Spacelog Apollo 8

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

Real great.

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

Just mine?

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

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

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

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.

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

They're letting you drive, after all?

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

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.

Apollo 8, Houston. Radio check. Over.

Loud and clear.

Apollo 8, Houston.

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Roger, Mike. How do you read?

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

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

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.

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

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

I'll give it a try, Mike.

Can you see it all right?

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

Houston, Apollo 8. Do you read?

Go ahead, Bill.

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.

Okay.

I thought you were an all-weather pilot.

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

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

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

Thank you, sir.

Houston, Apollo 8.

Houston, Apollo 8. Are you still there?

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

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

Which one of them?

Old Super Chief.

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.