Phase 3: To the Moon

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Apollo 11, this is Houston. Do you read? Over.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Roger, Houston. Apollo 11. We're reading a VI of 35579 and the EMS was plus 3.3. Over.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Roger. Plus 3.3 on the EMS. And we copy the VI.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Hey, Houston, Apollo 11. That Saturn gave us a magnificent ride.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Roger, 11. We'll pass that on. And, it certainly looks like you are well on your way now.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

We have no complaints with any of the three stages on that ride. It was beautiful.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Roger. We copy. No transients at staging of any significance. Over.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

That's right. It was all—all a good ride.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Apollo 11, this is Houston. For your information, we expect the maneuver to separation attitude to begin at 3 plus 05 plus 03, and to be completed at plus 09 plus 20. Separation at 3 plus 15 plus 00.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Roger. Time to begin maneuver is 3 05 03, complete 3 09 20. Separation 3 plus 15 00.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Roger. That separation should be 3 plus 15 03. My error in reading up.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Apollo 11, this is Houston. All the booster functions are proceeding normally. The sequencing is in good shape, and it doesn't look like they are having any problems at all. Over.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Apollo 11, this is Houston. Our preliminary data indicates a good cut-off on the S-IVB. We'll have some more trajectory data for you in about half an hour. Over.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Apollo 11, Apollo 11, this is Houston. Over.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Apollo 11, Apollo 11, this is Houston. Over.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Hello, Houston. Hello, Houston. This is Apollo 11. I'm reading you loud and clear. Go ahead. Over.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Roger, 11. This is Houston. We had to shift stations. We weren't reading you through Goldstone. We show PYRO bus A armed and PYRO bus B not armed at the present time. Over.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

That's affirmative, Houston. That's affirmative.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Apollo 11, this is Houston. You're GO for separation. Our systems recommendation is arm both PYRO buses. Over.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Okay. PYRO B coming armed. My intent is to use bottle primary 1, as per the checklist; therefore, I just turned A on.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Roger. We concur with the logic.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Houston, we're about to SEP.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Key moment The Command Module docks with Eagle: SEP is complete.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

… and primary and secondary propellant B went … SEP.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

That was secondary propellant on quad Bravo?

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Quad Bravo, yes. Both the primary and secondary …

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Apollo 11, this is Houston. Radio check. Over.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Apollo 11, Apollo 11, this is Houston broadcasting in the blind. Request OMNI Bravo if you read us. Request OMNI Bravo. Out.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Apollo 11, this is Houston. How do you read?

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Apollo 11, this is Houston. How do you read? Over.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Apollo 11, Apollo 11, this is Houston. Do you read? Over.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Apollo 11, this is Houston. Radio check. Over.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Apollo 11, Apollo 11, this is Houston. Radio check. Over.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Apollo 11, this is Houston. Radio check. Over.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Roger. We're copying you about five-by-two, very weak. Can you give us a status report, please?

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Roger. We are docked. We do have acquisition with the high gain at this time, I think.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Understand you are using the high gain. Over.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Roger. I read you very loud and clear, Buzz. Mike is pretty weak.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Roger. We've got the high gain locked on, now, I believe; AUTO tracking now.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Okay. You're coming in loud and clear, but Mike is just barely readable.

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Michael Collins (CMP)

That was Neil. How are you reading Mike?

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Spoken on July 16, 1969, 5:02 p.m. UTC (54 years, 8 months ago). Link to this transcript range is: Tweet

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Loud and clear now, Mike, and we understand that you are docked.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Houston, CDR. How do you read …?

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

11, CDR, loud and clear, Neil.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Houston, Apollo 11. Go ahead.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Roger. When you commented on that quad Bravo problem at separation, you were a little weak. Could you go through what you did after you noticed the talkbacks barber pole again, please?

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

We copied the—the primary and secondary propellant talkbacks on SM RCS quad Bravo 1 to barber pole on separation.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Roger. Roger. That is affirmative, and we moved that switch to the OPEN position, and they went back to gray. Over.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Apollo 11, this is Houston. Over.

