Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger, Bill. We had an erasable memory dump a few hours back. I think it was while you were asleep, but anyway we've checked the computer's erasable memory bit by bit, and everything agrees 100 percent. Over.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Mighty fine. Glad to hear it, Mike. Thank you.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. Are you going to brief Frank on your tape recorder before you go to sleep?

Bill Anders (LMP)

He can't handle it. It's too complicated.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Give us a different OMNI, please.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. We are going to switch our ground antennas in about a minute and a half. You can expect a COMM glitch then.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, this is Houston through Carnarvon. Were you calling a minute ago, Frank?

Frank Borman (CDR)

Y'all in Australia, do you hear us?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Yes, we are reading you loud and clear now.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Carnarvon, how do you read? Apollo 8.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Reading you loud and clear through Carnarvon.

Frank Borman (CDR)

We are just listening to all the guys around the NET.

Frank Borman (CDR)

I could that time, all the way from Carnarvon to Texas.

Frank Borman (CDR)

How did they ever get an old maintenance officer on the midnight shift?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Frank, you are on GOSS Conference if you would like to be brave. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. OMNI Bravo, please.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Have you noticed how long I've stayed locked in this PTC mode?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Just about an hour and a quarter looks to us like, Frank.

Frank Borman (CDR)

I haven't even touched the hand control here for about 20 minutes, and it just hasn't moved outside that zero; I've never seen it like this before.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Be sure and have your troops give me a call if it gets close to gimbal lock, will you? I'm snoozing a little bit now and then up here.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Yes, we sure will, Frank.

Frank Borman (CDR)

And if you'd switch the antennas, you'd really be good guys.

No contact for 1:05:33
Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, this is Houston. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger. Just a check on the radio, and if it's practical, BIOMED switch left, please.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Okay, Mike. We had a crew change in the watch again.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Well, that was quick. Did you decide you didn't want to sleep after all?

Bill Anders (LMP)

Well, it wasn't my decision.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Yes, that's what I figured.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. We will be changing antennas in about 2-1/2 minutes; you can expect a COMM glitch.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Roger. What are you changing to?

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

We're switching from Carnarvon to Honeysuckle, Bill.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Over.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Roger, Apollo 8. Your Green Team will be signing off in a few minutes, and before we do, Charlesworth and the rest of us would like to say we have enjoyed it and look forward to seeing you back in Houston. Over.

Bill Anders (LMP)

We have sure enjoyed it, too, troops, and you guys have really done a good job. We really do appreciate it.

Mike Collins (CAPCOM)

Well, nice words there. We will be seeing you, Bill.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Okay, Mike. We will see you, Buddy. Tell old Cliff adios for me, too.

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, we'd like to have you, before you get in a P52 going here, we'd like to have you rezero the optics and read us the mechanical CDU's. We're trying to collect a little data for troubleshooting.

Bill Anders (LMP)

What's the trouble you are trying to troubleshoot?

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

This goes back to some of the problems we had prior to LOI; trying to see if the software readouts we're getting down here compare with the mechanical readouts. It's not a current problem as far as we know.

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Okay. Why don't you just read me the mechanical CDU's there now, and then it looks from the ground like you're clear to go ahead with the P52.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Okay. We'll get the navigator squared away here in just a minute.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Good morning, Captain.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

This will be a piece of stew out of a deep sleep. Okay, stand by one.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Trunnion mechanical CDU looks like it's reading about 1/100.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

And the shaft mechanical CDU looks like it is reading about 4/100 below zero, which would be about 364. Yes.

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Understand, Jim. That is 4/100 below zero on that shaft; is that affirm?

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Yes. Stand by one. About 35996 on the shaft.

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Okay. Thank you. You can go ahead with P52 now.

Bill Anders (LMP)

I always said he did better in his sleep.

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Okay. It looks like we're getting down on the service module RCS to the place where we ought to go ahead and activate the secondary service module RCS propellant.

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Okay. We've got a new PTC attitude. For the pitch 180, and the yaw 315.

Bill Anders (LMP)

Can't you pick one a little further away?

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Not in our normal sphere.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Aren't we still a little high on the quantity side to activate the secondary?

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Negative. We have quad Bravo and quad Delta which are getting right down, according to the calculated numbers, next to where we ought to be activating them. The numbers you are reading are going to be a little bit high, but the computer data on the ground shows that you have about 134 pounds in Bravo and Delta, and about 130 pounds is where you ought to be on the secondary.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Okay. Roger. We will activate the secondary and turn off the primary.

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Okay. It's just to keep you from running one of them up.

Jim Lovell (CMP)

Secondary activation.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Ken, on this maneuver, MCC 7, are you going to—are we going to burn the PAD data that we got some time ago, or is there a new maneuver coming up, or what's going on in that regard?

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Okay, Apollo 8. If required, we'll give you a new one. Right now, we are looking at not making a maneuver burn at all.

Frank Borman (CDR)

You say we may not even have another one now?

Frank Borman (CDR)

Okay. You're the boss.

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Could you try another OMNI?

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. Try another CMRI, please.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Go ahead, Houston. Apollo 8.

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Okay. Read you loud and clear now. Just wanted to remind you that in the event of a loss of COMM, we don't want you to burn MCC 7. Your present entry PAD is good. We'll be updating your landing points at the same time that you would have gotten MCC 7, and I'd like to have a crew status report from you when it's convenient.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Okay, Ken. I understand. If we would lose COMM, you do not want us to burn MCC 7, just go ahead and use the entry PAD you've given us?

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

That's affirmative. You'll be within 0.06 degrees of your entry angle target line.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Alright. The crew status is everybody has gotten real good rest last night, and everybody is in good shape. Jim is just waking up, and Bill is starting the initial stowage, and we all feel very well.

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Okay. And we'd like to—guess we need a PRD reading from you. And we'll be needing one in the neighborhood of 145-hour period, somewhere when it's convenient in there again.

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Apollo 8, Houston. Go ahead.

Frank Borman (CDR)

Roger. Could you give us our range—correction, our velocity and range from the earth now?

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Apollo 8, Houston. At time 51, your velocity will be 9526, altitude 42946. Over.

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Houston. You call?

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Apollo 8, Apollo 8. Did you call?

Frank Borman (CDR)

Negative, this is Apollo 8. We did not call you.

Ken Mattingly (CAPCOM)

Okay. Thank you.

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Spoken on Dec. 27, 1968, 7:10 a.m. UTC (55 years, 10 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet