Spacelog Apollo 8

Houston, Apollo 8.

Apollo 8, Houston. Go.

Roger. Are the Guidance boys busy this morning?

They say they are.

I just worked out an answer to move my landing longitude 6 degrees east. I just want to compare with what they've got based on the same burn time of 114 hours, based on the bias impact longitude determined from the P37 which is wrong. I've indicated that I need 600 foot per second DELTA-V_C burn plus, and my DELTA-V_X changes from a minus 11.6 feet per second. I'd like to have them verify that if I could.

Roger Jim. Standby, and I'll see if they copied all that.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead.

The voice isn't too great right now, and the Guidance troops didn't get all of that. How about waiting about 2 or 3 minutes? We'll swap OMNI antennas, and then we should get good voice transmission from you and then repeat it. Would you, please?

Roger.

Apollo 8, Houston. How do you read? Over.

Loud and clear.

Roger. We're reading you much better now. Jim can go ahead with his transmission to the guidance troops. They have one question before he starts. They would like to know what his GERU was at TIG, 114 hours. Over.

Roger. Wait one. The GERU at TIG was plus 07972.

Roger. Plus 07972.

Apollo 8, this is Houston. We are ready to copy your data. Over.

Okay, Houston. Based on the P37 with minus MA solution, I got an impact longitude of minus 160.95. I biased it to get an impact latitude—longitude of 163.75. I wanted to change my impact point 30 degrees to the east, and I tried to determine what my P30 burn parameters would be to do this, and I got a DELTA-V_X burn of minus 11.6 and a DELTA-V_C of plus 600, DELTA-V_{Y of zero. Now that changed my previous DELTA-VX burn from minus 50.2. I just want to know whether that meets with their approval.}

Roger, Jim. We copy and will run it through the mill and give you an answer.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Apollo 8, this is Houston with a flight plan update.

Go ahead.

Roger. At 100 hours 30 minutes, change star number 02 from one set to two set. Over.

Roger. Star 02 from one set to two set.

Roger. Also, set number 2, set number 2, change star number 11 to star number 7. Over.

Roger. Eleven to 7.

Roger. Then after star set number 3, initiate PTC again; pitch 10, yaw 45. Over.

Pitch 10, yaw 45.

Roger. Then at 101 hours 30 minutes, delete the earth horizon settings. Over.

101:30, delete the earth horizons sightings.

That's affirmative. The folks here are evaluating the thermal situation. Looks like you will be out of PTC rather at an extended period of time. That's the reason we have you initiating PTC again there around 101 as soon as you finish those three star sightings. We are still working on the—about the next 10 hours after 100 hours. We are looking at the thermal situation, and the star sighting situation, and we will be giving you more updates later on. Over.

Roger. We don't have a thermal problem at all now, do we? All our indications here are normal in here.

Roger. Everything looks okay. I think they're just kinda trying to look down the track aways.

I'm all for keeping it that way.

Roger.

We deleted them.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead, Houston.

Roger. Frank, I would like to talk to you for a minute or two about the AUTO OPTICS funnies that you have been seeing throughout the mission. Over.

Go ahead.

Roger. The problems you have run into so far are due to some unknown source, probably EMI or the like loading your CMC trunnion cell which is now 91, so it doesn't really represent your true trunnion angle. Now this loading problem we don't feel implies any decrease in the reliability in your CMC at all. We think that the best way to circumvent the problem is to cycle the OPTICS ZERO switch first to OFF and then ON prior to using the optics for any purpose. And with that procedure, I think you probably won't have any more problems. Over.

Roger, Jerry. Understand. I do notice one difference. We did preferred REFSMMAT's. The first we had trouble with; the last one worked out as expected. I noticed for the first one that when the option came up, it was for nominal option, whereas for the very same procedure for this last REFSMMAT change, we got … preferred REFSMMAT option. …

Apollo 8, this is Houston with a comeback on your entry navigation calculations. Over.

