Jim Lovell (CMP)

This is an 8-power instrument I have.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Right. Well, we are seeing the entire earth now including the terminator. Course we can't see anything past the terminator at all. Are you able with your binoculars to see the dark horizon? Anything past the terminator?

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Negative, Mike. We can't see anything past the terminator with the binoculars or without them. This earth is just too bright, and it cuts down the night adaptation to see anything on the dark side.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Since this is winter—since this is winter time in the northern hemisphere, we can see all of the South Pole and the southern ice cap, and not too much of the North Pole.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Hey, you and Jim better get together. Jim just said he saw the North Pole.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

He is looking out a different window.

Bill Anders (LMP)

That is what makes it different.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Do you still have the —

Bill Anders (LMP)

He has the monocular upside down.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Do you still have the polarizing filter in front of the camera?

Bill Anders (LMP)

Negative?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Okay.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Try putting it back in front of the camera one more time.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Okay.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

And once again, we need a small attitude correction. Our earth is disappearing up and to the right. Our earth and your earth. The wrong way, wrong way. A little bit more. Okay. That is fine if you can hold it right there. Oops! Now it's slipping back off again. Okay. Keep coming a little bit more, a little bit more. Okay. Ninety degrees to that direction; that is the wrong 90, the other way. There we go. A little bit more. Nope, wrong way, wrong way; I am sorry. Keep coming in that direction. No, it is gone up at our 12 o'clock. There we go, it is coming back down. There we go, it's coming back down, it's coming back down. Bring it down a little bit more. Okay. Stop. Now we need 90 degrees to that direction again.

Bill Anders (LMP)

I hope that the next camera has a sight on it.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Well, that has disappeared, just practically. We were wondering if there was any chance of your looking out one of the other windows and seeing the moon? Hey, it is coming back in, Bill. Okay. Hold it right there. That is just fine for the earth right where you are. That is extremely good on the earth if you can just hold that.

Frank Borman (CDR)

I don't think we have—It has the polarizing filter in front of it now, Mike.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. Thank you, and it is centered very well. We get a very slight improvement with this, but in general, it is very good considering the distance. How about the moon, Frank? Is it visible through one of your other windows? Could you get it visible with a small maneuver?

Frank Borman (CDR)

Negative. I think we will have to save the moon for another time.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. I understand. You are still very well centered with your picture. We noticed a couple of jumps in the apparent intensity. Did you make some filter changes?

Frank Borman (CDR)

Roger. We tried to put that other red filter in front of it, but it didn't seem to fit.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

We would—On a final test when you get down to the end of your allotted time here, we would like you to remove all filters and let us see how it looks with all filters removed, and then we would like to get several spotmeter readings at the very end after the test.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Okay. We will be removing the red filter now.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. We have it, and if you could maneuver it toward the terminator slightly, you would again center our picture.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Okay. Stand by. How's that? Is that the right direction?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

That is the right direction. Keep coming. Now that is the wrong direction, Frank. Did you —

Frank Borman (CDR)

How is it now, Houston?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Well, negative. I need another maneuver toward the terminator. It is drifting off the screen to our 11 o'clock. We appear to need a maneuver toward the terminator, Frank.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

No, that is apparently the wrong way, Frank. We are starting to lose the picture. There you go. That is the correct way.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Okay, Houston. How's that for today?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

That is just fine, Frank. That's great. We would like to, at the conclusion here, take three spotmeter readings. You can do that at any time at your convenience. We would just like to get some after-the-fact readings on the earth intensity.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Roger. Jim has got the spotmeter on now.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Is it centered now, Houston?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

That's good right there. Hold that right there. That's good. That's perfect.

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Spoken on Dec. 23, 1968, 8:16 p.m. UTC (55 years, 10 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

Frank Borman (CDR)

Okay, earth. This is Apollo 8 signing off for today.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Good show, Apollo 8. We appreciate it. See you manana.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

We have Haney down here following your trajectory, so all is well. He says you're 10 minutes from the moon's sphere of influence.