Apollo 11 transcript starting at 04 13 43 18 on Spacelog

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04 13 43 18
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Isn't that something! Magnificent sight out here.
04 13 43 24
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Magnificent desolation.
04 13 43 47
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Looks like the secondary strut *** little thermal effects on it right here, Neil.
04 13 43 54
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Yes. I noticed that. That seems to be the worst, although similar effects are on—all around.
04 13 44 07
Multiple speakers: … powder, isn't it?
04 13 44 09
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Isn't it fine?
04 13 44 11
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Right in this area I don't think there's much of any *** fine powder *** clods together, and it's hard to tell whether it's a clod or a rock.
04 13 44 23
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Notice how you can kick it out.
04 13 44 28
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Yes. And it bounces and then -
04 13 44 55
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Reaching down is fairly easy. I got my suit dirty at this stage.
04 13 45 11
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): The mass of the backpack does have some effect in inertia.
04 13 45 30
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): There's a slight tendency, I can see now, to *** backwards *** due to the soft, very soft texture.
04 13 45 45
Neil Armstrong (CDR): You're standing on a rock, a big rock there now.
04 13 46 01
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): This pad sure didn't ***
04 13 46 05
Neil Armstrong (CDR): No. It didn't.
04 13 46 08
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): There's absolutely no crater there at all from the engine.
04 13 46 10
Neil Armstrong (CDR): No.
04 13 46 12
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): I wonder if about right under the engine is where the probe might have hit.
04 13 46 20
Neil Armstrong (CDR): I'd like that.
04 13 46 25
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Yes. I think that's a good representation of our sideward velocity at touchdown there—hole at the probe.
04 13 46 30
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): I see that probe over on the minus-Y strut. It's broken off and bent back up.
04 13 46 40
Neil Armstrong (CDR): It did, didn't it? The other two both bent over.
04 13 47 04
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Can't say too much for the visibility right here without the visor up. It's dark. It looks like there is a *** surface of it is *** pounded rock *** And incidentally, these rocks *** very powdery surface ***
04 13 47 40
Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM): Say again, please, Buzz; you're cutting out.
04 13 47 45
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): I say that the rocks are rather slippery.
04 13 47 50
Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM): Roger.
04 13 47 52
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): A powdery surface when the sun hits. *** they split up all the very little fine porouses *** Will tend to slide over it rather easily.
04 13 48 25
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Traction *** seems quite good. ***
04 13 48 30
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): *** About to lose my balance in one direction and recovery is a quite natural and very easy *** And, moving your arms around, Jack, doesn't *** off the surface *** not quite that light-footed.
04 13 49 06
Neil Armstrong (CDR): And, I have the insulation off the MESA now and MESA seems to be in good shape.
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04 13 49 13
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Got to be careful that you are leaning in the direction you want to go, otherwise you *** slightly inebriated. In other words, you have to cross your foot over to stay underneath where your center-of-mass is.
04 13 49 37
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): And, Neil, didn't I say we might see some purple rocks?
04 13 49 42
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Find a purple rock?
04 13 49 44
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Yes. They are small, sparkly *** fragments *** places *** would make a first guess that some sort of biotite *** We'll leave that to further analysis ***
04 13 50 28
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): *** compact underneath *** completely no *** you don't sink down more than … a quarter of an inch.
04 13 50 59
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Okay, Houston. I'm going to change lenses on you.
04 13 51 05
Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM): Roger, Neil.
04 13 51 30
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Okay, Houston. Tell me if you're getting a new picture.
04 13 51 35
Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM): Neil, this is Houston. That's affirmative. We're getting a new picture. You can tell it's a longer focal length lens. And for your information, all LM systems are GO. Over.
04 13 51 46
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): We appreciate that. Thank you.
04 13 52 19
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Neil is now unveiling the plaque *** gear.
04 13 52 27
Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM): Roger. We got you boresighted, but back under one track.
04 13 52 40
Neil Armstrong (CDR): For those who haven't read the plaque, we'll read the plaque that's on the front landing gear of this LM. First there's two hemispheres, one showing each of the two hemispheres of the Earth. Underneath it says “Here Man from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon, July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.” It has the crew members' signatures and the signature of the President of the United States.
04 13 53 35
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Ready for the camera?
04 13 53 38
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): No. I'll get it. No, you take this TV on out.
04 13 53 45
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Watch the LEC, there.
04 13 53 53
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Now I'm afraid these … materials are going to get dusty ***
04 13 54 07
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): The surface material is powdery. *** How good your lens is, but if you can *** smudges … very much like a very finely powdered carbon, but it's very pretty looking.
