Skylab 4 PAO Mission Commentary 8 of 32

SL-IV MC700/I
TIME: 09:30 CST, 21:15:30 GMT

12/6/73
CC Skylab, Houston, we're about 30 seconds

from LOS. We'll call you at the Vanguard at 15:47.
CDR Roger, Dick. We think we see the phenomenon
that was mentioned in the message. We do see the cloud
streets with the arcs of cumulus overlayed. There are some
differences in color of the water surface underneath
running from dark blue to light to the green. Therels no
Sun glint how - however to help us out.
CC Roger, Jerry. Thank you.
CDR We grabbed a few Nikon 55 millimeter
pictures of it.
CC Okay. And we're assuming that if you'll
get a chance you'll put a more detailed description on the
tape recorder.
CDR That's affirmative.
CC Okay.
PAO Skylab Control, Greenwich mean time,
15 hours, 37 minutes. We've had loss of signal through the Mila
tracking station. Next acquisition in 8 minutes, 50 seconds,
will be at Vanguard. The crew reports did see color changes
in the water on this pass over Yucatan. They were asked to
describe unusual energy interchange between the atmosphere
and the water. They described seeing a a color difference
in the water from dark blue to green. They did take some
photographs of the cloud streets as they were asked to des-
cribe and photograph on this pass through the Yucatan channel.
Next acquisition will be Vanguard in 8 minutes, 15 seconds,
the crew in their 21 day in orbit. Commander Gerald Cart
will be shortly beginning the MO92/MI71 lower body negative
pressure metabolic activity experiment, while Science Pilot
Bill Pogue will be at the Apollo Telescope mount. A 2 hour -
A 2-1/2 hour assignment for him today. Total of 6 hours and 32 minutes
is scheduled[ to be spent by the crew members on the ATM today.
Next acquisition will be Vanguard in 7 minutes, 35 seconds,
Greenwich mean time 15 hours, 39 minutes. This is Skylab
Control.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're AOS Vanguard for
9 minutes. And I forgot to warn you at the LOS for the last
site_ but we're dumping the data voice recorder here at Vanguard.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're about 1 minute
from LOS. We got - Wetll see you after the long way around at
Goldstone at 16:58, that's about an hour and 4 minutes from
now.
CDR Roger, Dick. Any on that $233 I think maybe
the night pass after next might be a good time to schedule that.
SL-IV MC700/2
TIME: 09:30 CST, 21:15:30 GMT
12/6/73
CC Roger. We were Just talking about that and

when we get to Goldstone, we'll probably have a suggestion
for you.
CDR Okay.
15 hours, 56 minutes. Loss of signal through the Vanguard
tracking station. Next acquisition will be Goldstone in
i hour, and 2 minutes from now.
PAO This is Skylab Control, Greenwich mean
time, 15 hours, 56 minutes.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-701/I
Time: 09:55 CST 21:15:55 GMT
12/6/73
PAO Skylab Control, Greenwich mean time 16

hours 41 minutes. We will have acquisition through the
Goldstone tracking station in 16 minutes 20 seconds. On the
previous pass the Yucatan phenomenon viewed today by Skylab IV
Commander Gerald Carr is an oceanographic feature discovered
only 2 weeks ago by Dr. Robert Stevenson of the Office of
Naval Research, Scripts Institute of Oceanography of La Jolla,
California. This unusual feature, described by Carr during
this previous pass over the Yucatan Peninsula was discovered
by Stevenson when viewing SI90A photographs from recent
Skylab flights. He described the phenomenon as eddys, cold
water curre:nts moving against the normally warm main channel
current. Tihis phenomenon has never been seen or recorded
prior to Skylab missions, according to Dr. Stevenson, who is
a member of the NASA visual observation team which briefed
the Skylah IV crew prior to launch on more than i00 selected
targets of interest around the globe. The eddys are turbulent
cold water currents measuring i0 to 40 miles in diameter
and rotate in a clockwise motion in the warmer Gulf of Mexico.
This discowery may change the entire thinking and total under-
standing of thermal energy of the oceans. Dr. Stevenson said
we are completely wrong in our thinking presently. Under-
standing of this feature will help in weather predictions
as well as the fishery industry. The crew was passed up a
two page message this morning on the teleprinter in which
they were asked to describe the feature as the crossed over
the Yucatan channel in the Gulf of Mexico during this previous
revolution. Carr described the water color as ranging from
dark blue to green. Although the area was partially covered
with cumulus clouds, Carr was able to see the tell tale cloud
streets which run parallel in a north-south direction on
either side of the cold water eddys. The warmer Gulf water
transfers heat to the cooler atmosphere causing cloud forma-
tions. In the case of the eddys the area immediately over-
head is normally cloudless, according to Dr. Stevenson. Dr.
Stevenson as well as other investigators will be most inter-
ested in the photographs and further descriptions Commander
Cart puts on the tape recorder of his find on this previous
pass. The message this morning advised the crew that this
unusual phenomenon will not be viewable again, because of the
Sun angle, until mid-January. Today was the last day it could
have been viewed with this proper Sun angle. Next acquisition
in 13 minutes and 20 seconds will be the Goldstone tracking
station. Ai_ Greenwich mean time 16 hours 45 minutes this
is Skylab Control.
hours 57 minutes. We will have acquisition through Goldstone
in 50 seconds. We'll hold the line up for this pass.
SL-IV MC-701/2
Time: 09:55 CST 21:15:55 OMT
12/6/73
CC Skylab, Kouston. We're AOS Goldstone and

Texas for 13 minutes.
PLT Roger. This is PLT on the ATM with a ques-
tion.
CC Go ahead. Roger, Bill; go ahead.
PLT Okay. Just gettting my papers together
here. I had the truncate or at lease discontinue this 5 Charlie
JOP 5 Charlie step 3 at the end of the orbit. Now, the impli-
cation by all the data that's given here is that one ought
to continue the thing on the following orbit, and then indicates
going to hole, on the 82B as opposed to STOP, but it doesn't
say truncate. Now I started up continuing the 5 Charlie,
step 3 building block 13 on this orbit. Would you ask them
real quick like, do they want me to terminate this and go
into JOP 6 as per the pad or to continue this JOP 5 Charlie
for building Block 13 until it's completed?
CC Okay, Bill. Stand by for an answer.
CC PLT, Houston.
PLT Go.
CC Roger_ Bill. What we'd like you to do
is continue what you're doing in the JOP 5 - in the building
block 13 until a countdown clock time of 4 minutes remaining
and then we'd like you to use that remaining 4 minutes in
JOP 6. Over.
PLT Roger.
CC Okay.
PLT Houston, Skylab, PLT. Of course that 4 minutes
puts us almost down into ESS time, would you check that
time again? Is it 4?
CC Roger. We'll check it again, Bill.
PLT Okay. I think they probably just want
me to use 52, Dick. That - That's probably a good number.
CC Okay, Bill. Let me get right back to
you. PLT, Houston. That's affirmative. The 4 minutes is
what we would like.
PLT Okay. Thank you.
CC Roger. And, Skylab, Houston. For the
guys down doing the medical experiments, we have the remainder
of this pass and Vanguard and Tananarive coming up, and I do
have some times for $233. go anytime that you guys are con-
venient during any of these passes I can pass them up to
you so you can pick up the S233 that was dismissed earlier.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-702/I
Time: ii:05 CST 21:17:05 GMT
12/6/73
PLT Okay, Dick. Fire away. I'ii copy for

him.
CC Okay. These are changes to the existing
233 pad that's on board. We want to use the same pad except
for the following times. Comet rise, 18:20 Zulu; start photos,
18:20; and sunrise, 18:25.
PLT Roger. Use the existing 233 pad, comet
rise, 18:20, start at 18:20, and sunrise at 18:25.
CC Roger. Thank you for helping me out.
PLT Thank you.
SPT Dick, we're unable to get the handheld
photo 32-I because of weather right on the coastline. However,
the southern part of California at Baja was pretty much
wide open and - from this Sun angle. I think we got some good
photos of the (garble) running along in those areas.
CC Okay, Ed. Thank you much.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're i minute to LOS.
Vanguard comes at 17:25, and we're going to dump the data/
voice recorder there.
PLT Roger.
hours II minutes. Loss of signal through Goldstone tracking
station. The last stateside pass for the crew today on revo-
lution 2976. Pilot Bill Pogue, who is presently at the ATM,
Apollo telescope mount control and display panel, discussing
with CAP COMM Dick Truly various changes in the JOP 6, JOP
joint observation program. Flight Director Milt Windler just
received an update on the countdown in - going on at White Sands
Missile Test Range of the CALROC - calibration rocket which
is scheduled for launch between 19:00 hours and Greenwich
mean time 19:30. This is part of joint observation program
number 12. The instruments will make measurements on the
same wave lengths as the instruments aboard Skylab, and this
data will be correlated. The count at White Sands is progress-
ing according to schedule. However, they do have high winds
out there presently and Countdown Director is informed Flight
Director here, Milt Windier, everything seems to look reason-
able at this time, and another update will be given i hour
from now. Acquisition will be coming through the Vanguard
tracking station in 8 minutes 50 seconds. At Greenwich mean
time 17 hours 13 minutes, this is Skylab Control.
PAO Skylah Control, Greenwich mean time 17
hours 21 minutes. Acquisition coming through the Vanguard
tracking ship in 50 seconds, This will be a 7 minutes pass
through Vanguard. We'll hold the line up for this pass.
CC Skylab, Houston. Vanguard for ii minutes.
SL-IV MC-702/2
Time: 11:05 CST 21:17:05 GMT
12/6/73
PLT Roger, Dick.

CC PLT, Houston, when you get a chance.
PLT Go, Dick.
CC Roger, Bill. When you are in the process of
terminating your operations for this daylight cycle since of the
little turn around in the schedule we've made, what we'd
like you to do on at the end is, prior to returning to Sun
center put an 82 Bravo to STOP and then in XUV SLIT to WHITE
LIGHT DISPLAY rather than LIMB POINTING. I'm sorry. WHITE
LIGHT DISPLAY instead of LIMB SCAN.
PLT Roger, understand. Go to Sun center, 82B
STOP and SLIT to the WHITE LIGHT DISPLAY.
CC That's affirm.
CC Skylab, Houston. For the guys doing the
biomed run downstairs, we're noticing that the ESS in off and
- we couldn't figure whether, or how far you were behind
on the time line if any. And if you are, if you could let us
know your status, we might could look ahead for you on the
Flight Plan and possibly do some thinking to help you out
later.
CDR We're setting up the metabolic analyzer
now in prep for a 171.
CC Okay, Jer.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're about 20 seconds
from LOS. I'ii give you a call at Tananarive about 15 minutes
from now.
PLT Okay, Dick.
hours 34 minutes. Loss of signal through Vanguard tracking
ship. Next acquisition in 14 minutes 40 seconds will be
Tananarive. Discussions with Pilot Pogue again concerning ATM
operations. Commander Carr is scheduled to be performing the
MI71 metabolic analyzer activity experiment. He just concluded
the M092 lower body negative pressure device. Next acquisition
in 14 minutes i0 seconds will be Tananarive. At Greenwich mean
time 17 hours 34 minutes, this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC703/1
TIME: 11:48 CST, 21:17:48 GMT
12/6/73
PAO Skylah Control, Greenwich mean time,

17 hours, 48 minutes. Acquisition will be coming through the
range of the Tananarive tracking station in 45 seconds. A
7 minute, 55 minute pass. We'll hold this line up for the
Tananarive ])ass.
CC Skylah, Houston. Tananarive for
7 minutes.
PLT Roger, Dick.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're going LOS at
Tananarive. Hawaii, at 18:33.
17 hours, 56 minutes, loss of signal through the Tananarive
tracking station. Commander Gerald Carr presently scheduled
to be in his exercise period at about the same time Pilot
Pogue is in his exercise period, and shortly the crew will
be eating lunch. This is mission day 21 and the crew is on
the high density food bar diet today. Every third day they
eat specially prepared food bars along with one or more item
of the regular Skylab menu. Food bar is launched in the command
module, 59 pounds of them to suppliment the onboard food in
order to extend the mission duration without having to add
excessive amounts of food aboard the command module. Next
acquisition in 35 minutes, 15 seconds. We'll be the Hawaii
tracking station at Greenwich mean time 17 hours, 57 minutes.
This is Skylab Control.
PAO Skylab Control. Greenwich mean time
18 hours, 31 minutes. Acquisition coming through the Hawaii
tracking station in 50 seconds. We'll hold the line up for
this Hawaii pass.
CC Skylab, Houston. Hawaii for 5 minutes.
SPT Houston, SPT.
CC Roger; go ahead.
SPT Okay. In looking at the white light corona-
graph display, up at about 10:30, I had a very bright point
of light right off the aculting disc and a black line which
ran horizontal at that same elevation. It looking as though
we've got something either in the TV or something out in front, and
I'm not sure which. Is there any site at which I can either give
you a downlink or some VTR on it?
CC Roger, Ed. The VTR is empty and you can put
a little bit of it on the VTR now and we'll dump it and ana-
lize it.
SPT Okay.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're about 20 seconds
from LOS at Hawaii. l'll call you at Vanguard at 19:00.
PAO Skylab Control, Greenwich mean time
18 hours, 39 minutes. Next acquisition will be in 20 minutes,
SL-IV MC703/2
TIME: 11:48 CST, 21:17:48 GMT
12/6/73
PAO 25 seconds, through the Vanguard tracking

ship. Pilot Bill Pogue is scheduled to check out the S190
camera_ the six camera multispectral facility aboard the
spacecraft. Two pages of checkout procedures were sent up
on the teleprinter last night to troubleshoot the problem
which occured during EREP pass 2 days ago. He will be asked
to voice record all the steps as he takes them. Begins by
rotating the camera up to the intermediate position, removing
the front shield on the cameras_ and make adjustments to the
camera controls, making - reversing direction with the camera
frame mover and go through various steps and attempt to diagnose
and solve the problem which oecured 2 days ago during the EREP
pass. On this upcoming pass, the crew has the opportunity
for another handheld optional photography target, this being
the coastline of Chili and Peru and Equador. Today's - Today's
photo option is off the coast of Chili to capture photographs
of upwelling water along the coast line. Upwelling takes
place in an ocean when surface currents split or diverge and
winds push surface water away from the coastline. This is
one of three areas in the country - the world, that Skylab IV
crewmembers have - will have the opportunity to photograph.
They're looking at northern Chili, Peru, and Equador, the
Pacific coast of these islands - of these countries, as well
as the northwest coast of Africa, Portugal, and also the west
coast of New Guinea. These target opportunities are part of
the i00 or - more than i00 visual observation targets for the
crew. Earlier today they described and photographed an
oceanic feature off the Yucatan coastline. Large eddys of
cold water in the normally warm gulf of Mexico along with
unusual cloud patterns associate - associated with this cold
water. Next acquisition will be Vanguard in 17 minutes,
i0 seconds at Greenwich mean time 18 hours, 43 minutes. This
is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-704/3
Time: 12:59 CST 21:18:59 GMT
21/6/73
in ii minutes and 40 seconds as Skylab continues its scienti-

fic investigation of the Earth and the Sun, some of which
is looking at stars in distant galaxies. Today, weather per-
mitting, a balloon equiped with a special infrared camera will
be launched[ for NASA investigators around 5 p.m. central stan-
dard time, launch being made from Palestine, Texas. The
balloon, which is expected to be aloft 5 to i0 hours, depending
on wind conditions, has a liquid helium cooled infrared film camera
which will be looking toward the galactic center. The balloon
will carry the largest telescope carried aloft by a balloon.
A 30 inch cassagreen mirror was borrowed from another applica-
tion by Dr, Giovanni Lazio, principal investigator from Harvard.
For this experiment stabilizing gyroscopes used inside the
instrument package below the balloon are World War II sur-
plus items. Interest in the galactice center results from its
being a little map region of the sky. The balloon's telescope
will be pointing towards an infrared source near the middle
of the galactic center. The source does not emit visible
energy, however. Report from White Sands, New Mexico, con-
cerning the scheduled launch of the calibration rocket for
ATM corollation information. Report is that the count is at
T minus 20 minutes and holding, due to winds and a problem
in the project generally. No further information at this
time other than they're at T minus 20 and holding. The John-
son Space Center will be advised as soon as a decision is made
on launch time. Greenwich mean time 19 hours 15 minutes, with
acquisition in 9 minutes and 30 seconds through Tananarive.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-704/I
Time: 12:59 CST 21:18:59 GMT
12/6/73

hours 59 minutes, a pass through Vanguard tracking station,
I0 minutes in duration. We expect acquisition in 45 seconds.
We'll hold the line open for CAP COMM Dick Truly.
CC Skylab, Houston. Vanguard for i0 minutes.
SPT Hello, Houston.
CC Hello there.
SPT Say, Dick, on the VTR I put the white light
coronagraph TV display. We had first of all, a picture in
the camera position and that white spot still showed up with
a black streak. I suspect that tells me that we got a problem
with the TV. I went and used the malfunction called out for in
Section 8, number 2, step B, give a discharge twice. That's
also on the TV, to no avail. And also gave you a little bit with
a corona in the background. It's right where the - at the edge
of the aeulting disk at about 10:30. There's probably a sizable,
maybe going from, oh, i0 to ii or so.
CC Roger, Ed. And we have had some funnies
but they don't sound exactly like this one on the previous
missions about the TV, but we'll certainly take a good look
at what we see on the VTR and get back to you. And if Bill
Pogue is listening - Bill, I need to have a little discussion
with you about this upcoming S190 checkout, and in order to
do it I'd appreciate it if you could have in your hand this gen-
eral message we sent up this morning entitled S190 Checkout.
It's 2137 Alfa i.
PLT Okay, Dick. I've got a little confession
to make.
CC Okay, go ahead.
PLT We're back in business. Everything's looking
great. I did that check on the dark side ATM pass and every-
thing worked nominally. The event we - The complete report is
on tape. I heard you doing a tape a while back so I didn't
bother to say anything about it. I followed the proced-
ure, it's all on tape, The FMC was recovered, and everything
appears to be working nominally.
CC Okay. Good. We'll take a look at the
stuff that you did put on the tape and make sure we understand
it. And thank you very much.
PLT Rog.
CC SPT, Houston, when you get a minute.
SPT Go ahead, Dick.
CC Roger, Ed. Update on the CALROC, right
now the winds are kind of high up there and they're holding
at T minus 20 minutes. I think they will - they are holding
it a point however that we still can make the launch. We in-
tend to update you again at the upcoming on Tananarive pass.
If we should miss that pass for some unexpected reason, however,
$L-IV MC-704/2
Time: 12:59 CST 21:18:59 GMT
12/6/73
and you don't hear from us, we_d like you to go ahead
per the schedule and start the JOP 12 and we'll become - we'll
be in touch later on almost three quarters of a rev later,
at Hawaii.
SPT Okay, Dick. I'ii certainly do that.
CC Okay. And we may have some more words
for you on the JOP 12 and the CALROC at Tananarive, so see
you then. We still got about 5 minutes left in this pass,
though, and I'm standing by.
SPT Okay. Thank you, Dick.
CC Okay.
SPT Dick, I got a question on building block
22 coming up the next orbit.
CC Roger. Go ahead.
SPT Okay. In sequence i it calls out for the use
of Detector 5, I assume that that should be indicated and we
don't want to turn detector 5 on.
CC Roger, Ed. That's correct. We do not want
to use the detector 5.
SPT Okay.
CC Okay. And we're about 45 seconds from
LOS. Tananarive comes up at 19:25.
hours i0 minutes. Loss of signal through Vanguard. Next
acquisition in 13 minutes 40 seconds will be Tananarive.
Pilot Pogue reporting he used the checkout procedures sent up
in the teleprinter last night to check out the S190 which
had given the crew trouble on two successive EREP passes. On
mission day 19 the S190 cameras did not operate at all during
the Earth resources pass and during yesterday's Earth resource
pass. On mission day 20 the S190 the circuit breakers popped
and the forward motion compensater circuit breaker opened.
The forward motion compensator, FMC, is a device which equalizes
the rate of the altitude and velocity rate of the vehicle
for the cameras. The operation of the cameras yesterday was
done without the forward motion compensator, and as a result
the faster shutter speeds were used and as a result some of the
photography might not be adequate during yesterday's
pass. The troubleshooting procedures had been telemetry sent
on the teleprinter to the crew, and Pilot Pogue reported
everything works nominally now. He said, "We're back in business."
Another problem related ty Ed Gibson discussed earlier on
the Hawaii pass was a object on the occulting disk of the
white light coronagraph experiment. He said it's fairly
sizable, and CAP COMM Dick Truly reported it doesn't sound
like a problem they've had on previous flights with the white
light coronagraph. Next acquisition will be through Tananarive
SL-IV MC-705/I
Time: 13:23 CST 21:19:23 GMT
12/6/73
PA0 Skylab Control, Greenwich mean time 19 hours

23 minutes. Tananarive acquisition in 50 seconds.
CC Skylab, Houston. Tananarive for 5 minutes.
CDR Hello, Richard, loud and clear.
CC Skylab, Houston, go ahead.
CDR I'm just acknowleging, Dick; S183 is in
operation now and is going well.
CC Okay, thank you.
CDR That little clocking exercise must have
been our problem because those - the exposures are moving
along very smoothly now.
CC Very good. Maybe we've solved it.
CDR We'll continue, however, to look for glass
whenever we take that carousel out.
CC Sorry, Jerry, I missed that comment. Say
again, please.
PLT Dick, he was just saying we'll look for
glass when we stow.
CC Okay, real fine.
CC And, SPT, Houston. Unfortunately we've had
to cancel the CALROC launch due to high winds. So we'd
like you to proceed to the no CALROC alternate ATM schedule.
SPT Okay, Dick, that's too bad. I'ii go ahead
and press on with the alternate. Thank you.
CC Roger.
PLT Dick, PLT here.
CC Roger. Go ahead, Bill.
PLT You ought to pass on a few congratulations
to people who wor _d up that procedure on 190. I forgot to
say anything about it. Works like a champ.
CC Real good. We'll certainly pass it on to
the guys. We're glad it worked too.
CC Skylah, Houston. We're i minute to LOS.
Hawaii comes up at 20:08, and we're going to dump the data
recorder there, And for the SPT, we'd like you to put the
next scheduled downlink instead of downlinking it, it's on
the ATM schedule at 20:07, we'd like you to put that on the
VTR.
SPT Okay, Dick.
CC Roger.
CDR And, Dick, CDR.
CC Go ahead.
CDR During this back side there between stations,
yesterday I asked the question about whether or not we still
have to dim the lights in the workshop when we're not going to
look at a reference star either in S019 or $183. I haven't
heard an answer yet, would you try to find out the answer for us?
SL-IV MC-705/2
Time: 13:23 CST 21:19:23 GMT
12/6/73
The question was whether or not removing or leaving the eyepiece

uncovered or having the lights on would in any way get to the film?
CC Okay, Jer. Let us talk about that one and
we'll try to expedite an answer to you.
PAO Skylab Control, Greenwich mean time 19 hours
32 minutes. Loss of signal through Tananarive. Next acquisition
in 34 minutes 55 seconds will be Hawaii. Crew advised that
the CALROC, the scheduled CALROC launch, calibration rocket
from White Sands has been canceled for today due to high
winds in the White Sands area, White Sands, New Mexico.
Commander Carr reported troubleshooting procedures apparently
eliminated the problem with the S183 magazine carousels. The
$183 now operating in the antisolar scientific airloek. Three
operations of this camera are scheduled for today to gather
information on hot stars through spectrographic images recorded
on two ultraviolet wavelengths. This is the S183 ultraviolet
panarama camera. Additionally to the - late this evening
the S183 will be again put through the antisolar scientific
airlock, and the space station rotated about 90 degrees counter-
clockwise to line the camera up for another exposure of the
comet Kohoutek. This is scheduled for later tonight with
Commander Carr again operating the camera. Pilot Pogue passing
to the ground congratulations to the team of EREP personnel
who worked out the troubleshooting procedures for the $190.
The forward motion compensator circuit breaker switch popped
yesterday and the camera operated without the forward motion
compensator. However, troubleshooting procedures were passed
up to Pilot Pogue last night, and he reported on the previous
Vanguard pass everything is working nominally, and the cameras
apparently will operate for tomorrow's scheduled Earth resources
pass. Next acquisition in 32 minutes 45 seconds. At Greenwich
mean time 19 hours 35 minutes, this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC706/I
TIME: 14:06 CST, 21:20:06 GMT
12/6/73

