Spacelog Mercury 4

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

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

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.

Roger.

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.

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

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

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

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

Roger.

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

Roger. Understand manual control is good.

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

OK, I'm yawing.

Roger, yaw.

Left, ah.

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

Roger. Reading you loud and clear, Gus.

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

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.

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

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.

I understand.

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

4 plus 30 Gus.

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

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

Roger, 4 plus 30 Gus.

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

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

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

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

OK, retro attitude is still green.

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

He's in limits.

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

Retro 1 (Cuts off Bell 7).

Roger, retro 1.

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

Roger, 3, all retros are fired.

Roger, roger.

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

Roger, retrojettison armed.

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

OK, I'm going to switch.

Roger, understand manual fuel handle is in.

Ah, the sun is coming in and so all I can see really is just, ah, just darkness. The sky is very black.

Roger, you have some more time to look if you like.

7 from Cap Com, how do you feel up there?

I feel very good, auto fuel is 90, manual is 50.

Roger, 0.05 g in 10.

OK.

OK, everything is very good, ah.

I got 0.05 g and roll rate has started.

Roger.

Got a pitch rate in here, OK, g's are starting to build.

Roger, reading you loud and clear.

Roger, g's are building, we're up to 6.

There's 9.

There's about 10; the handle is out from under it; here I got a little pitch rate coming back down through 7.

Roger, still sound good.

OK, the altimeter is active at 65. There's 60.

Roger, 65,000.

Okay, I'm getting some contrails, evidently shock wave, 50,000 feet; I'm feeling good. I'm very good, everything is fine.

Roger, 50,000.

45,000, do you still read?

Affirmative. Still reading you. You sound good.

OK, 40,000 feet, do you read?

35,000 feet, if you read me.

30,000 feet, everything is good, everything is good.

Bell 7, this is Cap Com. How…

Cape, do you read?

25,000 feet.

Approaching drogue chute attitude.

There's the drogue chute. The periscope has extended.

This is…we have a green drogue here, 7 how do you read?

OK, we're coming down to 15,000 feet, if anyone reads. We're on emergency flow rate, can see out the periscope OK. The drogue chute is good.

Roger, understand drogue is good, the periscope is out.

There's 13,000 feet.

Roger.

There goes the main chute, it's reefed; main chute is good; main chute is good; rate of descent coming down, coming down to – there's 40 feet per second, 30 feet per, 32 feet per second on the main chute, and the landing bag is out green.

Ah, it's better than it was, Chuck.

Hello, does anybody read Liberty Bell, main chute is good, landing bag is on green.

And the landing bag is on green.

Liberty Bell 7, Liberty Bell 7, this is Atlantic Ship Cap Com. Read you loud and clear. Our telemetry confirms your events. Over.

Ah, roger, is anyone reading Liberty Bell 7? Over.

Roger, Liberty Bell 7, reading you loud and clear. This is C 23. Over.

Atlantic Ship Cap Com, this is Liberty Bell 7, how do you read me? Over.

Read you loud and clear. Over. Liberty Bell 7, Liberty Bell 7, this is Atlantic Ship Cap Com. How do you read me? Over.

Atlantic Ship Cap Com, this is Liberty Bell 7, I read you loud and clear. How, me? Over.

Roger, Bell 7, read you loud and clear, your status looks good, your systems look good, we confirm your events. Over.

Ah, roger, and confirm the fuel has dumped. Over.

Roger, confirm again, confirm again, has your auto fuel dumped? Over.