Phase 5: Reentry

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. Here's the big story. Your attitude really looks quite good except in roll, and we'd like you to do the following. In MIN impulse PGNS, we'd like you to trim to zero pitch, which is about where you are now; to 008 degrees in roll, which is about 16 degrees from your present roll attitude; and to zero degrees in yaw, which is about where you are now. Then we'd like you to do the body-axis aline 400 plus 5, 400 plus 0. PITCH and ROLL to PULSE, select AGS, do the burn in AGS. How does that sound? Over.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay. I'm rolled the wrong way; that is what you're saying, right?

Jim Lovell (CDR)

And you know I can't roll in minimum impulse. I've got to use TTCAs.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

That's right, Jim. Sorry.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

And you don't want me to automatically trim 5018, I take it.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

That's affirm, Jim. Don't trim 5018.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

We just want you to cycle on through P41 to get the average g and burn it out.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Just for your information, we see 3.0 in register 1. We read you up 3.1 on the pad. The actual DELTA-V was 3.05, and they warned me that it might come out 3.0.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay. That's a little burn.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Aquarius, Houston. Your attitude looks real good. We will give you a mark at 10 minutes to the burn, which is in 28 seconds.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay. We'll burn it in AGS and use the AGS ball.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Right. I was looking at the wrong clock, and we're a little under 10 minutes now. I'll give you a mark at 9 minutes. Okay?

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Aquarius, Houston. We have 10 seconds until 9 minutes to the burn. 3, 2, 1 -

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Very well. That agrees with our event timer.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay, Houston. About 3 minutes to go, and we're all squared away.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

And, Aquarius; Houston. Roger that. And we're standing by for your body-axis aline and your zeroing 404, 405, 406, going to 470.

Fred Haise (LMP)

Okay. You'd asked—you'd asked me before, Joe, to go 400 plus 3, which I did. I assume you've changed the script again.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay, Fred. We did tell you to do that awhile ago, and it doesn't matter; you're looking good.

Fred Haise (LMP)

Yes. It looks like we had a minus 0.2 bias at 470. We're burning.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

We're tweaking now, Joe.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Roger. Aquarius, Houston. You're good right where you are.

Fred Haise (LMP)

Okay. If you're happy, can we maneuver to service module SEP attitude now?

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

That's affirmative, Aquarius.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

And I'm pitching up to the proper attitude.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. We're looking at it.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

And it's again necessary to use the TTCA to pitch.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. Recommend you terminate P41.

Deke Slayton

Hey, Jim, have you broken into the medical kit per my recommendation a few hours ago?

Deke Slayton

Okay, fine. You might hit it again in about 2 hours.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay.

Expand selection down Contract selection up

Spoken on April 17, 1970, 1 p.m. UTC (53 years, 11 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Aquarius, Houston. AFT OMNI.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

I beat you to it, Houston.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Yes. I thought you did, but I thought I'd say it anyway.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay, Aquarius; Houston. That attitude looks pretty good. How's Jack getting along?

Jim Lovell (CDR)

He's getting along, all set to go. And I'm going to go into PGNS ATT HOLD.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Roger. Again for fuel-consumption reasons, we'd like you to go back to the AGS mode you were in rather than PGNS ATT HOLD. Over.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay. I'm in PGNS MINIMUM IMPULSE right now while we're firing. And I'll go back to the AGS mode.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay, Jim. PGNS MIN IMPULSE is okay; AGS is okay too. It's your choice.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Soon as we get rid of the service module, Joe, I think I'll be able to maneuver a lot better.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay, Jack just reported that all thrusters fired on both rings.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Roger. Understand; that's SM JETT, 138:12. It's not that time critical, Jim.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Can we do it at any time, Joe?

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

I think so, but let me check. Aquarius, Houston. That's affirmative. You can jettison the service module when you are ready; no big rush, but any time.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Roger. We recommend that you use the AGS for the separation maneuver, because we'd like to get the proper weight in for the DAP before we use the PGNS again.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Roger. We will. Stand by.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Key moment "There's one whole side of the spacecraft missing": SM SEP.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay, Aquarius; Houston. I recommend you terminate AVERAGE G. Over.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay, I've got her, Houston.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Beautiful, beautiful. And for you information, Jim, you'll be coming up on an RCS caution light for helium. No sweat. Over.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

And there's one whole side of that spacecraft missing.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Right by the—Look out there, will you? Right by the high gain antenna, the whole panel is blown out, almost from the base to the engine.

Fred Haise (LMP)

Yes, it looks like it got to the SPS bell, too, Houston.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Think it zinged the SPS engine bell, huh?

Fred Haise (LMP)

That's the way it looks; unless that's just a dark brown streak. It's really a mess.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay, Jim. We'd like you to get some pictures, but we want you to conserve RCS. Don't make unnecessary maneuvers.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

And, Jim; Houston. In particular, of course, we don't want any translation maneuvers.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Right on that. Joe, you realize that when I went up to the SM SEP attitude, I had to use TTCA to do it.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

That's affirm. We know that. That's okay.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

All right. She's drifting right down in front of our windows now, Houston.

Fred Haise (LMP)

Okay, Joe, I'm now looking down the SPS bell, and it looks—looks okay on the inside; maybe it is just a streak.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. Copy that, Fred. Was the bell deformed on the outside or just nicked or what?

Jim Lovell (CDR)

I think the explosion, from what I could see, Joe, had—had stained it. I don't know whether it did any actual deformation or not.

Fred Haise (LMP)

Man, that's unbelievable!

Jim Lovell (CDR)

And, Joe, looks like a lot of—a lot of debris is just hanging out the side near the S-band antenna.