20 hours, 6 minutes with cancellation of the scheduled CALROC
calibration rocket launch from White Sands, New Mexico. Scientist
Pilot Gibson will spend his 2-1/2 hours at the ATM this after-
noon working on JOP 6 which joint truant observation program 6
is the synoptic observations of the Sun. This is to obtain
coronagraph pictures, X-ray images and XHV images and spectra
of the quiet Sun and active Sun at regular intervals. Scien-
tists on the ground report that for the next 2 days the Sun
will be very quiet with a spotless disk and very few subflares.
Next acquisition will be through Hawaii. We'll hold the line
up for this pass.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're AOS Hawaii for
the next ten minutes and we're going to be dumping the data
recorder here in Hawaii.
CC Skylab, Houston_ for the CDR, Jerry when
you get a moment to listen I've got an answer for you on
diming the lights for SO19 and S183.
CDR Fire away, Dick, we're listening.
CC Roger. It turns out the answer to your
question is - is if the - the only real requirement we have
for dimming the lights is on S183 when either installing or
moving the carrousel. It's also put in your cue card I think
or at least implied that when you shoot reference stars, the
lights also ought to be dimmed, but you ought to be aware that
that's the reason for that is for darkness adaptation to make
sure you get the reference star, it doesn't have anything to
do with the film. So D if it turns out that you can achieve the
reference stars and the dimming bugs you, it's fine with us as
long as we get the reference stars, but that portion of it was
for that reason. And - so that's the answer and we're kind of
sorry it took so long to get it up to you.
PLT Okay, now that applies to SO19, also; is
that right?
CC That's correct.
CDR Thank you very much, Dick.
CC Okay. I had one other question while Ed
Gibson - it!s still on his mind or he's at the ATM console. Did
the funny he's been describing on the white light corona-
graph show up on both monitors.
SPT That's affirmative, Dick, it did.
CC Okay, thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston. One minute to LOS at
Hawaii. Vanguard comes up at 20:39.
PAO Skylab Control. Greenwich mean time,
20 hours, 20 minutes. Loss of signal through Hawaii. Next
SL-IV MC706/2
TIME: 14:06 CST, 21:20:06 GMT
12/6/73
acquisition in 18 minutes, 45 seconds will be the Vanguard

tracking ship. During the past the crew was asked if the
the problem with the white light eoronagraph experiment the
TV monitor has the same image on both of the monitors. There's
2 monitors about 6 inch diameter, TV picture screens at the
ATM console. Scientist Pilot Gibson had reported earlier
in the day that there was a sizeable item that is apparently
on the edge of the occulting disk of the white light corona-
graph, and he was asked on this last pass if this exists on
both monitors and he reported that that did, both monitors
had this same foreign matter on them. Tomorrow, EREP will
be planned again along groundtrack 48. It'll be a nighttime
pass over the North Pacific to gather seastate sea-state conditions
using using the S191 infrared spectrometer, and the S193
radiometer/seatterometer. No data will be taken over the U.S.
due to the low Sun angle. However, when Skylab passes the
coastline of the Gulf of Mexico, southwest of New Orleans, the
Sun angle is high enough at that point for photography and
EREP instruments. As the spacecraft crosses the Gulf of Mexico
it will gather information in the Gulf, through Colombia and
Brazil, ending east, off the east coast of Brazil. _No geothermal s
ites are scheduled for tomorrow's pass, and generally information
to be gathered will be mostly on agriculture sites. Skylab
instruments will be turned on for a 10-minute period on an
ascending pass, i000 miles north of Guam and in west of California
and again tlhe instruments will be turned on as the Skylab passes
over the Gulf of Mexico, southwest of New Orleans and the second
data tape will last 19 minutes. Acquisition in 16 minutes,
20 seconds through the Vanguard tracking station. At Greenwich
mean time, 20 hours, 22 minutes. This is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-707/I
Time: 14:38 CST, 21:20:33 GMT
12/6/73
PAO Skylab Control at 20 hours 38 minutes

and 7 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is
now west of the coast of Chili, about 58 seconds from acquisi-
tion of signal through the Vanguard tracking ship. Bringing
the line up live for pass through Vanguard that's expected
to last a little less than 9 minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston. Vnaguard for 8-1/2 minutes.
CDR Roger, Dick.
CC Roger. And for the friendly ATM operator
in view of the nature of the bright spot and the black streak
on the white light coronagraph that Ed described awhile ago,
we'd just soon request that you not view the WLC monitor until
the ¥TR that you downlinked is received in Houston and we
got a chance to look at it.
SPT Okay, Dick. That's what I have been doing
and plan to.
CC Okay. Real fine. Thank you.
SPT Thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're about a minute
from LOS at Vanguard. We've got about an hour's LOS period
and I'ii call you at Hawaii at 21:49.
and 7 seconds Greenwich mean time. The Skylab space station
is now passed out of range of the tracking ship Vanguard about
an hour before our next acquisition of signal. That will be
at Hawaii. This is Skylab Control at 49 minutes and 19 seconds
after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC708/I
Time: 15:47 CST 21:21:47 GMT
12/6/73

Greenwich mean time. We have acquisition at Hawaii.
CDR Roger Story, Hello.
CC Hello, how you all today.
CDR We're doing great. How about you?
CC Swell.
CC We got some problems down here too. Got
a maroon Cap Comm working with a purple team.
CDR Yeah, they had real problems earlier.
They had a purple Cap Comm working for the maroon team.
CC Roger.
CC Skylab, we're a minute till LOS. About
35 minutes to the Vanguard at 22:17, be dumping the data/voice
over the Vanguard.
PAO Skylab Control at 21 hours, 53 minutes,
and 25 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space stations
has passed out of range of the tracking antenna at Hawaii.
Our next acquisition of signal is about 23-1/2 minutes from
now, that will be at Vanguard. By that time we expect that
the change-of-shift briefing will be underway in the Building
1 briefing room. Flight Director Milton Windler is now
completing his handover to on coming Flight Director Phil
Shaffer, and he'll be available for a change-of-shift briefing
at 4:15 p.m. central standard time. Also attending that change-
of-shift briefing will be Robert Stevenson an expert on visual
observations from the Scripps Institute. That's at 4:15 in
the building 1 briefing room, the change of shift briefing a
little over 20 minutes from now. This is Skylab Control it's
54 minutes and 8 seconds after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC709/I
Time: 16:11 CST, 21:22:11 GMT
12/6/73
PAO Skylab Control at 22 hours ii minutes

and 40 seconds Greenwich mean time. Flight Director Milton
Windler has left Mission Control Center and is en route to
Building 1 for the change-of-shift briefing, should begin
there in approximately the next 5 to I0 minutes. Again
that change-of-shift briefing in Building I briefing room
about 5 to i0 minutes away with Flight Director Milton Windler
and also D_. Robert Stevenson of the Scripps Oceanographic
Institute who will talk about visual observations and today's
photography. This is Skylab Control it's now 12 minutes and
5 seconds after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-710/I
Time: 17:31 CST, 21:23:31 GMT
12/6/73

and 53 seconds Greenwich mean time. At the present time
the Skylab space station is out of range of signal and about
22 minutes from our next acquisiton. During the change of
shift briefing and the press conference with Dr. Robert
Stevenson, we acquired about ii minutes of air-to-ground
tape over station at, Vanguard, Ascension and Guam. We'll
begin playing that back for you at this time.
CC Skylab, AOS through the Vanguard for
i0 minutes. Be dumping the data voice, here.
SPT Houston, SPT.
CC Go ahead_ Ed.
SPT Story, I've got a question about the
(garble) - no CALROC alternate, the ones beginning at
21:36, which I'm in right now. There was specified at
40 to do a building block 28. And it said in there back 55,
back three steps. I assume since 55 is in the option B, that
that really, is not applicable. But they are conflicting requests
and I'm wondering which is correct. I assumed that option
B was correct, and that's the one I'm following.
CC We'll get with you, Ed.
SPT Say, Story, the ATM folks might be
interested in I'm able to follow a mini-surge up here in
the limb where I'm doing the observations. I think I've
got 55 in tke right mode. It's relatively a small surge,
but I'm able to follow it over the past 6 or 7 minutes.
CC Okay, Ed.
CC Bill, Houston.
PLT Rog. Go.
CC Now, Bill, don't change out the carrousels
on the S183 when you get done your present ops, Jerry will
be using the same carrousel around 02:00. Just leave her
in there.
PLT Wilco.
CC Ed, Houston.
SPT Go ahead.
CC Ed, the backing up three steps, that
has to do with the pointing of SO55. It's back three steps
on the mirror.
SPT Yeah. I understand that, Story. But
they're doing a mirror auto raster rather than a mirror
line scan or a grating scan. So they're really moving through
the mirror position. And it doesn't seem to - conflicts
with our option B.
CC Okay. That's a good point.
CDR Houston, CDR.
CC Go ahead, Jer.
SL-IV MC-710/2
Time: 17:5;1 CST, 21:23:31 GMT
12/6/73
CDR Story, while going through the DAC

malfunctions, on DAC number 6, I pulled a fuse out of it
and did a resistance check on it. It looks like it's open
and the fuse is blown. I took a couple of 21-gage pin
checkers, put them in the pin holes for the fuse into the
camera, _d took a resistance reading that way. And it
looks like the camera is open too. And there doesn't
appear to be a short in the camera. I wonder what the
photo people would like me to try next?
CC Copy.
CC Ed, that's a good point on that backing
up three steps. Just press on with option B.
SPT Okay, Story. That's what I've done.
CC That's what we wanted.
SPT Sure is an interesting little mini-surge
you can see up here. This monitor 1 is great. You can see
things change on the order of 5 or 10 minutes right at the
limb.
CC Skylab, we're a minute from LOS. 5 minutes
to Ascension at 22:30.
CC Skylab, A0S Ascension i0 minutes. And,
Ed_ Houston.
SPT Go ahead.
CC You still at the ATM?
SPT Yes, I am.
CC Okay. Could you skip ahead on the
schedule pad there? The orbit's starting at 23:18. And
delete SO55 DAC two steps. Delete that sentence in there.
SPT Got it.
CC Thanks.
SPT Thank you, Story. Is there any word -
Or have the folks back there had a chance to look at the
VTR downlink for 52?
CC Ed, it'll be about 6 hours to get to
the ground. Wet11 have it here at Houston, about tomorrow
morning.
SPT Thank you, Story.
PLT Houston, Skylab.
CC Go ahead.
PLT Hog, Story. I'm making a change on my
S183 cue card (inaudible) inside it has the S183 PR i, 2, and
3.
CC Yep.
PLT It's just below the DAC box MI51/MbI6
turn DAC and high intensity lights on, (if required). Following
that, I am :inserting an entry, pressurize SA, spectrograph
assembly.
SL-IV MC-710/3
Time: 17:31 CST, 21:23:31 GMT
12/6/73
CC Bill, we're scrambling to get that

card out and get you an answer to that. We're 30 seconds
to LOS here. We_ll get with you on that over Guam in about
37 minutes at 23:16.
PLT No sweat, Story. It's just that Jer
and I both hit that problem in this procedure. We both
had exactly the same problem and finally figured out that
we've probably got a pressurized. There obviously ought
to be a step in there, but it's not time critical_ whenever
you can get us an answer.
CC Okay, Bill.
CC And the Flight Plans are on board. You
might take a look. Be sure they're legible.
PLT Roger.
CC Skylab, AOS through Guam for 7 minutes.
And we need the DAS for dump enable.
CDR Okay. You've got it.
CC And, Bill and Jer, that's a good call
on the S183. We do need to pressurize the spectrograph
assembly and you're doing it in the right place.
PLT Roger.
CC And between you and Ed, you're up three
on us in the last hour. We better get going down here.
CDR We can even that up very easily,
Story. Let me talk to you about TV-II7.
PLT If you don't tell on us, we won't tell
on you.
CC I think we knew about that one alread.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC711/I
Time: 17:39 CST, 21:23:39 GMT
12/6/73
PLT You don't tell on us we won't tell on

you.
CC I think we knew about that one already.
SPT TVII7, Story. I got the fellow all set
up and ran the first one, and sure enough we got the red
fluid which I presume has got red blood cells in it to
migrate down the tube toward the other end, it got about
halfway down the tube in 20 minutes and we put it to re-
verse and it moved back. One thing, however, we did have
some bubbles in the tube. I still think it demonstrated
the effeot but those bubbles are there because the note which
asked to clarify that was at the very end of the procedures.
When I finally got through and read it all, then I found
out that the bubbles should have been removed, but they
cannot be removed by tapping as suggested. It takes a very
skillful shake and I finally managed to get them out of both
1 and 2 now, and l_m just finishing up running the ops 2 on
the side number 2 and this side I see nothing, two fluids
are the same color and I'm not sure what's supposed to be
demonstrated there. What I'd like to do on ops number i,
or side number i, is to go on back there and run it again
and see if I can get the fluid to go all the way down the
tube and back up and take some photographs at appropriate
intervals, which I can piek out depending upon the progression
of the fluid.
CC Copy, Ed. Ed, Houston?
PLT Hels putting something on a tape, Story,
be right with you.
CC Okay, Bill.
CDR Hey, Story got a question on this JOP
ID, step i.
CC Go Jet.
CDR Okay, when I put the very end of the
S082 slit at the white light limb, it takes for a heck of
lot more than 6 clicks on the SO55 to get it back down on
the limb.
CC Copy, Jer.
SPT Go ahead_ Story.
CC Ed, on the TVII7, did you tell us that
the blood is still in the center part of the column, or has
it dispersed out into the flare end?
SPT No, it has not dispersed into the flare
end, it got about halfway down the tube when I put it - the
current to reverse the voltage to reverse, it went back up,
and then I would clos - close it off again while I did a
little shaking, in order to get the other other side free
of bubbles. There was a little bit remained in there, it
was such a small amount that it's very diffused so that in
terms of the optical effects you could still see the - the red
SL-IV MC711/2
Time: 17:39 CST, 21:23:39 ;MT
12/6/73
blood which is up at one enl and 'm sure you can see that
progress down to the other _nd. It will still give a very
good demonstration probably be better than the previous
one because I got the bubbl_s out of it.
CC Okay, if you'd like to redo it, go ahead
Ed, that's your option. |
SPT Thank yo_ Story.
CC Skylab, e're 20 seconds to LOS and
about 33 minutes to the Van uard at 23:54.
CDR Roger, S ory. What l'm goin_ to do with
that SO55, is just step at _ steps down from slit center?
CC We concul with that Jer and we_d like
SINGLE on S054. We show it in HIGH.
CDR Okay.
and 18 seconds Greenwich me n time. That concludes the
recorded messages from the rew on air-to-ground over
Vanguard, Ascension, and Guam. The very beginnin_ of the Vanguard
pass some discussions with cience Pilot Gibson of mini
surge of - of visible over 67 minute period near the
Sun's limb and this was vis ble with the SO55 instrument.
Present time the Skylab space station is in daylight for
another 18 minutes. This i_ Skylab Control. It's now
i0 minutes to our next acquisition of signal at 44 minutes
after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC712/I
Time: 17:53 CST 21:23:53 MT
12/6/73
PAO Skylab Control at 23 hours, 53 minutes,

and i0 seconds Greenwich mean time. We're now just off the
west coast of Chile, and just about to be acquired through the
tracking ship Vanguard. Pats through Vanguard should last
between i0 and II minutes, nd at the present time the
spacecraft communicator is tory Musgrave. This is Skylah
Control we"re live now for Jr-to-ground through Vanguard.
CC Skylab A S through the Vanguard for
ii minutes.
CDR Roger, Houston.
CC And Jet cn that DAC 06 we think you've done
all you carL for that one ant just put some red tape on it if
you like and restow it.
CDR Okay, l'_e reported on DACs 2, 6, and 8
on tape just a few minutes _go. Looks like 2 is reusable and
6 and 8 are gone.
CC Okay cop 7 , and for everybody you've got
a handheld site 107 coming up at 02:44. That's an optional
site, but the weather there is such that it's probably worth
even trying.
CDR Thank you, Story,
CC And Jet, _hile I got you how much time
would you like for your debriefing and ATM passes when you
get done with an ATM orbit?
CDR Story, I think that kind of depends on
what kind of action went on. I would say anywhere from 5 to
i0 minutes.
CC Okay, you think 5 to i0 minutes is adequate?
CDR Yeah, tha 's my opinion. Let's poll Ed and
see what he thinks.
SPT That ough to do it for closing down the
panel and debriefing.
CDK Okay, Ed grees too.
CC Okay.
CDR Houston, ]DR. On JOP i Delta step 1 I
mentioned to you on the last pass I was havin_ trouble with
the third bullet in that - ilz those pointing instructions it
looks to me that that's impossible if you do what's requested
on the second bullet. Would you verify that?
CC We'll get with you Jer.
CC Jer, Hous _on.
CDR Go ahead
CC Jer, our _nly explanation is that possi-
bility the slit was to far oil the lens so that you couldn't
step far enough with the S05 _ mirrow to get to the limb.
CDR That's my point.
SL-IV MC712/2
Time: 17:!53 CST 21:23:53 _MT
12/6/73
CC Jer, did Iou have the slit on the inner

edge of the white light liml ?
CDR That's ai!firmative, the best I can tell.
CC Jer, Hour;ton.
CDR Go ahead Story.
CC We don't have a better answer for you on
that pointing. Ed did run JOP ID earlier today and you might
check with him and see how t worked out for him.
CDR Yeah, I 1 do that, thank you.
CC Bill, Houston.
PLT Go, Stor_
CC Bill, on that - your $201 ops done yesterday.
The reason for going the res t switch to START just prior to
stopping that experiment is to advance a long exposed frame
forward so that it will not be exposed again the next time
you run the experiment.
PLT Okay, thenk you very much.
CC Everytime you go to reset switch to start
you get an autom _ic sequence that runs through several frames
for 3 minutes and 25 seconds And from there on you get a
long expose on 1 frame until you go to reset switch start again.
PLT Okay.
CC And the II would like to know that you
did hear oh about a 1 quarter second motor noise like a klunk
coincidence with each white flash to verify that you were
getting frames to move throt_h the camera.
PLT No I saw the note there, I should have
commented. Negative I did _t hear a klunk, however I did
hear motor noise. That is r_tational grinding noise that
one associates with a rotating mechanism.
CC Bill we'r just interested if you heard
the frame advances as well a the motor.
PLT Negative have never heard that klunk
noise. The first time I had may ear right next to the case
like the PI asked. And I had my ear right up there and all I
could hear was the grinding rotational noise.
CC Okay, Bil I guess we've done all we can
on that.
PLT Okay.
CC And no ne d to acknowledge Bill but the
PIs are real happy the way the experiments been run.
CC And we're 30 seconds till LOS and about
4 minutes to Ascension.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC713/I
Time: 18:(35 CST, 22:00:05 _MT
12/6/73
PAO Skylab Cc ntrol at 0 hours 5 minutes and

48 seconds Greenwich mean t:me. The Skylab space station
is now passed beyond range c f the Vanguard tracking ship's
antenna. Our next acquisit_ on is a little over 2 minutes
away at Ascension. This pa_ s upcoming will be through
Ascension, Canary Island an_ Madrid a continuous pass,
approximate length of the p_ss, will be in the neighborhood
of about 17 minutes. Later this evenin K the Skylab crew will
be doing comet observations with S183, that's an ultraviolet
instrument that has been us_ d several times during the day
for observation of star fields. The maneuver and associated
activities are scheduled for about 2 hours from now with
the operations of the equipment, the duty of Commander
Gerald Carr. Present time the comet Kohoutek is hurtling
towards the Sun at an every increasing speed now in excess
of 1500 miles per minute. And meanwhile the Skylab crew
is beginning to increase the amount of time it's devoting
to observations to the comet. In addition to previous
and continued use of handheld cameras, the astronauts are
starting to employ an ultraviolet airglow instrument that's
been modified to record ultzaviolet and visible emissions
from the comet. That ultraviolet airglow instrument was
used yesterday. The comet can now be observed with the
naked eye in the pre-dawn scutheast sky. Although the
dust components of the co comet's tail are estimated to
extend for about 3 billion giles and the gas tall for about
6 million miles. The unaide eye at presently sees the
comet only as a fa - faint ure. Kohoutek is now
approximately 120 million ml[eS from Earth and about 75
million miles from the Sun. On Janaury 19, 1974, the comet
is expected to be about 76 million miles from Earth and at
that time it will be 70 million miles from the Sun. We're
coming up ac - on acquisitiol at Ascension. We'll bring
the line up live now for air-to-ground through the Ascension,
Canary Island and Madrid tra:king stations.
CC Skylab, w 're back with you through
Ascension for 7 minutes.
PLT Got you S :ory.
CC And Ed, w_en you _et your breath back,
and get dried off I got a nol-time critical question for you.
PLT Hers on t le ergometer right now, Story.
CC Yeah, we iust saw him pick up again,
it can wait.
CDR Story, we talked about that SO55 problem
and the reason why I couldn' get it grey on the talkback was
because I wasn't in optic ze o of it. The mirror was sittinE
at 594.
CC Okay, Jerl
SL-IV MC713/2
Time: 18:05 CST, 22:00:05 _MT
12/6/73
!
CC Skylab, _e're a minute to LOS. And a
minute to Canaries and be d_mping the data/voice at Canaries.
PLT Rog, Stoly.
CC Skylab, [ack with you at Canaries for 9 minutes
be dumpin_ the data voice h_re.
PLT Rog.
CC Jet, Hou_ton.
PLT He's bus_ right now, Story. Go ahead, he's
listening.
CC Okay, I _on't want to interfere with the
test 232, but I've got two _ teps for him to do in the
command module after he's done up there.
PLT I'ii cop_ , Story. Go.
CC Okay, remove polychoke orifice, and
disconnect high pressure vent hose from cryo vent valve,
and from the hatch QD install the vent hose. And the reason
for that is, we've got 02 tank number 2 where we like it.
We don't want the pressure go fall off anymore.
PLT Roger, y_u're to remove the polychoke
and disconnec the hose from(both ends and stow it.
CC Yes sir. I Stow the polychoke too.
PLT Rog. i
CC Ed, Houstlon.
PLT He's listening Story, go.
CC Now, we'rle understood, that you got
photos of option 2 on TVII7, and also did he reverse the
polarity during op - ops 2?
PLT Stand by._
SPT Story, I _eversed the polarity during
2_ and I didn't hear your first question.
CC Did you g_t any photos of ops 2, Ed?
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC714/I
Time: 18:22 CST, 22:00:22 _MT
12/6/73
SPT Story, I reversed the polarity during