Go ahead.

Roger. We went through the charts and got exactly the same answer as you got. Looks like your procedure is very good; looks like it was real good head. You remembered to average out the velocity. We also went ahead and computed the problem to verify the chart and got a good solution. Over.

Roger.

Thank you very much.

You're welcome.

Now if we can get our state vectors to agree, we'll be in business.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead.

Roger, Frank. Is Jim listening?

Listening.

Roger. On your question about the option: PROGRAM 40 sets the preferred flag such that the next P52 will come up option 1, subsequent alignments after that come up option 2. Over.

Roger. Understand. So 40 will have to come up with a TIG burn with an option 1 for us.

Roger. Now concerning your restart that happened in lunar orbit, for the peace of mind of the computer people and the MIT folks, we have a question. Did VERB 34 ENTER to a flashing VERB 51 in P22 cause your restart? Over.

Yes. That sounds like it was it.

Roger. Thank you, Jim.

That must be a “no, no”.

Yes, Yes. That's a “no, no”.

That almost caused an unscheduled EVA, too.

Apollo 8, Houston. BIOMED switch center. Over.

Three, two, one -

MARK.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead.

Apollo 8, this is Houston. It is about time for us to start keeping track of some command module RCS temperatures; so when you get a chance, we'd like the reading now, and we'll try to repeat it about every 8 hours or so.

Okay. We'll get them for you right now.

Roger.

You want the motor off the test meter, right?

That's affirmative.

The 5C is pegged high.

Roger. 5C pegged high.

5D is pegged high.

Roger. D, high.

So's 5D. 6A is high; 6B is high; 6C is 5 volts; 6D is pegged high.

Apollo 8, Houston. Roger. Understand. 5C and 5D are pegged high; 6A and 6D are pegged high; 6 Charlie is 5 volts; and 6 Delta pegged high. Over.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Roger. Go ahead.

Apollo 8, Houston. We're showing quad A running a little bit warmer than the other quads. If you remember, I mentioned before that we were coming into a period of time here where we were going to spend a lot of time with no PTC going. We'd like for you to try to favor quad A if you can in the shade, and do whatever you can to keep that temperature from getting out of hand. Over.

Roger. I'm only reading 121 on quad A.

Roger.

Quad C is the highest temperature we have; it's 142.

Roger, Frank. We are more interested in the tank temperatures than the quad temperatures. Over.

Roger. I understand. Now listen, if you think it is that important, we'll just keep PTC-ing it and not even do anything.

Negative. There's no sweat right now. We're watching it, and we just wanted to let you know that this thing is being looked at. If we get anywhere near a situation where we feel we ought to change, we'll go back to PTC or cool it.

Okay. Thank you. We'll do our best, but it is kind of hard, though. You are sort of subject of spatial geometry: wherever the stars and the moon happens to be, that's where you point.

Roger. We understand. We're going to keep an eye on it down here, and we'll keep you appraised.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Roger. Pass the word to Jim that on these marks that are coming up, pretty important that he remember to record his DELTA-R and DELTA-V and trunnion. We are working low bit rate down here, and so we're not going to be able to record that data from here. Over.

We are recording them all.

Houston, Apollo 8. Did you read that we are recording all the DELTA-R and DELTA-V and trunnion …

Jerry, Apollo 8.

Roger. Go ahead.

As luck would have it, we got the sun almost directly ahead on top of us here.

Roger. We understand, but tank temperature is holding steady, so we are all right.

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Roger, Frank. The helium tank temperature that we are watching on quad A has only gone up 1 degree in all this work that you are doing, so we don't consider it to be too terribly serious. What we would like to do, as soon as you finish this P23 work, is rather than go back into PTC, let's just roll her over 180 degrees and put quad A on the cool side, and hold it that way until your next activity comes up, which is around 102:30. Over.

