Spacelog Apollo 8

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Roger. I have your oxygen and hydrogen quantities when you are ready to copy.

Ready.

Oxygen tank number 1 270 pounds, 270; oxygen tank 2 267, 267 pounds. Over.

Roger. Thank you.

Roger. On the hydrogen, hydrogen tank 1 19.7; hydrogen tank 2 20.1. Over.

Understand; 19.7 and 20.1.

Roger. You are a little bit low on the line on your graph due to the fact that they started out low.

Houston, how do you read? Apollo 8.

Apollo 8, Houston. Loud and clear. How me? Over.

Loud and clear. I was just checking. Over.

Roger.

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Go ahead.

Roger, Frank. Your 51-hour update of block data will be omitted. The block data you have on board is satisfactory. Over.

Understand. The block data we have aboard is satisfactory.

Right. That's for the flyby and pericynthian plus 2 hour block update. We would like also to get a current up-to-date report on all your windows. We are trying to make some alternate plans for using the center hatch window when you are in lunar orbit, and we would like to make sure we understand exactly what the condition of all five windows is. Over.

Okay. Number—window number 1 and number 5 are clouded, but they may be partially useful. The hatch window is very badly clouded. Windows number 2 and 4 are good.

Okay. Understand the hatch window is unusable, 1 and 5 are partially usable, and the rendezvous windows are both good.

Right.

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Roger, Frank. We would like to ask you about the next few hours in the flight plan. We are inclined to let Jim go ahead and sleep and to slip the P23 that occurs at 52:15. On the other hand, we would think it would probably be a good idea if he returned more to the normal sleep rest cycle; and if you got him up nominally to do the 52:15 work, then perhaps he would be ready to go back to sleep at about 61 hours, when he nominally is expected to do so.

Okay. He's up now, eating. We are planning to go to normal procedures on the flight plan.

Okay. That—that's fine then. If—you know, there is no—it's not time critical that P23 be done at 52:15, but if you get up to do it then, that's just fine.

Well, we thought we might give it a try.

Roger.

This sleep cycle here is—we're just going to have to real time it, I guess. I'm supposed to be asleep right now but, obviously—or I'm supposed to go to sleep here shortly, but I just got up. We are going to have to play this by ear.

Houston, Apollo 8.

Go ahead, Apollo 8.

Are the stars in the flight plan proper for this next exercise of P23?

We would like to talk to Jim about it when he is ready to copy.

He's ready.

Okay.

Good morning, Mike. How are you doing?

Fine, fine, Jim. You are sounding good this morning. We would like to give you a little rundown on these stars. As you can see in the flight plan, we've got you scheduled for a number 33, Antares, number 34, Atria, and number 40, old Altair. Now, the first of those, Antares, is in plane; the second two are out of plane. As you know, we would like to get a mixture of the in and the out of plane. Antares, number 33, is close to the sun, and we expect that you are going to have difficulty getting these measurements on number 33. We would like very much for you to try, but if you are unable to do number 33, then we propose that you use number 42, which is Peacock, to the lunar far horizon. We realize Peacock isn't the greatest one available—greatest star in the sky—but it's about the only one available. Over.

Roger. Understand. I'll—we will go to Antares first and try it. You know, we tried it last time, but I got one set before I lost the moon completely in the white haze. I'll give it another try, and if it doesn't work out, we will go to Peacock and give it -

That—that is affirmative, Jim, and if neither Antares nor Peacock work, well then, we just will be happy to go with Atria and with Altair. We would like them to increase the number of sets and do three on Atria, that is, number 34, and two on Altair, number 40; but that is only in the event that you can get neither Antares nor Peacock.

Apollo 8, Houston. Did you copy?

Roger. This is 8. Copied. We'll increase the number 34 to three and the number set of 40 to two if we cannot get 33 or 42.

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Roger. We're getting low bit rate from you, rather than high, and on this P23 work, for us to get our data, you're going to have to delay the DSKY display about 10 seconds when it comes up with NOUN—NOUN 87. Over.

Houston, we haven't started 23 yet. Our CAL is zero.

Roger. Understand. Thank you.

We are in the process now to—to go to P23 attitude.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Roger. Downlink data shows that on star 33, Jim is using the lunar far horizon when he should be using the lunar near horizon. Over.

Okay. Thank you. 220?

Roger. 220.

Let us check it.

Roger.

You want the far horizon now, Houston?

Roger. Far horizon.

We have far horizon in now, Mike, on 220. I will check again, though.

Yes. That is right. We are requesting the lunar near horizon as per the flight plan, the lunar near horizon. We show that you are using the lunar far horizon.

Okay. Roger. I thought that you had copied up 220 to me. I will put it in the near horizon.

Houston, Apollo 8. Over.

Apollo 8, Houston. Go ahead.

Mike, it's getting kind of damp—we're getting a playback, Mike. It is getting kind of damp in here. It might be a good idea to go back into AUTO on the temp in—the glycol temp in for awhile to try and get some of this moisture out of the cabin.

Roger. Stand by, Bill.

Roger.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead.

We concur. We would like you to go back to AUTO on the glycol temp inlet valve. Over.

Okay. When was our lowest radiator OUT TEMP during the last couple of hours while we have been in MANUAL?

I will get it for you.

And we are back in AUTO.

Roger. Back in AUTO, and 29 degrees is as low as we've seen.

Okay. We are showing a CABIN TEMP of about 76. It is very comfortable, but we are getting a lot of condensation on the walls now.

Houston, Apollo 8.

Apollo 8, this is Houston.

Roger, Mike. While we are waiting for the spacecraft to maneuver to the moon, I might note that as we get closer to the moon, the light from the sun comes right into the scanning telescope, and it is impossible to use. You have to rely on the sextant alone.

Roger, Jim. Understand that light from the sun is coming into the scanning telescope making it impossible to see, and you have to rely on the sextant alone. Can you attach any angle to that?

Well, Mike, I am right now at the substellar point of 33. I don't know where the sun is exactly from there, but that is about the angle. We're—the optics are pointed right at the moon now.

Apollo 8, Houston. We are going to be changing our antenna in a couple of minutes. You can expect a COMM switch-over.

Houston, Apollo 8. Over.

Apollo 8, Houston. Go.

Roger. The LMP is going to take a little snooze here for a while. I am wondering, can you give me a quick—your view of the system status here before I depart, and, also, give me an idea of when the next cryo stir is due?

Roger, Bill. Will do; stand by.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead.

Roger. Your systems remain unchanged. They are all looking good. You can go ahead and stir up the cryo starting right now.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead, Houston.