Spacelog Apollo 8

Just a matter of general interest, Houston: everybody is feeling good, and the CDR is taking a snooze.

Roger. Glad to hear it. We were just talking about a water dump down here. We've got one coming up, and it looks like on this REV prior to the time around LOS or just prior to LOS, would be a convenient time to do it. Do you concur?

Okay. We will. Down to 25 percent again?

That's affirmative, and we'd also be interested in any comments about what these various dumps have done to your optics, if anything, and how long the effects last after a dump.

Don't seem to have done anything to the optics, but they've definitely got in some of the windows. There are a few little chunks of ice on window number 1, which is nearest the vent, and also on window number 5 a little bit; windows 2 and 4 remain amazingly clear.

Roger. Thank you, Bill, and I'm ready to resume the PAD when you are.

Okay. Press on with the weight.

Alright. Weight 45701, minus 040, plus 157 083:18:20.80, plus 32346, minus 01168, plus 05730. Are you with me so far? Over.

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Go ahead, Mike.

Roger. I got down through DELTA-V, minus X, minus Y, and minus Z. Did you copy those? Over.

No, I didn't read a word. I'm still waiting for the weight.

Roger. Let's go back to the weight: 45701, minus 040, plus 157. Are you with me? Over.

Sounds good.

Okay. GETI 083:18:20.80, plus 32346, minus 01168, plus 4—correction, plus 05730. Are you with me? Over.

Roger.

Roger. TEI 7 SPS/G&N: 45701, minus 040, plus 157 083:18:20.80, plus 32346, minus 01168, plus 05730 179 9—correction, 009 001, NA. Are you with me?

Yes, I'm with you, Bill.

Plus 00187 32870 307 32676 32—correction, 420880 253033, down 121, left 27, plus 0790, minus 16500 12973 36238 146:44:14; same north set Sirius and Rigel, 129 155 010; four-jet, 15 seconds, 2 degrees, now horizon and peak.

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Go ahead, Houston.

Roger. You got your DSE back, and you are GO for the next lunar orbit. Over.

Roger. How far did you want us to dump that water?

Twenty-five percent, please, Bill.

Roger. Twenty-five percent.

Houston, Apollo 8.

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Are you receiving our tracking data?

That's affirmative, Jim. We are receiving.

Okay. Thank you.

And also, Jim, we are—That last P27 we sent was for the LM state vector only, and it will require a VERB 47 ENTER to transfer to the CSM slot. Over.

Roger. Will do.

Okay. We're dumping the waste tank now, Houston.

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Go ahead, Houston.

Roger. We've got 4 minutes til LOS, and everything is looking good down here.

Roger. How much longer do you think we have to go into battery charge there, Mike?

I'll find out for you.

If you can wake up the EECOM, why don't you have him ask the back room?

Oh, you really know how to hurt a guy.

Apollo 8, Houston. We estimate the charge will be complete in another 45 minutes. Over.

Apollo 8, Houston. One minute til LOS, and standing by.

Okay. See you on the other side, Mike.

Looking forward to it.

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Houston, Apollo 8.

Roger, Frank. Good morning. You're loud and clear, how me?

Loud and clear.

Welcome back.

Thank you.

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Go ahead, Houston.

Roger. We have a request that Jim space his marks, his five marks out a bit more slowly. If possible, we would like to get a couple of them past the zenith. We're getting five of them with rather rapid spacing, and from the geometry viewpoint, it would be better if you'd slow them down a little bit and lengthened them out so as to include a couple of them past the zenith. Over.

Roger. We understand.

Houston, Apollo 8. That last set of marks are invalid. Disregard what Jim drew the last time.

Roger. Understand the last set of marks are invalid. Over.

Roger. If you would correlate … the last set.

We have an awful lot of background noise, Jim. Could you say again, please?

Roger. I'm coming up on control point 3. I tried to stick another control point in between 2 and 3. It didn't do it, so I just took out our program, marked it down on the program.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Roger. On Jim's marks, we'd like to get spacing of approximately 30, 30 seconds between each mark. The last ones we are copying roughly 15 seconds between marks, and we would like to stretch it out even further if that is okay with you.

Houston, Apollo 8.

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Roger, Mike. I find that tracking is much easier using the sextant than the scanning telescope. You have finer control, and at these orbital speeds, resolved to medium seem to be the best combination.

Roger, Jim. I copy that it's easier for you to use the sextant than the scanning telescope. It gives you finer control, and say again after that.

Apollo 8, Houston. Do you read?

Roger. Did you copy?

Roger. I copy that it's—tracking is easier using the sextant than the scanning telescope; it gives you finer control, and say again after that. Over.

