APOLLO 8 Modern doc
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Frank Borman @CDRApollo8
I can’t see squat out of the windows right now, although Jim says he’s now finally got the Moon.
Bill Anders @LMPApollo8
I’ve got the Moon, too. Look at that! Fantastic! You know, I still have trouble telling the holes from the bumps.
Frank Borman @CDRApollo8
No need to get fixated on staring at the Moon right now. Work to do. We’re going to be looking at the Moon for a long time later – some 20 hours.
2 days 20 hours 33 minutes mission time
Jerry Carr @JCCAPCOMApollo8
Apollo 8 is now just 825 nautical miles from the Moon and travelling at an incredible 6,120 feet per second as it comes under the increasing effect of the Moon’s gravity.
Mike Collins @MCCAPCOMApollo 8
We’ve been watching a re-run of the TV transmission from Apollo 8. It was a fine show, and I was able to inform Frank Borman that, unlike yesterday, the TV networks didn’t have to cancel a football game transmission to show the live Apollo 8 transmission.
Frank Borman @CDRApollo8
They cut off a football game yesterday so people could watch our broadcast? Wow! Didn’t they learn anything from the broadcast of the Heidi movie which enraged the nation when they cut off the Oakland vs. Jets game last month?
(On November 17, 1968, much of America was excitedly watching a football game being broadcast live on TV between the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets. Nearing the final moments of the game, Oakland needed to overcome a tight 32-29 New York lead. However, the game ran longer than expected and the NBC TV Network stuck to their airing schedule to broadcast the film ‘Heidi’ at exactly 7 pm Eastern Standard Time.
At the point the TV network cut away from the game, the Jets were still winning with just minutes to go. This caused the massive TV audience watching at home, and in bars across much of the country, to miss out on the two final touchdowns which gave Oakland the victory by 43-32. In the following hours and days, the TV network was besieged by calls from irate viewers angrily protesting the abrupt curtailing of the exciting game. The incident has gone down in American folklore as ‘the Heidi bowl of 1968’.)
Mike Collins @MCCAPCOMApollo 8
The crew of Apollo 8 and Heidi are now running neck and neck in the enraged TV viewer phone calls department.
Frank Borman @CDRApollo8
I really hope that’s not the case and that our TV broadcast didn’t upset too many people who wanted to watch the game. This is not trivial, it’s something that needs to be factored into the flight plan for future missions – we need to keep the American public on NASA’s side.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
We are now just 10 minutes away from LOS as Apollo 8 passes behind the Moon. The crew are incredibly busy at this time as they prepare for their lunar orbit insertion burn while on the far side of the Moon.
Jerry Carr @JCCAPCOMApollo8
Five minutes away from LOS, and Flight Director Glynn Lunney has just gone around the room taking another status check with his flight control team. We remain GO for lunar orbit insertion at this time.
Jerry Carr @JCCAPCOMApollo8
At a distance from the Moon of 420 nautical miles, and traveling at 7.417 feet per second, we are standing by some 50 seconds away from loss of signal (LOS) with the spacecraft.
Glynn Lunney @GLFlightApollo8
Here in Mission Control, there is a great deal of understandable anxiety as we will not be able to talk with the crew for the next 36 minutes as they pass behind the Moon.
Jerry Carr @JCCAPCOMApollo8
Current altitude 401 nautical miles from the Moon. We are now 1 minute away from loss of signal as the vehicle prepares to pass around the far side of the Moon. All systems remain GO at this time.
Glynn Lunney @GLFlightApollo8
One minute to loss of signal and we just heard from Bill Anders: “Thanks a lot, troops, and we’ll see you on the other side.”
Glynn Lunney @GLFlightApollo8
We have now lost the signal from the spacecraft. The crew of Apollo 8 are now flying around the far side of the Moon at an altitude of 293 nautical miles above the lunar surface. Velocity 7,777 feet per second.
Frank Renolds @FRABCNews
And so, Apollo 8 and its crew now pass around the far side of the Moon, out of communication with Earth as they become the first humans to be completely out of contact with the home planet.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
What a dramatic morning this is, and the drama has already begun. Incredibly, the Apollo 8 spacecraft and its crew are now on the far side of the Moon, travelling at some 5,800 mph.
Frank Renolds @FRABCNews
Some people refer to the far side of the Moon as “the dark side’. This is wrong of course. At this time, the astronauts should have a good view of the lunar surface if they can take a break from their incredibly busy schedule to look down (or up as the case may be).
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
The Apollo 8 crew are now just 4 minutes away from the retrograde burn that should drop them into lunar orbit. At the time of ignition minus 5 seconds, comes what is, in effect, a final GO/NO GO.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
However, this critical GO/NO GO decision cannot be made by Mission Control in Houston. It has to be made by the spaceship’s onboard computer and the astronauts themselves.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
The onboard computer asks the crew, in effect, “May I proceed?” At that point, if he is confident that all is well, Commander Frank Borman will press the “PROCEED” key for lunar orbit insertion.
