Phase 2: Earth orbit

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Copy SECO, Jim. We're looking at the DSKY.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Apollo 13, Houston. You have a GO orbit all sources, and the booster is safe. Over.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

GO orbit and the booster is safe. Thank you, Joe.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

13, Houston. We copy your NOUN 44.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Apollo 13, Houston. Your preliminary orbit down here is 102.5 times 100.3, and everything is looking good.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Roger, Houston. And it looks good to be up here again.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

13, Houston. I have your Z torquing angles. You ready?

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Jack is ready to copy, Joe.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. It's plus 0.26. Over.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. Couple minutes to LOS, Jim. Everything is looking real good. Your AOS time at Carnarvon will be 52:36, and we don't have too much of a handle on why the inboard cut off early except that it apparently was an engine problem and not a switch-select function. But we are certain that you'll be able to make TLI based on what we are looking at now.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Roger. There's nothing like an interesting launch.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Apollo 13, Houston. Canary LOS in 30 seconds. Request COMMAND RESET, please.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Roger. COMMAND RESET coming on.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Apollo 13, Houston. Request LOW BIT RATE, please. Over.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Houston, how do you read 13?

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

13, Houston. Loud and clear.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay, Joe. Everything's going good. We're proceeding on the time line in good fashion. I've got a P52 done. I can give you the torquing angles.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

I'm ready for them, Jack.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay. Use NOUN 26; stars 26 and 33. The star angle difference was all balls. NOUN 93: minus 067, minus all balls, plus 0.162. The time of torquing was 45 minutes 35 seconds.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Well, that sounds marginally acceptable.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

For a new CMP, it ain't too bad.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Yes. Okay, 13. We've got nothing for you at the moment. Everything's looking good. We're looking at your data now.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Apollo 13, Houston. LOS Carnarvon in about 30 seconds. Honeysuckle on the hour, and verify your S-band is up for Honeysuckle. Over.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

And, Houston, we're beginning to see a beautiful sunrise here.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Apollo 13, Houston through Honeysuckle.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Roger, Houston; 13 here. Reading you loud and clear.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. S-band sounds good, Jim.

Fred Haise (LMP)

Would it be okay if I crank up the FM … …?

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

You're coming in weak. I didn't quite copy it.

Fred Haise (LMP)

Would it be okay, Joe, if we crank up the FM after we leave Honeysuckle here?

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Oh. Stand by on that one.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

What TV was that? Okay, 13 —

Fred Haise (LMP)

Okay, Joe. I just wanted to put on the TV switch at Honeysuckle to tune her up there.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Roger. I'm being prompted, and you've got a GO for that. You can turn it on, go to TV, and we'll see you that way over the States.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. 13, Houston. LOS Honeysuckle in about 30 seconds, and we'll see you over the States at 1 plus 28 plus 43.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

13, Houston. Did you copy your AOS time?

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Apollo 13, Houston through Guaymas. Over.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Apollo 13, Houston through Guaymas. Over.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Apollo 13, Houston. Over.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Apollo 13, Houston. Over.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Apollo 13, Houston. Over.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Hello there. We thought you were still up there.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

And we're just coming up on Baja, and I've got the TV on. Do you want it?

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

I don't think we require it just yet, Jack, but we'll command it when we're ready. I believe they are dumping the tape now. The booster looks good. The spacecraft looks good on the few minutes' data we've had.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Jim finally let me look out.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

(Laughter) How do you like it?

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Chained me to the LEB down there stowing things and unstowing things, and I finally got a chance to look out and see the world.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Apollo 13, Houston. I have the TLI plus 90, and lift-off plus 8 pads whenever you're ready.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay. Go ahead with the TLI pad, Joe.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. This is the TLI plus 90 pad. SPS/G&N, 63825, minus 1.54, plus 1.32, 004:06:45.53, minus 0491.7, plus 0000.1, plus 6634.0, 180, 228, 001; HA is N/A; HP is plus 0017.9; 6652.2, 7:37, 6626.5, 26, 155.4, 15.7. Boresight star is Zeta Sagittarii; up, 08.0; right, 2.1; minus 22.81, minus 025.00, 1140.7, 34087, 013:32:14. Set stars Arcturus, Denebola; roll 044; pitch 012, yaw 025; no ullage. Over.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Joe, we had a dropout of signal there about midway or about a fifth of the start of your pad, and Fred didn't get it. We'd like you to start over again. Could you please?

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Sure thing. You want the whole thing?

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Yes, I think you'd better.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. TLI plus 90: SPS/G&N, 63825, minus 1.54, plus 1.32, 004:06:45.53, minus 0491.7, plus 0000.1, plus 6634.0, 180, 228, 001; N/A; plus 0017.9, 6652.2, 7:37, 6626.5, 26, 155.4, 15.7; Zeta Sagittarius; up, 08.0; right 2.1; minus 22.81, minus 025.00, 1140.7, 34087, 013:32:14. Set starts: Arcturus, Denebola; roll 044, pitch 012, yaw 025; no ullage. Over.

Fred Haise (LMP)

Okay, Joe. That's 63825, minus 1.54, plus 1.32, 004:06:45.53

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Fred, Houston. Stand by 1.

Fred Haise (LMP)

— minus 0491.7, plus 0000.1, plus 6634.0.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

That's correct. We would like you to go the S-BAND AUX TV switch to TV, please.

Fred Haise (LMP)

Okay. It's set to TV.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. We're not getting a signal.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay. I'll go to TRANSMIT, Joe.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. You can continue reading back.