And the combination of resolved and medium is perhaps the best combination of—combination of—speed low is too low; we can't catch up with the target.

Roger. Understand that the best combination is resolved and medium. Low is just too low.

Houston, Apollo 8.

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Roger. I'm not too sure what happened that time, Mike. I was marking on the landing sites, using the code, and I kept getting a large trunnion for AUTO OPTICS. And I could see the target, or landing site was coming up, so I just went manually and marked and got the—the latitude and longitude were quite different from the nominal.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Roger. We're checking into Jim's remarks on his P22; and in the meantime, I have your maneuver PAD's and map updates, at your convenience. Over.

Roger.

Go ahead with your data, Mike.

Okay. And before that, we'd like to take the DSE away from you, please, for a while.

All yours.

Thank you, and we'd like you to go to P00 and ACCEPT. We have a P27 state vector update for you.

There's P00, and I'm going to ACCEPT.

Thank you.

All yours.

Which would you like first, the map update or the TEI 8?

The map would be fine.

Okay. Map update: LOS 82:55:54, sunrise 83:05:49, prime meridian 83:11:38, AOS 83:41:43, sunset 84:18:45; remarks: control point 1 acquisition 83:07:39, control point 2 acquisition 83:20:21, control point 3 ACQ 83:41:51, B-1 acquisition 84:02:28. Over.

Roger. 82:55:54, 83:05:49, 83:11:38, 83:41:43, 84:18:45. CP-1 83:07:39, CP-2 83:20:21, CP-3 83:41:51, B-1 84:02:28.

That's affirmative.

Understand —

— for the TEI PAD.

Roger. The TEI 8 PAD, SPS/G&N: 45701, minus 040, plus 157 085:18:19.04. Are you with me so far? Over.

Roger.

Okay. Plus 3195, minus 01267, plus 04716 179 008 001, not applicable, plus 00187 33552 311 33355 42 0909 252. Are you still with me? Over.

Roger.

Okay. Picking up with the boresight star, it's old Dzuba who is the center star in the head of Scorpio; he's down 060, left 42, plus 0773, minus 16500 12982 36256 146:46:18. North set stars remain Sirius, Rigel, roll 129, pitch 155, yaw 010; four-quad ullage of 15 seconds, horizon on a 4-degree line at TIG, and requesting you zero the optics. Over.

Roger. Going to ZERO OPTICS.

Are you through with the computer now, Mike?

It's your computer; P27 LM state vector in and verified.

Roger. We're going to put it in the CSM slot.

Roger. That's affirmative.

Okay. TEI 8, SPS/G&N: 45701, minus 040, plus 157 085:18:19.04, plus 33195, minus 01267, plus 04716 179 008 001, NA, plus 00187 33552 311 33355 42 09090 252, Dzuba down 060, left 4.2, plus 0773, minus 16500 12982 36256 146:46:18; Sirius, Rigel, 1.29 155 010, four-quad, 15 seconds, horizon 4 degrees at TIG.

You keep good books; that's all correct.

Thank you.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead, Houston.

Roger. Some time back, we noted evidence of a restart in the computer and wondered if you had any remarks about it. Over.

I know it. Jim got screwed up on one of those programs. He's getting kind of tired here, and we got a RESTART and a couple of PROGRAM ALARMS. I don't know what he did.

Roger, Frank. The main point is the computer is looking fine to us, now.

That's good.

Houston, don't believe all you hear up here.

No, we have a filter, Jim, for that.

Thank you.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go.

Roger. In some of Jim's previous comments about the limb brightness as the sun was about to come up has sparked a lot of interest down here. And we'd like to ask him if he gets a chance to notice again or perhaps he can recall, whether there were any changes in the appearance of the stars. Such as, did he notice any twinkling while this was taking place, and did he notice any narrow limb brightening within 10 to 20 seconds prior to the sun's rising? Over.

He'll be with you—he's doing a P52 now.

Okay.

Houston, my comments concerning the sunrise was the comments above the terrain. There appeared what might be called diagonal light or light due to the haze or something like that. As the sun came above or before the sun came above the limb, definite rays could be seen coming from the other side. It was a uniform haze emanating from the center spot where the sun was going to rise, and this was something which I didn't expect.

Roger, Jim. Understand. We copied that and just curious, and if you see it again whether you notice any stars twinkling or any additional information.

Will do. Won't have a chance until control point 1.

Actually, he doesn't want to pass out too much of that information. He wants to save it and write a paper when he gets back, Mike.

Houston, Apollo 8.

Apollo 8, Houston.