Jerry Carr (CAPCOM)

The next voice you hear will be that of the smiling Irishman.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Oh, it's Michael Collins, is it? Good morning to you.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Righto. And we're looking at your pitch CDU readout down here and looks to us like you are about 25 degrees off the 180 for your PTC, and we were just wondering how come?

Jim Lovell (CMP)

We've been looking at that, too. It keeps wandering off in pitch for some reason more than yaw. I was just about ready to go back to it again. I had to go back one time, and I was just seeing how far she would drift. I thought it would drift out a ways and come back by itself, but it is not doing it.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

We'll get back there.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Houston, Apollo 8. We're in the process of doing the trunnion bias check; then we will go to P23.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. Thank you, Frank.

Frank Borman (CDR)

We like to have the PTC attitude to comply with P23 requirement.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Any time you want to start on those P23's is just fine.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Okay. I was just checking. I just wanted to know how our thermal control was going before we left.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Your temperatures are looking good, Frank. There is still a differential temperature between quads, but nothing that would cause us in the slightest to worry about doing P23.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger, Jim. We've been looking at these stars that we gave you this time for P23. It looks like the second star, number 11, has a trunnion angle right out to the limit, about 49.7 degrees. And we're thinking it might be a good idea to switch you over to star 1, which has a much smaller trunnion angle. What do you think? Star 1 is Alpheratz.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Fine with me; I would just as soon take star 1.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Okay. That will be then in place of star 11, star 1, and in place of lunar far horizon, lunar near horizon; and it remains two sets. Over.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Roger. Star 1, lunar near horizon, two sets.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. Fine. Old golden fingers there is getting so swift we missed some marks on the downlink. I wonder—if you hand recorded them, could you read us your three marks—trunnion angles, your three trunnion angles on star 2 and the last four trunnion angles on star 1. Over.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Do you read me still, Mike?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Stand by. We're not reading you good enough, so we'll wait until you get a better OMNI.

Frank Borman (CDR)

That ought to be a good one.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

That is a good one. That's loud and clear.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Okay. Star 2 trunnion angle, first one 05245, second one 05243, next one 05241; last 4 trunnion angles 04133, 04133, 04132, 04132.

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Frank Borman (CDR)

Can you give me some idea on the updates from the midcourse that we might need, and all that good stuff, Mike?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Yes, sure can, Frank. Stand by.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Okay. We're predicting at the nominal time of your next midcourse, which is entry interface minus 2 hours—we're predicting 1.4 foot per second burn which changes your gamma at entry interface by a tenth of a degree. Right now with no further maneuvers, your gamma is minus 6.39 degrees, and we're going to steepen it up very slightly to hit the center of the target line, and it will be after the maneuver minus 6.51. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Anything else you want like that?

Frank Borman (CDR)

No. I just wondered—we hadn't heard whether we were going to do it or not and so on.

Frank Borman (CDR)

When we get the PAD data, we'll get it all out here.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Yes. We'll be sending the PAD data up to you in about another 2 hours, Frank; about 132 hours GET.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Okay. We—this will be the last set of star sightings we do now nominally, and even if we lose COMM, we'll just come on in with what we got.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Incidentally, that COMM has been fantastic. I don't know how you've heard us, but boy, it's just like you are next door even in lunar distances.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Yes. It has really been great with rare exceptions when you are on a bad OMNI right before you switch. Then we get an awful lot of background noise, but in general, it has been excellent, and boy, we are really thankful for it because reading all these updates would be bad news with bad COMM, as you know.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Say, Mike, have you noticed the confidence the Captain has in his navigator?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

He hasn't called you Goldfinger yet.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

No. He is disregarding anything I can do. We're coming in anyway.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

I suspect he is right on that point.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Well, back to the drawing board.

Frank Borman (CDR)

As usual, we are all a little pooped. I've got Bill sleeping now, and then Jim and I will swap just as soon as we get through with these stars.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Well, you're sounding real good, and you are doing good work.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger, Frank. If you get a chance to, we'd like for you to read us down your trunnion calibration number. We missed that one on the downlink, and we have an update for your passive thermal control attitude.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Okay. The trunnion calibrations were all zeros.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. Thank you, and on page 2-104 the PTC attitudes should read zero pitch and 45 degrees yaw. Over.

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Spoken on Dec. 26, 1968, 11:05 p.m. UTC (55 years, 10 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

Frank Borman (CDR)

Zero pitch and 45 degrees at 2-104.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. And we'd like some PRD readings for those of you who are up and around.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Zero pitch, 45 yaw, it is?

Frank Borman (CDR)

I'm asking. I wasn't sure I copied it right.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Yes. That's affirmative, Frank. Zero pitch, 45 degrees yaw.

Frank Borman (CDR)

My PRD now reads 2.85.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Radio check. Over.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

This is 8. Loud and clear. How us?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. You're loud and clear, Jim. We'd like to get your PRD reading while we've got you up and a flight plan change we're suggesting on page 2-107 when you're ready to copy.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

I'm the only person up, and my PRD is reading 0.15.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. I understand; 0.15.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

And I'll bet that Bill's is still reading 0.64.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

That's okay; don't bother him with it. He's asleep.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Okay. Go ahead with your flight plan change.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Houston, Apollo 8. Go ahead with your flight plan change.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Okay, Jim. On page 2-107, we're recommending that you delete that P52 and just-stay in PTC attitude. Your platform is real good, and we don't feel that alignment's necessary. One is coming up again at 139 hours anyway. And also, on that same page, we'd like to delete the “begin cabin cold soak.” Over.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Righto. Will delete the “begin cabin cold soak,” and we'll delete the P52.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Houston, Apollo 8. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger, Apollo 8. This is Houston. Over.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Roger. Mike. Are you still planning to send up these updates at 132 hours?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Yes; affirmative, Jim. We're getting them together now.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Would you please go to P00 and ACCEPT, Jim, and we'll send you a P27.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Okay. Sending up a state vector to LM slot.