04 13 54 40
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Would you pull out some of my cable for me, Buzz?
04 13 54 58
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Houston. How close are you able to get things in focus ?
04 13 55 02
Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM): This is Houston. We can see Buzz's right hand. It is somewhat out of focus. I'd say we were focusing down to probably—oh, about 8 inches to a foot behind the position of his hand when he was pulling out the cable.
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04 13 55 21
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Okay. How's the temperature on there?
04 13 55 25
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Temperature of the camera is showing zero.
04 13 55 32
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): I'm a little cool. I think I'll trade ***
04 13 55 43
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): I'm on intermediate now, Houston, and I show 3.78. No flags, 70 ***
04 13 55 50
Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM): Houston. Roger. Out.
04 13 55 57
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): And, we'll probably need a little *** distance *** back location *** television camera.
04 13 56 14
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Neil, look at the minus Y-strut, the direction of travel there *** travel from right to left.
04 13 56 24
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Right.
04 13 56 25
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): This one over here underneath the ascent engine where the probe first hit—the minus-Y probe first hit.
04 13 56 35
Neil Armstrong (CDR): I got plenty of cable?
04 13 56 38
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): You've got plenty. Plenty more.
04 13 56 48
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Okay. I think I've got the end of it.
04 13 56 51
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Something interesting: in the bottom of this little crater here—It may be -
04 13 57 01
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Now keep going. We've got a lot more.
04 13 57 03
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Okay.
04 13 57 04
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Getting a little harder to pull out, here.
04 13 57 30
Neil Armstrong (CDR): How far would you say I am, Buzz?
04 13 57 33
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Forty, 50 feet. Why don't you turn around and let them get a view from there and see what the field of view looks like?
04 13 57 42
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Okay.
04 13 57 45
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): You're backing into the cable.
04 13 57 46
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Okay.
04 13 57 50
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Turn around to your right, would be better.
04 13 57 53
Neil Armstrong (CDR): I don't want to go into the Sun if I can avoid it.
04 13 57 55
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): That's right. Yes.
04 13 57 59
Neil Armstrong (CDR): I'll just leave it —
04 13 58 01
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): — All right.
04 13 58 02
Neil Armstrong (CDR): — sit like that and walk around it.
04 13 58 06
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Houston. How's that field of view going to pick up the MESA? *** far away?
04 13 58 15
Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM): Roger.
04 13 58 20
Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM): Neil, this is Houston. The field of view is okay. We'd like you to aim it a little bit more to the right. Over.
04 13 58 28
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Okay.
04 13 58 32
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Okay. That's all the cable we have. *** not going out. I'll start working on the solar wind —
04 13 58 40
Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM): A little bit too much to the right. Can you bring it back left about 4 or 5 Degrees?
04 13 58 50
Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM): Okay. That looks good Neil.
04 13 58 55
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Okay, now. Do you think I ought to be farther away, or closer?
04 13 59 01
Buzz Aldrin (LMP): Can't get too much further away.
04 13 59 05
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Let's try it like that for a while. I'll get a couple of panoramas with it, here.
04 13 59 13
Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM): Roger. You look okay as far as distance goes, Neil. And we'll line you up again when you finish the panorama. Now you're going too fast on the panorama sweep. You're going to have to stop, or -
04 13 59 28
Neil Armstrong (CDR): I haven't stopped—I haven't set it down yet. That's the first picture in the panorama. Right there.
04 13 59 35
Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM): Roger.
04 13 59 40
Neil Armstrong (CDR): It's taken just a little—about north, north east.
04 13 59 52
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Tell me if you've got a picture, Houston.
04 13 59 54
Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM): We've got a beautiful picture, Neil.
04 13 59 58
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Okay. I'm going to move it.
04 14 00 10
Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM): Okay. Here's another good one.
04 14 00 23
Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM): Okay, we got that one.
04 14 00 29
Neil Armstrong (CDR): Okay. Now, this one is right down front, straight west. And I want to know if you can see an angular rock in the foreground.
04 14 00 41
Bruce McCandless (CAPCOM): Roger. We have a large angular rock in the foreground, and it looks like a much smaller rock a couple of inches to the left of it. Over.
04 14 00 52
Neil Armstrong (CDR): All right. And then on beyond it about 10 feet is an even larger rock that's very rounded. That rock is about—The closest one to you is about sticking out of the sand about 1 foot. And it's about a foot and one half long, and it's about 6 inches thick, but it's standing on edge.

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