Vance Brand (CAPCOM)

On the P33, just like to verify that you changed the NOUN 88 values for this last star. It looks like they haven't been changed. Over.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

That's better. Let's read you what we—what we have. We have what they had in the flight plan, and if it's been changed from the flight plan, we don't have it.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

We think you're right, Vance. It looks like they used the same set of NOUN 88 for both stars by mistake.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay, Vance. That ought to complete the P23s, right?

Vance Brand (CAPCOM)

We have some results on your—your first star, if you'd like to hear them. The rest of the stars we'll—we'll have to give you in a couple of hours. Over.

Vance Brand (CAPCOM)

Okay, the first star: the corrected altitude, 15 kilometers plus or minus 4; effective altitude, 12 kilometers plus or minus 7. As far as the substellar point, the value is arc-minutes—2 arc-minutes, and that's very good. And, like I said, we'll get back with you in a couple of hours for the rest.

Vance Brand (CAPCOM)

Okay. We have several items, here. First, is a reminder on the PTC that R1 should be 375—0.375 degrees as last night, to get 0.3-degree rotation rate. The second one —

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Spoken on April 13, 1970, 3:09 a.m. UTC (53 years, 11 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

Vance Brand (CAPCOM)

Okay. The second one, at 32 hours looking at Bennett's Comet—we want the pictures taken when the spacecraft is as stable as it's going to be before starting PTC. The stability requirement is very high. We weren't sure if you understood that from what we passed up. In addition, the photographs might not show as much as the eye can see of the comet, so if you see anything interesting about the structure of the comet, why, sketching it is in order and is encouraged. Over.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay, Vance. What we'll do is, when we get to attitude, we'll disable the quads and do like we did last night; we'll let GUIDO and you people down there tell us when you think we are stable enough; then we'll do all this work with the DAC on the sextant, first; and then when we get that done, we'll go back and put the sextant eyepiece back on and see what we can observe visually.

Vance Brand (CAPCOM)

Okay. That sounds good. Also, while you are waiting for the vehicle to stabilize, it might be interesting to have the eyepiece on and be looking at it visually. Okay. Next item: your SPS burn had no anomalies whatsoever. It was a very good burn.

Vance Brand (CAPCOM)

Next item: request hydrogen tank 1 HEATER OFF for balancing purposes.

Vance Brand (CAPCOM)

And Apollo 13, another item: something that we have observed and you might be seeing is a slight TCE fluctuation on fuel cell 3. This fluctuation has been going from about 152 to 160 over a 37-second period. It has been seen on other flights in the past. No one is worried about it, but the usual fluctuation is about 1-1/2 degrees instead of 7 seconds, so I thought you should be aware of it.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay, Vance. And one other slight distinction we've noted is the flow of hydrogen versus the oxygen is not exactly matched on fuel cell 3 either.

Vance Brand (CAPCOM)

Okay. We copy. And the last item: we'd like to send you an IRIG update, so at your convenience, request P00 and ACCEPT.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay. We are in P00 and ACCEPT, Vance.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Quad C and D are disabled, Vance.

Vance Brand (CAPCOM)

Roger. Disabled. And down here, we see that your hydrogen and oxygen on the fuel cell are exactly matched, so we suspect it's purely a spacecraft read-out problem.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay, Vance, let us know when you're through with the DSKY so we can load NOUN 88?

Vance Brand (CAPCOM)

Roger. We'll let you know, Jack.

Vance Brand (CAPCOM)

Apollo 13, Houston. The computer's yours, again.

Vance Brand (CAPCOM)

Okay. You're go for the pictures.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay, Vance. We tried our AUTO OPTICS and couldn't pick it up there. We're pointing pretty much right into the Sun, and things are pretty well washed out. And I've gone to MANUAL OPTICS and I'm trying to get 0.8, 12.5 on the shaft and trunnion, and I still can't pick it up. So—it's very light in the sextant, so I kind of think maybe we're too near the Sun to see it.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

That's right, Vance. The sextant is all—it's—it's all milky and it—any comet that could be seen through there is just going to be missed in the background.

Vance Brand (CAPCOM)

Okay, we copy that. We got some discussion. Stand by.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

Okay, Vance, it isn't—we're not looking into the Sun—what we are getting is a large reflection from the Sun behind us off the LM; and it is—it is coming on that quad 1 there, and that quad is reflecting back into the sextant.

Vance Brand (CAPCOM)

Okay, Jack. Understand. Just a question: if you look through the telescope, can you see the comet at all? Over.

Jack Swigert (CMP)

No, I can't, Vance. It's—it's still too light.

Fred Haise (LMP)

Are the flowers blooming yet?

Vance Brand (CAPCOM)

Gee, I sure haven't seen any.

Vance Brand (CAPCOM)

Hey, we've—we've got quite a discussion down here on your trying to observe the comet, and this reflection is not unexpected. And give us another minute, and we'll be back with you on something on that.

Jim Lovell (CDR)

Okay. I doubt very seriously though, if we take any photographs with high-speed black and white with the light coming into the sextant that you're going to get anything out of it.