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.

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?

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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.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger, Jim. You can go back to BLOCK; we got the P27 in and verified. It was a state vector update to the LM slot, and I'm standing by for the midcourse correction number 7 and the entry PAD at your convenience. Over.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Go ahead with midcourse number 7.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Okay. Midcourse correction number 7, RCS/G&N: 31600, not applicable, not applicable, 144:45:57.99, minus 00014, plus five zeros, plus 00001. Are you with me so far? Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Good. 000 304 000, not applicable, 000 191 00014 004 00014 450 —

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Hey, Mike, hold it. Hold it, Mike.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

You said not applicable for HA and HP; I started to copy it down, and then I didn't get the right number sequence. Did you skip down to what, VT?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

No. Let's go back to apogee is not applicable, and then I just started reading the numbers again. From there, I've got a perigee and then a DELTA-VT and then a burn time and so forth. Over.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Okay. I didn't hear a plus or minus on the HP, and I only got four numbers off of it. So could you start with HP again?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Okay. Going back to apogee, not applicable; perigee, plus 00191. And you weren't hearing things; it was my mistake. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Okay. Picking up with DELTA-VT 00014 004 00014 45 0459 225, Shaula, up 236 000, plus 0813 minus 16503 12202 36301 146:46:41; north set of stars, Sirius and Rigel, roll 308, pitch 209, yaw 357; remarks: perigee in P30 equals plus 22.2 nautical miles. Over.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Roger. Midcourse number 7 RCS/G&N: 31600, not applicable, not applicable, 144:45:57.99. Are you with me?

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Minus 00014, plus all zeros, plus 00001 000 304 000, not applicable, plus 00191 00014 004 00014 45 0459 225 Shaula, up 236 000, plus 0813, minus 16503 12202 36301 146:46:41, Sirius, Rigel, 308 209 357, HP, and P30 is 22.2 nautical miles.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

That's all correct, Jim, and I have the entry PAD at your convenience.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Okay. Entry PAD: area mid-Pacific, 357 152 359 146:29:13 268, plus 0813, minus 16503 068 36221 651 12202 36301 146:46:13 0028, not applicable four times, in other words, DL MAX, DL MIN, VL MAX, and VL MIN—all not applicable. Starting with TO: 400 0207 0025 0333 0816 16 0590 312. And your vortex star is Zeta Persei, which is half way between Mirfak and Aldebaran, up 165, right 34 up. Remarks: use nonexit EMS pattern. Over.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Right, Mike. Stand by.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Entry as follows: mid-Pacific, 357 152 359 146:29:13 268, plus 0813, minus 165 03 068 36221 651 12202 36301 146:46:13 0028, NA 4 times, with TO 400 0207 0025 0333 0816 16 0590 312, Zeta Persei, up 165, right 34, up. And remarks: use nonexit EMS pattern. And Zeta Persei is between Mirfak and Aldebaran, and Frank can never find it anyway.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Okay. That's all correct.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

We certainly don't waste much time getting down to drogue deploy, do we?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. That's—that's true.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger, Jim. In your computer, we'd like to do an erasable memory dump again, like we did the other day, and the reason we'd like to do it is, when you did that P37 about 8 hours ago, and you remember you put that EI time for TIG and got that P00 do thing; we'd like to—We don't think there's anything in the world wrong with it. We think everything is just perfect inside the computer, but we'd like to do an erasable dump as we did the other day; go through it bit by bit. Give us something to do down here. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

And I have the procedures for you when you're ready to copy.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Okay. VERB 01 NOUN 01 ENTER, 333 ENTER, and then read out register 1, and that register 1 should be 10 000. And then if it's not, I can give you procedures for getting it to 10 000. If it is 10 000 as we expect, then VERB 74 ENTER, and that will do the dump. Over.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Roger. When do you want it?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

And, Apollo 8, you can do the first part of that now at your convenience to verify that register 1 is reading 10 000, but would you hold up on the dump itself until we get our ground stations configured, please. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Jim, we're getting noisy down here. Could you switch OMNI antennas, please?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

That works pretty well, doesn't it?

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Not bad. I was amazed at the communication at the moon, too.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. We're configured for the dump. VERB 74 ENTER at your convenience.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. The dump is complete, and it's your computer. Thank you.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Houston, Apollo 8. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Good morning, Mike. We had a little change of the guard here.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

You sound real bright eyed and bushy tailed. How's it going up there?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. How about giving us a countdown to PRD reading. Over?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Just on you, Bill. We got the other two while you were sacked out.

Bill Anders (LMP)

The one that I have now, and the one that Jim took off, which is obviously broken, it's still at 0.64.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger, Bill. On your PTC attitude, we're requesting a pitch angle zero, and we're showing you about 27 degrees pitch and increasing. Over.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Roger. I've been trying to work it down to ENTER again.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

They're letting you drive, after all?

Bill Anders (LMP)

I have to every now and then just to square this thing away.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Mike, I'll just give you my status here before the rest of them go to sleep; had about 3 hours sleep, another meal, and everybody's doing fine.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Radio check. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Roger, Mike. How do you read?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

I read you loud and clear not, Bill. I wasn't hearing here for a couple of calls. How do you read me?

Bill Anders (LMP)

I had my hands full; I was putting something down. I read you fine.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Okay. Understand. If it'll be any help to you in your PTC driving, we've computed that as you look out plus X in the COAS or just out the window, you should be pointed right at Acrux when you're in a perfect PTC attitude. We don't know if that's a help to you or not, but we thought you might enjoy trying an alternate mode of keeping the attitude under control.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Okay. From my present position, we're going to have to move Acrux a little bit.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Well, whatever you think. We just thought you might appreciate knowing.

Bill Anders (LMP)

I'll give it a try, Mike.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Can you see it all right?

Bill Anders (LMP)

Yes, I think so. There's a star out there anyway.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Houston, Apollo 8. Do you read?

Bill Anders (LMP)

Actually, Mike, it's so easy to do it with the eight-ball within a reasonable sloppy limit that it's hardly worth the trouble to scootch way up in the seat to look out the COAS, and it's enough light in the cockpit where the star really isn't too easy to see. So I'm kind of inclined to use the IFR technique here where you can see the rest of the instrument panel.

Bill Anders (LMP)

I thought you were an all-weather pilot.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Well now, you just caused Flight down here to get a “Got Ya” on CAP COMM and FAO.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Give you a little warning next time.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Could you give us a better OMNI, please?

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Spoken on Dec. 27, 1968, 12:56 a.m. UTC (55 years, 10 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. We will be changing the antennas in 3 minutes. You can expect a COMM glitch. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Can you switch us to OMNI Charlie, please.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Houston, Apollo 8. Are you still there?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Go ahead. Over.

Bill Anders (LMP)

I was just seeing if you were still there, Mike. The Old Grey Eagle is taking over the show from here.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.