APOLLO 8 Modern doc
Page 23
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
We are now hearing that swimmers will be in the water in 4 to 5 minutes. One of the recovery helicopters is reporting that the capsule is rotating in the water at about one revolution per minute. That is a little unusual; I don’t know if we have ever seen that.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
We have been advised that the first navy swimmer is now in the water. He is attaching a sea anchor and the helicopter is maneuvering to deploy his two swimming colleagues.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
When they have all reached the capsule, one of the swimmers will plug in a phone and have a quick conversation with the crew in the capsule.
Dallas Townsend @DTCBSNews
We believe that all the navy swimmers are now in the water, the life rafts have been dropped and the swimmers are attaching the floatation collar around the capsule.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
The three navy swimmers are now working to inflate the floatation collar which will give an added measure of floatation insurance around the blunt end of the spacecraft.
Navy swimmers working on the inflated floatation collar
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
If anyone had any doubts about the condition of the crew, this little conversation which has just been relayed to us should clear up any of those doubts.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
The helicopter commander asked the Apollo 8 crew what the Moon was made out of. Whereupon Bill Anders responded, “I can tell you it’s not made out of green cheese at all. It’s made out of American cheese.”
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
The conversations that have come to us, apart from intermittently hearing from the Apollo 8 crew directly, have been relayed from the water to an aircraft at about 30,000 feet. It is then relayed to Honolulu and relayed again to us here in Houston.
Dallas Townsend @DTCBSNews
The USS Yorktown apparently asked the Apollo 8 crew for their breakfast order, to which they responded, “Steak and eggs - the same as we had before lift off.”
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
We still have no word as to when the hatch of the capsule will be opened and the crew come out to taste their first breath of Earth air in over 6 days. When they do that, they will certainly notice the difference between the cabin air and the sea air.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
We have just deciphered one relayed communication from Jim Lovell who says he can see the navy swimmers working around the spacecraft.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
We are now advised that the navy swimmers are standing on the inflation collar awaiting the crew’s pleasure. Our guess is that they will come out any minute now.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
The swimmers are now going through some additional precautions to ensure that the inflation collar is very firmly attached to the spacecraft.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
Recovery helicopter 3 has now dropped another life raft and the floatation collar has been confirmed to be firmly attached.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
Our communication problems continue. The swimmers advise that they cannot talk to the crew via the inter-phone, which is a hard line telephone connection. However, they are able to communicate via the backup system of small hand-held radios.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
Still no word on when the hatch is going to open, but we are getting our first look at some of the scene in color television on the big screen here in Mission Control, Houston - the first time this has been achieved.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
We have just been advised that the hatch is now open and the astronauts are beginning to exit the spacecraft and are climbing into one of the life rafts.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
The order of leaving the spacecraft may be somewhat different to the navy tradition in which the captain is the last to leave the ship. Commander Borman is an Air Force man so he may not care about that.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
Now all three astronauts are out of the spacecraft and we seem to have succeeded in avoiding the predicted navy swimmers’ joke of, “Wait! There’s a fourth astronaut exiting the spacecraft!”
Dallas Townsend @DTCBSNews
The astronauts are now securely aboard the life raft. They are wearing modified respirators in case there are any noxious fuel fumes leaking from the capsule as has happened on previous flights.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
It seems Jim Lovell was the first to leave the capsule. That makes good sense since Lovell occupied the center couch, so him leaving first would make it easier for the others to get out.
A navy swimmer in the water took this photo of the Apollo 8 astronauts in their life raft
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
We have had some enquiries about our splash point. We can confirm that it was remarkably close to the aiming point just 5,000 yards off the USS Yorktown at 165 degrees west and 8 degrees north.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
We have learned in the last few minutes that the crew has transferred to a new life raft, for what reason we do not know. But we do know that they are in a second life raft now and the recovery helicopter is maneuvering to begin the pickup operation.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
The official mission elapsed time of splashdown of Apollo 8 has now been confirmed to be 147 hours 0 minutes and 11 seconds. Almost precisely as planned all those many months ago.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
On our recovery board here at Mission Control, we are seeing a message from Admiral McMannes who is Commander of the Recovery Task Force in the Pacific.
Admiral McMannes @MacRecoveryTaskForce
As commander of the Recovery Task Force, I have sent the following message to Mission Control in Houston: “Please accept my congratulations on this magnificent achievement!”
Admiral McMannes @MacRecoveryTaskForce
“This reflected glory has permitted all of us to stand taller in today’s world. This mission, now concluding, has been epic, historic, amazing, unbelievable and heartwarming.”
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
I think the admiral summed up the feelings of so many of us there. Not just those of us in the United States but all around the world.
Dallas Townsend @DTCBSNews
The astronauts are now being winched up into one of the recovery helicopters, shortly to begin a final short trip to the safety and relatively firm ground here where I am standing on the USS Yorktown.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
We are advised that the first astronaut is now in the recovery helicopter and the line is now going down for the second man. We don’t know yet which of the three astronauts was the first aboard.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
The second astronaut is now in the sling and on his way home.
Second astronaut going up into the recovery helicopter
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
The pilot of recovery helicopter 66 has now confirmed that the helicopter door has been secured and all three men are safely aboard as the chopper now prepares for its short flight to the USS Yorktown.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
As we can see on our television pictures, the recovery helicopter is now proceeding toward the Yorktown.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
We’ve had it confirmed through Recovery that, apparently at the request of Commander Borman, an electric razor was placed aboard the recovery helicopter and that Borman has been using it aboard the chopper on the short flight in to the USS Yorktown.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
Touchdown of recovery helicopter 66 on the deck of the USS Yorktown ca
rrying our three Apollo 8 astronauts has now been confirmed at 20 minutes past the hour at 11:20 CST.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
And now we watch as these three brave astronauts step out onto the deck of the USS Yorktown.
