Spacelog Apollo 11

No, that's fine. I just wanted to confirm that. Until 79 10, then we'll breeze around here in orbit.

Roger. And we've got an observation you can make if you have some time up there. There's been some lunar transient events reported in the vicinity of Aristarchus. Over.

Roger. We just went into spacecraft darkness. Until then, why, we couldn't see a thing down below us. But now, with earthshine, the visibility is pretty fair. Looking back behind me, now, I can see the corona from where the Sun has just set. And we'll get out the map and see what we can find around Aristarchus

We're coming upon Aristarchus right now —

— Okay. Aristarchus is at angle Echo 9 on your ATO chart. It's about 394 miles north of track. However, at your present altitude, which is about 167 nautical miles, it ought to be over—that is within view of your horizon: 23 degrees north, 47 west. Take a look and see if you see anything worth noting up there. Over.

Both looking.

Houston, 11. It might help us a little bit if you could give us a time of crossing of 45 west.

Say again, please, 11.

You might give us a time of crossing of 45 west, and then we'll know when to start searching for Aristarchus.

Roger. You'll be crossing 45 west at 77 04 10 or about 40 seconds from now. Over. Thirty seconds from now.

Okay.

Apollo 11, when we lose the S-band, we'd like to get OMNI Charlie from you. And update my last, that 77 04 was the time when Aristarchus should become visible over your horizon. 77 12 is point of closest approach south of it. Over.

Okay. That sounds better because we just went by Copernicus a little bit ago.

Roger. We show you at about 27 degrees longitude right now.

Righto.

Houston, when a star sets up here, there's no doubt about it. One instant it's there, and the next instant it's just completely gone.

Apollo 11, this is Houston. We request you use OMNI Charlie at this time. Over.

Okay. Going to OMNI Charlie.

Houston, Apollo 11.

Apollo 11, this is Houston. Go ahead.

Roger. Seems to me since we know orbits so precisely, and know where the stars are so precisely, and the time of setting of a star or a planet to so very fine a degree, that this might be a pretty good means of measuring the altitude of the horizon …

Roger.

Hey, Houston. I'm looking north up toward Aristarchus now, and I can't really tell at that distance whether I am really looking at Aristarchus, but there's an area that is considerably more illuminated than the surrounding area. It just has—seems to have a slight amount of fluorescence to it. A crater can be seen, and the area around the crater is quite bright.

Roger, 11. We copy.

Houston, Apollo 11. Looking up at the same area now and it does seem to be reflecting some of the earthshine. I'm not sure whether it was worked out to be about zero phase to—Well, at least there is one wall of the crater that seems to be more illuminated than the others, and that one—if we are lining up with the Earth correctly, does seem to put it about at zero phase. That area is definitely lighter than anything else that I could see out this window. I am not sure that I am really identifying any phosphorescence, but that definitely is lighter than anything else in the neighborhood.

11, this is Houston. Can you discern any difference in color of the illumination, and is that an inner or an outer wall from the crater? Over.

Roger. That's an inner wall of the crater.

No, there doesn't appear to be any color involved in it, Bruce.

Roger. You said inner wall. Would that be the inner edge of the northern surface?

I guess it would be the inner edge of the westnorthwest part, the part that would be more nearly normal if you were looking at it from the Earth.

11, Houston. Have you used the monocular on this? Over.

Stand by one.

Roger. Like you to know this quest for science has caused me to lose my E memory program, it's in here somewhere, but I can't find it.

11, this is Houston. We're—we're hearing only a partial COMM. Say again please.

I think …

Houston, we will give it a try if we have the opportunity on next—when we are not in the middle of lunch, and trying to find the monocular.

Roger. Copied you that time. Expect in the next REV you will probably be getting ready for LOI 2.

So, let's wind this up, and since we've got some other things to talk to you about in a few minutes. Over.

Apollo 11, this is Houston. Over.

Go ahead, Houston.

11, this is Houston. We're targeting—planning to make the LOI 2 burn now using bank A only. We'll have the PAD and everything for you next time around. Just trying to economise a little on bank B. Bank B is holding, though.

Apollo 11, this is Houston. Over.

Go ahead.

Roger. Do you have a location on that one?

No, not a precise one. I've got several pictures of it, though.

Roger. We copy.

We're getting a beautiful picture in down there now, 11. The color's coming in quite clearly, and we can see the horizon and the relative blackness of space, and without getting into the question of grays and browns, it looks, at least on our monitor, sort of a brownish gray.

That's a good, reasonable way of describing it. It appears to me as though it made a difference just sitting back in the tunnel and gazing at all windows; it makes a difference which one you're looking out of. For example, the camera right now is looking out the number 5 window, and it definitely gives a rosier or tanner tinge, especially when you look straight through it and not at an angle. Over.

Roger.

And if you rear back 95 or 100 degrees …

… Still holding … Okay.

Say again, 11?

I'd say we're about 95 degrees east, coming up on Smyth's Sea.

Roger. And for your information, we show you at an altitude of about 92 miles above the surface right now.

Okay.

Houston, Apollo 11. Could you observe a difference in the N₂ pressures before LOI? It seems to me as though the two were not equal on the … B tank was a little low on pressure. Over.

I'm flying it in SPS minimum impulse, Houston, and it's rather difficult to keep it on a constant data. The LM wants to wander up and down. I'm not sure if it's in response to MASCONN's or what, but I can get it completely stabilized in DATA and let it alone, and in another couple of minutes it will have developed its own rate.

This is Houston. Roger.

Houston, we'll be moving shortly from the side window to the hatch window, and we'll try and pick up some of the landmarks that we'll be looking at as we approach the powered descent. Over.

11, this is Houston. Roger. And we're through with the uplinks; the computer is yours. You can go to BLOCK and we'll have the information on nitrogen for you shortly. Over.

Roger. Copy.

Okay, Houston. Several minutes ago I was exactly steady on data, and since then I have been moving toward the LM, pointed straight down toward the radius vector, and that's been despite a number of down minimum pitch impulses.

Roger.