Frank Borman @CDRApollo8
Out of conact with Earth now and just 30 seconds to the burn. I am awaiting GO/NO GO command from the computer DSKY (Display and Keyboard).
Frank Borman @CDRApollo8
Here it comes… and it tells us we are GO for LOI (lunar orbit insertion) burn.
Bill Anders @LMPApollo8
Ignition! Pressure is holding. Everything’s looking good.
Bill Anders @LMPApollo8
At two minutes to go in the burn, we’ll hit the DELTA-V THRUST A, NORMAL.
Frank Borman @CDRApollo8
We’re counting down now. Uh oh… Jim made a wrong entry. No sweat – we’ll just continue. Three minutes 34 seconds into the burn.
Frank Borman @CDRApollo8
The problem is we didn’t go to TRIM. We didn’t go to zero either, which we should have.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
Right at this time, the Apollo 8 astronauts should be firing their single engine for that crucial engine burst that will, hopefully, put them into a secure orbit of the Moon.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
Then, about 10 minutes from now, the spacecraft should emerge from around the far side of the Moon and the signal should come through from the spacecraft reporting a good burn of that engine.
Frank Borman @CDRApollo8
This is a long burn. Coming up on 4 minutes now.
Glynn Lunney @GLFlightApollo8
Our last reading before the spacecraft passed around the far side of the Moon had the spacecraft travelling at a velocity of 8,355 feet per second.
Glynn Lunney @GLFlightApollo8
If for any reason, the burn did not occur, we will see the vehicle about 10 minutes before the planned acquisition time.
Glynn Lunney @GLFlightApollo8
Here at Mission Control, Houston, we are in the period of the longest wait. The retrograde burn with the Service Propulsion System should be proceeding now if there have been no last minute complications on board the spaceship.
Glynn Lunney @GLFlightApollo8
However, we will not know if all went as planned until we acquire the signal from the spacecraft when it emerges from its journey around the Moon’s far side.
Glynn Lunney @GLFlightApollo8
We are 19 minutes away from the point at which we hope to re-acquire the signal from Apollo 8. During the countless simulations here at Mission Control, this was a good time for coffee breaks. Not so today. We are anxiously continuing to stand by to monitor.
Frank Borman @CDRApollo8
Engine off! Burn is complete. We are now in orbit around the Moon!
Jim Lovell @CMPApollo8
That was the longest 4 minutes I’ve ever spent.
Bill Anders @LMPApollo8
It felt like about 3 g’s during the burn.
Jerry Carr @JCCAPCOMApollo8
We are now 4 minutes away from the predicted time of acquisition of signal as Apollo 8 emerges from behind the far side of the Moon.
Jerry Carr @JCCAPCOMApollo8
There are a lot of tense faces here in the control room right now. Three minutes to predicted acquisition of signal.
Jerry Carr @JCCAPCOMApollo8
Two minutes…
Jerry Carr @JCCAPCOMApollo8
One minute to predicted acquisition of signal.
Glynn Lunney @GLFlightApollo8
Capsule Communicator Jerry Carr has placed a call to the spacecraft. We are standing by. We have heard nothing yet, but we are standing by.
Jerry Carr @JCCAPCOMApollo8
Still standing by to hear that Apollo 8 has emerged successfully from its turn around the far side of the Moon.
Jerry Carr @JCCAPCOMApollo8
Continuing to stand by for acquisition of signal from Apollo 8.
Glynn Lunney @GLFlightApollo8
We have a signal! We DO have a signal from the spacecraft!
Jerry Carr @JCCAPCOMApollo8
We have acquired a signal but no voice contact yet. I am calling Apollo 8 again.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
There is still no response from the crew of Apollo 8 even though we have a signal and telemetry coming down from the spacecraft.
Glynn Lunney @GLFlightApollo8
We are looking at engine data and it looks good. Tank pressures are also looking good. Still no voice contact with the crew. We are continuing to stand by for acquisition of communication with the Apollo 8 crew.
Jerry Carr @JCCAPCOMApollo8
Putting in another call to Apollo 8… still no response.
Jerry Carr @JCCAPCOMApollo8
I’ll try again.
Jerry Carr @JCCAPCOMApollo8
We’ve got it! We are hearing the voice of Jim Lovell.
Glynn Lunney @GLFlightApollo8
Huge cheers here as everyone in the control rooms stands up to applaud as we listen to the voice of Jim Lovell aboard Apollo 8!
Jim Lovell @JLCMPApollo8
Happy to hear the voice of Jerry Carr as we emerge from the far side of the Moon, and happy to report to Houston that our orbit around the Moon is now established at 169.1 by 60.5 nautical miles.
Glynn Lunney @GLFlightApollo8
We copy Jim’s numbers from the ground almost exactly: Apogee 168 nautical miles. Perigee 60.4 nautical miles. Good stuff! No… great stuff!
