Spacelog Apollo 13

Okay, Jim. We got it. The Earth went by at a minus 8 degrees. On a basis of the data —

That's right.

On the basis of the data we have so far, your entry angle is 5.99. The block data we gave you on the pad for a no-COMM midcourse-7 last night is no longer valid because we made this midcourse.

Okay. Understand, the no-COMM pad is no longer valid because of the midcourse. Entry angle based on the last 2 hours' tracking is 5.99, and I take it you're going to keep tracking for some time now to see whether we need another midcourse or not.

That's affirmative.

Are you planning any no-COMM midcourse at 134 and change anyway right now, or are you going to wait?

We're discussing that now, Jim, and it looks like we're going to wait on the tracking. For the time being, since you're in the corridor, why, there's no need to pass it up. But we're going to keep looking at the tracking, and we'll probably come up with one.

All right. I'm not too sure what the venting is going to do to us so—when this SHe tank ruptures, what it's going to do for us.

Roger. We don't presently expect the SHe tank to have any effect on your trajectory, and the pressure's up to 1921 now.

Hey, it's going a lot better than we ever expected. What a way to get a data point.

And, Jack, just think. You thought you were going to sleep through all your watches.

Say again, Jim.

I said, you thought you were going to sleep through all you watches.

Well, you keep waking me up.

Aquarius, Houston. You notice anything?

Yes, Jack. I was just about ready to call you. Underneath quad 4, I noticed a lot of sparklies going out.

Can you hear or feel anything?

No, I sure can't, but I think it changed our—it changed our PTC. Let me check and see what the drift is.

Okay. She's going down through 600 now.

I think we're probably going to have to reestablish PTC. Yes, we got pretty fast yaw drifting, Jack.

Houston, Aquarius. What are your plans?

We're thinking about them right now. Did you say it yawed some?

Yes, I was in a right yaw and now I'm in a left yaw; at a much faster rate than the one we put in PTC.

Okay, Jim. We're talking it over. Stand by.

What's the SHe tank down to now, Jack?

Okay, Jim. It's going through 125 pounds now. And we understood you to say —

Okay.

— that it reversed your yaw. Is that affirmative?

Sure did, Jack. It reversed my yaw completely and put in a little pitch, I think.

But more than anything, it reversed my yaw.

Roger. Have you effectively established PTC in the opposite direction then?

Well, you could say that. I'm not too sure just what kind of pitch or roll I've got, coupled with the yaw. I just saw the Earth go by the LMP's window here, not too long ago at a rather faster rate than we had going the other direction.

Perhaps you can tell how fast I'm having to shift OMNIs.

Yes, we can tell the COMM cycling back and forth.

Is that what they call a nonpropulsive vent?

Right. I'd hate to see a propulsive one.

You and me both.

It's going through 50 pounds now. So, are you seeing fewer sparklies?

Yes. Much fewer. Not any at all, now. I'm not sure whether that vent gave me reverse yaw and roll—left roll—that's—if that's what it gave me.

You say you think it might have given you some left roll as opposed to opposite yaw.

I'm sure it gave me the yaw, Jack, but I'm not too sure …

Okay. We'd kind of like to watch it, see what happens for a little while before we make a recommendation. However, we'll need some inputs from you on that.

Well, we're in no trouble up here as far as—as far as the yaw goes. Everything's fine. It's faster than we had set up before. We just wanted to get into proper thermal constraint, and it's going to take me 15 minutes to get the thrusters up anyway.

Okay, Skipper. We don't see any thermal problems as a result of this change. If we see some communications problems, we may have to do something different, but so far, so good. And we'd kind of like to hear from you on LPD numbers, if you get anything going by the window.

Okay. Will do.

Okay, Jim. Your luck is holding. Tracking shows that your entry angle has gone up to minus 6.24. This is on the basis of all the data we've collected between the midcourse up to the time the SHe tank went. So we'll continue to look at it, and see if SHe tank did anything to it at all. So it's—The data has gone from 5.9 to a minus 6.24.

How are you doing, Jim?

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Is Jack in the sack, or is he with you?

Jack and Fred both are going to sleep. It's sort of humorous; Fred's sleeping place now is in the tunnel, upside down with his head resting on the ascent engine. Jack is on the floor of the LM, with a restraint … wrapped around his arm to keep him down there.

You say Jack is on the floor, and Fred is with his head on the ascent engine.

Okay, Skipper. Your luck is really hanging in there. Your water's good up to 161 hours now.

