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

Exploring the Unknown 305
McDivitt
Yes, that’s right. I don’t think that’s the way it should be done. It was just too
bad that we had a time limit on it, but when we did get rid of the booster, or the
booster no longer became a part of the flight plan, then the time limit vanished.
We found out that we really needed that extra orbit, or probably could have used
another 20 minutes.
White
Yes. We went back. And I remember as we came over Carnarvon, we had about
a 15 minute chat back and forth - kind of a rest period. We were all hooked
up at that time, and that’s the time we went on the repress flow, ready for the
depressuriza tion. I think they gave us a GO then for our EVA.
McDivitt
That’s right. We depressurized the cabin and got down to 2 psi to check our blood
pressure. We tried to put our blood pressure plugs in the blood pressure plug port
and found out that we didn’t have any blood pressure plugs on either suit. This
was quite a surprise - an unpleasant one, I might add. Well, we decided that from
our past experience and our know ledge of the suit that, even if we did spring a
leak in the blood pressure cuff, the size hole that we had in the suit would not be
catastrophic, and we decided to go ahead with the EVA.
White
It was within the capability of the system we were using.
McDivitt
At Carnarvon we not only got the go-ahead to start the depressurization, we also
got the go-ahead to open up the hatch, the go-ahead that we weren’t supposed to
get until Hawaii. So, we went ahead and did that.
White
Yes. I’m kind of curious of the whole time. We were out nearly an orbit, I think. We
didn’t get it closed back again till we got back around to Carnarvon.
McDivitt
We were in a whole orbit depressurized.
White
Yes, I don’t think people quite realize that.
[4-26]
McDivitt
We’ll remind them. As we got to the hatch opening thing, we had our first
difficulties with the hatch. The gain gear, I guess you want to call it -- actually I call
it the ratchet--didn’t want to engage into the UNLOCK position. We fooled with
it a few times and it finally engaged in the UNLOCK position, and Ed was able to
go ahead and start.