Okay, Jerry. We're through with PROGRAM 23. We're just going to roll here to get the sun off quad A, if that's what you want.

It should be getting cool now, Jerry.

Roger, Frank. So far we haven't seen the temperature start back down again. We expect to see it, though.

Houston, Apollo 8.

Apollo 8, Houston. Go.

Roger. Give us the word if you want us to maneuver back here before that time that you …, please.

Wilco.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead, Houston.

Roger, Frank. We have some data that was missed on your P23. We'd like you to read it down to us if you have time.

Roger. We will in just a minute.

Roger.

Go ahead. What do you want?

Roger. On star number 2, the sixth mark, we missed DELTA-R and DELTA-V.

Sixth mark, that's—did Lovell tell you to do this? Come on, Carr; come clean. Did he ask you to ask for this?

Who?

Jim Lovell.

Negative. Uh-uh. We really missed it.

It's all zeros, and all zeros.

Roger. All zeros, all zeros. Okay. On star number 7, we missed the trunnion on marks 1, 2, and 3.

On 1, trunnion was 03235; on 2, it was 03240; on 3, it was 03241.

Okay, Frank. And then the last one is on star number 1; we missed the trunnion on mark 5.

04064.

Roger, 04064.

Righto.

Thank you, Frank.

You're welcome, Jerry.

That Lovell's getting pretty proficient.

Not bad.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead.

Was that last number you read down to me mark 2 on star number 1?

That's right. Star number 1, mark 2.

Roger. Thank you. Now that one got you on guidance.

Apollo 8, Houston. You're back under our influence again. Over.

Very good. Things start speeding up now, huh?

Roger. You've been in for about 20 minutes.

Very good.

Jerry, this is Jim.

Go ahead, Jim.

Find out from the Guidance group if a midcourse maneuver of minus 4.8 to access corridor at 14 hours would be better than the 15.2 I came up with first.

Okay. Minus 4.8.

Right.

We have already started checking it, Jim. I bet you think you sneaked that P37 past us.

Big brother is watching.

Houston, Apollo 8.

Apollo 8, Houston. Go.

Apollo 8, Houston. Go.

Roger. I just wondered how temp on quad A tank is doing.

We have seen no improvement as yet, Frank.

How hot is it?

Eighty-six degrees.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead.

Roger. Frank, we are going to establish a range sequence now. We would like to keep silence on the net for about 3 minutes. Over.

Apollo 8, Houston. Range sequence complete. Over.

Hello, Houston. Apollo 8. How do you read?

Apollo 8, Houston. Loud and clear.

Houston, how do you read? Apollo 8.

Apollo 8, Houston. Loud and clear by me.

I wasn't reading you for a while. I read you loud and clear now.

Roger, Frank.

I wanted to know what a range sequence test was, Jerry.

I was afraid you was going to ask that. Stand by.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead.

Roger. This range sequence is a phenomenon we get on down-voice backup; in this mode, the ranging and the voice share the same channels, so we have to periodically check and make sure that they are not interfering with each other. Over.

Thank you. These flights are very educational.

Roger. We are learning a little bit down here, too.

I hope you're not studying reentry.

No, we're fat on those, Frank.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead, Houston.

Roger, Frank. We would like for you to go back into PTC now. Your helium tank temperature is still holding about the same. And we are going to try PTC to even things out. Over.

Okay.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Go ahead, Houston.

Is Jim listening?

He's off the air right now.

Roger, Frank. Let him know that we've compared his latest P37, and the state vectors have converged to—they are very, very close now.

Your state vector and our state vector are very, very close.

That's affirmative, Frank.

Is that right, Jerry? Okay. I'll tell him. Thank you.

Roger.

Don't let his head get big, though.

Houston. How do you read Apollo 8?

Apollo 8, Houston. Say again.

Hello Michael, we lost lock and Bill hit COMMAND RESET to get the lock back on again, but you're welcome to the antenna.