2, and I didn't hear your f: rst question.
CC Did you _iet any photos of ops 2, Ed?
SPT Story, gi_ ahead.
CC Ed, did ou get any photos of ops 2
on TVII7?
SPT Yes, I s re did Story, I took photos
all the way although I coul_n't discern anything by -
visually.
CC Okay.
PAO Skylab Control at 0 hours 27 mintues and
8 seconds Greenwich mean ti=e. We're now out of range of
the tracking antenna at Madrid, 24_i/2 minutes to our next
acquisition of signal at Guam. This is Skylab Control at
27 minutes and 18 seconds after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC715/I !
Time: 18:50 CST 22:00:50 GMT

12/6/73
PAO Skylah Control at 0 hours, 50 minutes,

has just crossed the coast f Asia, and is about to come into
range of the tracking anten a at Guam, 49 seconds till aquisition
of signal there. The Spacecraft Communicator is Story Musgrave.
The pass through Guam shoull last a little less than i0 minutes.
CC Skylab, _OS Guam for i0 minutes and Ed
we'd like 1zhe DAS for a dum, inhibit.
SPT You have it Story.
CC Okay, an_ I don't want to interfere with
your ATM ops when you get a i spare minute got a couple of things
for you.
SPT Go ahead Story,
CC Ed, look_ng into the streaks on your WLC TV
do they appear to be 1 or s_veral raster lines?
SPT Several iStory.
CC And do t_ey change polarity from bright to
dark or dark to bright durl_g'- the grit discharge test?
SPT Negative iI did not notice that Story.
CC Okay.
CC One othel thing on the disposition of the
elodia, that's ED63 remove dead plants with forceps, dispose
of the plants down the tap and save the vile with the agar
by putting them into the chiller for later use.
SPT Okay that may be a bit of a chore, Story.
Because these plants are rather soft and to try to get all that
out of there is going to ca]l for taking almost all of that
stuff out and straining it ut some how.
CC Okay, do the best you can and let us know.
SPT Will do i
CC Jer, Houston.
CDR Go ahead
CC Jer, as yiou can see on your flight plan there's
a possibility of an early ER_P tomorrow at present the weather
is looking good for that. Wm think it will stay good. If it
does we'll be waking you up _h approximately ii:00. And we're
goin_ to check the weather a_ late as we can tomorrow morning
if it's not good we'll be wa_in_ you up at the regular time.
CDR Okay StorF, thanks.
CC Ed, the D_S is yours.
SPT Thank you
SPT Story, th size of the bright spots in the
WLC display it went right ne to the cooling disk at around - from
I0 to ii and it extended out about half of that distance. That is,
if you look at the occulting disk from i0 to ii and take that arc
and go out about half that distance, and that - that whole
SL-IV MC715/2
Time: 18:50 CST 22:00:50 @MT
12/6/73
area was bright and the horizontal area corresponding to that

where the TV swept through vas relatively dark.
CC Okay.
SPT It looked pretty much to me like we had
burned a - gotten a hole burnt in the white light with a low
level vidicon and the question is whether any of that can
recover or not.
CC We'll get a look at that Ed, when we get
the TV down here.
CC Ed, no need to acknowledge but
Guam's ready for your TV do_nlink at your convenience.
SPT Thank yot
CC Skylab, e're a minute to LOS. About
32 minutes to the Vanguard t 01:32.
PAO Skylab _trol, at i hour 2 minutes and
30 seconds Greenwich mean tine. We're now out of range of the
tracking antenna at Guam. T_irty minutes to our next acquisition
of signal which will be at t_e Vanguard. This is Skylab Control
at 2 minutes 40 seconds afte the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC716/I
Time: 19:131 CST, 22:01:31 IMT
12/6/73
I
PAO Skylab C_ntrol at 1 hour 31 mintues and

24 seconds Greenwich mean t%me. Skylab space station is now
Just east of the continent @f South America and we're about
to be acquJired through the _anguard tracking ship in 50
seconds. _,pacecraft Communicator is Story Musgrave. The
pass through Vanguard shoul id last about 8 minutes.
CC Skylah, 60S through the Vanguard for
i
7 minutes, t
CC And Ed, _re you still at the ATM panel?
SPT Affirm, _tory.
CC Okay, we,re ready for frames remaining
when you are.
PLT Okay, Stoiry, H-alpha 1 is 12516; 56 is
4460; 82A is 145; 82 Bravo ils 1319; 52 is 5274. And 4188
for 54. i
CC Thanks Billl.
PLT Rog. I
CC Bill, Houlston.
PLT Go.
CC Bill, you!'re NuZ's looking good and the

pad for your S183 K maneuver i is good. And everything is
looking fine for the maneuver.
PLT Rog, than_ you.
CC Skylab, wm're a minute to LOS, 13 minutes
to Canaries at 01:52.
PAO Skylab Comtrol at 1 hour 41 minutes
is now over Brazil and has pmssed out of range of the
trackinR antenna aboard the _hip Vanguard. Ten minutes
and 50 seconds to our acquisition at Canary Islands. Comet
Kohoutek activities about to begin on with the maneuver for
S183, comet photography. Thmt photography will be performed
by the Commander Gerald Carr although the maneuver itself
is being monitored by Pilot ];ill Pogue. Comet Kohoutek is
visible in the southeast sky during the mornings. St rises
between 2-1/2 and 2 hours an_ 45 minutes before the Sun.
Original predictions of the omet's ultimate magnitude have
been mod _ied considerably. Astronomers now predict that
Kohoutek's magnitude will no exceed minus 4, which will
put the comet on a par with _ enus which is the brightest
of the planets, hut as not n,_arly so bright as the Moon of
course. The system for reco_;ding the brightness of celestial
objects is a so-called magni:ude system. It was invented
by the Greek Hipparchus in tile second century, B.C. In this
system the faintest stars vincible to the unaided eye are
sixth magnitude while the 20 brightest stars are on the average
first magnitude. The first _agnitude star is i00 times
brighter than the sixth magnitude star, objects brighter than
!
SL-IV MC716/2
Time: 19:31 CST, 22:01:31 GMT
12/6/73
first magnitude are given brightness values of less than i.

The full Moon, for example, is given a brightness value
ranging in the neighborhood of minus 13.6. A change in
magnitude of 1 represents a brightness factor of about 2.5,
that is to say that the magnitude is reduced by 1.0, the
brightness increase is by 2_i/2 times. Estimates of the
current magnitude of Kohoutek vary depending on the location
of the observer, type of siting employed, data reduction
techniques and atmospheric conditions, as an example,
brightness values reported from binocular observations,
show a magnitude of approximately 3.6. Brightness values
reported by photographic observations show a magnitude of
approximately 4.6 at the present time. But there is no
apparent disagreement on an ultimate total brightness of
about minus 4.2, this is however, quite a bit less bright
than the original predictions for the comet. At one time
it was believed that it might reach a level as high as minus
i0, that would of course be about i00 times brighter than
present expectation. And for a while - after a revision
was made when the comet was again spotted early this fall,
the estimates ranged minus 4 to minus 6. At minus 6 it
would have been approximately i00 times as bright as Halley's
Comet. the new estimate of minus 4 indicates a brightness of
in the neighborhood of a 40 times as bright as Halley's.
Orbiting above the disturbing effects of Earth's atmosphere
Skylab is expected to provide astronomers throughout the
world with commentary information that's never before been
available. Today, December 6th, was designed as International
Astronomical Union Comet Day, durin_ which Astronomers
and observers all over the world were asked to focus their
attention on Kohoutek, in order to gather much concurrent data
as possible for later evaluation. That information is
provided to us by Skylab/Kohoutek Operations Center here at
Mission Control. Skylab Control, we're 7-i/2 minutes from
our next acquisition over Canary Island. It's now 44 minutes
and 28 seconds after the hour.
END OF TAPE
l
SL-IV MC717/I
Time: 19:51 CST, 22:01:51 GMT
1216173
PAO Skylab Control at 1 hour 51 minutes and

4 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is
now over the North Atlantic just about to be acquired
through the Canary Island tracking antenna. Spacecraft
communicator is Story Musgrave. And this pass through
Canary Island and Madrid is an overlapping pass that'll
last just about 14 minutes.
CC Skylab, AOS Canaries and Madrid for
14 minutes.
PLT Rog, Story, we got about a little over
a minute to go here for settling.
CC Okay, Bill_ looks good from down here.
PLT Starting to ramp down now.
CC Okay.
CC Bill, we're seeing a good return maneuver
time and we need the DAS here dump enable.
PLT You got it.
CC Okay.
CC Skylab, we've handed over to Madrid, got
another 7 minutes with you. We'll be dumping the data/voice
here. And Bill, Houston.
PLT Roger.
CC Bill, when you get back to SI on your
return maneuver after you're back in SI, we'd like you to
open the fine Sun sensor door, and then go to experiment
pointing. And that'll get us going a little sooner on - on
our unattended ops.
PLT Roger, open the fine Sun sensor door and
go to experiment pointing.
CC Yes sir, after yon get back in SI.
PLT Rog, understand.
CC Skylab, we're a minute to LOS and about
35 minutes to Honeysuckle at 02:39. We'll be looking for
the evening status report at Honeysuckle, be dumping the
data/voice there. And Ed, there's a small checklist change
to the JOP 13 summary sheet, you might want to incorporate
tonight? It's in the teleprinter right now.
SPT Thank you Story.
PAO Skylab Control at 2 hours 6 minutes and
49 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is
now over eastern Europe and has passed out of range of the
tracking antenna at Madrid. Thirty-three minutes to our
next acquisition of signal, that will be at Honeysuckle.
Honeysuckle is scheduled for the evening status report. The
crew given a reminder on that by Story Musgrave, the space-
craft communicator, here at the end of the Madrid site.
Earth resources pass is scheduled for tomorrow, that Earth
SL-IV MC717/2 i
Time: 19:51 CST, 22:01:51 GMT
12/6/73
resources pass will begin at 14:27 Greenwich mean time or

8:27 Houston time, tomorrow. Begins 1500 miles northeast
of Tokyo aver the Pacific Ocean and it begins in darkness
over the north Pacific where instruments S193 and S194, both
electronic devices, will be used. The S193, is the micro-
wave radiometer/scatterometer altimeter, that's the device
that Ed Gibson, the science pilot, repaired at the first
spacewalk, of this mission. And also, the L-band radiometer,
which is the S194 instrument, will be used to gather data
on high winds in the north Pacific. A non tropical cyclone
which is :in in the waters of the north Pacific, far north
of Hawaii, with winds of - in the vicinity of 50 miles an
hour. By using those instruments during the darkness part
of the pass should be able to gather some data on the sea
surface st:ate in the north Pacific. That pa - the first
part of the pass only last i0 minutes and covers about
2800 miles ending about 400 miles west of Vancouver. The
pass over the United States will be of little value because
of the darkness on the land and that's not suitable for
photography. No photography will be used on the north Pacific
part of the pass, no photography is required. Beginning
again the pass will start then at 14:47 after a i0 minute
lapse and will travel from i00 miles southeast of Dallas,
where the instruments will be turned on, to San Paulo,
Brazil. That pass ending at 15:06 Greenwich mean time. One
the first sites in the post U.S. part of it is a site off
Louisiana coast where Robert Horvath, of the Environmental
Research Institute of Michigan_ will be attempting to determine,
using Skylab data, whether or not it's feasible to detect,
locate, and map the extent of oil slicks on water. Such
slicks result from illegal or ineffective shipping practices
primarily, although they also can occur from major pollution
incidents, such as though oil spills. That will be done
in the wa:ers off of Louisiana tomorrow as part of the
second half of that pass. The second half of the pass does
last a total of 19 minutes, covers approximately 6,000 miles.
It's now 30 minutes to our next acquisition of signal.
This is Skylab Control at 9 minutes 46 seconds after the
hour.
END OF TAPE
SL IV MC-718/I
Time: 21:139 CST 22:02:39 GMT
12/6/73

Greenwich mean time. The Skylab space station is now crossing
the north coast of Alaska, just about to be acquired through
the Honeysuckle tracking station. This pass through Honey-
suckle is an 8-minute one. Dr. Story Musgrave is the space-
craft communicator. And this will be the evening status
report. Wetre live now for air-to-ground through Honeysuckle
Creek, Australia.
CC Skylab, AOS through Honeysuckle for
8 minutes. Be dumping the data voice here.
CC And Jer, we're ready to copy when you are.
CDR Story, we'll have to catch that on the
next pass. We're all right now engrossed in working HHI53.
We've got a beautiful day with no clouds, great Sun glitter,
and we're working like mad, trying to get photos and verbal
description over the tapes.
CC Okay, der. The next pass is Bermuda.
That will be the medical conference. And we'll pick up the
evening status at Canaries at 03:31. And your family call's
at 03:35 .
CDR Okay. I'ii have the report all ready
and somebody else can read it.
CC Okay.
CDR Hey Story. I guess I can give you part
of it. The other two guys are handling the job okay over
there.
CC Okay. We'll take it.
CDR Okay. Sleep: CDR, 7.0, 6.0 heavy, 1.0
light: SPT, 7.0, 6.5 heavy, 0.5 light; PLT, 6.5, all heavy.
Volume: CDR, 2200_ SPT, 1400; PLT, 2000. Drinking water
readings: CDR, 7074; SPT, 2102; PLT, 8335. Body mass: CDR,
6.300, three times; SPT, 6.366, 6.366, 6.375; PLT, 6.239,
6.234, 6.236. Exercise: CDR, method Alfa, leg, 30, 4800,
Method Bravo, Alfa, Delta, Echo, and Foxtrot, i0, 20 repetitions
each. Method Charlie, Charlie Delta Foxtrot, 06, 15 repetitions
each. Method Echo, Alfa Bravo, 03, i0 repetitions each.
Method Foxtrot, walk, i0 minutes, toe rise, 2 minutes, 200
repetitions. PLT, method Alfa, leg, 30, 5000. Method Bravo,
Alfa, Bravop Delta, Echo, 08, 50 repetitions each. Method
Charlie, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf and Hotel,
i0 minutes, 20 repetitions each. Method Foxtrot, walk, i0 minutes,
toe rise, i minute, 75, springs, 1/2 minute, 50. SPT, method
Alfa, leg, 40, 7337. Method Bravo_ Foxtrot, i0, 40 repetitions.
Method Foxtrot, toe rises, 5 minutes, i00, sprin_s_ i0 minutes,
500. Medications: CDR, none; SPT, none; PLT, none. Clothing
discarded today: CDR, one pair of socks, one-half union suit;
SL IV MC-718/2 1
Time: 21:39 CST 22:02:39 GMT
12/6/73
SPT, one pair of socks; PLT, one pair of socks, T-shirt, and
one pair of shorts. Food log: CDR, salt, 8.5, deviations,
plus one apple drink, plus two coffees with sugar, water -
hydration water, plus 9.0: SPT, 5.5 salt, no food deviation,
minus 1.0 rehydration water; PLT, salt, 4.0, deviations,
one coffee, plus, rehydration water, minus 1.0. Plight
Plan deviations: None that you don't already know about.
Shopping list accomplishments: M487-5. Inoperable equipment
disposition: DAC 02 repaired, DACs 06 and 08 red-taped.
Unscheduled stowage: the multlmeter has been moved to the
door of W-702, which is right next to the shower. Okay,
the photo log will come later. We_ve got to log the film
we just shot on HHI53, and we need to log the DAC 140 that
we shot on S183, and somebody will read that to you up at
that next pass.
CC Okay. Thanks. And on board now, there's
a crew motion message, concerning crew motion during sensitive
data takes, such as JOP 13 tomorrow, you might want to look
at. Over.
CDR Okay Story.
CC And we've got about 40 seconds here.
We kind of ran out of passes tonight. I've got about 40
seconds of news for you. Gerald Ford was sworn in as the
nation's 40th Vice President tonight, becoming the first
man to take office under the Constitution's 25th amendment.
Pioneer i0, thermometer data has found that Jupiter generates
about 2-1/2 times more heat than it receives from the Sun.
suggesting that possibly the solar system's biggest planet
may be shrinking. A decision will be made this month whether
we need to ration gasoline down here. It might start as
early as March I. During November, there was a record
monthly increase in fuel cost. Secretary of State Henry
Kissenger said he expects the Middle East Cease Fire to
hold, and the Geneva Peace Conference to 8o on as scheduled
on December 18. The stock market rallied strongly today.
Dew Jones average gained 25.8 points and closed at 8.14.
And we got 20 seconds to LOS here, butBermuda will be
comin_ up in about 35 minutes at 03:23. That'll be your
med conference, the one after that is Canary at
03:31, and Jer, you've got your family comm the next station
after that,-Madrid at 03:35.
CDR Okay Story. We_ll see you then.
CC Yes Sir.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC719/I
Time: 21:48 CST 22:02:48 GMT
12/6/73
'i

44 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now
passing over the south island of New Zealand. And our next
acquisition of signal will be about 44 minutes from now at
Canary Islands. The upcoming pass over Bermuda is scheduled
for the private medical conference for the crew. And we don't
expect to hear any air-to-ground at that station. At the
beginning of this pass Commander Carr indicated that he was
occupied with the other 2 crew members in photographing hand-
held photo site number 153. That's an attempt to photograph
areas of a north Australia drought. Normally moist coastal
regions bordering the Arafura Sea and the Gulf of Carpentaria,
and the adjacent interior parts of Arnhem Land and the Berkeley
Tableland are suffering severe drought. So the crews job will
be to photograph that drought area and describe distribution and
pattern of vegetation and describe the distribution and color
of any surface water. The objective of the experiment is
to determine the distribution of vegetation and water to
better assess that drought problem in north Australia. Next
acquisition of signal is about 42 minutes from now at Canary
Island. This is Skylab Control at 50 minutes after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL IV MC-720/I
Time: 21:31 CST 22:03:31 GMT
12/6/73

34 seconds Greenwich mean time. We're now about 20 seconds
from acquisition of signal through Canary Island. The pass
through Canary Island and Madrid will last approximately
9 minutes. We'll hring up the line live for air-to-ground
through Canary Island and Madrid.
CC Skylab, AOS Canaries and Madrid for
i0 minutes.
PLT Rog. And I have the photo report.
CC Stand by i, Bill.
SPT Say, Story, let me give you a question,
which maybe you can work while we're getting the photo
report.
CC Go Ed.
SPT Okay, the JOP summary sheet change, which
you sent up, you know, that's also a correction, but the one
right below it, the maneuver time should be at 52030, rather
than 52011, I think, also.
CC That's right, Ed, we chased that all over
the place. We got an error in the book here, and we were
chasing down the backup JOP summary sheets and that's a good
call.
SPT I'ii go ahead and make that change. If
you want to send the paperwork, fine_ or either way is fine.
CC You can go ahead and make that, Ed, and
we'll take care of it.
CC Bill, you can go ahead on the photo pad.
PLT Roger. 8340, 16-millimeter, S183, 140
foot mag, Dnion Alfa 04, 90 percent; 35-millimeter, 01,
Charlie X-ray, 20, i0, that's i0, 02; Bravo Echo, 08, 37 is
the count, Nikon 03, Charlie India, ii, make that Charlie
India, ii0, the count is 40, 04 empty, 05, Bravo Hotel, 04,
25; 70-millimeter, Charlie X-ray, 47, 090, ETC, no change,
no change in EREP set K - Kilo. Drawer A configuration,
PLT Houston, Skylab, how do you read?
CC Reading you loud and clear. Seven more
minutes, Bill.
PLT Okay. Did you get the report?
CC Yeah, did you finish up the drawer A
configuration? I don't think we got that.
PLT Drawer Alfa, no change.
CC Okay.
PLT We must have hit a keyhole there.
CC And we got it all, Bill.
PLT Rog.
CC Skylab, we're a minute from LOS. This
will be the last pass of the night. If you want us, that'll
I
SL IV MC-720/2
Time: 21:31 CST 22:03:31 GMT
12/6/73
be at Honeysuckle about 38 minutes at 04:19, but we won't

call you. And we're still looking at an early EREP tomorrow,
so be getting you up around ii:00.
PLT Roger, Story. Goodnight.
CC Goodnight.
PAO This is Skylab Control at 3 hours 44
minutes and 4 seconds Greenwich mean time. The Skylab
space station is now over eastern Europe. We've passed out
of range of the Madrid trackin_ antenna on the last pass of
the evening. A goodnight given to the crew hy Spacecraft
Communicator Dr. Story Husgrave. A busy day for the Skylab
crew, and an even busier one tomorrow with an early wakeup
time scheduled. 5:00 a.m. central standard time, 1 hour
earlier than usual, that's in preparation for an Earth
resources pass, which is scheduled to begin at - data take
at 14:27, or 8:27 Houston time. Quite a bit of preparation
is required for the Earth resources pass in the morning_ and
of course, the usual breakfast and post
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC721/I
Time: 21:44 CST 22:03:44 GMT
12/6/73
PAO - - data take at 14:27 or 8:27 Houston time.

