Spacelog Apollo 13

Okay.

Joe, has your continued tracking changed our pericynthion altitude any?

Stand by. We'll get the latest on that, Jack.

Aquarius, Houston.

Go ahead.

Roger, Jack. We're still looking at 137 miles and Doppler's confirming it. We will have a good update after 67 hours.

That's good. I want to say you guys are doing real good work.

Aquarius, Houston.

Go ahead, Houston.

Okay, Jim. We've come up with a COMM recommendation which we hope will save some power by powering down the power amplifier, if it works. And I'd like to read up the steps to you and have you think about them for a minute, and we recommend trying it before the first yaw maneuver. Over.

Okay. You can read up the steps.

Okay. Step 1, BIOMED off; step 2, go to LOW BIT RATE; step 3, go to DOWNVOICE BACKUP; step 4, POWER AMP to PRIME; step 5, panel 16, POWER AMP CIRCUIT BREAKER open; step 6, RANGE FUNCTION switch, off. Read those back to me, and then I'll have a remark.

Okay. BIOMED, off; LOW BIT RATE; DOWNVOICE BACKUP; POWER AMP to PRIME; circuit breakers, panel 16, POWER AMP CIRCUIT BREAKER, open. RANGE FUNCTION switch, off.

Okay. And the note says that you should be able to hear us. If we can't hear you in a couple of minutes, you should close the POWER AMP circuit breaker on panel 16, and we expect to save an amp or more on this. It should work in the present attitude. When we go to the new yaw attitude, we're thinking about powering up the steerable, leaving the POWER AMP off and, if we can get good COMM in that mode, we'll still save some power. So if you concur, why don't you go ahead.

Okay. In this mode, you should hear us—or we should hear you, but if you can't hear us, then we ought to close POWER AMP circuit breaker again. Is that right.

That's affirm. We'll just run a little COMM check after you get done and see how we're doing.

Okay, fine. And if that all fails, we'll go back to our original configuration.

That's affirm.

All amps PRIMARY.

POWER AMPs in PRIMARY.

Okay. Circuit breakers 16, POWER AMP circuit breaker, open; COMM; POWER AMP circuit breaker, open.

There's only one. Ready?

RANGE … switch off.

It is off. …

Yes, I think so; yes, that's off.

… Okay, Houston; Aquarius. How do you read me?

Aquarius, this is Houston. We read you with a lot … static. How do you read us? Over.

We read you with a lot of noise, the noise seems to indicate … read you better.

I didn't copy your last remark, Jim. I heard that you had a lot of noise in the background also.

Okay, Houston; Aquarius. How do you read us now?

Just the same, Jim. You're readable but it's very noisy.

Okay. We can still read you. Do you want us to remain in this configuration?

Stay there for the next minute or two anyway, Jim, while we evaluate it.

Okay. I'll tell you what we need, Jack. Try to get this squared away again. We—See if you can't report the right procedures here. … the procedures, the whole works, before we get all balled up here.

Yes. Okay. You guessed it.

I've come up with nothing here.

… we can use.

Stand by for … Give me—… over on my side there. My—…

Find anything back in there?

No, wait a minute.

Better get a … there, a paper towel. …

Let's just check in here …

Yes.

… Well, we should have some around here somewhere.

Yes. They are …

Oh, here they are. …

Why don't you put that right up there, just like that. Is that all you've got on it? There you go.

Okay. Why don't you recopy this procedure on page 4-42.

We going to keep a log of all the procedures?

We ought to copy down the ones that get water, too. … Keep them all in one spot.

Aquarius, Houston. Over.

Go ahead, Houston.

Okay. Speak slow because there's a lot of noise in the background. Have you completed your first 90-degree yaw maneuver? And, if you haven't, we recommend it. Over.

Okay. We have not. We have not completed it. We will start. We want you to monitor the maneuver. Over.

Okay, Jim. And I want to pass you up a short procedure for activating the S-band steerable antenna, which we'd like you to do after you complete the 90-degree yaw. Are you ready to copy? Over.

Ready to copy.

Okay. First, on panel 11, close the S-BAND ANTENNA circuit breaker. Then go to Activation, page 28, steerable antenna activation —

Roger. Copy.

— and complete steps 2, 3, and 4 of Activation 28. You'll have to do a VERB 64 to get the pitch and yaw angles, and the last step is on panel 16, S-BAND ANTENNA HEATER circuit breaker to CLOSE. Over.

Joe, we didn't get all of that. We just have, “Complete steps 2, 3, and 4 of activation” and then 68 or 28.

Jim, that's —

Then do a VERB 64 to get -

Aquarius, Houston. That procedure I just passed you, please disregard it. Over.

Disregard it. Okay. Do you want me to start my yaw maneuver now? And I'll be yawing to my right. One-way maneuver.

Roger. Right yaw is acceptable, but wait 1 before you start the maneuver.

Roger.

Aquarius, Houston.

Go ahead.

Okay. You are GO to commence the yaw maneuver. If we don't have COMM after you complete the yaw maneuver, bring the power amplifier back on. Over.

Roger. Understand. We'll start the yaw.

Okay.

…

They're almost getting bigger and bigger, Jack. It's over here now.

Hey, you got a list … off over here.

All that stuff …

… to do is put water in it.

What do I turn that to?

…

… Yes … down to 270 …

It's jumping now.

We're on the ascent tank, too.

Houston, Aquarius. Did you call?

Negative, Houston. We did not call. How you reading us?

Get up front and turn that antenna …

And, Houston, could you give us an approximate time to turn off the ascent O₂ in case we're losing point with you?

Roger, Jim; and copying about half your words.

Roger, Houston. We'd like a time to go back to descent O₂ in case we lose communications with you.

Jim, Houston. That's affirmative. You may go back to descent O₂. Over.