Fred Haise (LMP)

Okay. Roll 180, pitch 228, yaw 001; N/A; plus 0017.9, 6652.2, 7:37, 6626.5 and I missed sextant shaft;—trunnion—trunnion, 15.7, Zeta Sagittarius, up, 08.0; roll 2.1; minus 22.81, minus 00—correction, minus 025.00, 1140.7, 34087, 013:32:14. Set starts: Arcturus and Denebola; roll aline 044, pitch 012, yaw 025; no ullage.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Roger, Fred. Readback correct. The sextant star is 26, and the shaft is 15.54. Over.

Fred Haise (LMP)

Okay. Sextant star 26 and 15.54.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Roger. And we have a picture now; however, it's moving around quite a bit, if you could hold the camera a little steadier. And I have your —

Fred Haise (LMP)

— Okay, Joe. There's nothing but clouds outside, and when we get some land down there coming up, I'll switch back to the window. I thought I'd just show you Jim here, to make sure he's still here.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay; real fine. We had a good picture of Jim there for a minute. I have the lift-off plus 8 pad, Fred. If you're ready.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. GETI, 008:00; DELTA-VT, 7835; longitude, minus 165; GET 400 K, 022:36. Over.

Fred Haise (LMP)

Okay. 008:00, 7835, minus 165, 022:36.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay, then. And I have a TLI pad for you.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

TLI: 2:26:05, 179, 108, 000, 5:47, 10416.9, 35587, 358, 139, 320, 302, 319, 040. Ejection time, 4 plus 01 plus 00. Over.

Fred Haise (LMP)

Okay. TLI: 2 plus 26 plus 05, 179, 108, 000, 5 plus 47, 10416.9, 35587, 358, 139, 320, 302, 319, 040, and ejection time, 4 plus 01 plus 00.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Key moment The crew broadcasts their first TV signal from orbit: Roger, Fred. Readback correct, and we're getting a nice color TV picture now. If you have any commentary to go with it.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay, Joe. I'll tell you, I'm just trying to figure out where we are here.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

That's your job, not mine.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

You know, I've just been up out of the LEB for a short time here, and I'm trying to find out which country we're over.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

I have to keep telling Jack that the blue stuff down there is water.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

I'll give you a hint. You're in the western hemisphere.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay, Joe. It appears like that we've crossed out into the Gulf of Mexico here, and I've got a peninsula or an island that's down there. I don't know whether you can see it.

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Spoken on April 11, 1970, 8:13 p.m. UTC (54 years, 6 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Roger, Jack. We see that. Of course, there's a lot of cloudcover and you see it more clearly than we do, but it does look like the Earth, not the Moon.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Apollo 13, Houston. We've had LOS MILA now. Thank you very much.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Apollo 13, Houston. Request P00 and ACCEPT for a state vector. Over.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Roger, Houston. We're in P00 and ACCEPT.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. The computer is yours, Jim.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

And you are GO for TLI. Huntsville reports that you have a 6-second propellant pad which is 3 seconds more than a 3-sigma case; so you're good on consumables. The IU is so good that we're not going to update it. The only change we have for you is in the TLI checklist. At 57 minutes where you slew the FDAI to 18 degrees, we recommend 20 degrees there, and we recommend that you look for 8 degrees instead of 6 degrees at ignition. The S-IVB is riding on the top of its deadband.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

— Understand; and just out of curiosity, was that engine out to use up more S-IVB fuel?

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

The engine out did cause you to use more S-IVB fuel—about a 10-second-longer burn; but you're still GO.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

And, 13, Houston. We're ready to support pyro arm and docking probe extension whenever you're ready.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay, Houston. Docking probe has been extended and all indications are nominal. We're down to PYRO ARM now and we're getting ready.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay, Houston. My circuit breaker's armed—or closed; SEQUENTIAL LOGIC, two, on and up and we're …

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay, 13. You are GO for pyro arm.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

And, Houston, 13. Were you reading us?

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Roger. We have our SEQUENTIAL ARM circuit breakers in and our SEQUENTIAL LOGIC, two, on and up and we are just standing by for your confirmation for a GO.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Sorry, 13. You didn't copy. You are GO for pyro arm. Over.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay; fine. Thank you.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

About 2-1/2 minutes to LOS, Jim, and your AOS at Carnarvon will be 2 plus 25 plus 50. Over.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Roger. AOS at Carnarvon 2 plus 25 plus 50.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Apollo 13, Houston. LOS in about 1 minute. At LOS we would like COMMAND RESET and then NORMAL.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Apollo 13, Houston through Carnarvon.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay, Joe. Read you loud and clear. We are sitting here monitoring time base 6 … countdown; we're 20 seconds away.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. We're just starting to get data, and everything still looks good to us.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Hey, Joe. At 2 hours and 12 minutes, the O2 FLOW HIGH light came on, and it's been pegged high ever since, so it's been on about 14 minutes now.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Roger, 13. We're looking at it.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Okay. Apollo 13, Houston. You have a GO for all systems, and the O2 FLOW HIGH check is nominal with the WASTE TANK VENT open at this time, and it's no sweat.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay. Just wanted you all to check it for me.

Joe Kerwin (CAPCOM)

Apollo 13, Houston. We will be losing data from Carnarvon in about 1 minute. We'll probably have voice through ARIA. Everything is hunky-dory, and we will be listening for you to tell us how the burn goes.