Quite a bit of preparation is required for the Earth resources
pass in the morning and of course the usual breakfast and post
sleep activities. That pass beginning at 14:27 begins over
the north Pacific about 1500 miles northeast of Tokyo. It
begins in darkness with the S193 and 94 scanners, electronic
scanners, on an area of a non tropical cyclone with winds in
the neighborhood of 50 miles per hour. An attempt to gather
some data on sea state, foam, wind characteristics, and wave
heights. That first part of the pass 2800 miles across the
north Pacific ends at 14:37 Greenwich mean time approximately
400 miles west of Vancouver. Equipment then is turned off
for about a i0 minute period and the data take time begins
again at 14:47 Greenwich mean time. That begins i00 miles
southeast of Dallas over the Louisiana's northwestern corner
continues across Louisiana with some data being gathered in
Louisiana on the Louisiana coast and general photography of
that area, also some study for salt water intrusions studies
in southern Louisiana to determine the effect of salt water
that moving into the bayou areas in south Louisiana. Also
over the Gulf of Mexico just off the Louisianna coast the
attempt to gather data on the feasibitity of detecting oil
spills or deliberate bilge pumping by ships that dump oil overboar
overboard in the - on the ocean surface. An attempt will
be made on whether or not it is feasible to use space monitoring
platforms, satellites and the like, to gather data and to record
and map such oil spills or deliberate dumping. Then as the space
station continues to move south across South America on a
track that runs 5400 miles from Louisiana to San Paulo,
Brazil over a 19 minute period of time, data will be gathered
over Colombia for the United Nations food and Agriculture
Organization where crop, forest inventory, and insect damage
studies are underway. Also, a map - test mapping of culture
and ecological changes in Columbia and later in the Central
Andes and Amazon Bases Basin will be part of the studies
to be benefited by tomorrow's photography pass. In addition
to that a natural resource study of the Amazon Basin from the
north to the southern part of the Amazon Basin, underway by
the Brazilian Goverment under a project named Radam R-A-D-A-M,
will also will be benefited by data gathered with a number of
8kylab instruments tomorrow. And in agricultural for the
Brazilian Space Agency to identify crop and crop areas in the
southern parts of Brazil will be gathered as well. One
sensor evaluation study, an evaluation of the performance
of S193 that's the microwave radiometer/scatterometer altimeter
an active and passive radar device. That will be evaluated
I
SL-IV MC721/2
Time: 21:44 CST 22:03:44 GMT
12/6/73
of course it has been repaired at the beginnin_ of this mission,

a problem with the controlling device that is used in regulating
the movement of the antenna. That was primarily a problem
for loss of data at the very end of the last mission and about
a third of the Earth resources passes complete during the last
Skylab mission were not using the S193 - was repaired by Science
Pilot Ed Gibson on the first space walk of this mission a couple
of weeks back. And this sensor study will attempt to determine
performance of the equipment. It's believed that it is operating
satisfactorily although it is some what limited in the scanning
range of the antenna. It has been pinned in one axis. The
Sun is a very quiet object in the heavens for the Skylab crew
at this time. ATM activities continue to be scheduled tomorrow
approximately 5 hours set aside for the study of ATM most of
that taking place later in the day. There is an early ATM
with the commander taking over about 11:57 in the morning
Greenwich mean time. That*s before the track 48 on Earth
resources pass number i0 of the mission. Also scheduled for
tomorrow is a run of the M092, M093 experiment. That's the
lower body negative pressure device experiment and a related
test. M092 will be performed tomorrow on Pilot Bill Pogue.
All three crew members have at various times had some problems
with the highest level of stress in that experiment but all
of them since that time have recovered performed that satis-
factorily. Also for tomorrow later in the evening is a maneuver
to gain data on the comet Kohoutek. Comets traveling at this
time something over 110 thousand miles per hour. Crew will
be allowed to go to sleep an hour early tomorrow evening that's
to make up for the hour early wake up time in the morning.
We still have not received the daily status of the crews
health from the Flight Surgeon. As soon as he has that
available for us, we'll come back up and read it to you. This
is Skylab Control it's now 50 minutes after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC722/I
Time: 22:01 CST, 22:04:01 GMT
12/6/73
PAO Skylab Control at 4 hours i minute and

18 seconds Greenwich mean time. We have the mission surgeon's
daily report on crew health and we'll read that for you at
this time. No health problems exist. The moderate subjective
stress noted by the commander at the end of the 50 mil -
meter - millimeter of mercury portion of the lower body
negative pressure did not prevent completion of the experiment.
Although the M092 responses have in general been somewhat
unpredictable, the composite data for all three crewmen
shows no information that causes clinical concern. Signed
by Dr. Jerry Hordinsky for Dr. Hawkins. Dr. Hordinsky pointed
out that this data was received here in Mission Control and
there was some indication of his discomfort at the end of -
very end of the 1 - lower body negative pressure run, but
commander insisted on completing it and did complete it
successful. Commander Carr is scheduled to do the first
ATM activities tomorrow, gave a short report to Mission
Control through tape recordings dumped earlier. His report
on the Sun was what we might expected this time. The solar
activities zones have moved around to the back side of the
Sun and are no longer visible. And in his comments today
on activities at the ATM Control and Display panel, Commander
Carr said, "the Sun is very very quiet and very plain. It
look like oatmeal to me, I saw one very small filament.
There's not a whole lot that could be said." Commander
Carr also was responsible for taking the photographs this
morning of the unusual cloud and oceanographic patterns in
the area between Yucatan Peninsula and Honduras. Commander
Carr said in his tape message to the Mission Control, "The
pattern was not general throughout but was rather limited,
I would say, to the center of the area is between the
Yucatan Peninsula and the tip of Honduras. The pattern of
flow in the ocean itself was, I would say, impossible to see.
We couldn't see it. I think that's mainly because we didn't
have any Sun glint to help us. With Sun angle 36 degrees
there was no sun gl - sun glint available for us to see any
sort of pattern in the ocean itself. We did, however, see
some discoloration in the ocean. It was for the most part
close to the land, and I think we were seeing just the typical
light colors that indicate shallow waters. We did see the
light green and the deeper blue out further in the deep water.
We were unable to see any kind of current eddies or anything
like that because, as I mentioned before, the lack of Sun
glint." The crew used the Nikon 35-millimeter camera with a
55-millimeter lens for the photography today. Photographs
taken this morning by Skylab Commander Gerald Carr may
bring about a revolutionary advance in world weather forcasting.
SL-IV MC722/2
Time: 22:01 CST, 22:04:01 GMT
12/6/73
The series of 35-millimeter photographs taken over the

Caribbean Sea, southwest - southeast of Mexico's Yuctan
Peninsula show continuing weather phenonomen totally unknown
until snientists discovered them on photographs taken during
the two previous Skylab flights. In the past 2 weeks
scientists analyzing just the few of the 20,0C0 photographs
taken by the earlier Skylab crews found unexplsined rotating
cold spots in the warm current that flows along the Caribbean
coast of Mexico and Central America. The Skylab Commander
Carr said that the cold spots were distinctly lighter in
color than the dark blue surrounding waters, which indiciates
that the rotating circles contain more marine life than the
warm tropical currents. Such cool disks, which are 12 to 60
miles across, may contain the food supply for tuna and other
commerically valuable fish. Dr. Robert Stevenson of the
Scripps l_nstitntion of Oceanography in La Jolla 9 California
said today that the Skylab photographs revealed new information
so significant that it will require a major overhaul of
theories about ocean currents and the inneraction between
the oceans and weather. The growth of hurricanes and other
major weather systems and their movements is influenced by
variations in ocean temperature which were revealed in the
photography taken by Skylab. During the remaining 9 weeks of
the final Skylab flight, Dr. Stevenson will work with the
astronauts aboard the i00 ton space station, and with ground
personnel to gather detailed information about the new
discovery which he said maybe a characteristic of oceans and
seas virtually throughout the world. The swirling cold spots
move slowly across i0,000 - tens of thousands of square miles
in the western Caribbean. That's our final broadcast for the
evening. The crew will be waking up tomorrow morning at
5 a.m. This is Skylab Control at 6 minutes after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-723/I
Time: 04:54 CST 22:10:54 GMT
12/7/73
PAO This is Skylab Control, 10:54 Greenwich

mean time. Space station Skylab now over the Honeysuckle
Creek, Australia tracking station, about 3 minutes and 30
seconds away from loss of signal. Spacecraft Communicator
Bob Crippen will give the crew an early wakeup just prior
to loss of signal across this station. Early wakeup is
necessary because of a planned Earth resources survey. We're
standing by here at Honeysuckle Creek.
CC (Music) "The Party's Over"
CC Good morning, Skylab. We're 1 minute
from LOS over Honeysuckle. We'll see you again at Hawaii
at ii:i0, and that's about 13 minutes away.
CDR Good morning, Crip.
CC Party's over, it's time to go to work.
CDR Yeah, the party is over all right.
CC Don't you guys enjoy getting up early in
the morning?
CDR Oh, that's neat.
CC (Music) "The Party's Over."
PAO This is Skylab Control. The first call
up to the crew, pleasantly awakened by vocalist Julie London.
And in i0 minutes space station Skylah will be coming up on
the Hawaii tracking station, final Hawaii pass of the morning.
We'll be back then. And at 10:59 Greenwich mean time, Skylab
Control.
PAO This is Skylah Control, 11:09 Greenwich mean
time and about a minute away from acquisition through the tracking
station Hawaii. The crew having been waked up over Honeysuckle
Creek earlier in this revolution in preparation for early Earth
resources survey. Meanwhile, the general message on solar
activity is in the so-called message pool for uplinking to the
space station's teleprinter, a fairly brief message. It says
a new active region appears to be crossing the east limb at
28/1. No flare in the last 48 hours. A sinister force has
erased all Sun spots. End of message. Acquisition upcoming
at Hawaii, standing by.
CC Skylab, Houston. AOS through Hawaii for
8-1/2 minutes.
SPT Morning, Crip.
CC Morning. Sounds like you're down in the
well there.
SPT I am.
CC So am I.
CC We're just finishing up our last summary
shift for a while, and wetre all happy about it.
SPT You mean there is going to be no more music
in the morning?
SL-IV MC-723/2
Time: 04:54 CST 22:10:54 GMT
12/7/73
CC Oh, l'm sure we will return. Then maybe

since we're going off the Flight Plan for a while, we'll be
a little bit better.
SPT Sounds llke a threat.
SPT Crip, you haven't lived until you try to
get toothpaste out of the bottom of a container when you've
got around 24 loose items.
CC Sounds llke fun.
CC What did you say you were trying to get on
it? Tooth paste?
SPT That's right.
CC Some day you're going to have to tell me
how you do that. How you keep them all in.
SPT I wish I knew, it took three men and a small
(garble) .
CC Say_ Ed, you'll never believe this but we've
finally got: around to uplinking you the message that I promised you
about two nights ago on maneuver monitoring. And some time today
we might talk about it a little bit before we get into this
EREP.
SPT In our leisure time, Crip.
CC Sure you've got lots of that don't you?
CC We're going to come back on and help you
execute your next day off, and we'll make sure that's lots
of leisure time.
SPT Our last day off already was executed.
CC Guillotined is probably a good way.
SPT It's going to one of those days, Crip. There
is more coming out of the bottom of the tube than there is the
top.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-724/I
Time: 05:17 CST 22:11:17 GMT
12/7/73
CC You get somebody else to get that tooth

brush out.
SPT I've got a massive failure in the tooth
paste tube.
CC We'll put that down on that malfunction
update.
CDR What happens to the guys who squeeze the
tube in the middle?
CC Is he one of those kind? That's terrible.
SPT I keep tellin_ them, Crip, not to give us
things we're not trained for.
CC Like brushing your teeth, huh? We're about
30 seconds from LOS here, we're going to see you over Goldstone
in about 3--1/2 minutes at 11:22.
PAO This is Skylah Control. Loss of signal
through Hawaii. Some 2 minutes away from acquisition again
through Goldstone and stateside pass. The Skylab IV crew
was awakened at 5:00 a.m. central time this morning, an hour
ealier than usual. The extra hour this morning will permit
the crew to get several mandatory experiments out of the way
and to prepare for today's early scheduled Earth resources pass.
Commander Gerald Carr will begin today's activities with ATM
solar observations at 5:57 a.m. central standard time. Two
astrophysical experiments are scheduled in today's Flight
Plan. Pilot Pogue will be occupied for about an hour with the
S183 ultraviolet panoramic speetro panoramic photography.
Starting at 6:20 a.m. central standard Commander Carr will
conduct the S019 ultraviolet panorama maneuver and operations
recording star galaxies and wide field of view photographs
between 5:20 and 6:20 p.m. this afternoon. Carr will also
perform morning and evening photograhpy of comet Kohoutek.
The morning photographic coverage, that is with experiment
8233, is scheduled between 6:52 and 7:25 p.m. central time.
6:52 and 7:25 a.m. central time that is. Evening coverage
between 7:20 and 7:32 p.m. Today Kohoutek is 117,403, -
117,403,000 miles from Earth some 68,234,000 miles from the
Sun, and traveling at a velocity of about 130,000 miles per
hour. More than 5 hours of Sun observations are scheduled
throughout the day starting at 5:57 a.m. and ending at 8:30 p.m.
tonight. All three crew members are scheduled for duty at the
Apollo telescope mount console. Today's Earth resources observations
will be conducted in two segments along track number 48. The
first - first observations will he made before daylight with
electronic scanners S193 and S194.
CDR Roger, Crip. The crisis is passed. Ed'd
got his teeth brushed.
CC Fantastic, isn't it. Probably the high
point of the day.
SL-IV MC-724/2
Time: 05:17 CST 22:11:17 GMT
12/7/73
CC Glad we were here to share it with you.

CDR It's nice to have somebody to share with,
Crip.
CDR My power should (garble) a little bit
more, Crip. We'll put it on the VTR.
CC Okay. (Laughter)
CC And since we woke you up early, I didn't
mention it, but of course we're planning on doing the EREP
this morning. It's not often that the summer team gets a
chance to help you do this EREP or at least be here while you
do it.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're 1 minutes from LOS.
We'll see you again in 5 minutes over Bermuda. And that's
at 11:32.
PAO This is Skylab Control. A brief dropout
here between Goldstone and Bermuda of about 4 minutes. Getting
back to the Flight Plan for today. On the early Earth resources
pass observations will begin over the North Pacific at 8:27 a.m.
central time, along a 2800 mile track extending from about
1500 miles northeast of Tokyo, and about ii00 miles west of
Vancover, snd end about ii00 miles west of Vancover, Canada.
The electronic scanners will observe an area of the nontropical
cyclone far north of Hawaii, with associated winds of about
50 miles an hour. Attempts will also be made to gather data
on high wind conditions in the North Pacific and sea surface
conditions including foam, wind characteristics, and wave
heights. This pass in darkness involves no photography,
and will last about i0 minutes. The second portion of today's
Earth resources observations will be made along 5400 miles
of the same track beginning over Louisiana across the Gulf
of Mexico and South America, and ending at Sao Paulo, Brazil.
This portion of today's Earth resources observations pass
will begin at 8:47 a.m. central time and continue ahout
19 minutes. Photographic data will be gathered in Louisiana
and along its coast for study of salt water intrusions to
determine the effects of salt water movement into the bayou
area of southern Louisiana. Studies over the Gulf of Mexico
will determine the feasibility of using space monitoring
platforms to detect, gather data, record and map accidental
of deliberate oil spills in the ocean surface. Data gathered
over Columbia, South America, will assist the United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organization where crop, forest inventory,
and insect damage studies are underway. The Brazilian govern-
ment will use photography and other data gathered along the
Amazon basis in their crop studies of the material resources
of the basin. Recorded data will also help the Brazilian
space agency to identify agricultural crops and crop areas in
SL-IV MC-724/3
TIME: 05:]_7 CST 22:11:17 GMT
12/7/73
southern Brazil. Medical experiments today are M092, lower body

negative pressure, M093, vectorcardiogram, and facial photos
will be conducted over a period of 2 hours today. Pilot William
Pogue serves as subject for these experiments and Science Pilot
Ed Gibson as observer. These experiments begin 2:22 p.m. central
standard time. Between tasks the crew will perform their normal
physical training, personal hygeine, pre- and postsleep activities,
and routine housekeeping chores. The crew will retire at
9:00 p.m. central time, 1 hour earlier than usual. Coming
up on acquisition again through Bermuda. There will be
a brief drepout again as the space station crosses the
Atlantic and is picked up by the Canary Islands tracking
station. And a very brief one at Canary, low elevation angle,
and then pick up Ascension Island. We'll stay up for all of
these. Skylab Control standing by at 11:32 Greenwich mean
time.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-725/I
TIME: 05:133 CST, 22:11:33 GMT
12/7/73
CC Skylab, Houston. AOS Bermuda for

9-1/2 minutes.
CC CDR, Houston.
CDR Roger, Crip.
CC Just wanted to remind you, Jer, it's
on your SAP, but we would prefer for you not to use the S052
TV this morning for this first ATM pass and we'll have a
chance to look at the TV that was dumped, that you recorded
for us, yesterday and evaluate it and give you some word
on it after the EREP pass today.
CDR Roger.
SPT l've got the POWER switch taped down,
Crip.
CC Okay. Covering all bets.
CC And, SPT, Houston. Ed, some since you were
so rapid yesterday with your TV-I17, of course you can ignore
all reference to it today in today's Fli_ht Plan. And, also
on your Summary Flight Plan we refer you to a detail 2022
photo. And that is not existent, so you can ignore that
remark, also.
SPT Okay_ Crip. The only thing I have to
do now is hustle that 2 miles of gray tape and get the whole
thing put away.
CC Ah, so, understand you have not stowed
it yet.
CC Would you like some time schedules for
that?
SPT I thought maybe I'd just leave it up.
The guys might get aesthetic values.
CC They like it, huh?
CC And, Ed, from the word we're getting
down here, understand you had some concern about the OPS 2
not working properly. The consensus seems to be that they
think it was working properly, that it was okay.
SPT Crip, I didn't get the subject of your
comment. What was not working properly?
CC Well_ did you have some concern about
the OPS 2 in that TV-II7 not working properly yesterday?
SPT Crip, you're talking about the (garble)
tube where the diffusion took place?
CC No, it's just on the other side.
SPT Crip, I_m sorry. I guess I gotta go in
there end
CC Okay.
SPT - - take the other end of my toothbrush
and clean out my ears.
CC (Laughter) Okay. No. I'm talking about
TV_II7, the little particle - -
MCC Charge particle.
SL-IV MC-725/2
Time: 05:33 CST, 22:11:33 GMT
12/7/73
CC - - charge particle motion thing.

SPT Yeah, I'm with you.
CC Okay. You apparently performed both the
OPS i and OPS 2 of that thing, yesterday. And it was our
understanding that you had some concern it was not working
properly on the second part, the OPS 2. And does that ring
a bell?
SPT Yeah, that's right, Crip. I'm still wanting
to put the head in there. To me it kind of proved that when
you mix two things that are both the same you don't see any
interface.
CC You've got me confused, now, Ed.
SPT No, I was, too, Crip. What I - Essentially
what I had was - two fluids which both appeared to be exactly
the same, which were mixed with an electrical field across it.
And I took pictures of it for 20 minutes and never did see
anything happen.
CC What we're getting down here_ Ed, is that it's
very difficult to see what was suppose to take place. It's
some very line movement of some dye So that was the
reason they were thinking that it was working properly.
CDR He reads.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're i minute from
LOS. We'll see you again at Ascension in about 7-1/2 minutes
at 11:49. 11:49.
SPT Roger.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Loss of signal
through Bermuda. And normally the next station would be
Canaries_ but it's a very low elevation angle pass and we
understand that Canaries will not be supporting for this
particular revolution. Won't be back with the network until
the ascending tracks begin coming over that station later
today. So, therefore, the next station that will acquire
space station Skylab will be Ascension Island in about 5 minutes
to correct an earlier number on the comet Kohoutek. It's
current velocity reported at 130,000 miles per hour is
113,000 miles per hour as of today. 4_i/2 minutes to
acquisition at Ascension Island. We'll stay live for this
gap across the Atlantic Ocean and requiring space station
Skylab.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-726/I
Time: 05:44 CST, 22:11:44 GMT
12/7/73
CC Skylab, Houston; we're AOS through

Ascension for 10-1/2 minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston; we're 1 minute from LOS,
we'll see you again at Carnarvon in 24 minutes at 12:22, 12:22.
And we'll be doing a data/voice recorder dump there.
PLT Rog, Crip.
PAO This is Skylab Control 12:00 Greenwich
mean time. Loss of signal through Ascension Island tracking
station. Next station in 22 minutes, Carnarvon, Australia.
We'll return at that time. And at 12:00 GMT, Skylab Control.
mean time, less than a minute away from acquisition at track-
ing station Carnarvon, Australia. We've dropped out between
Carnarvon and Guam of about 6 minutes. We'll stay up for
both stations.
CC Skylab, Houston; we're AOS at Carnarvon
for 9 minutes.
CC SPT, Houston. Ed, you got a minute to
talk or have you had a chance to look at that maneuver
monitor message?
SPT I'm just looking at it now, Crip. Give
me a couple minutes, and I'ii he right with you.
CC Okay, no sweat. I'll just let you read
through it. The first portion of it we're reformatted a little
bit, hut procedures are all the same. And the last two sets
of Z-LV monitor and solar inertial are about the only thing
that's new I believe (?). And, Skylab, we are doing a data/voice
recorder dump on this pass.
PLT Okay, Crip, PLT here. Would you give me
another spinidyne (?) set time?
CC We'll get it for you.
PLT Thank you.
CC And, Ed, there's no rush on that message.
We can - we got time to talk about it stateside before the
maneuver.
SPT From the length of it, Crip, I guess we
ought to talk now. Go ahead.
CC Okay. As I said we changed the format
a little bit, but basically the procedure that you use to
go into a maneuver is the same as the monitoring and the
procedures are basically the same as we had before. There's
nothing that's really changed there. Now, if you go to the
part that we did, make a little note that - just to remind
you that if you were doing an attitude hold maneuver that
this plocedure would abort it. And then we told you what to
do in case you got auto TACS, and I believe that was on your
previous message. So I don't believe that's a change. The
Z-LV monitor portion of it is because we were - that 70 percent
SL-IV MC-726/2
Time: 05:44 CST, 22:11:44 GMT
12/7/73
bit on the outer gimbal of CMG 2 is really only a special

case, and what we've tried to do is come up with something
general that would hack it every time. And what we've got
here is really just another way of initializing the outer
gimbal drive logic. And basically all it says that if you
got a gimbal on the stop and your attitude error is starting
to diverge on you, that you aren't going be able to recover
with the CMGs as it is. So the procedure we have you do is
to initiate a small Z-LV maneuver. And we say: put in a
3-minute maneuver time, go to standby and go to Z-LV. And
this has been able to, because you have the outer gimbal
drive logic the first and the last minute of that 3-minute
maneuver, that's been able to get us out of the problem
every time. And the only other thing is that - the solar inertial
monitoring regarding using a nominal H-cage, if the thing starts
to diverge after you get back to solar inertial. And I men-
tioned this to you the other day. I don't believe we put
it on paperwork, though, that for 4 minutes after you get
back to solar inertial the automatic CMG reset is not active.
So in case things does start to go, we think it prudent to
have you there looking at it, and go ahead and do a nominal
H-cage itself° And rather briefly, that's really all the
message says. If you have any questions on it now, I'Ii
be glad to try to answer them, or we can get them later.
SPT Okay: no I think I see. Crip, the SI
monitor, as you say is probably the new one, plus this
reselecting Z-LV. If we do reselect Z-LV and we have put
in two different prime maneuvers, we do not know what the
cumulative of those maneuvers are. For example, when we
did it the other day we put in a fine maneuver to get us
to a Z-LV where we had the principal axis in the orbit
plane in order to cut down on the gravity gradient. And then
when we wanted to actually take _at_, _e did another fine
maneuver. Now I would have no way of knowing what the
cumulative of those two maneuvers would be in order to put
that on top of the Z-L¥ maneuver, if I ever had to reinitiate.
CC Okay, and you're absolutely correct.
We noted that question you had before, and we were standing
by to answer you on that one. We are going to go ahead and
accept the small error, and we figure that it's small enough
such that £t doesn't make any difference. So you don't have
to bother to put it in. Now if you are getting it if you
have to initiate it on the first one in maneuvering to this
offset Z-LV attitude, you can go ahead and put that one,
because that does go ahead and get our principal axis tangent
to the - perpendicular to the gravity vector. So that one
we would still like to have to save some TACS. But if it's the
SL-IV MC-726/3
Time: 05:44 CST, 22:11:44 GMT
12/7/73
cumulative ease we're saying just forget it.

SPT Okay, thank you9 Crip.
CC Okay - -
SPT I was a little alarmed. You sent me
up two of these and I glanced at it and thought, oh boy,
they've doubled the length of it.
CC Oh no, we have a standard policy if we're
sending you something that we've entitled a permanent general
message we send you two of them so you can stick one on your
panel and stick another one in your Flight Plan just to keep
the - your records straight. Hey, Ed, one item there; we also
sent you a - Dr. Shaffer wrote you a little message about
jitter (?) and why we're planning on not doing that whole
test in solar inertial. I don't know if you've had a chance
to go over that or not, but as a thought that perhaps illus-
trate it, that was what we were trying to think of a way
to do it. If you have a chance sometime when we're not
doing - taking data, if you're in solar inertial instead
of experiment pointing and you look at H-alpha 2, you see
it should be: - give you a pretty good idea, especially if
it_ zoomed in and the Sun is still in the field of view
of what the crew motion does to the vehicle.
SPT Okay, that's a good idea, Crip; certainly
will.
CC Okay.
SPT Maybe we'll put a little bit on
a VTR if we get a little spare time on it, just a couple
minutes' wozth. Or have you probably got enough of that
already?
CC We're currently 30 seconds from LOS
and we'll see you again at Guam at 12:37. That's about
6 minutes a_ay, and that pass will be for Bill Lenoir to
talk a little bit about ATM.
SPT Thank you, Crip.
CC Bye-bye.
PAO Skylab Control, loss of signal through
Carnarvon. (Garble) minutes away from reacquisition through
tracking station on Guam Island.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC727/I
Time: 06:33 CST, 22:12:33 GMT
1217173
PAO - - Standing by for Guam Island tracking

station in a little more than 3 minutes. Skylab Control at
12:33 Greenwich mean time.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're AOS at Guam for
7 minutes and the mike belongs to Bill.
SPT Morning, Bill. Go ahead.
MCC Okay, Ed. Good morning. First, let me
just make a comment here that really isn't significant but
you just might find interesting. Apparently nobody has
mentioned that active region 94 has reversed polarity
from the remainder of the regions on the disk of which right
now there's one. But we don't find that significant and don't
expect that to induce any kind of activity.
SPT You mean it's reversed in the sense that
it's a new region?
MCC Well, that was one thought. It's
not really a region from the new solar cycle. It's a region
from the old solar cycle, it just has reversed polarity and
we're not really sure why but the - it should not affect it
and make it more active than it really is.
SPT Okay. That's interesting. I'll keep
an eye on it, Bill.
MCC Okay. I just thought you'd like to know
that somewhat insignificant fact. One other thing here, for
your information, you have a JOP 13 today and the - I ran
that in the SLS yesterday and it went off according to the
numbers. So in the event anything untoward occurs today, you
would probably like to know that it must be that the flight
vehicle is peculiar and we'll write a rid and get it fixed
up for you.
SPT Glad you didn't (garble) clear the Flight

crew on that one.
MCC Okay. The CALROC that didn't go yester-

day was due to winds for HCO there and they have scrubbed, as I'm
sure you know, until Monday, mission day 25. That's your
"day off." The launch window for that right now is 19:20
to 19:50 Zulu in case you want to think ahead toward timing
on that.
SPT Okay. Thank you. I was kind of disappointed.

