Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Frank Borman (CDR)

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

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Roger. If you would correlate … the last set.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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

Jim Lovell (CMP)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. Understand you are coming up on 3.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Do you read?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. We copy that, Jim.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Go ahead with your data, Mike.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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

Jim Lovell (CMP)

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

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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

Jim Lovell (CMP)

The map would be fine.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Expand selection up Contract selection down Close
Frank Borman (CDR)

Roger. Going to ZERO OPTICS.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Are you through with the computer now, Mike?

Expand selection down Contract selection up

Spoken on Dec. 24, 1968, 11:13 p.m. UTC (55 years, 3 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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

Jim Lovell (CMP)

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

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. That's affirmative.

Frank Borman (CDR)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

You keep good books; that's all correct.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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

Frank Borman (CDR)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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

Jim Lovell (CMP)

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

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Bill Anders (LMP)

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

Jim Lovell (CMP)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

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.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

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

Bill Anders (LMP)

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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Right. In German, probably, huh?

Frank Borman (CDR)

Okay. What time is that TV, Mike, 85:37?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

85:37 to terminator, which is probably like 86:14.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Okay. Well, I don't know if we can go that long with it, and I'm going to scrub all the other experiments, the converging stereo or other photography, and we are a little bit tired; I want to use that last bit to really make sure we're right for TEI.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger, I understand, Frank.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

A couple of miscellaneous items for you: we'd like for you to discontinue charging battery B at this time; we'd also like to get a cryo stir, 2 minutes on all four; and your UP TELEMETRY IU switch, put to BLOCK, please, and you are GO for the next lunar orbit.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Go ahead, Frank.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Roger. I want to scrub these control point sightings on this next REV, too, and let Jim take a rest.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

I understand you want to scrub control points 1, 2, and 3 on the next REV and the converging stereo on the following REV.

Frank Borman (CDR)

That's right. We're getting too tired.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

This REV coming up we would like to clarify whether you intend to scrub control points 1, 2, and 3, only, and do the pseudo landing site; or whether you also intend to scrub the pseudo landing site marks. Over.

Frank Borman (CDR)

We're scrubbing everything. I'll stay up and try and keep the spacecraft vertical and take some automatic pictures, but I want Jim and Bill to get some rest.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Four minutes to LOS. You have control of the DSE now, and all your systems are looking good.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Thank you very much, Mike.