The Apollo 8 astronauts arrive on the deck of the USS Yorktown
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
There is now rapturous applause and cheering here in the jammed Control Room at Mission Control such as we have never seen before as the entire room stands to applaud the successful return of the crew of Apollo 8.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
All three flight directors and their teams as well as, of course, Director Thomas Paine are here in the Control Room lighting up large cigars. I think we may have set the American Cancer Society campaign back several light years.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
I don’t know how the room can hold any more people but they keep coming in. Someone has just leapt onto the console next to mine. It’s a photographer.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
I can’t even make out who is standing in front of the Flight Director’s console, but he’s produced box after box of large cigars. Al Shepherd just threw one back here and it ricocheted off the wall. It is sheer pandemonium here in Mission Control!
Dr. Thomas Paine (center) and other NASA managers applaud the safe return of the Apollo 8 astronauts.
Paul Haney @PHPublicAffaisNASA
I have never seen this degree of emotional outpouring in any previous mission. I’ve seen rallies in locker rooms after championship games, happy politicians after elections, but none of those do justice to the rapturous spirit resonating through Mission Control right now.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
These men have been to the Moon and back! Absolutely incredible!
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
We think the crew may give the crew of the Yorktown a few words before heading off for showers, an intensive medical examination and a welcome hearty breakfast of steak and eggs.
A clean-shaven Frank Borman, alongside Bill Anders and Jim Lovell, addressing the crew aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
And so the astronauts of Apollo 8 are back from the Moon! What a remarkable journey and what a remarkable conclusion to it out there in the Pacific!
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
What an incredible journey! What an incredible adventure! And what an incredible, heartwarming end to it there on board the deck of the USS Yorktown.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
And now we look forward to the next amazing Apollo mission, the next step towards President Kennedy’s astonishingly ambitious goal of landing a man on the Moon before the end of this decade.
Walter Cronkite @WCCBSNews
That next mission will be the flight of Apollo 9 in late February/early March. And I, for one, can’t wait!
THE END
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this book, you will certainly also enjoy the next books in the series.
APOLLO 11
If you were not fortunate enough to be able to witness the entire historic mission of Apollo 11 as it unfolded (or even if you were), the next book on the Apollo 11 Moon landing and exploration will put you believably back inside those eight incredibly tense and dramatic days.
To see details of the book describing the dramatic moment by moment unfolding of the historic Apollo 11 mission to land a man on the Moon in the words of the major participants and observers, simply click the link below, or post the link http://amzn.to/1AmVmfj into your browser:
Apollo 11 – When Men Walked on the Moon
http://hyperurl.co/7o6o37
Apollo 11: When Men Walked on the Moon is available at all Amazon stores, including the U.S. Amazon store at:
http://amzn.to/VSXHAB
and the U.K. store at:
http://amzn.to/1uF5pdu
**********
Detailed accounts of all the missions leading up to and including the first Moon landing are now available in a boxed set: The APOLLO Collection, Vol. 1
The APOLLO Collection, Vol.1
http://hyperurl.co/kmzoz1
The APOLLO Collection, Vol. 1 is available at all Amazon stores, including the U.S. Amazon store here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XQJOX14/
and the U.K. Amazon store here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00XQJOX14/
**********
Apollo 13 – The Miracle Journey
http://hyperurl.co/422z8v
This is the story of the incredible Apollo 13 mission in 1970 told as if in real time in the form of imaginary social media posts written by the main participants and observers. The narrative is based on astronaut accounts, NASA transcripts of the astronauts’ conversations with Mission Control and live broadcasts of the major U.S. TV networks covering the unfolding drama hour by hour.
Apollo 13 – The Miracle Journey is available at all Amazon stores, including the U.S. store at:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KLDJ63I/
and the U.K. store at:
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**********
Major Sources for Apollo 8
NASA transcripts of the Apollo 8 Mission
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/mission_trans/apollo8.htm
Onboard Voice Transcription http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/mission_trans/AS08_CM.PDF
PAO Mission Commentary
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/mission_trans/AS08_PAO.PDF
Ground to Air Voice Transcription
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/mission_trans/AS08_TEC.PDF
Honeysuckle Station account of the Apollo 8 mission.
http://www.honeysucklecreek.net/msfn_missions/Apollo_8_mission/hl_apollo8.html
Apollo 8 Go for TLI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqmSfLFAEOs
Live Broadcasts of the Major U.S. TV News Networks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBsq8ja1U9Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja3gSJ7cRKk&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j01CS8Qykl0&index=3&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QFDVbNfk&index=4&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOFC3yc2XE&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E&index=5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpXGX_5eJM&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E&index=7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkvRUtKv80E&index=8&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sPDNKZ62RM&index=9&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLQRRWeYIp4&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E&index=10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJwT0cIecI&index=11&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3A6QYG5f8&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E&index=12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ljSqvGK4r4&index=13&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E&spfreload=10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6VeMaThIZA&index=19&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sz83H_7lbbk&index=14&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh70NJp68G4&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E&index=15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8gbMrLIT4&index=16&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBABWta_yps&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E&index=21
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7cDdpkJ7Zw&index=22&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7End6KVFhk&index=26&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrVQIayEeXs&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E&index=27
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q2Cli381Yk&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E&index=24
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNLOxqAncA0&index=25&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E&spfreload=10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjjd3DzwJHM&list
=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E&index=29
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TBBvnjk1v8&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E&index=32
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Enp82R20JFU&index=30&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrVQIayEeXs&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E&index=27
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzVrkntUKa0&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E&index=28
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNODlHogdus&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E&index=34
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjqPuY52tVU&list=PLFAE5C59DA9B0621E&index=35