Glynn Lunney @GLFlightApollo8
We are now having an extended exchange with astronaut Bill Anders, the systems engineer member of the crew, regarding the status of the evaporator water control and other environmental controls - a lot of numbers too technical to note down here.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
What a relief to the thousands of staff at Mission Control, Houston, and to the families of these three brave astronauts as they emerge, having successfully navigated around the far side of the Moon out of touch with planet Earth.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
We are going to be living this incredible achievement for the rest of our lives and the lives of our generations to come, because this is a really momentous time… Oh, boy!
Jim Lovell @JLCMPApollo8
We have been getting our first views of the lunar surface from our just established low lunar orbit. We are now passing over the crater Langrenus approaching the Sea of Fertility.
The crater Langrenus
Jim Lovell @JLCMPApollo8
Langrenus is quite a huge crater and it has got a central cone to it. The walls of the crater are terraced, about 6 or 7 terraces on the way down.
Jim Lovell @JLCMPApollo8
The Moon is essentially gray. Looks like Plaster of Paris or sort of a grayish deep sand. We can see quite a bit of detail. Most of the craters are rounded off.
Jim Lovell @JLCMPApollo8
Coming up now over the Sea of Fertility and our old friends Messier and Pickering craters that I spent so much time looking at during our studies and simulations back in Houston.
Jim Lovell @JLCMPApollo8
I can see a whole series of rays coming out of Pickering Crater. By the way, the round window, our hatch window is completely iced over. We can’t use it. Bill and I are sharing the rendezvous window.
Jim Lovell @JLCMPApollo8
The rays coming out of Pickering Crater don’t appear to have any depth to them at all. Just rays coming out. We can see a great deal of the detail and texture of all the lunar surface.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
For most astronomers, what we are learning from Jim Lovell’s commentary is pretty much old hat. But for us laymen, we are learning a great deal about the Moon with this flight.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
The Moon is, of course, somewhat smaller than the Earth. Its entire circumference is about the same as the distance from New York to Berlin, Germany - some 2,600 miles, so the astronauts will be able see a great deal of its surface.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
When the Apollo astronauts return to Earth and we get to see their photography of the lunar surface, our knowledge of the Moon, its geography and terrain, will be massively increased.
Bill Anders @LMPApollo8
It looks like a big beach down there.
Frank Borman @CDRApollo8
Guess we’d better start taking pictures now if that’s what the flight plan calls for. Jim’s getting me the flight plan right now.
Bill Anders @LMPApollo8
Unpacking all the cameras now. Some fun photography coming up.
Frank Borman @CDRApollo8
We need the filters, too. The flight plan calls for red and black filters.
Frank Borman @CDRApollo8
Damn! Can’t get the movie camera to work. I’ve handed it to Bill to see if he can figure it out.
Bill Anders @LMPApollo8
Okay. The flight plan says one magazine of 16mm film, new color exposure, 1/125th, spot, 1 foot per second.
Frank Borman @CDRApollo8
Boy, there are no shadows in those craters down there. We may be near the subsolar point.
Bill Anders @LMPApollo8
Now we’re coming up on the craters Colombo and Gutenberg. Very good detail visible. We can clearly see the faults of Gaudibert as they run through the mare material right up into the highland areas.
Gaudibert Crater
Jim Lovell @JLCMPApollo8
I can see very clearly the five crater star formation we had studied on our lunar chart. Right now, I’m trying to visually pick out P1 before we lose signal again as we pass around the far side of the Moon for the second time.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
I am told Jim Lovell’s reference to P1 is to a landmark that relates to a projected landing site for later missions.
2 days 22 hours 12 minutes mission time
Jerry Carr @JCCAPCOMApollo8
Apollo 8 is now nearing the point where they will have completed one full orbit of the Moon.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
Some may be wondering why it takes 2 hours to orbit the Moon at 70 miles high, when it takes only an hour-and-a-half to orbit the much larger Earth from around 110 miles high.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
Wel
l, the fact is that the orbital speed is a factor of the mass of the body that you are orbiting or to put it another way, that it is a factor of gravity because mass determines gravity.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
The Moon has one-sixth of the mass, and therefore one-sixth of the gravity of the Earth. A man on the Moon will weigh one-sixth of what he weighs on Earth.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
When a man eventually walks on the Moon he will actually bounce with giant strides, because for the same amount of energy that he uses to take a 2-foot step on Earth, he may take a 12-foot step on the Moon.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
To get in orbit around a body, you have to balance gravity against speed. You don’t have to go so fast, you can’t go so fast, around a body with less gravity or you’d fly away again and fail to get into orbit.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
So the speed the NASA boffins have calculated for lunar orbit is set at 3,600 mph producing a 2-hour long orbit, rather than the one-and-a-half hours needed for Earth orbit.