Exploring the Unknown: Selected Documents in ... - The Black Vault

Exploring the Unknown 195
I suspect body temperature may have increased slightly, I at no time really
felt uncomfortable. I, of course, shifted around continuously to try to
get proper circulation, particularly in the lower limbs, and found that
normal upper torso and arm movements and following sequence items
were such that proper circulation was provided. The couch fit was fine.
The helmet fit and sponge support was fine for the static condition. I’ll
describe other deviations later.
9. “The parachute is definitely in the way of a yaw movement. When you
make an attempt to yaw left, the wrist seal bearing on the right wrist bumps
into the parachute, not to the point where it makes less yaw possible, but
it certainly does interfere with it. It also, of course, interferes with the
voice-operated relay sensitivity control and voice-operated relay shutoff
switch which I did reach later in the flight using the ‘window pole’. So
then we had several holds during the count, but my general comfort was
maintained, and I found as we did finally proceed down to the last part of
the count that my pulse rate did appreciably increase.
10. “I felt no apprehension at any time, but I did find that if I thought
that some people were a little slow in reporting that their panel was in
GO condition, I started to get a little bit flustered. I think that I was
anxious to go at this point after having been in the capsule for some
time. 2 The transition from the freon flow to suit capsule water flow was
made smoothly even though we were very late in the count at that time.
11. [Page A11-14] “The transfer from MOPIS circuitry to RF was made
smoothly. I was able to transmit and get an RF check with the control
center and with the chase planes as well as with the block house in plenty
of time prior to T minus one minute, when, of course, attention did
naturally shift to the umbilical and the periscope.
12. “Backtracking here slightly, I see that I have slipped by gantry removal
at –55 which, as far as I was concerned, posed no problem to me. I was
well tied in by that time, and at –45 the panel check posed no problem. I
had no difficulty at any time with the CTC 3 on any of the check-off items
– I think primarily due to his foresightedness in reading the check-off lists
when he had the opportunity, rather than following the launch count
document to the second. Escape tower arming at –22 was no problem
– all you had to do was throw a switch, and, as all know, the escape tower
did not fire. The T-15 panel check was satisfactory, the –5 status check
was satisfactory, and I would say that the countdown right up to the point
of umbilical pull indeed was satisfactory. This ties me back in where I was
before, to the periscope.
13. “I noticed the umbilical go out and I saw the head of the boom start
to drop away as the periscope retracted electrically. This fact was reported
as well as main bus voltage and current over RF prior to lift-off. I had
2. About 4 hours by now.
3. Capsule Test Conductor