We were all primed for it.
MCC Yeah, so were we. Got a question from
82B here regarding putting the slit on polar plumbs. What
their question is, is they wonder whether you can use the
XUV mon to find the bright points which represent the feet of
these plumbs up in the polar region and with sufficient inte-
gration, put the slit radially on the plumb - they suggest
possibly using 55 on neon VII or something of that nature to
SL-IV MC727/2
Time: 6:33 CST, 22:12:33 GMT
12/7/73
help. Although we don't really believe you'd see much there. The
question really is, do you feel that you can use this tech-
nique to reliably put the slit on a plumb radially?
SPT I think a lot depends on how wide it really
appears in the XUV monitor. I think I found the same thing
which Owen found to be true and that is you can use the XUV monitor
to get you into the ball park for something that is plus or minus
20 - 30 arc seconds or so, again that's just an estimate. But you
really need the 55 readout in order to get yourself (garble)
down a little bit finer_ or something which shows up in H-alpha.
MCC Okay, Ed. Fine. I'ii pass that word on
to them. Let's see. We've got another 3-1/2 minutes here. Let
me turn it to you and see if you've got anything for us.
SPT Well, one question. Yesterday, when I
was doing the work on a spicules at the South Pole, I was
watching the H-alpha 1 display which is - again, let me say
is an excellent display and I saw what appeared to be a small
mini'surge. I know we don't have any activity up there but
there was a area which was - oh, I guess half an arc minute or so
across to maybe an arc minute high or so which grew a little
bit in front of my eyes and then slowly faded away. And it
was at the time we had the A for the 55 going in a mirror
auto raster down to line 13 and then returning. I'd been
curious whenever they get a chance to look at that to see if
there actually was something like that taking place. It just
looked like an exceptionally large spicule although I doubt
that's true.
MCC Okay. And tell me again where that was.
SPT That was at the South Pole and I gave
some more details on it when I was looking at it and done a
voice record and I think there was also something on the air-
to-ground about it.
MCC Okay. I don't have the answer to that
but I will get it for you. A related thing to that is we
have again gone through the 55 data and have found that we
get a bunch of interesting things. In general, what we find
is that our numbers on the ground agree almost i00 percent
with what you say you think you see on board. So that when
you are using 55 to map things out and look at features, we
concur with you and feel that what you're doing is exactly
correct and the same with what we see here. And the words
from the 55 troops is, "Keep the good work up, and it's really
doing a good job for us here." A couple of related points
here is something that we have been unable to do in the past,
is on that big surge the other morning before you got up,
55 was in that area, they got a couple of rasters with neon V -
SL-IV MC727/3
Time: 06:313 CST, 22:12:33 GMT
12/7/73
two different neon V lines and for one of the first times
they have been able to ratio these numbers and actually get
the density. Another significant finding is they find that
they can de1:ect magnesium -X counts all the way out to the
edge of the white light coronagraph occulting disk so that
we will be able to look at features of that nature continuously
without a gap in between there and where the WLC picks them
up. Over.
SPT Say, that's very good. That'll help us
in the JOP which we did the other day. I have a second
question. Now's In some of my free time yesterday, I was
looking at the coronal whole in the south and trying to
work on the boundary a little bit. And I was able to find its
magnesium X but the contrast or sharpness of the body was
not all I'd hope it to be. And I'm wondering if there is
not a better line?
CC LOS in 30 seconds. Goldstone, 17 minutes,
13:01.
SPT I see the (garble) 584's a possibility

and I didn't have a chance to work with it and I'm wondering what
the counts on that would be. I have it on our cue card here
but no counts.
MCC Okay, Ed. Let me find that for you and
pass it up. That may not be the best - our works in the
backroom is as best as we know right now is magnesium X is
the best.
SPT Okay. Thank you. I found the boundary
even though it appeared fairly sharp in the XUV monitor picture. Came
out to be, c.h, I guess estimating now 20 30 arc seconds, or
so (garble).
MCC Okay, sorry. Magnesium X is about the best
we can do and I'ii see you tomorrow.
SPT Thank you, Bill' it's pretty useful. I
appreciate your time.
through Guam. Next station in 15 minutes will be Goldstone.
Science astronaut Bill Lenoir - Dr. Bill Lenoir discussed a
ATM operations, solar physics experiments with Skylab IV
crew. This is regular scheduled activity each day for Lenoir
to talk with the crew. 15 minutes from Goldstone. Back at
that time. At 12:46 Greenwich mean time, Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-728/I
Time: 07:00 CST, 22:13:00 GMT
1217173

mean time. Less than a minute now away from acquisition
at tracking station Goldstone for a fairly solid stateside
pass through all stations in the states, Goldstone, Texas,
MILA, Bermuda. Standing by at 13:00 for resumption of
communications with space station Skylab as it comes across
the continental United States.
CC Skylab, Houston, AOS Goldstone 5 minutes.
CC And Skylab, at this pass we're going
to be rewinding the VTR so that we can dump it coming up
over MILA and leave you with a full one for your TV (garble)
on the VTS.
CC And, PLT, Houston. If you have a moment,
I have the $009 set time that you can use.
PLT Roger. Go, Crip.
CC Okay. The next one coming up is 13:14:45.
CC About 12 minutes away.
PLT Roger. Same angle figure, huh?
CC Okeydoke.
CC And that's affirmative on the angles,
Bill, same ones.
CC CDR, Houston. You got a moment for
a question?
PLT Say again, Crip. He's here now.
CC Okay. I'm sorry I called you when you
were probably up doing doing 233. The question I had was
regarding ETC OPS and I guess it's questionable to all of
you. We realize that sometime with this maneuver monitoring
we're going to get a little bit of conflict perhaps with
going back and doing the ETC, whether Ed can do it or not.
And we figure that you guys can probably figure that out
better than us. So we're just going to go ahead and assume
that Ed's going to do it, and figure that you can have
somebody monitoring it and handling the ETC also, and we
wonder if you concur with that?
CDR That's affirmative, Crip. I think we
can probably handle it.
CC Sure you can probably do a much better
job than us tossing it back and forth.
CDR Yeah. We'll give it a try.
CC Okeydoke. If you run into a problem
with it, just let us know and we'll try to do a little better
ourselves and try to schedule it back and forth.
CDR Okay.
CDR By the way, Crip. On this $233, I'm
not sure, but I think that the comet is being occulted by
SL-IV MC-728/2
Time: 07:00 CST, 22:13:00 GMT
12/7/73
the ATM solar panel, as far as the camera's concerned. I

got down below the camera with a pair of binoculars and was
able to see the comet right at the edge of the solar panels.
So it may be that we're in a position now where by the time
the comet rises, you may get i or 1-1/2 minutes of seeing
time. And then it'll be essentially occulted.
CC Okay. We copy that and see if we can't
figure out another way to handle it.
CDR Okay. One of these times when we have
a night pass, I'ii go up and have the comet right, I'ii
time just how long you do have it when the binoculars are
in the position that the camera is.
CC Okay. If you can find time, that will
certainly help.
CDR Okay.
CC We're about 30 seconds from LOS now.
We'll have you again over MILA at 13:07. And that's just
about 1-1/2 minutes away.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're AOS, once more,
through MILA for 12 minutes.
CC For the CDR, if he's listening. When he
checks that comet, he might try looking out window $3 to
see if it appears to be visible in there now. We think
it should be getting close to it.
CDR Okay. We'll do that, Crip.
CC For the SPT. Ed, if you can hear me
now, I never did come back to you while ago when you suggested
putting a couple of minutes. The - Looking at the computer
on the TV and a couple of minutes on the VTR ought to be
fine.
SPT Okay, Crip. I sure will. One other
thing I've noticed. This is the H-alpha door is open now when we
come to 40-K. You can see the sunrise through H-alpha. You
actually don't see a bright sunrise, of course, but you
can see the retraction of the Sun link, the waves of it as it
comes through the atmosphere. It's kind of interesting.
I'll put a little of that on it, too.
CC And, Ed. Just so we make sure that we
don't violate any rules, remind you on the TV that if you
put anything on there that's supposedly got to be scheduled
by the ground, the 24-hour advance notice and all that, except
on your day off. We can give you option on TV.
SPT Okay, Crip. Are you referring to ATM
operations, also? And things which appear on the TV
monitors, as opposed to heing in the TV position?
CC That's my understanding of it, yes, sir.
SPT Okay. Well, how about letting me put
in a bid for giving you some H-alpha 2, both the jitter and the
SL-IV MC-728/3
Time: 07:00 CST, 22:13:00 GMT
12/7/73
CC Oh, you've got it - -

SPT - 30 seconds of sunrise.
CC You've got a GO on the jitter. That's
some good engineering data that we ran around the loop. We'd
like to haw =
- it.
CC We'll talk about the sunrise. If we
don't get anything on it, well it'll be fine for your day off.
SPT Well, no - no big thing at all. I see
it all the time, it's just whether anybody on the ground is
interested.
CC Rog.
CC And, Skylab, Houston. If we could, we'd
like somebody to go to panel 206 and make a reg adjust for
us, to set us up for this Z-LV. And regarding the TV; we'll
=un it around the loop once more about - We're missing out
on some interesting ATM photophysics by not being able to
get it on the VTR. That's your option.
CDR Give me about another minute, Crip. I'll go
(garble) - --
CC Fine. Go ahead. We've got 7 more minutes
in this pass.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC729/I
TIME: 07:13 CST, 22:13:17 GMT
1217173
PLT Crip, you should're been a diplomat.

CC Never have it. I told you I wasn't going
to be diplomatic. Somebody might accuse me of weasel wording
something.
PLT Sometimes the weasel words say more.
CC Afraid to say anything.
PLT Okay, Crip, fire away on the reg adjust.
CC Roger. We want you to mark where you're
currently at in some manner, if you would, please, on both
pots. And then adjust them both clockwise 15 degrees. And,
of course, the reason for marking them is that after we get
out the EREP will be asking you to go back to the original
position.
CC And if you could stand by to look for
a moment after you get them adjusted, we'll take a look at
them and see if that looks good.
PLT Hey, Crip, they're adjusted clockwise
15 degrees; both of them.
CC Thank you, Bill. We'll take a look at
it.
CC Okay, Bill, that's both settings look
good for us.
PLT Roger.
SPT Houston, SPT.
CC Go.
SPT Hey, Crip, I see you guys are really
getting sharp in figuring out these maneuvers. This - the
rates in this first maneuver are negligible. (Garble) what
you do is leave the Z-LV and just - just intercept it, so
that you hardly have to do any maneuvering at all.
CC That's cause - that's essentially a Beta
angle here of very, very small - We're down to - pretty
close to about 7 or 8 degrees; 3 degrees, I'm told. 1
degree.
SPT Yeah, that's right.
CC We're - we're getting ready to go over
the hill. We're going to see you at Ascension in about 8 minutes.
PAO This is SKylab Control; loss of signal
through tracking station Bermuda. 8 minutes to tracking
station Ascension Island, final pass for the morning through
Ascension. We'll return at that time. At 13:20 Greenwich
mean time, Skylah Control.
PAO This is Skylab Control at 13:27 Greenwich
mean time. Acquisition in 50 seconds through Ascension
Island tracking station. Rather low pass of little over
4 degrees. Maximum elevation angle for duration in 5 minutes
and 45 seconds across Ascension. That will be the final
I
SL-IV MC729/2
TIME: 07:13 CST, 22:13:17 GMT
12/7/73
Ascension pass of the morning. Next station after Ascension

will be Carnarvon, at which time the crew will be preparing
for this mornings Earth resources survey over the North
Pacific and picking up again on the Louisiana Gulf Coast
on into agricultural areas of South America. Acquisition
should be coming up about now at Ascension; standing by.
CC Skylab, Houston; we're AOS over Ascension
for 5 minutes. See that you have collected (garble) mode.
CC Skylab, Houston; we're 1 minute from LOS.
We'll see you again over Carnarvon in about 26 minutes; that's
at 14:00. And I'll try to run over the weather with you
at that pass, this upcoming Guam pass for this EREP maneuver.
CDR Thank you, Crip.
PAO This is Skylab Control; loss of signal
through Ascension Island tracking station. 24 minutes to
Carnarvon, we'll return at that time. At 13:35 GMT, Skylab
Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-730/I
Time: 07:58 CST, 22:13:58 GMT
12/7/73
PAO This is Skylab Control. 50 seconds

away from acquisition now through the Carnarvon, Australia
tracking station. A break of 4 minutes and then pick up
again at Guam. Final Guam and Carnarvon passes of the morning.
And the crew of space station Skylab at this time should
be preparing for the Earth resources survey, getting the
space station maneuver then to position for the data take.
Electronic in the case of the night pass over the northern
Pacific Ocean. And photographic and electronic in the
case of the crop and resource survey in South America.
Should be acquisition of signal at this time. And we'll
stand by.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're AOS Carnarvon
for 9 minutes.
CC And, Skylab, Houston. You're 'druthers
I can give you a rundown on what the weather's going to be
out here ow_r this pass or over upcoming Guam pass, which
is about 12 minutes away.
CDR Okay. You can give it to me, here, Crip.
And, also, I've got a question about the Ahbeville,
Louisiana site. I don't find that on my map. Is that right
next to New Orleans.
CC Actually it's about 50 miles southwest
of Lafayette.
CDR Okay.
CC Can you find that one?
CDR Yes, I'll check the maps. Go ahead with the
weather.
CC Okay. That first site you've got, the
special 01, of course, is in the darkness, and we're trying
to get some stormy weather. And they've got 40 knots out over the
ocean there and that looks pretty good. Of course, you're
not going te be able to see anything through the VTS. But
it's good weather for seeing had weather, I guess.
CC You're not doing any data taking coming
over the States until you get down to that first target at
Ahbeville. Our current forecast is that it's clear at
Lafayette and we think Abbeville should be clear, also. But
it is pretty cloudy down around New Orleans. So it could
be a possibility of some clouds moving in there before -
before you get over it. The Gulf is very cloudy, especially
overcast down to the southern tip of Cuba and then it clears
up over the Caribbean until you get right to the northern
coast of South America and you're going to find some scattered
clouds over that first target that's going to clear up again
and by the time you get to the Amazon River target, that's
going to be about the edge of a cloud bank associated with
a funnel system, but we think you can get the special i0
I
SL-IV MC-730/2
Time: 07:58 CST, 22:13:58 GMT
12/7/73
over the Amazon River target without any problems. Then you're going
to find the middle portion of South America, that is the Brazil area
covered by clouds pretty much. And it should clear up just
about the time you reach the coast over the Sao Paulo, Brazil
area. So we think you can get that target also.
CDR Okay. One question on the Amazon thing.
Do they want the innerform area that we're going to go after,
would they prefer the water, or would they prefer right next
to the water.
CC Stand by 1 on that, Jer.
CC Okay, Jer. They'd like you to try to
get the water.
CDR Okay.
CDR And you say Abbeville is about 50 south-
west of Layfette, right?
CC That's affirm.
CDR Okay. Looks like there's a lake there.
Would that be the thing to go for?
CC Let me see if I can get that confirmed
for you.
CDR Okay.
CC They say the lake would be fine.
CDR Okay.
CC Jer, I don't know if you've looked on your
site book; it's on page 450-A. That shows Layfette and down across
the Houston area. I think I can just about point you out
where the Abbeville is. It has just a yellow block but it's
not named on it.
CDR Roger, Crip. I'll get it in a minute.
CC Okay. No sweat. We've got plenty of time.
SPT Houston, SPT.
CC Ed, say again.
SPT Crip, the MI51 folks are not going to believe
this, but the ETC prep, I had it all lined up, took the pictures,
unfortunately the camera jammed once again. Last time we thought
it was the transporter. Bill fixed the transporter; we put a
different one on this time. And it looks like DAC 04 is the
one that shread and fell for us. So we'll just have to put
that one away somewhere and try to use another one on the
next ETC prep.
CC Okay. Not a good day for 151 of ETC,
apparently. Not a good week for it. Okay, we're about
i minute from LOS. We'll have you over Guam in about 4 minutes.
And we'll be doing a data voice recorder dump there at 14:13.
CC Skylab, Houston. Wetre AOS Guam 9 minutes,
doing a data voice recorder dump.
END OF TAPE
I
SL-IV MC731/I
Time: 08:1.3 CST, 22:14:13 GMT
12/7/73
CC And CDR, Houston. Have you ever had a

chance to get that site book so I can describe to you pretty
much where Abbeville is, I think, and stuff - there's other things
of the - lake that's specifically you can aim on in that area
rather give the town. I believe if you get the site book,
we can figure exactly where it is.
CDR Okay. I'll get with you in a couple of
minutes.
CC No sweat.
PLT Crip_ are you reading?
CC Loud and clear.
PLT Okay. We're on hot mike now. Are you -
de yon have our recorders?
CC I'm sorry. I couldn't understand you there, Bill.
PLT Do you have the tape recorders? Are you -
CC No, stand by. We're doing a data voice
recorder dump at this time. That's affirm.
PLT Okay. You mentioned some of the T minus
i0 monitor recordings and some of them are a bit out of tolerance.
I'll give them to you as soon as you give me the recorder
back.
CC Okay. If you want to go ahead and give
them to us now, we can get them.
PLT Okay. I'ii just go down (?) them real quick.
Alfa 2 is reading 92; Alfa 3 is reading 86; Alfa 4 is reading
92; Alfa 5 is reading 97; Alfa 6 is reading 21; Alfa 7 is
reading 0; Bravo 2 is reading 91; Bravo 3 is reading 83;
Bravo 4, 91; Bravo 5, 90; Bravo 6, 49; Bravo 7 is 31; Bravo 8,
0; Bravo 9 is 48; Charlie 2 is i00; Charlie 3 is 88; Charlie
4 is 98; Charlie 5 is 47; Charlie 6 is 47, Charlie 7 is 52,
Charlie 8, 46; Charlie 9, disregard; Delta 2 is 86; Delta 3
is 84; Delta 4 is 85; Delta 5 is 15; Delta 6 is 47; Delta 7
is i0, i0. Delta 8 is 0.
CC Okeydoke. Thank you.
PLT And, Bob. I think I configured everything
properly but some of those readings were a little bit high.
Yet the ground had - suspects that I may be out of confi-
guration, l'm open to suggestions.
CC We copied. We'll check it. And one item
for you there, Bill, is that we neglected put turning on the
TV input - TV input station power on and also video select
TV if you might want to make a note on your C&D pad to do
that right after 14:38 EREP stop.
PLT Rog. 14:38.
CC Rog. TV input station 133, power ON and
video select to TV.
CDR Crip, how do you read the CDR on hotline?
SL-IV MC731/2
Time: 08:13 CST, 22:14:13 GMT
12/7/73
EC Loud and clear, CDR.

CDR Okay. I got my site book now.
CC Okay. If you go to 450 Alfa.
CDR 450 Alfa. Stand by. Okay.
CC Okay. Lafayette is located in the upper
right hand corner of that book.
CDR Got it.
CC Okay and the red line that's running
diagonally across it, actually passes right through Abbeville
and it's about 92.1, I guess and about 30 north.
CDR Okay. Got it.
CC Yes.
CDR The lake I was talking about was White Lake.
CC Okay.
CDR So we'll go between Lafayette and White
Lake.
CC That'll be good.
PLT Okay. PLT at T minus 2 minutes. Tape recorder
on. READY, ON. 92 MON READY, OFF. CHECK and door OPEN.
SPT And the recorder for you guys.
PLT Okay. Tape recording now. 91, ON,
READY, ON and door OPEN. 90, ON; READY, off. Stand by, door
OPEN. Door open (garble). RAD to STANDBY. SCAD OFF.
ALTIMETER OFF. All 3 READY lights off. 1 READY on. Ed,
are we on video select TV? Thank you.
SPT Bill, do you have a 14:45:30 call there
to start this vide - VTR?
PLT 14:45:30, negative.
SPT Okay.
CC 1 minute to LOS. Goldstone in 16-1/2
minutes at 14:38.
PLT Roger. And i0 seconds to EREP, START. Correc-
tion - that's 2 minutes. Coming up on 14:22 mark. DAC to
STANDBY.
PA0 This is Skylab Control. Loss of signal
through Guam for the final time this morning. 14 minutes to
Goldstone as space station Skylab went over the hill from
Guam. A crew was on voice actuated intercom and one could
fellow their procedure in getting the Earth Resources Experiment
Package fired up for the nighttime electronic survey of
weather systems in the North Pacific. We'll return in 14
minutes for Goldstone and the stateside pass. At 14:24
Greenwich mean time, Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-732/I
Time: 08:35 CST, 22:14:35 GMT
12/7/73
PAO This is Skylab Control. At 14:35

Greenwich mean time, we're about 2 minutes away from acquisis-
tion through Goldstone. However, acquisition is somewhat
ahead of the clock time in some cases in preparations for
today's Earth resources survey. They likely will be on the
voice actuated circuits, so we'll come up a little early here.
Standing by at 14:36.
SC Uh huh.
SPT Think you have turn the power - -
CDR (Garble) nadir swath is over.
PLT Okay standing by to go to EREP STOP 8:38.
SPT I sure can't figure out what it is we're
looking at here.
CDR Stand by.
CDR MARK. EREP STOP. SCAT OFF.
CDR Okay. (Garble) input ON at VIDEO SPEC
TV. I better go down and verify that.
CDR Okay. It's (garble)
CC We're with you guys for about 17 minutes.
And would you believe you were looking at the Pacific Ocean.
CDR Oh, yeah. I knew that. I've got a funny
display in the VTS now that we had once before and I haven't
quite figured out what it is. Must be the horizon. And it
sure is sharp. Like a knife edge.
CC Ah, so.
CDR There goes something sailing by.
PLT Jack saw the same thing.
CDR Yeah. It looks like a door halfway open,
or something like that.
CC Copy.
CDR But as soon as you get into the sunlight
everything is normal. It - but Bill was suggesting it must be
some sort of scattered light, or something.
CC (Garble)
CDR Collective light.
CC If we could get Bill, or you, Jer, to check
readings Alpha 6 and Charlie 5, we would appreciate it. We
think maybe the reason they were off, was we just read them
a little bit too soon.
CDR Okay.
PLT Yes. I've already put a note - Alpha 6 is now
reading zero, which is okay. And Charlie 5 is now reading
82, which is okay. And I concur with your comment. I'd
already put the new comment on the tape.
CC Thank you.
CDR Okay. We've got TV input station ON,
and VIDEO select to TV.
SPT Yeah. Whatever that is, it's very slowly
drifting out of the line of sight. It must be some reflection from
some place on the spacecraft,
SL-IV MC- 732/2
Time: 08:35 CST, 22:14:35 GMT
12/7/73
PLT Yeah. Those INCO's (sic) are just like a light

bulb out there.
CDR Yeah.
PLT When they light up.
CC Jer, can you tell us where the VTS is
pointing when you're seeing this line?
CDR I've got it zeroed out and it's a line
right down near the center. It's drifting off to the right
now. It's almost a verticle line. And it - the right side
of it is light with lots of white specks in it like stars.
And the dark part has got an occasional star in it too.
PLT It almost looks like you've got some
kind of condensation contamination.
CDR Yeah.
CDR I can't tell what it is. And it's just
about gone, and I expect we'll start seeing some ground here in
a minute.
PLT Yeah. It scared me the other day. I
thought we had - had something in the optical path.
CDR I thought maybe the door had closed again,
or something. That's when I was fiddling with the switch,
looking under the tape, to make sure the switch was open.
All right. That - That's finally passed off to the right.
It's gone now and the VTS now is all dark. And it's beginning
to lighten up with sunrise.
CC Jer, that line was verticle, running
fore-and-aft, right?
CDR Yeah. That's right fore-and-aft.
CDR Just like a door half closed or something.
And the back side of the door looked like a piece of emery
cloth with i[ight shining on it, you know, and the light was
reflecting off of the granules on the emery cloth. Okay. Now
we're getting gangs of clouds. It must be just some sort of
reflection, or something.
CDR Okay. The TV is ON. And Bill, in about
3 minutes we're going to want to throw the VTR on; to record.
PLT Okay.
CDR At 14:45 in 30 seconds.
PLT Okay. Coming up on 14:43.
PLT MARK. ALTIMETER to STANDBY.
CC We're watching the VTS with you.
CDR Okay. I'ii try to do a little focusing
here.
CDR Doesn't look like this bit focus knob on the
adapter does a whole heck of a lot of good.
CC Looks pretty fair, right here, from what we're
observing. Of course, there's not much detail there. We've got
some cloud coverance and dark lines.
SL-IV MC-732/3
Time: 08:35 CST, 22:14:35 GMT
12/7/73
CDR Yeah. No, there's no clouds.