Michael Collins (CMP)

Roger, Houston. Apollo 11. Go ahead.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Roger. Could you give us comments on how the transposition and docking went? Over.

Michael Collins (CMP)

I thought it went pretty well, Houston, although I expect I used more gas than I've been using in the simulator. The turnaround maneuver—I went PITCH ACCEL COMMAND and started to pitch up, and then when I put MANUAL ATTITUDE PITCH back to RATE COMMAND for some reason it—it stopped its pitch rate, and I had to go back to ACCEL COMMAND and hit what I thought was an extra PROCEED on the DSKY. During the course of that, we drifted slightly further away from the S-IVB than I expected. I expected to be out about 66 feet. My guess would be I was around 100 or so; and therefore, I expect I used a bit more coming back in. But, except for using a little more gas—And I'd be interested in your numbers on that—everything went nominally.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

This is Houston. Roger. We copy.

Michael Collins (CMP)

Houston, Apollo 11. Over.

Michael Collins (CMP)

Roger. We're working on the pressurization of the LM now, and working off the decal with CSM-LM pressure equalization. And we're down to step 13, where we're waiting for the cabin pressure to be 5, or it should be roughly 5, before we turn the REPRESS package O2 valve to FILL. Instead of 5, we're running about 4.4. Over.

Michael Collins (CMP)

And Houston, Apollo 11. We did put the REPRESS package O2 valve to FILL momentarily there at step 13, and we have filled the bottles back up partially. What's the pressure reading in there, Neil?

Michael Collins (CMP)

We have about 450 psi now in the three 1-pound bottles.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Roger. Stand by a second, please.

Michael Collins (CMP)

Roger. Standing by. The REPRESS package valve is now in the OFF position. What's the cabin pressure now, Buzz? Cabin pressure is now 4.5.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Houston, Apollo 11. We think these readings are within normal tolerances. We just wanted to get your concurrence before we press down any further with these decals.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Houston, Apollo 11. How do you read?

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Apollo 11, this is Houston. Go ahead.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Roger. LM looks to be in pretty fine shape from about all we can see from here.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Okay. In reference to your question on this step 13 on the decal, I understand that you have used up the contents of the REPRESS O2 package and at that time, instead of being up to 5 psi, you were reading 4.4. Is that correct?

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Okay. And you want to know if you can go ahead and use additional oxygen to bring the command module up to 5.0 and continue the equalization? Over.

Michael Collins (CMP)

Yes. We think it's within normal tolerances, Bruce. We just wanted to get your concurrence before we press on with this procedure.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Roger, Apollo 11. Go ahead.

Michael Collins (CMP)

Okay. We're pressing on with the procedure.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

And 11, Houston. We have a request for you. On the service module secondary propellant fuel pressurization valve: As a precautionary measure, we'd like you to momentarily cycle the four switches to the CLOSE position and then release. As you know, we have no TM or talkback on these valve positions, and it's conceivable that one of them might also have been moved into a different position by the shock of separation. Over.

Michael Collins (CMP)

Okay. Good idea. That's being done.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Apollo 11, Houston. We're doing a nonpropulsive vent on the booster at the present time. You may see some sort of a cloud coming out of it. When you're ready, I have your evasive maneuver PAD.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

Roger, And it's coming out.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

It's a haze. It's going by toward our minus-X direction, and several small particles are moving along with it. The actual velocity is fairly high—at least it appears to be high. And we've got an O2 high—it's a little high right now.

Neil Armstrong (CDR)

And, Houston, you, might be interested that out my left-hand window right now, I can observe the entire continent of North America, Alaska, and over the Pole, down to the Yucatan Peninsula, Cuba, northern part of South America, and then I run out of window.

Buzz Aldrin (LMP)

Houston, Apollo 11. All 12 latches are locked.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

Roger. 11, this is Houston. Understand 12 latches locked.

Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM)

11, Houston. Whenever you're possessed of a free moment there, we've got this evasive maneuver PAD.