Hey, that sounds great.

That doesn't include PLSS water or command module water.

Okay. Jack, I'd just like to know what—what plans or thoughts being contemplated for the PLSSs or the OPS, whether we're going to use their LiOH canisters or take the devices back in the command module with us, or just what will be your plans.

Yes. We're talking all that over now. We haven't decided.

Everything's running real smooth over in Timber Cove, Jim.

Sounds pretty good. How about at El Lago?

Same. Everything's smooth there, too.

Jim, we've had a lot of people working on the entry procedures, and they'll be continuing to do so. We got a few ideas we'd like to toss at you so you can start thinking about them if you think you're in a position to discuss them without waking up the other guys. What do you think?

Yes, go ahead. It's okay.

Okay. A suited entry would sort of … the 1-hour LM jettison back and … back and forth up to that time. … impede our progress back and forth. …

We're losing you, Jim

Okay. I think I've got you back. I guess the midcourse at 5 hours prior to …

Affirmative, Jim. Midcourse 5 hours prior to entry interface.

If that's the case, all I'm worried about is having that all squared away. It's long before that … I want everything in its place. All the stowage cleared away, all the … ready to go and know exactly what to do and … so that we can do the midcourse, and … get into the command module … jettison the service module, and then know exactly how to get into the LM.

Roger. All those procedures will work—will be worked out precisely, and we agree that the stowage and all of those peripheral details ought to be taken care of before midcourse.

And, I guess, that last midcourse, we'd want to start looking at midcourse fairly early, if we have the power to do so, mainly because of attitude control. This last time was fairly easy, but I'm not too sure how long we can continue to …

I have … in, and it seems about as cold as it is now, we'll probably be going into suits long before entry.

Yes. That's what we were thinking.

I guess the two things which are somewhat unresolved at the moment are what to do with the OPS and what to do about the suited entry. We thought we'd toss those at you to see what you thought about them.

Okay. As far as the OPS is concerned, we have enough oxygen in the spacecraft … to get us through. I have no … command module … suit loop prior to entry. I was looking at … OPS … sources of oxygen … also in the—in the front of the suit loop or … circulate …

Jim, I'm sorry. We're not catching what you're saying. The COMM is getting kind of bad right now.

Okay, Jack. How do you read now?

I've still got you with quite a bit of background noise, but if you talk up like that, I think we can hear you.

Okay. My only concern about leaving the OPS and/or the PLSS in the command module is how soon do we have to live off the command module consumables prior to entry, and the PLSS has a fan and has a lithium hydroxide … use the command module system. Also, the OPS … right now … command module … command module oxygen and electrical power is … but I had just as soon be … back in the LM.

It sounds like the general gist of your comments are that if things remain pretty much as they are now in the command module, you'd just as soon leave the OPS in the LM. Is that affirm?

That's affirm.

Okay. And maybe you'd like to think over the suited entry bit a little while.

Okay.

Houston, Aquarius.

Go ahead.

Okay … How we aline the command module right for entry, especially if you have the LM in back. Over.

Roger. That's one subject that's been getting a lot of attention, and let me see if I can get some general ideas on that at the moment.

Jim, I can give you the general idea of the proposed procedure for bringing the command module G&N up. It's the presently proposed one. We may come up with a better one, but here's what we're looking at right now. First thing we plan to do is to—using the LM COAS, sight on the Earth with the LM just as we did in the midcourse. Then we'll do a body-axis aline, 400 plus 5 on the ACS, to put the AGS ball at 000. And then we can give you an AGS ball attitude to fly to, to point the CSM optics at the Moon. And, if you can see stars, why, we can use those too. Then we can give you an equivalent set of CDU angles to put into NOUN 20 and to torque the platform over. So, now we're coarse alined. Then we do a fine aline by shooting at the Moon and then at the Sun. Do you follow all that?

Okay, Jack. Let me see if I have it. What we do is point the LM at the Earth as we did for the midcourse COAS, and we do a body-axis aline on the AGS. Then you give us an AGS ball attitude to fly to. … the LM, and then we … point the … at the Moon. Then you would update the—give us some CDUs to coarse aline. … fine aline … on stars or the Moon or the Earth. Stand by. Okay. We had another MASTER ALARM, Jack. I don't see any lights down there, except the battery light's still there. You want — … display ECS. Okay. And the number 2 battery still has a light on it. I suspect it may be the same problem that we had before … …