CC Yeah.
CDR Yes there is. There's a little cirrus
down there.
CDR I'll zoom in.
CDR There we go. That's a cultivated field
with snow on it going by. And I would suspect we're probably
darn close to Denver.
SPT RoB. I thought the white stuff was clouds,
but it was snow.
CDR Yes, indeed.
CDR Okay, Ed. 3 minutes 47:40, for ETC to
AUTO.
SPT Now I zoomed back out again, Houston. There's
a big river just passing down at from 9 o'clock to 6 o'clock.
Very sinuous.
CDR And the straight lines you see are clouds.
Or smoke - -
PLT (Garble) looks like a contrail.
CDR Or it might be smoke on the ground. Might
be steam. Right now we're coming up on a big reservoir.
CC Is that the reservoir at 9 o'clock?
CDR Yeah. And coming right down the center
line is another reservoir. Zoom in on that one.
PLT Hey, Crip. Do you notice a loss of focus
that last little bit of zoom? When you're looking on the
TV screen down there?
CC Yeah. It's kind of hard to tell. Seems
like it might float a little bit.
PLT Okay, Jer. At 45, when (garble) turn the
right (garble) --
CDR Right now. VTR ON.
CDR Okay, gang. Coming up on at your 12 o'clock
is Toledo Bend. And one of our targets is - let's see, what is
the number 350? - No, 450. It's getting ready to cross under
the crosshairs right now.
CDR Stand by.
CDR MARK. There's number 450. And I gave a
couple 8 -- -
CDR All right. We're coming up on Abbeville.
I see White Lake. White Lake is a beautiful land mark. That's
the way to go.
CDR Okay.
PLT Okay, Ed. About 1 minute for ETC AUTO.
SPT Starting to collect data.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC733/I
TIME: 08:46 CST, 22:14:46 GMT
12/7/73
CDR It's a fairly uniform area; it's pretty

checkerboard. It looks pretty much like an agricultural area.
PLT Standing by for 47:20.
PLT MARK. 47:20 at START. RADIOMETER, OFF.
34 - Okay, (garble) for i0 seconds before -
PLT MARK. 194 MODE to MANUAL. And standby
ED, on my mark - -
PLT MARK. ETC, AUTO. Stand by for 47:50.
PLT MARK. 47:50 ALTIMETER ON.
CDR Okay, terminated on Abbeville.
PLT Okay, I have an ALTIMETER UNLOCK light.
It's gone out. Okay, good show.
CC It's really impressive on that VTS how
stable you can hold it.
CDR Yeah.
CDR Start looking for some Yucatan current
here.
PLT Standing by for 48:16.
PLT MARK. 48:i6, 190 MODE SINGLE. One FRAME.
CDR And I got a malf on camera 3 which we
expected.
PLT I shouldn't even have loaded that thing.
PLT Stand - (garble) the ETC to STANDBY.
STANDBY.
PLT Stand by -
PLT MARK. ETC STANDBY.
CC You can probably anticipate a couple of
TACS firings here; no problem.
PLT Another one there.
CC That ain't snow.
CDR Okay, it's pretty heavy cloud cover so
far. Let's see, l've got - -
PLT Stand by - -
PLT MARK. 192 - -
CDR about 20 seconds to go to the special
2 area.
CDR Hey, the clouds are starting to break up.
CDR Hey, we've even got Sun glitter here too.
Maybe we can see some currents.
PLT Okay, standing by to give you another frame
on 190.
CDR Okay, Houston, I don't see any of those
feeding cloud streams with the - the arcs of cumulus over
them. l'm sweeping way out ahead to see if I can't find them.
PLT MARK. 50:18, 190 SINGLE.
SL-IV MC733/2
TIME: 08:46 CST, 22:14:46 GMT
12/7/73
CC Okay, Jer.
PLT Okay, l've lost my READY light, l'm
turning it off for 15 seconds on the ALTIMETER.
CDR We're trying to stay in the Sun glitter,
Houston. I think there's more data available from that.
Now here's here's a peculiar looking way the cloud streets
are kind of formed up. I'ii give you some data here.
PLT Hey, I got rid of the ALTIMETER UNLOCK
light but it's about time to turn it off. Stand by.
PLT MARK. Stand by. MODE - 5 RANGE 77.
PLT Standing by 51:28.
PLT MARK. ALTIMETER ON. Stand by for
190 SINGLE.
PLT MARK. 51:36, 190 SINGLE. ALTIMETER UNLOCK
light again.
CDR Okay, going back out to MIN zoom. I'll
try to look for another target now.
CC The focus looked pretty sharp when you
went in them.
CDR Yeah. That was sort of an intersecting
set of cloud streets.
CDR Okay, here's an interesting shot for you,
Houston. We got a - sort of an (garble) coral reef there
and we got cloud streets _ and a cumulus that seems to cut right
across the cloud streets. I'm going into MAX zoom now.
Trying to hold the position for a little while; a lot of
side drift.
CDR Okay, I'm going to come back out and see
if I can find something else.
PLT Stand by.
PLT MARK. 52:36, 190 FRAME SINGLE. Still
have a READY light on 190 Just lost it. Turning it off
for 15 seconds.
CDR Okay, here's some more of those are
clouds with cloud streets. It's a lot easier for you to
see it if I see it (garble)
PLT MARK. 192 (garble)
CDR - - MINIMUM zoom. If I go in MAX we're just
looking at one cloud; but I'll do it.
PLT Okay, I got the ALTIMETER UNLOCK light
again, but the READY light is staying on.
CDR Okay, I want to track this to nadir
then come back out again.
CC Jer, if you could give us angles of
where youtre at right now we'd appreciate it.
CDR I'm in nadir right now.
CC Okay.
I
SL-IV MC733/3
TIME: 08:46 CST, 22:14:46 GMT
12/7/73
CDR To Zero, zero, and tracking to the right

12 degrees. Okay, this - I'm just going to kind of track
along this one; this one's very interesting. You can see
a bunch of cloud streets being intersected by cumulus.
PLT MARK. 53 (garble) (garble) AUTO.
CDR I'm just going to take sort of a swath
here.
CDR All right now, Houston. you see we're
coming into an area of the extensive cloud streets.
PLT MARK. MODE AUTO, and ETC to AUTO, Ed.
CC Okay, we're 1 minute from LOS. We're going
to see you over Vanguard in about i0 minutes, at 15:05.
Correction, 15:04.
CDR Okay, I'm going to miss Barranquilla if
I don't get with it here.
PLT Stand by for 54:48.
CDR Okay, here's the uniform area near
Barranquilla.
PLT (garble)
CDR I didn't even get that started until 5
after. Or 5 degrees past - -
PLT RADIOMETER to STANDBY. Stand by.
CDR (garble) going from 5 to 20 negative.
PLT 5 minutes even.
PLT MARK. 192 MODE to CHECK.
CDR Amazon - -
PAO This is Skylab Control. So far in this
EREP pass a total of 3 minimum impulse burns, or mibs, have
been fired in the TACS gas. That is, going into and holding
the EREP attitude or Z-local vertical. We're 8 minutes away
from next station which will be Vanguard tracking ship first
time this morning. During the pass across the United States
and northern part of South America before loss of signal
from MILA tracking station, the TV camera was attached to the
viewfinder tracking system and we got somewhat of a vicarious
view of what: the crew was seeing through the EREP instruments.
Cloud formations down near the Earth's surface, water sediment,
changes in water color, and some of the features across the
United States_ reservoirs in Colorado and also in East Texas,
and rather lengthy data take as the viewfinder tracking system was
left pointing at the area around Abbeyville, Louisiana. We'll
be back in 6 minutes for Vanguard. At 14:57 GMT, Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC734/I
Time: 09:02 CST, 22:15:02 GMT
12/7/73
PAO This is Skylab Control. 15:03 Greenwich

mean time. About 50 seconds from acquisition through tracking
ship Vanguard. Fairly brief pass of - a little over 6 minutes
of low elevation angle, barely above the horizon from the
tracking ship and we'll stand by here as space station
Skylab completes today's Earth resources pass.
CC Skylab, Houston. AOS Vanguard, 7 minutes.
CDR Roger, Crip. We're coming up on Sao Paulo
but it looks like it might be socked in.
PLT MARK. 90 MODE, AUTO.
CC Okay. Should maybe clear up just before
you get there and we'd like to thank you for that fantastic
show you gave us coming across.
CDR Roger. You're welcome.
PLT MARK. 192 MODE READY. SCAT, ON and
RADIOMETER, ON.
CDR Boy, Toledo Bend was wide open and beau-
tiful.
CDR Yeah, I can make out the coastline down
below the clouds but - -
PLT Number 2 MALF light on.
CDR might not be able to see Sao Paulo
until we're right smack dab over the top of i$.
CDR Right now I'm looking ahead about 45 degrees
and I can't see it for the clouds.
CC Rog.
PLT Okay, Ed. About 20 - 30 seconds for ETC
STANDBY. You got to do, Ed, you have to run up here and go
to solar inertial. Stand by. On my mark, ETC to STANDBY
CDR Okay. The VTR goes off at 06:35, Bill.
I'ii give you a mark.
PLT MARK. 05:50, ETC to STANDBY.
CDR Now, Crip, I'm almost overhead now on - I
can see one little piece of coastline but it's broken to over-
cast. Two layers of clouds. One low layer of cumulous and
one layer of broken to overcast cirrus.
CC Yeah, I guess we have to give that one up.
The rest of it was fantastic though.
PLT SCAT to STANDBY; RAD to STANDBY. 194
MODE to MANUAL and 190 MODE to START.
CDR I can see sun glint on rivers and things
in swamp area underneath the clouds coming up through and I think
I'll go ahead and take data on it.
PLT 7:15, I've got light. And I never did get
a READY light. I ended that 190 sequence.
CDR You're going to get mostly cloud data, I'm
afraid.
SL-IV MC734/2
Time: 09:02 CST, 22:15:02 GMT
12/7/73
CC Rog. Did you hit the Amazon river area

back area?
CDR Sure did. Found one little hunk of river
standing open. Okay. We got some great glitter on the ocean
and there's all sorts of streaks and things in the out over
the ocean that I think are p_etty darn interesting in the sun
glitter. Lots of lines, you can see currents, ripple, wave
patterns. Man, that's really something. I can see (garble)
right now.
PLT MARK. EREP, STOP. Okay. Looks like we
used up the film in all the cameras except one, Crip. Number
I is the only MALF light that's not showing.
CC Very good.
PLT And we got END OF TAPE light about 30 seconds
before the end of the run. That's pretty good timing, I'd say.
CC Beautiful. EREP people do good work.
PLT They sure did. They time_ that right down to
the wire. I'm impressed.
CDR Did yon get the VTR off, Bill?
PLT Negative.
CDR Hey, gang, sorry we're using your tape up.
It's 8:13. We're just getting the VTR off now.
CC Copied.
CC You've got 22 minutes. You were alotted
25. So we're in good shape.
CDR Hey, good show.
CC And we're going to go ahead and take the
VTR and rewind it at this time.
CDR Okay.
PLT What are we over now? Water?
CDR We're out over the water, yeah. Let's
see. Where are we headed? Take a look at my dandy slider
map here.
CC Oh, you're headed to come up around South
Africa.
CDR Yeah.
PLT Bravo 7 is B-32.
CDR We'll go right up over Sumatra. Too bad
it's dark in Japan. We're going to fly right over Sakurazima
that volcano on the southern end of Kyushu.
CDR Ed, would you turn off TV power, please?
Thank you.
CC We see Ed getting ahead of us there put-
ting in the maneuver time for JOP 13 coming up.
PLT I'ii tell you, Crip. The time from ETC to
STANDBY to SI of I0 seconds is calling a tad close. You think
maybe 30 seconds would do it.
CC Rog. That's leave it - We mentioned it this
SL-IV MC734/3
Time: 09:02 CST, 22: 15:02 GMT
12/7/73
morning and we kind of left that up to you guys. If y'all

really think that's the problem, we'll try to work
it a little bit closer here.
PLT Yeah, I think most of those guys are
really busy if and we can allow 30 seconds in there, that would
give me a nice, leisurely stroll up here.
CC Okay. We'll take that into account.
We're about 45 seconds from LOS. We've got a nice long one. We'll
see you again in an hour and 4 minutes over Goldstone and
that's at 16:14 and the crimson team is saying good night,
We'll see you on your day off.
PLT Okay, Crip, and all you red guys. Should
we call you red-eyes?
CC That's (garble).
PLT (garble)
CC Have a nice weekend.
PLT Same to you. So long.
CDR May your days off be as relaxing as ours.
(Laughter)
CC That's not very good.
CDR (Laughter)
through tracking ship Vanguard. A little bit of levity there
in their exchange between off-going CAP COMM Bob Crippen.
Said he would see them back on their next day off. Next
station an hour and 2 minutes at Goldstone. At 10 a.m.
central time in the Houston briefing room, Houston News Center,
Ted Hays, Manager of the Urban Systems Project Office at
Johnson Space Center will conduct a briefing describing the
installation and ground breaking that's underway for the
first full-scale working modular integrated utility system on
MIUS which is being built at JSC as a test bed for future
generations of utility systems that recycle waste for generating
power for small communities. Not only power but heating and
cooling and waste recycling so that every available bit of
energy is used. That's at i0 a.m. , Houston time. Any
Skylab space station passes during that briefing will he
taped for delayed playback. We're an hour away from next
station at Goldstone and at 15:14 Greenwich mean time, Skylab
Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC735/I
Time: 11:13 CST, 22:17:13 GMT
12/7/73

mean time. 35 35 minutes to next station which will be
Hawaii during the just concluded - just concluded briefing
on the MIUS system, some 7 minutes of air-to-ground tape
has been accumulated. It's fore shortened somewhat inasmuch
as this 7 minutes represents three tracking station passes.
Stateside, Goldstone, Texas and the Vanguard and the Tanarive
voice relay station. WET11 roll the 7 minutes of tape at this
time and be caught up.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Goldstone
and Corpus Christi for 12 minutes. Out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston with a change to
the J0P 13 pad for the SPT when he has a moment. Out.
SPT I'ii be with you in a minute, Bruce.
CC Okay, No rush.
SPT Okay_ Bruce. Go ahead.
CC Okay_ Ed. In the JOP 13 pad that you
have onboard, step 20, the constant Charlie 12 should have
a negative sign instead of a positive and should read Charlie
12 equals minus 0.006. Over.
SPT Okay. I got it. Thank you very much.
CC Roger. Thank you. And by the way, we
were standing by during the last EREP pass and we want to
just reaffirm our feelings that it was a real spectacular pass and
pass on to Bill and Jerry we got some excellent VTS TV down
here.
SPT Thank you very much. You sure look good
from up here and I think the folks on the ground have really
figured out how to make these maneuvers with minimum expenditure
and it's worked out real well.
CC And whenever you're free, quite possibly
over Vanguard in about 13 - 14 minutes, we've got a brief
discussion on maneuver monitoring techniques for JOP 13.
SPT Okay. I ought to devote some attention
to that. Can you wait until we get out of the daylight Crip?
CC Yeah, I think we can, Ed. We got a pass
over Tananarive right about sunset and we should he able to
do it then.
SPT Okay.
CC And we are i minute from LOS at the present
time. Next station contact is in 12-1/2 minutes through the Van-
guard at 16:39 with the data voice tape recorder dump. Out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through the Vanguard
at sea for 10-1/2 minutes with a data voice tape recorder
dump. Out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston. 1 minute to LOS.
Next station contact in 17 minutes through Tananarive at 17:06.
Subsequent station contact in 1 hour through Hawaii at 17:49.
I
SL-IV MC735/2
Time: 11:13 CST, 22:17:13 GMT
12/7/73 I
Talk to you over Tananarive _bout the maneuver monitor. Out.

CC Skylab, this is Houston through Tananarive
for 4-1/2 minutes. Over.
SPT Hello, Bruce. Go ahead with telemetry.
CC Okay. Have you got permanent general message
004 Charlie - the maneuver monitor card out?
SPT Sure do.
CC Okay. A couple of items here. In the
maneuver to the JOP 13 attitude, we'd like you to use the standard
maneuver monitor cue card procedures. No change. After you
reinitialize the strapdown, there's no monitoring required
while you're in the JOP 13 attitude since auto resets are auto-
matically active in the SI mode, which of course it thinks you're
in once you're initialize the strapdown. Now for the maneuver
from JOP 13 back to true solar inertial, things are a little
bit different since the strapdown is initialized in JOP 13
attitude, the onboard maneuver monitoring technique will not
get you the desired results if you perform the section there
which says "ACS MODE STANDBY; TALKBACK, STANDBY; ACS MODE SI
as required," this sort of thing. This is wind up in sending
you back the JOP 13 maneuver. So, if the monitoring techniques
indicate a problem, we want you to take no action until the
system has switched over to AUTO TACS only. At this point,
reenable CMG control when attitude and rates are stabilized
and continue as normal operations when the maneuver is complete.
Over.
SPT Okay Bruce. I understand you're going to
TACS only and (garble) go to TACS only and then (garble).
Were you coming in with that?
CC No, I guess we're running out of time here.
We got about 30 seconds to LOS. Next station contact 39
minutes through Hawaii. But I'll keep talking here. After
the system goes to AUTO TACS only, go ahead and reenable CMG
control when your attitude and rates are stabilized and continue
on with normal operations when maneuver is completed. That is,
go ahead and reselect AUTO CMG.
SPT Okay, Bruce. I understand otherwise you
wouldn't have any reference to work from. You wouldn't know what
maneuver to put in there. So I understand what we're doing.
We use little more TACS than we do with the corrections. Commands
put in there would be but - no other way around it. Thank you.
CC That's correct and we don't actually expect
this situation to arise. But if it does, that's a modification
to what would otherwise the normal procedure. And actually, if
you just delete those four lines in the maneuver monitor part
of the card, why everything else applies.
SPT Okay. Thank you.
CC Roger. See you over Hawaii.
l
SL-IV MC735/3
Time: 11:13 CST, 22:17:13 GMT
12/7/73
PAO This is Skylab Control. That completes

playback of the accumulated tape through Goldstone Texas
and Vanguard and Tananarive stations. 28 minutes to Hawaii
and we'll be back at that time with today's Skylab flight
activities. At 17:21 Greenwich mean time, Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-II MC- 736/i
Time: 11:48 CST, 22:17:48 GMT
12/7/73

mean time and about 50 seconds away from acquisition at
tracking station Hawaii for a fairly low elevation angle pass lasting
only 2-1/2 minutes. Skylab space station crew at this time,
should be just completing the noon meal, while the Science
Pilot will go on into the ATM console for running a so-called
JOP 13.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Hawaii for
1-1/2 minutes. We're going to send a momentum dump inhibit
up to you, so if you'd stay off the DAS a second please. And
also we'd like to pass a reminder to all crewmen, and particularly
the PLT, to minimize movements as much as possible during the
JOP 13 data take. And we apologize for scheduling his PT
period winding up on the data take. And we'd appreciate
his tolerance and forebearance today. Over.
PLT Is the bicycle screwed up, Bruce?
CC Say again.
PLT Did the ergometer fowl up your stuff?
CC That's affirmative. It fowls up the
data take on JOP 13. The thing is quite sensitive to any
crew movements. Over.
PLT Okay. How long - How much more time do
I have before I need to get off of it?
CC Oh. You've got quite a while yet. The
data take is from 19:13, which is about an hour and 20 minutes
from now, to 19:28. Over.
CC And we have about 30 seconds to LOS.
Next station contact in 25 minutes through the Vanguard at
18:17, when the data voice tape recorder dump. And have
you all already performed the NuZ update? Over.
SPT Bruce, that's affirm. I did one on the
conclusion of the last ATM pass. Reason being is that Bill was not
able to get one at the previous pass right after the maneuver.
One thing tlhat would make life a little easier, make sure
we do get them is that -
CC Break break.
SPT - - for you (garble)
CC Break, break. Okay, Ed. The NuZ update
looks good and you do not have to do another one in between
here and the Vanguard. It was on the maneuver pad.
CC SPT, copy.
CC SPT. This is Houston. You may delete the
NuZ update scheduled on the JOP 13 pad at 18:20 to 18:35.
Over.
SPT Okay, Bruce. Will do.
CC Roger. See -
SPT (Garble)
SL-IV MC-736/2
Time: 11:48 CST, 22:17:48 GMT
1217173
CC See you over the Vanguard.

