star sightings is when we would like to see your next water dump come up. So, if you can, I recommend you get a little shuteye.

Roger. Have you got any answer about warming this place up a little bit?

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead.

Apollo 8, this is Houston. I have got two methods for you to warm up the cabin there. The first one is a one-man job—about the best way would be to put one or both cabin fans ON and go full hot on the cabin heat exchanger. It'll be a fairly slow process of warming up, and you won't get a whole lot of heating. Your second method would be to adjust with the mixing valve your radiator OUT temperatures. This, again, is a two-man job, and you have to be pretty careful.

Roger. Well, Frank just went to bed, and Bill isn't up yet. I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll put on the fans and go HIGH on the cabin temperature and see what that does.

Okay, Jim. Remember, if you use just one fan, cover the other.

Houston, Apollo 8.

Apollo 8, Houston. Go.

Roger. If I use just one fan—You mentioned about covering the other one—are you sure that's true in this spacecraft?

Roger. That's affirmative.

I thought that was a BLOCK I problem.

Stand by, Jim. We'll recheck on that one.

Apollo 8, Houston. Did you get the word from Frank on the star-sighting plans?

Roger. I'll get out the flight plan if you have an update to it now, though, then we can update it right now.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead, Houston.

Roger. Are you ready for that flight plan update?

Roger. Go ahead.

Okay. At 47:15, delete the P23 sightings you're shoving there; and at 45 minutes—correction, 45 hours, add one additional set of sightings to each star.

Okay. You said at 45 hours we're going to add one set of sightings to each of the three stars. Is that correct?

That's affirmative. Everybody's real pleased with the earth horizon work; and as far as we're concerned, you can knock that off, and just add one set to each one of your lunar horizon stars at about 45. This 45-hour time also is not hard. You can shift it as your—as you desire.

Roger. I see things coming up now. Jerry, we're going to get the block data around 44, and we'll do alignment around 44:30 and then we'll go into cislunar navigation.

Okay. Fine, Jim. Then remember after you do the sightings, we'll want you to go back to the PTC mode again. And a little curiosity, how's the water tasting, and how did you sleep?

Water's tasting okay; no problems. And the sleep is getting better: We find it better to sleep underneath the couch now. I was up here with Frank, and I was dozing off periodically over the last several hours. Frank's now below and Bill's below, too.