Phase 1: Launch

Alan Shepard

Loud and clear. José, don't cry too much.

Gus Grissom

OK, it's a nice ride up to now.

Gus Grissom

OK. The fuel is go; about 1 ½ g's; cabin pressure is just coming off the peg; the O2 is go; we have 26 amps.

Alan Shepard

Roger. Pitch 88, the trajectory is good.

Gus Grissom

Roger, looks good here.

Gus Grissom

OK, there. We're starting to pick up a little bit of the noise and vibration; not bad, though, at all. 50 secs., more vibration.

Gus Grissom

OK. The fuel is go; 1 ½ g's, cabin is 8, the O2 is go, 27 amps.

Alan Shepard

Pitch is 77; trajectory is go.

Gus Grissom

Roger. Cabin pressure is still about 6 and dropping slightly. Looks like she's going to hold at about 5.5.

Gus Grissom

Believe me, O2 is go.

Alan Shepard

Cabin pressure holding 5.5.

Gus Grissom

This is Liberty Bell 7. Fuel is go, 2 ½ g's; cabin pressure 5.5; O2 is go; main 25, isolated – ah, isolated is 28. We are go.

Alan Shepard

Roger. Pitch is 62; trajectory is good.

Gus Grissom

Roger. It looks good in here.

Gus Grissom

Everything is good; cabin pressure is holding; suit pressure is OK; 2 minutes and we got 4 g's; fuel is go; ah, feel the hand controller move just a hair there; cabin pressure is holding; O2 is go; 25 amps.

Alan Shepard

Roger, we have go here.

Alan Shepard

Stand by for cutoff.

Gus Grissom

There went the tower.

Chase 1

Roger, there went the tower, affirmative Chase.

Gus Grissom

There went posigrades, capsule has separated. We are at zero g and turning around and the sun is really bright.

Alan Shepard

Roger, cap sep is green, turnaround started, manual handle out.

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Spoken on July 21, 1961, 12:23 p.m. UTC (62 years, 8 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

Gus Grissom

Oh boy! Manual handle is out; the sky is very, very black; the capsule is coming around into orbit attitude; the roll is a little bit slow.

Gus Grissom

I haven't seen a booster anyplace. OK, rate command is coming on. I'm in orbit attitude, I'm pitching up. OK, 40 … Wait, I've lost some roll here someplace.

Alan Shepard

Roger, rate command is coming on. You're trying manual pitch.

Gus Grissom

OK, I got roll back. OK, I'm at 24 in pitch.

Alan Shepard

Roger, your IP is right on, Gus, right on.

Gus Grissom

OK. I'm having a little trouble with rate, ah, with the manual control.

Gus Grissom

If I can get her stabilized here, all axes are working all right.

Alan Shepard

Roger. Understand manual control is good.

Gus Grissom

Roger, it's – it's sort of sluggish, more than I expected.

Gus Grissom

OK, coming back in yaw. I'm a little bit late there.

Alan Shepard

Roger. Reading you loud and clear, Gus.

Gus Grissom

Lot of stuff – there's a lot of stuff floating around up here.

Gus Grissom

OK, I'm going to skip the yaw, ah, or roll because I'm a little bit late and I'm going to try this rough yaw maneuver. About all I can really see is clouds. I haven't seen any land anyplace yet.

Alan Shepard

Roger, you're on the window. Are you trying a yaw maneuver?

Gus Grissom

I'm trying the yaw maneuver and I'm on the window. It's such a fascinating view out the window you just can't help but look out that way.

Gus Grissom

You su-, ah, really. There I see the coast, I see.

Unknown

4 plus 30, he's looking out the window. A-OK.

Gus Grissom

I can see the coast but I can't identify anything.

Alan Shepard

Roger, 4 plus 30 Gus.

Gus Grissom

OK, let me get back here to retro attitude, retro sequence has started.

Alan Shepard

Roger, retro sequence has started. Go to retro attitude.

Gus Grissom

Right, we'll see if I'm bad, not in very good shape here.

Alan Shepard

Got 15 seconds, plenty of time, I'll give you a mark at 5:10.

Gus Grissom

OK, retro attitude is still green.

Alan Shepard

Retros on my mark, 3, 2, 1, mark.

Unknown

He's in limits.

Gus Grissom

OK, there's 1 firing, there's 1 firing.

Alan Shepard

Retro 1 (Cuts off Bell 7).

Gus Grissom

There's 2 firing, nice little boost. There went 3.

Alan Shepard

Roger, 3, all retros are fired.

Gus Grissom

OK, yeah, they're fired out right there.

Alan Shepard

Roger, retrojettison armed.

Gus Grissom

Retrojettison is armed, retrojettison is armed, going to rate command.

Gus Grissom

OK, I'm going to switch.

Alan Shepard

Roger, understand manual fuel handle is in.

Gus Grissom

Manual fuel handle is in, mark, going to HF.

Alan Shepard

Liberty Bell 7, this is Cap Com on HF, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. How do you read 7?

Unknown

I got you.