Spacelog Apollo 13

That was a good TV show you put on the other night, Fred, during LM entry.

Yes. It would have been an even better one about 10 minutes later.

Yes. Things sure turned to worms there in a hurry after that show.

Yes. You're right.

Okay. The center of the Moon new is about minus 2 degrees LPD.

Minus 2 degrees, center of the Moon.

Charlie said to say hello.

Who's that?

Charlie.

Is he still around there?

Unless my watch is wrong, it says it's almost 2 a.m. back there.

No. That's the bearded one.

Oh! Okay.

Hey, tell Charlie that I'll be back down there personally to thank him for this baby.

Okay. The Earth went by there, Jack, at LPD about 18 degrees.

Okay. The Moon—I'd estimate it up around minus—somewhere 17 to minus 20 degrees LPD.

Okay. Moon's minus 17 to minus 20.

How would you like to spend a week on an aircraft carrier getting back?

If I can get on an aircraft carrier, I don't care how long it takes, Jack.

They're going to take you by helo to Samoa. You'll spend the night in Samoa, get on a 141, and be at Ellington shortly thereafter.

Okay. Kind of sounds like the original plans for the …

Had you worrying that you're going to spend the night on the ship, helo to Samoa and directly to Ellington.

Very good.

Boy, these thrusters are sure … …

Fred, I'm not reading you. Maybe we'd better wait until we change antennas or unless you can speak up a little louder.

How do you read now?

Better.

Okay. The thrusters … and the … outside … and they hardly look like they … …

Gee, I'm sorry, Fred. We're just not reading you right now. Maybe we'll have to wait a little bit.

Okay.

Let's try it now. If you can speak up, the background noise has gone down a little bit.

Okay. How do you read now?

A little better.

I was just commenting—I've been looking here at the thrusters on quads 1 and 4. We've got a slight discoloration on the outside of the barrel. The nozzles look like they hadn't ever been fired,—like they're brand new. … of like those skinny things on the interior on the upper nozzle …

You say the coloration of the thrusters appears they haven't been fired on quads 1 and 4?

I'm saying all of them look clean again. I guess they've fired so clean that they don't seem to … at all. … different color, … copper, bronze, color of the oxygen cell. They've been fired because I watched them fire. Okay. The Earth's going by at an LPD of 42.

Roger. Copy LPD 42. Is that affirm?

That's affirm.

And, Fred, that may be why the COMM is a little bit degraded, more background noise, because we're getting out of attitude a little bit there.

How do you read on AFT OMNI now …?

I'm reading you, Fred. I've got a lot of background noise. Looks like it might come and go with attitude.

Yes. I think that's probably—just looking through the command module at you now.

How do you read now, Jack?

About the same, Fred.

That—that's correct.

Okay. Your landing in—your weather in the landing area, which is about 560 miles south of Samoa, is now predicted to be about 1500, scattered, high broken. Waves are going to be 5 feet, the winds are going to be 15 knots, visibility 20 miles, showers in less than 10 percent of the area, and you will be landing at 08:00 local, roughly.

Say, Fred, did you get the dope on the Saturn IV impact—S-IVB impact?

Yes. Just as we came around the corner, Vance, they told us that it hit—I don't recall the position now, but it was a … impact … and recorded it on the … seismometer.

Yes. It impacted 74 nautical miles from the ALSEP and the passive seismic detected major seismic activity on all long period channels and this was—this activity was detected for 4 hours afterwards with decreasing amplitude. And the impact also was detected by the high-energy channels … The high-energy channel of the SIDE.

Yes. That ought to add …

Okay. The Earth LPD number that time was 32.

How do you read now, Jack?

I'm reading you, Fred. I've got a lot of background noise, though.

Jack, I can definitely tell we're moving away from the Moon, now. I got it all in the monocular at one time. We're right over the top of FPA 8 right now.

You're right over the top of what?

On a point between it and Censorinus—FPA 8 and—the point halfway between there and Censorinus.

Fred-o, would say the checkpoint over which you're right now?

Okay. And incidentally, the LPD on the Moon was zero, so it's coming back down. The point looks like we're just about straight over is around Censorinus and the point between it and FPA 8.

Okay. And, Jack, the Earth LPD angle is 24 degrees.

Roger. Earth at 24. And it looks like you're getting up to about 15 on the CO₂, so we want you to select SECONDARY and swap out the primary cartridge. Over.

Okay. I'll select SECONDARY and swap out the primary cartridge.

Okay, Fred. And when you select—When you swap out the primary cartridge, don't reselect PRIMARY. Stay on SECONDARY until we use the secondary up. Over.

And the change out is complete, Jack.

Okay. Copy the changeout complete, and we're reading 4.5 on the CO₂ here.

Okay. And the Earth LPD was 8 degrees.

Did you—Did you say 8 degrees, Fred?

Affirmative.

Well, I missed the Moon on that one, Jack. But I would guess—estimating back a little bit, the LPD angle was somewhere around 42.

Fred, I'm having a hard time reading you, but I think you're giving me a LPD angle.

Roger. That's it, Jack. The Moon is about 42.

You say the Moon is at 22?

Four two, 42.

How you doing there, Fred?

…

Okay, Fred. I can just barely hear you saying something in the background and I can't make out what it is.

Hello, Houston; Aquarius.

Hello there, Aquarius. Go ahead.

Roger. And Fred is being relieved now. He's—went back to get some rest. This is Lovell here who's got the duty.

Gee whiz. You got up kind of early, didn't you?

It's cold back there in the command module.

Well, what we were really thinking about doing was letting you sleep a little bit longer because we figure you're pretty worn out.

Well, I'll go back and forth once in a while to get a …

Is Jack up there with you?

No, Jack's still sacked out.

Okay, Jim. We're kind of watching this PTC a little bit. Fred's been giving us a few LPD angles as we swang by the center of the Earth—center of the Moon. We noticed that the COMM has been degrading just a little bit so you might have to talk up.

Roger. Understand.