PAO Skylab Control. Loss of signal from
Hawaii tracking station. 23 minutes until reacquisition at
tracking ship Vanguard, nearing the end of revolution
2990 for space station Skylab. The actual usage of TACS
fuel for today's EREP pass turned out to be 59-pound seconds.
It was expected that the usage, or the predicted usage prior
to the pass was around 40 pound-seconds. But we use
59 in actual fact. We'll return in 22 minutes for the
tracking ship Vanguard. At 17:54 Greenwich mean time, Skylab
Control.
mean time. Acquisition in 50 seconds through tracking ship
Vanguard. Vanguard pass will be about i0 minutes long.
CC Skylab this is Houston through the Vanguard
for 10-1/2 minutes. For the SPT, with a change to the JOP
13 maneuver pad. Over.
SPT Go ahead, Bruce.
CC Okay, Ed. Under step 8 for fine maneuver.
I want to make the following changes. That's under the
fine maneuver. X to read 50033 (plus .27 degrees); Y 51053
(minus .43 degrees); Zulu 51032 (minus .26 degrees). Read
back. Over.
SPT Okay, Bruce. I understand that for the
fine maneuver.
CC That is affirmative.
SPT And that's the X of 50023, Y of 51053,
Z of 51032, .27 degrees, 2.73, 2.0 and 2.6. That's plus,
minus, plus. Let me get rid of this squeal.
CC Okay, Ed. On your X component, that's
50033 not 23. That's 50033. Over.
SPT Okay, Bruce. I'ii try it again. That's
on Xfor the fine maneuver 50033, Y 51053, Zulu 51032.
CC Okay. Those are correct. And let me
read you the decimal equivalents again, plus .27, minus .43,
minus .26. Over.
SPT Okay. That's plus .27, minus .30 and
plus .26. Let's change the X f (?) (garble) and (garble)
Y f (?) and Z F (?).
CC Okay. Still under fine maneuver.
the Y maneuver size should be minus .43. That's 43/100ths
of a degree in the negative direction. Over.
SPT I've got you. Minus 4 - .43.
CC And on Z, it's minus .26, I say again,
minus .26. Over.
SPT Minus .26.
CC Okay, now. Down under step 12. We're
going to change the final attitudes that you're expecting
to get to. And if you're ready to copy, I'ii read the new ones
off. X final plus 32.28, Y final minus 44.23; Z final plus 1.55.
read back. Over.
SL-IV MC-736/3
Time: 11:48 CST, 22:17:48 GMT
12/7/73
SPT Plus 32.28, minus 44.23, plus 1.55.

CC Roger. Read back correct. Out.
CC And for your information, the reason for
this update is new data based on your star tracker update,
over - just before Hawaii_ I guess, it was.
SPT Okay. If we had done any star tracker
update now, would that correction still have come up?
CC Yes, sir. It would indeed.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC737/I
TIME: 12:21 CST, 22:18:21 GMT
12/7/73
CC And just for completeness, Ed, we're

grateful that you did, in fact, do the Nu Z update early
because we would have been really scrambling for computation
of data here to get it up to you this pass. So, it works
out real. Out.
SPT Okay, Bruce, we may arrange it that way
in the future. The reason it was done there is that Bill
was supposed to get a Nu Z update while he was still on the
EREP panel and didn't notice it in the detail. One thing
that would be useful is if we could put the guy at the
EREP or at the ATM panel doing the Nu Z update. I thought
perhaps we should have done one after the maneuver. And I
looked through the ATM pad and looked through my details and
there wasn't one there.
CC Okay, we've duely noted the subject here
and will include it in future JOP 13 operations.
SPT Okay, thank you, Bruce. That would also
hold for - at the conclusion of any Z-LV passes.
CC Skylab, this is Houston; i minute to LOS.
Next station contact in 14-1/2 minutes through Tananarive at
18:41. Out. And in case we don't make it at Tananarive, Hawaii
at 19:25. Good luck on JOP 13.
through tracking ship Vanguard. Tananarive voice relay station
upcoming in 12 minutes. Final Tananarive pass. The status
board on the tracking network to see if Tananarive has any
mechanical difficulty; non shown. So no likelihood we will
have voice relay through Tananarive. We'll be back then
in 12 minutes. At 18:28, GMT, Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-738/I
Time: 12:_0 CST, 22:18:40 GMT
12/7/73
PAO This is Skylab Control; 18:39 Greenwich

mean time. Final pass over Tananarive voice relay station up-
coming in 50 seconds.
for 6-i/2 minutes. Over.
CDR Hello, Houston. Go ahead.
CC Roger. How's it going?
CDR Looks good so far, Bruce.
CC Okay.
CDR We're waiting on step 16.
CC Very good.
CC Skylab, this is Houston. Our link's getting
a little bit noisy. 5-i/2 minutes to LOS, Hawaii in 41
minutes at 19:25. Over.
CDR Say again, Bruce.
CC Roger. I'm just anticipating an early
LOS here, at Tananarive. Hawaii in 41 minutes at time 19:25.
Out.
CDR Okay, Bruce. We'll see you then.
CC SPT, this is Houston. If you're still
with us, our predictions show that a countrate of 50 on
detector 3 will be commencurate with the clearing of the
target on JOP 13. Over.
SPT Okay, Bruce. Understand.detector 3,
countrate of 50. Thank you.
CC That's correct.
CC And 1 minute to LOS. Previous Hawaii
data remains good. Out.
CDR Thank you, Bruce. So long.
PAO This is Skylab Control. LOS from west
relay station at Tananarive. Next tracking station in
35 minutes will be Hawaii. We'll return at that time. Two
more Hawaii passes remaining this afternoon, as the orbit
precesses westward. And the groundtrack of space station
Skylab moves off the tracking range. And station passes
become fewer and farther between. At 18:50, returning in
34 minutes, Skylab Control.
mean time. And 50 seconds away from acquisition at Hawaii
tracking station. About 3 quarters of the way through revolu-
tion 2991 for space station Skylab.
CC ton through Hawaii for 9-1/2 minutes.
Out.
CDR Hello, Bruce. We got the attitiudes.
We're set up to go at 19:04. Started the exposures at 19:07
when place came up. So far on detector 3, we have only
seen noise counts and have not been able to pick it up.
But, we're pressing on.
SL-IV MC-738/2
Time: 12:40 CST, 22:18:40 GMT
1217173
CC Roger. We copy.
CC SPT. We show S052 still running and
fast SCAN with the door closed. We'd like you to go STOP
OFF, please.
CC Thank you.
CC Skylab, this is Houston; 1 minute to LOS,
Next station contact in 23 minutes through the Vanguard at
19:55. Out.
CDR Talk to you then, Bruce.
CC Roger. Out.
SPT It all went according to plan, Bruce.
We ended up with mirrors and inner gimbal of A-I was plus 007 or
0007. Inner gimbal Gimbal 2 was plus 0378, we get a correction of
of minus 4, and minus 25 in octal. Ended up with 375 for the
inner gimbal_ 20. Started the experiments at 19:07 and
concluded at 19:27, which you saw. And never really got
much of anything except noise on detector 3, except we once
saw a count of 2, but that vanished. During the exposure
period, the inner gimbal got down to 373 and then back up
to 374.
CC Roger. We copy. Thank you.
CDR It was worth it to see Bill Pogue tiptoe
in zero g.
CC I bet that was a sight to see.
CC Hey, did you see anything on the XUV MON?
PLT No we didn't Bruce. We did some fairly
long intaglations and we just got a lot of white noise in
the xebter of the tube and could never see anything above
that.
CC Okay. Thank you.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC739/I
Time: 13:34 CST, 22:19:34 GMT
12/7/73

through Hawaii. 19 minutes to the next station, tracking
ship Vanguard. We'll return at that time for that pass.
We miss Tananarive this time. Next rev around, we start
picking up Ascension Island at 19:35 Greenwich mean time.
19 minutes to tracking ship Vanguard. This is Skylab Control.
PAO This is Skylab Control at 19 hour 54
minutes Greenwich mean time. Skylab approaching acquisition
through the tracking ship Vanguard.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through the Vanguard
for 9 minutes. Over.
SPT Rello, Houston.
CC Roger. We've got a small change to the
ATM schedule pad for this afternoon.
SPT Go ahead.
CC Okay. In the past schedule for 20:55
Zulu, we'd like to add to JOP 6, step 2, building block 2,
the S082 that was deleted. That's S082A. It's a time
exposure. Wavelength is short and the duration of it is
20 seconds. That's in the first major block there at 20:55.
Over.
SPT Okay, the one at 22 - Okay, the one at 22:55,
building hlock 2 is 82A, timed mode, wavelength short, 20 seconds.
CC Roger. That's it.
SPT Okay. Do they want a 1-minute exposure in
wavelength long at the end of the pass, I presume.
CC That is the one at 20:55.
SPT Okay.
CC And Ed, I - I was listening out the other
ear when you asked about the 2-minute exposure. We do not want a
1-minute exposure. All we want is the 1 20-second long, short-
wavelength exposure.
SPT Okay.
CC And whenever Bill Pogue has a minute or
so, we've got a couple of questions relating to the EREP
operations for this morning.
PLT Go ahead, Bruce.
CC Okay. This in regard to your comments
regarding the S190 READY light on the final sequence of the
last EREP pass and we took your comments to indicate that the
S190 READY light stayed on and never went out. Is that correct?
PLT On the last sequence when I had just one
camera working, the Ken - the READY light did not go out right
away hut it it did not go out. I had to recycle, go into
the film depletion and everything worked normally.
CC Okay. We understand. Then you said that
only number 2 - number 1 and number 2 film ADVANCE - malf lights
SL-IV MC739/2
Time: 13:34 CST, 22:19:34 GMT
12/7/73
were out at the start of the sequence and only number i was
out at the end. So this means that number 2 came on early in
the last sequence. Is that correct?
PLT Yes. I made a voice comment when it went
out or when it ' when it ' when it came on.
CC Right. The EREP guys have been going over
the voice tapes and I just wanted to clarify some of these
points. It appears also that we may have contributed to a
possible incorrect frame or sequence setting in that sequence
by calling out in the pad for a setting of 5 instead of 05. Can
you recall if you set the 5 in the units rotary switch and in
fact put the tens rotary switch to zero?
PLT I set it 50 first and knew that was wrong,
then set it to 05.
CC Okay. Beautiful. And could you confirm
that the camera was operating during the last sequence
you know from noise and motion and stuff like that?
PLT That's affirmative.
CC Okay. You can pick up your 64 dollars at
the answer booth there. Thank you very much.
PLT I got no place to spend it, Bruce.
CC You're going past GO often enough though.
PLT That's right.
PAO This is Skylsb Control. The Earth resources
experiment officer reports that Pilot Bill Pogue's comments
indicate that the cameras are operating properly and that the
Earth resources package is operating okay.
CC - operation. Over.
PLT Bruce, SPT is reading you. You can go ahead.
CC Okay. I guess for you also, Bill. Pre-
liminary analysis of the latest DAC (garble) at DAC 4, indicates
that our problem may well be in the transporter. We need to
verify that the transporter is in the - the transporter thread
operate lever is in the thread position when it's being attached
to the DAC to insure that everything's stays synched up properly.
And for the M092/93, MI51 photography today - we would like to
use transporter 05 located in Alfa 2 instead of transporter 3
called out en the pad because we feel it's possible that trans-
porter 3 was damaged when attached earlier to DAC 4. Over.
PLT Okay, Bruce. Transporter 5 instead of 3.
CC Roger and use of the thread lever - want to
play it on the DAC.
PLT Roger.
CC Okay, Hank, (sic) you're about a minute and

a half to LOS here. Next station contact in I hour through Hawaii
at 21:03. Out.
PAO This is Skylah Control. Skylab has passed
I
SL-IV MC739/3
Time: 13:_;4 CST, 22:19:34 GMT
12/7/73
out of range of the Vanguard tracking ship. The next station

Hawaii in 57 minutes. At that time, Pilot Bill Pogue will be
the subject of the MO92/M093 medical experiments, lower body
negative pressure vectorcardiogram. Science Pilot Ed Gibson
as the observer. Commander Jerry Carr should be at the ATM
console when we next acquire. At 20 hours 5 minutes Greenwich
mean time, this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC740/I
TIME_ 15:01 CST, 22:21:01 GMT
12/7/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at 21 hours

i minute Greenwich mean time. Hawaii is about to acquire
Skylab: we_'ll stand by.
CC Skylab, this is Houston; through Hawaii
for 7 minutes. Out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston; 1-1/2 minutes
to LOS. Next station contact in 25 minutes through the
Vanguard at 21:34. And, for the CDR, if you have a few
minutes free after your ATM pass here, we'd like to know what
the status of the teleprinter message - teleprinter messages
are that are being printed out i.e. light readable, good
copy or what? And if the teleprinter is still printing very
light, we'd[ like you to obtain a roll of teleprinter paper
from our previously unused tube and change out the paper roll
at your convenience as we suspect that the paper that was on
the cartridge you replaced may have become degraded due to
humidity considerations. Over.
CDR Roger, everything the teleprinter seems
to be printing normally now, satisfactory.
CC Okay, let's just leave it the way it
is then, thank you.
PAO This is Skylab Control, Hawaii has loss
of signal with Skylab. The tracking ship Vanguard will pick
up the space station in 23 minutes. At 21 hours i0 minutes
Greenwich mean time. This is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
I
SI-IV MC741/I
Time: 15:31 CST 22:21:31 GMT
12/7/73

31 minutes Greenwich mean time. Flight Director Neil Hutchinson
has scheduled his change-of-shift news conference for 4;15 p.m.
central standard time, in the JSC News Center Briefing Room.
An additional participant in that conference will be William
Snoddy, Skylab Kohoutek Project Scientist. Change-of-shift
news conference 4:15 p.m. in building 1 news briefin_ room.
Skylab is coming up on Acquisition at the tracking ship Vanguard.
Stand by.
CC Skylab this is Houston through the Vanguard
for 9_i/2 minutes. Out.
CC And Skylab SPT, this is Houston. We'd
like you to verify on panel 617 the experiment tape recorder 2
is in the position B on the rotary switch please.
CC We copy that Ed, thank you out.
SPT We have a little bit of a problem with
those knobs. Right now it's reading 1-1/2, and before it was
reading 2-I./2. But apparently we selected the wrong one.
We couldntt tell which it was closest to.
CC What do you mean it's reading 1-1/2 and
2_I/2, it's got letters on it doesn't it?
SPT What I mean Bruce it's reading between
B and C.
CC Oh, you mean like B-I/2 and A-I/2.
PAO This is Skylab Control, the biomedical
officer reports that he is receiving all the data he should
on the medical experiments, the lower body negative pressure,
and the electrocardigram. Science Pilot, Ed Gibson is the
observer with Pilot, Bill Pogue the subject. That experiment
being conducted at the present time. Jerry Carr is at the
Apollo telescope mount console.
CC Skylab, this is Houston, 1 minute till
LOS. Next station contact in 6-1/2 minutes through Ascension
at 21:49 with a data voice tape recorder dump. Out.
PAO This is Skylab Control, Vanguard has loss
of signal. The tracking station at Ascension Island will pick
up Skylab in 5 minutes. At 21 hours 44 minutes Greenwich mean
time this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC742/I
Time: 15:48 CST, 22:21:48 GMT
12/7/73

minutes Greenwich mean time. Skylab is approaching acquisition
through the Ascension Island station. We'll stand by for
communications there.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Ascension
for 6-1/2 minutes, with the data/voice tape recorder dump.
Out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston 1 minute to LOS.
Next station contact in 37 minutes through Guam at 22:33.
Out.
PAO This is Skylab Control, Skylab is passed
out of range of the Ascension Island station. Guam will
pick up the space station in 36 minutes. A reminder that
the change-of-shift news conference will begin at 4:15 p.m.
central standard time, about 20 minutes from now in the
Building 1 News Briefing Room. Participants are Flight
Director Neil Hutchinson and William Snoddy, a Skylab
Kohoutek Project Scientist. Change-of-shift briefing
4:15 p.m. At 21 hours 57 minutes Greenwich mean time,
this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
I
SL-IV MC743/1
Time: 17:35 CST, 22:23:35 GMT
12/7/73
PAO This is $kylab Control, at 23 hours

35 minutes Greenwich mean time. We're up llve through the
Canary Island station. Madrid has overlapping coverage and
we'll have acquisition for the next
CC Sk_lab, Houston AOS, Canary-Madrid for
7 minutes.
SPT Roger.
PAO Skylab Control, the flight director now
is Phil Shaffer, the CAP COMM, astronaut Dick Truly.
PAO This is Skylab Control. During the news
conference Skylab passed over the Guam, Vanguard and
Ascension ;:racking stations, there wer - was very little
air-ground during those passes. We have accumulated 3 minutes
in tape over those stations. We'll play that back at the
end of the Madrid pass, as soon as we have loss of signal
at Madrid in about 4 minutes,
CC Skylab_ Houston_ we're about 1 minute from
LOS, Madrid[. Guam comes up at 00:08 and a reminder for the
SPT, that's his family comm site. We'll have it all set up
at Guam. And also we'll be dumping the data voice recorder
at Guam.
SPT Thank you, Dick.
CC Roger.
PAO This is Skylab Control, Madrid has loss
of signal. We'll now play back the tape accumulated over
the Guam_ Vanguard_ and Ascension stations.
CC Skylab, Houston, Guam for 6 minutes.
SPT Hello, Dick, how are you today?
CC Just fine, sir, and you?
SPT Very good thank you.
CC Kind of sounds like you guys have been
busy since very early this morning?
SPT Yeah, we have but it all worked pretty
well. Got oursevles a good EREP and a good JOP 13, good
ATM, good MO92, all kinds of good things happen.
CC Good shot. Skylab, Houston, we're i minute
to LOS. Vanguard at 22:11 and I think one of your Flight Plans
is in the teleprinter one of the Flight Plans for tomorrow
is in the teleprinter. We'll be getting the others up at
Vanguard and Ascension.
SPT Okay, Dick, thanks. We're looking at it.
CC Roger. Skylab, Houston, Vanguard for ii
minutes.
SPT Hello, Dick.
CC Hello, there.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're about 45 seconds
from LOS. Ascension is coming up at 23:24, and the bird looks
SL-IV MC743/2
Time: 17:135 CST, 22:23:35 GMT
1217173
real good and the pads are GO for this upcoming maneuver
to support this S019, Kohoutek run you guys are getting ready
to do.
CDR Roger, Dick.
CC Skylab, Houston, Ascension for i0 minutes.
CDR Roger, Houston.
CC Skylab, Houston, for your information,
we're looking over your shoulder at the DACS enteries and
the maneuver time looks good.
CDR Okay, I almost jumped into the maneuver
to soon, we're waiting for 29 to come up.
CC Roger.
CC Houston, AOS, Canary and Madrid for 7
minutes.
CDR Roger.
PAO This is Skylab Control, that's the end
of the tape. Skylab is 20-1/2 minutes away from acquisiton
through Guam. At 23 hours 47 minutes Greenwich mean time.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC744/I
TIME: 18:07 CST, 23:00:07 GMT
12/7/73
PAO This is Skylab Control. We're standing

by through Guam for acquisition of Skylab. Greenwich mean time
0 hours, 7 minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston Guam for 9 minutes.
CDR Roger, Dick.
CC And Skylab, I understand that we got a
report that we've got good comm for Ed and Jerry I've
got a couple of questions here I'd like to get ahead on,
if you're - can take a couple of seconds and answer them
for me.
CDR Go ahead Dick.
CC Okay, first of all one of the guys dug through
the voice tapes and found your comments on the S183 time-delay
between the sequence start and the exposure start and after
thinking about it, we think that is a real good catch and a
valid comment and we're going to start to bias your
first available time by minus i minutes so that it should
solve the problem and - and we'll get a more proper exposure
of the comet or the star field that's in veiw.
CDR OKay, it sounds like it takes a minute
and 15 seconds for that little slide to finally pop out
into view and start being exposed.
CC Rog, but that was a real good point to
bring up and we're going to take that into account and the
other thing is a couple of days ago, as a matter a fact I
think it was 3 or 4 days ago on Mission day 19, you reported
a broken urine bag with a small spillage and we'd just like
to confirm that was your bag, or if it wasn't which one of
those guys did it belong to.
CDR That was my bag.
CC Okay, thank you much. Later on this
evening I have some information about the comet but I
figured I'd wait till all three of you guys were available
to listen to it.
CDR Okay, that'll be fine, maybe we can do
it right after the evening report.
CC Okay.
CC Skylab Houston, got one more question
that Jerry, you or Bill could ask while Ed is up in the
command module. Since your last report, the question had
to do with a voice record light and it's from the INCO,
since your last report has your voice record light done
any more blinking while you're were doing any normal voice
recording and if it has been blinking, has it been at a
regular rate or has it been erratic?
CDR No, the problem that we were having was
that it would just go out and stay out when somebody was
SL-IV MC744/2
TIME: 18:07 CST, 23:00:07 GMT
12/7/73
recording, I don't think that anybody has had any problems

with it for the last couple of days now.
CC Okay, well, INCO tells me that he has
a TM point on that same parameter and it looks solid and
we've been getting good voice on all the tapes so I think we're
okay, we just kind of wondering about what's going on up
there.
CDR No, I haven't heard anybody complain
lately, if we get anymore, we'll let you know right away.
CC Okay. Skylab, Houston we're going
LOS at Guam. I'll give you a call at the Vanguard at
00:49 and I'll be standing by for the evening status report
there.
CDR Roger.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Guam has loss
of signal. Skylab will be picked up by the tracking ship
Vanguard in 27 1/2 minutes. At 0 hours, 18 minutes
Greenwich mean time, this is Skylab Control.'
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC745/I
Time: 16:45 CST, 23:00:45 GMT
12/7/73
PAO This is Skylah Control at 0 hour 45

minutes Greenwich mean time. Skylab coming up on acquisition
through the Vanguard tracking ship. We expect the evening
status report during this pass. We'll stand by.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're AOS Vanguard for
9 9
minutes and I'm standing by for evening status report.
CDR Stand by just a minute.
CC Okay.
CDR Okay, Dick, here it goes. CDR, for sleep:
6.5, 5/heavy, 1.5/light ; SPT, 6.5, 5.5/heavy, l.O/light ;
PLT, 6.5, 6.0/heavy, .5/light. Volume: CDR, 1200; SPT, 1450;
PLT, 1700. Water gun reading: CDR, 7115; SPT, 222;, PLT,
8409. Body mass: CDR, 6.305, 6.304, 6.303; SPT, 6.365, 6.367,
6.380; PLT, 6.246, 6.248, 6.246. Exercise: CDR; method Alfa,
leg, 29, 4800. Method Bravo, Alfa, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, i0,
20 each. Method Charlie, Charlie, Delta, Foxtrot, 06, 15
each. Method Echo, Alfa, Bravo, 03, i0 each. Method Foxtrot,
walk, 12, N/A; toe rise, 01, 90; spring, 01, i00. SPT, method
Alfa, leg, 40, 8338. Method Bravo, Foxtrot, i0 minutes, 40
repetitions; Bravo, 3 minutes, 20 repetitions; Curls, 3 minutes,
20 repetitions. Method Foxtrot, springs, 15 minutes, 1,000;
toe rise, 05 minutes, i00. PLT, Method Alfa, leg, 36, 5700.
Method Bravo, Alfa, Bravo, Delta, Echo, 08, 50 each. Method
Charlie, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Eeho_ Foxtrot, Gulf, and Hotel,
10, 20 each. Method Foxtrot, walk, I0 minutes, N/A. Medications:
none for anybody. Garments disposed of: CDR, one pair of
shorts; SPT, one pair of shorts, one t-shirt; PLT, none.
Food status: CDR, 6.0 salt, zero food deviations, plus 1.5
water - hy rehyrdation water. Correction on the
food deviation, minus one coffee with sugar. SPT, zero salt,
plus one Lea, zero rehyrdation water. PLT, 1.5 salt, zero
deviations, minus 1.0 rehyrdation water. Okay Flight Plan
deviations: none. Shopping list de accomplishments: none.
Inoperable equipment is DAC 04 and we're going to trouble-
shoot. AiLso the - the transport. Unscheduled stowage: none.
Photo log:: 16-millimeter, M092/93, (MI51), Charlie India 93,
77, Charlie India 122. Nikon, 01, MD, we'll need a cassette
number for tomorrow morning for film load. Nikon 02, no change.
Nikon 03, Charlie India ll0, 51. Nikon 04, India Romero 09,
06. Nikon 5, Bravo Hotel, 04, 31, we're anticipating 3 -
3 exposures tonight. That makes the count 31. 70-millimeter
is Charlie X-Ray, 47, the count is 120. ETC is Charlie Tango
ii0, 92. EREP set Kilo, 9869, 2054, 9594, 8959, 0730, 9365.
Drawer A configuration, AI, 07, no change. A2, 05, Charlie
India 93, 77, Charlie India 122. A3, 06, no change. A4, 03
no change. Zer - Back 02 no change. And that's it.
CC Okay, Jerry, I copied all of that. If
sL-IV MC745/2
Time: 18:45 CST, 23:00:45 GMT
12/7/73
you donft have anything else, and everybody's listening, I

might tell you a little bit about what I wanted to pass up
about Kohoutek.
CDR Okay, we're all ears.
CC Okay, let me read you a little mission
note I have here, from the Kohoutek people and then after-
wards we I have a couple of questions for you. It turns
out that ground observations are becoming more and more
difficult because the comet of course is coming closer to
the Sun, now it's about 35 degrees. However, the other day
the NOAA station at Carnarvon obtained a really excellent
picture on - this was on December 5th, and it's been in all
of the newspapers around here. The present visual magnitude
the estimates are running about 1 magnitude below the lower
predicted magnitude curve that's in appendix A in the ATM -
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC746/I
Time: 18:55 CST 23:00:55 GMT
12/7/73
CC The present visual magnitude estimates

are running about 1 magnitude below the lower predicted
magnitude curve that's in appendix A in the ATM section of
the Flight Data File. However, Dr. Romer of the Lunar and
Planetary lab in Tuscon estimates that the maximum magnitude
at perihelion will still probably reach about minus 4 as predicted
by the curve. And this corresponds to Venus when it's at its
brightest. According to the curve, the present magnitude should
be about 3.2 and the latest visual observation on December 5th
was 4.3. The tail length is now reported to be about 3 degrees
and the comet spectrum has been observed on the ground from UV
to IR reserve. Over. We had a little later this evening Jerry
you're scheduled for a 233 ops. We have a question about that.
You reported the other day and we did predict that pretty soon it's
going to be no longer visible because it's going to get occulted
by one of the wings out that command module window. We would
like for you to verify tonight if you can no longer see the
comet out of the command module window. The (garble) pad perdiction
showed that it still should be visible for another couple of
days. And also at the same time if somebody else has a chance
to go to STS 3 window, we also predict that it should be visible
out there, and we would like to know if it is. Over.
CDR Okay, I tried that earlier today and just
didn't get there at the right time. And we'll give it a whirl
at STS 3 tonight to see if we can locate it. The comet can be seen
but the camera now has to be down at the bottom of the window.
And it won't be long until we lose it out the command module
window. I got the distinct impression about 3 days ago that
I could see both tails on the comet. It's very, very, vague
though, and I'm not sure it's just more of an impression than
anything else. But I felt like I could see a straight tail
as well as a curved one. The - lately though with the comet
observations coming so close to sunrise it's getting difficult
for us to see it up here too. And the - you know the relative
appearence now is that the tail is shrinking, and I think that's
just because theres more scattered light, because of the impending
sunrise.
CC Roger, we're getting very close to LOS.
I'll give you a call at Canary at 108 and that is interesting.
We should be - we'd be appreciative of you telling us how it
looks this evening since you got the best seat in the house.
CDR Roger, Dick.
CC Rog and Skylab I made a mistake, med
conference is scheduled at Canary so the doctor will be talking
to you. That's 01:08 and then I'll talk to you after that.
SL-IV MC746/2
Time: 18:55 CST 23:00:55 GMT
12/7/73
CDR Okay, Dick. Thank you.

CC See you.
CDR Is there any information available on
the WLC TV and what their conclusion is after taking a look
at the pictures.
CC Roger. Let us talk about that one, and
I'll get back to you later on.
PAO This is Skylab Control, Vanguard has loss
of signal. A rather comprehensive discussion of the comet
Kohoutek during that pass. Canary Islands will pick up
Skylab in about 9-i/2 minutes. The first part of that pass
we devoted to the medical conference. There is overlapping
coverage through Madrid. At zero hours 59 minutes Greenwich
mean time this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC747/I
TIME: 19:07 CST, 23:01:07 GMT
12/7/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at i hour,

7 minutes Greenwich mean time. Skylab coming up within
range of the Canary Island Station. The initial part of this
pass will be devoted to the medical conference. We'll bring
the line up and keep it up with a completion of that conference
when the CAP COMM will call the crew.
CC Skylab, Houston understand you are through
with your med conference, we still have about 7 minutes left
here at Madrid.
CDR Roger, Dick.
CC And if you're still close to the phone
I do have a message here, we'd like to discuss real briefly
with CDR.
CDR Go ahead.
CC Okay, really it's for everybody but I
figured Jerry would, if we had to take this action would be
more directly concerned. Us purple gang members aren't real
sure whether or not this has been discussed with you before
but in any event we wanted to mention it to you. A couple
or three days ago we observed another and I think it was
the second one we've seen another glitch on CMG number 2,
which was somewhat similar to those we observed during -
on CMG number 1 during the month prior to CMG i failing, we
thought it might be a good idea to let you know about this and
also for you in your spare moment sometime to whip out the
command module G&C Checklist and review pages 619 to 622,
which - which includes the CSM activation and getting them
into wide deadband takeover just in case something bad
happens unexpectedly to CMG number 2.
CDR Okay, Dick that I hadn't hear before.
When you get a chance could you tell us a little bit about
the glitches?
CC Yeah as a matter of fact if you give me
a second we were - I was just looking at the plot and if
V&S (?) will keep me honest here, I'll try to explain a
little bit: of it to you. What we saw was an increase -
Stand by. Okay, the glitch that I'm getting ready to
describe to you, first of all took place over, something
like about a minute or a minute and a half. What we saw
was the phase 8 current increase during this period and at
the same time that the current increased, the wheel speed
dropped, oh, maybe 40 or 50 r.p.m, from the nominal. Then
for about the next minute the current was high which would
indicate that it was trying to bring the wheel speed back
up to the nominal and at the time that the - this maximum
little period of current increase dropped back to normal,
sure enough the wheel speed had come back up to almost the nominal
SL-IV MC747/2
TIME: 19:07 CST, 23:01:07 GMT
12/7/73
value within about I0 r.p.m. One other thing that was a little
bit unusual about this and it also - this also happened on
CMG I was that we have a plot of the two bearing temperatures
that generally vary between I think it's about 60 and 80 degrees
and normally these two bearing temperatures draw up - as they
vary through the nominal range stay pretty much parallel
to each other. However, during this period of about a
minute, one of the bearing temperatures increased or at least,
yeah I guess I'd have to say it increased more than the other
one just by maybe a couple or three degrees and then and then
at the end of this little glitch period everything returned to
normal and nothing has happened since then.
CDR Dick, how many of these occurred on CMG 1
and what was the frequency before term of the (garble) value?
CC Okay, first of all I made one mistake
in the description I just told you. The time period was
not about 1 minute and a half it was something like an hour
and a half. I was looking at the plot wrong here. There were
three glitches that we observed on CMG 1 prior to its failing
and most of those I think took place - -
MCC Scattered over a month to 5 weeks.
CC I see. They were scattered over about
a month to 5 weeks prior to the failure which I guess was the
fourth occurrence. We saw the first glitch similar to this
about 3-1/2 weeks ago on CMG 2 and the one that I'm describing
to you now happened a couple or three days ago and it's the
second one that's happened. Over.
SPT Okay, Dick are there any plots down
there as to what's causing it? Those bearings are - CMGs are
pretty much isolated from one another and it's might expect
it from one, but not all those to start going at roughly the
same (garble) time.
CC Well I tell you what there's an awful
lot of di:seussion going on between us here in Houston and
Marshall and we'll keep you posted but right now I certainly
don_ t feel competent and I don't have anything here in front
of me to give you a theory on it. But - -
CDR Well, Dick, until - until you can get a
good story together then, and some data, we'll just - we'll
satisfy ourselves with really studying up on our overrate
procedures and be ready to go if we need them.
CC Okay, what'll probably happen would be
if it did happen unexpectedly, you probably wouldn't get an
overrate but you would end up in TACS only and the thing
to do would be to go through those G&C pages just like I
described and we just thought it would be a good idea for
you to review them. We're about 30 seconds from LOS at Madrid.
SL-IV MC747/3
TIME: 19:07 CST, 23:01:07 GMT
12/7.73
Honeysuckle comes up at 01:57 and we're going to dump the

data voice recorder down there at Honeysuckle.
CDR Okay, Dick thank you very much for the
description, appreciate it.
CC Yes sir.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Madrid has loss
of signal. The next station to acquire Skylab will be
Honeysunkle in 33-1/2 minutes. At 1 hour, 23 minutes
Greenwich mean time, this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC748/I
Time: 19:56 CST 23:01:56 GMT
1217173
PAO This is Skylab Control, at 1 hour and

56 minutes Greenwich mean time. Honneysuckle is about to
acquire Skylab, we'll stand by.
CC Skylab, Houston, Honeysuckle for 7 minutes.
CC And Skylab.
MS (Garble).
CC Roger. We're going to dump the data voice
recorder here at Honeysuckle. And in answer to the or
possibly not in answer to this the SPT's question on the
white light coronagraph. There's a conference right now that's
in progress on it. Basically I can tell you now that we're
sure that the problem is in the vidicon and their talking
about how we're going to use the vidicon in future days now.
We probably will know more before you go to bed tonight, but
if not surely in the morning.
CDR Thank you Dick.
CC And if you guys don't have anything for
me and you care to listen to some news either at this site or
one of the following sites, I have some here in front of me.
CDR Okay, Dick would like to here it, but
just one thing first. SF233 the Kohoutek observation from
the command module. I'm convinced now that we're wasting
our time taking anymore pictures out of the command module
window. With the camera in the window as low as I could get it,
and with the ATM solar panel almost cutting I think, there
cutting the field of the view of the camera in half, I'm still
not sure ;that the camera was seeing Kohoutek. Because I could
get down below the camera and really crane my neck inside up
and just barely catch the back end of the comet, up underneath
the ATM panel. So I think we're wasting our time and film
and we need to go to another window. And we were not successful
in siting it in $3, but I don't think that means anything.
The next nightpass we'll try again.
CDR And one embarrasing question Dick, which
is $3? Do you use the last number that's next to the crank?
CC It's the window closest to the plus Z
dynamic axis, I believe Bill.
CDR Okay.
CDR Dick, I think I was looking out the wrong
window. I looked out the one that had a crank panel number 243
by it, there are no S numbers on the windows here.
CC Yeah, that was - we should have given it
to you differently. We'll check on it and make sure we give
you the one we think it's visible out of.
CDR Yeah, I should have used my head, I know
which way minus Z is.
CC Okay, do you want to hear a little news?
CDR You bet.
I
SL-IV MC748/2
Time: 19:56 CST 23:01:56 GMT
1217173
CC Okay. In Washington D.C. today, Represent-

ative John J. Rhodes of Arizona, was chosen House Republican
Leader. And he's replacing the new Vice President of the
United States, Gerald R. Ford, who just took office in the
last couple of days. There were these new developments today
on the energy crisis down here. The House Commerce Committee
approved emergency legislation that would slow clean air efforts
and authorize gasoline rationing in the name of fuel conservation.
Also the Senate passed 82-0 a bill calling for the goverment
to spend approximately 20 billion dollars over the next
i0 years, the purpose of which to ma_e the United States self
sufficient in energy. Protesting truckers threatened today to
end their moratorium on blockages should negotiations in
Washington fail to settle their demands for lower fuel costs
and higher speed limits. Meanwhile, President Nixon has
scheduled a Saturday morning meeting with Teamsters Union
Frank Fitzsimmons to discuss the continued protests by truckers
over the energy saving regulations. At the United Nations
in New York, a spokesman says the Middle East cease-fire is
holding despite a flareup in Suez City. Egyptian and Isreali
forces exchanged fire throughout the city for 13 minutes
yesterday. The Federal Reserve Board moved today to relax its
tight credit restrictions by reducing the amount of reserves
that banks must maintain against some deposits. But New York's
First National City Bank boosted its prime lending rate - rate
to i0 percent today. Indicating that despite the oil crisis
industry is expanding at a record pace. Nelson Rockefeller
flew to Atlantic City today to address the Southern Republican
Conference amid reports he will resign as governor before
Christmas to concentrate on running for the 1976 Republican
presidential nomination. The head of the U.S. Mint, Mrs. Mary
L. Brooks, says the mint probably will begin making pennies
out of aluminum instead of copper by mid 1974, if Congress
approves. Legislation to authorize the switch to aluminum
pennies was sent to Congress earlier in the day. Bob Hope
is planning on staying home this Christmas. For the first
time in 20 years he'll not be making his annual Christmas
tour to entertain servicemen overseas. He says his family
will throw a box lunch at him and turn on the applause machine.
And today the stock market made a major advance in heavy trading.
The Dow Jones average of 30 industrials closed up 29.93
following a gain of more than 25 points yesterday.
CC And Skylab we're about a minute from
LOS. Bermuda is coming up at 02:43.
SPT Yeah, Dick them troops overseas are sure
going to miss Hope.
SL-IV MC748/3
Time: 19:56 CST 23:01:56 GMT
12/7/73
CC That was just what I was thinking when

I was reading that to you. Incidentally, I'm told that panel
223 is the proper STS window. And also looks like I made a
mistake in reading my piece of paper in front of me, the
next site is not Bermuda but Canary, but - and the time is 02:49.
SPT Thank you, Dick.
PAO This is Skylab Control, Honeysuckle has
loss of signal. Canary Islands tracking station will pick
up Skylab in 42 minutes. During this pass Skylab Commander
Jerry Carr recommended that no more attempts be made to photo-
graph the comet Kohoutek through the command module window.
Comet's position now relative to that window makes it rather
fruitless to attempt to photograph according to Carr, So
another window in the orval - orbital assembly will be sought
that has a better advantage point of the comet for the up-
coming photographs, handheld photographs. We have the Flight
Surgeon's daily report on - -
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC749/I
TIME: 20:06 CST, 23:02:06 GMT
12/7/73
PAO Flight Surgeon's daily report on the

crew health. It reads: The crew continues in good health.
The pilot had uneventful lower body negative pressure exposure
today. Review of recent commander and science pilot instrumented
maximum effort exercise on the bicycle ergometer show cardiac
responses and oxygen uptake equivalent to preflight values.
It is clinically satisfying to see that maximum effort campacity
is unchanged. The report is signed by Dr. Jerry R. Hordinsky,
for Dr. Royce Hawkins. At 2 hours, 7 minutes Greenwich mean
time this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC750/I
Time: 20:46 CST 23:02:46 GMT
12/7/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at 2 hours 46 minutes

Greenwich mean time. Tracking station at Canary Islands is
about to acquire Skylab. There is overlapping coverage through
the Madrid station on this pass.
CC Skylab, Houston, AOS Canary and Madrid
for 12 minutes.
CDR Roger_ Dick. We're staring out $3 now
waiting for Corvus to come up and that would precede the
comet.
CC Roger that Jerry. And when you get a
chance sometime this pass, since it looks like that the -
is not going to be visable out the command module window
anymore, we'd appreciate it if you'd give us idea of visual
description of the comet the color, and you mentioned the
two tails and so forth as you remember from the last time you
saw it, since you guys probably have a better look than any-
body, but no hurry on that. I do have an answer to Ed's
previous question about S052.
SPT Go ahead, Dick.
CC Okay, Ed, it turns out that there are
two possibilities on the spot on the vidicon. One is that it
could be internal contamination or possibly a burned spot on
the vidicon. And we think that the black line that you see
probably is AGC response to that spot, although we continue
to think about that. At any rate as it turns out to be internal
contamination the worse thing that can happen, or maybe it
wouldn't be worse, but the thing that could happen is that
it might possibility move. And if it turns out to be the
burn spot, we don't think it will grow. So this makes us
think that it's perfectly okay to go back to eps normal,
starting tomorrow morning.
SPT Okay, that's good to hear. I was afraid
that that would grow and might put some of our Kohoutek
observations in jeopardy. I'm glad to hear that.
CC Rog and so were we, and right now we're
convinced that if it is the burn spot its not going to grow
so it's going to be okay to use it. And I got a couple of
more things as long as I'm talking to you guys. In case we
ever make the mistake again of referring or referring to one
of those STS windows as $3 or $4 whatever, it turns out that
those numbers, the last diget of the panel number corresponds
to the window number. For example, panel 243 is $3 and so
forth. One other comment that I have earlier, just proir to
me coming on shift I heard the conversation you had about that
rotary switch for the instrumentation system down on panel 617,
and we recall that way back even on Pete's mission that they
I
SL-IV MC750/2
Time: 20:46 CST 23:02:46 GMT
12/7/73
had trouble with that rotary switch and not being able to tell
which position it was in and about all they could end up doing
to make sure was when they set it to go fully to the stop to
position A and then just count the positions. So you might
try that at: any rate we'll try to keep our eye on the position
for you too.
SPT Okay, Dick that's a good idea. The problem
with setting that is that if your coming from a higher letter
which I was, say H going over to B. You can click it into
C and the loosness of the knob will tell you that you pointed almost
at B, and you let go of it and assume you're there. And that's
what happened there and I think your suggestion is certainly
is a good one.
CC Okay and real fine and - and if you see
Kohoutek or before this pass is out and you want to talk among
yourselves at all we'd like to hear what you'd think of the
comet appear - how it appeared to you.
SPT Very good. And Dick if the 52 folks could
dig back through records and see if that was a - what type
of one occured that would lead to the burn spot_ was it
a 1 time thing which happen on our mission or is it an accumula-
tion of of many things. We certainly don't want to do that
again or cause the situation where it could grow or go into
another spot. We'd like to know what the history was which
led up to it.
CC Okay, Ed. I'll get them to talk about
that and we'll get an answer back to you when we can.
SPT Thank you.
SPT You may be interested from the work in
the old days. Right now I am working with the old aerodynamic
work bench. Up here using the screens by the OWS bands.
CC Great scott.
CC Skylab Houston, we still got about 2 minutes
in this pass at Madrid. We're just noticing this evening, this
is the last pass of the evening since you guys gonna get to
go to bed early since you got up an hour - hour early this
morning. We were just noticing that during the evening tonight
Skylab is going to be on its 3000th revolution of the Earth.
And you guys have been up this is day 23 and it's real
obvious that were in a real good groove and getting everything
done. And the purple gang just wanted to send up Thata boy
for tonight. And we'll see you guys in the moring. You'll
be waked up at Guam at 12:00 Zulu.
CDR Who's the duty waker upper in the morning?
CC I believe it's oh Henry.
CDR Oh Henry good show.
CC Roger.
SL-IV MC750/3
Time: 20:46 CST 23:02:46 GMT
12/7/73
PLT Dick I got the ATM film report. H-Alpha

122031 56, 4342; E2A, 143; A2B, 1290; 52 is 6064, 54, 4055.
CC Okay, Bill thank you much.
SPT Hey_ Dick, what time is Henry going to
show up on the scene tomorrow at Guam?
CC It's Guam and it's right I think the
pass covers 06:00 exactly so it'll be right on time. You
can cou_ on him wakin_ you up.
SPT He hasn't missed yet. Thanks for the
good words and good night to the purple group.
CC Roger, everybody say good night Dick.
MC Good night Dick.
SPT Good night Dick.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC751/I
TIME: 21:00 CST, 23:03:00 GMT
12/7/73
CDR Goodnight, Big Daddy.

CC Thank you.
PA0 This is Skylab Control. Madrid has lost
its signal, we've said goodnight to the crew of Skylab.
Wake-up time tomorrow, 6 a.m. central standard time, through
the Guam station. Another busy day scheduled tomorrow,
Apollo telescope mount, Sun studies and more photography of
Comet Kohoutek. Continuation of the medical experiments and
calibration of the Earth resources experiment package on the
Moon and then late in the evening about 8:30 p.m. another
Earth resources pass, track 70. At 3 hours, I minute
Greenwich mean time, this is Skylah Control signing off until
wakeup time tomorrow, 6 a.m.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC752/I
Time: 06:06 CST, 23:12:06 GMT
12/8/73

mean time. Acquisition, a very brief low level pass over the
Hawaii tracking station coming up in about 40 seconds at
which the spacecraft communicator Hank Hartsfield will give
a wakenp call to the crew.
CC _ - Houston_ good morning.
CDR Good morning, Hank.
CC Good morning to you. Nice and pretty
out here this morning. How is it up there?
CDR Pretty sleepy.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're about a minute
from LOS. We'll see you in about i0 minutes at Goldstone
at 18.
from the Ka_aii tracking station. Final pass for that
station for several hours t_ll the descending tracks begin
moving westward over Hawaii in about another four revolutions.
7 minutes to Goldstone tracking station in the MoJave Desert.
Hank Hartsfield and Skylab IV crew had an extremely brief
exchange in that Hawaii pass and apparently the crew's
stirring about, getting ready for a day's activity which
includes some seven ATM solar observations. At 12:11 GMT, returning
in 6 minutes for Goldstone and stateside pass. Skylab Control.
mean time. 50 seconds from acquisition through tracking
station Goldstone and the remainder of the tracking stations
across the continental United States, Texas, Merritt Island -
Merritt Island Launch Area and Bermuda.
CC Skylab, Houston through Goldstone for
5 minutes.
CDR Morning, Hank.
CC Good morning.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're about i minute
from LOS. We'll see you in about 2 minutes over MILA.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're with you through
MILA and Bermuda for 12 minutes.
CDR Ro_er, Hank. And the question for the
morning is, S-233. I haven't seen any any of the pads yet
So I may be talking before I should've read. But I'm wondering
if we're going to still try to do that on the command module
this morning.
CC That's negative. I was waiting till you
got awake a little bit going to leave a little note up to
you, Jet. Well, what we want to do is cancel the 233 OPS for the
day. However, at the time of schedule there, we would like for
you to move the camera down to the STS window number 3. Pull the
cue card and just mount it down there, cause that's the place
we'll see it next. And for _he PLT, he can delete the $233 OPS at
21:32 excuse me, that's for the PLT and also that'll do it
for right now.
CDR Okay, Hank. We tried to see Kohoutek out
I
SL-IV MC752/2
Time: 06:06 CST, 23:12:06 GMT
12/8/73
the window and weren't able to locate it last night. We'll

keep trying every chance we get.
CC Our computer runs right down here now
Jerry - show that the it's marginal right now out that
window. That's probably why you're not seeing it, However,
it should be starting to appear there.
CDR Okay.
CC But we thought we could get ahead of the game,
you know, if you want to go ahead and move the apparatus down
there and mount it and use the universal mount.
CDR - - you can tell from our charts it looks
like it lies half away between Corvus and Scorpio right now.
CC I believe that's about right.
CC And Skylab, for info we'll be dumping the
voice and data recorder here in Bermuda.
CDR Roger.
CDR Houston_ Skylab.
CC Go ahead.
PLT Roger dodger. Give me another 29 set.
CC Would you say again? We had a loud squeal
there.
PLT I need another $009 set time.
CC Okay. We'll get it for you and Bill, on
this daylight cycle coming up here, your ATM pass, if it's
convenient, we'd like to get WLC TV along with the XUV mon.
PLT Okay, Hank.
CC And PLT, Houston. The next set time on
the next rev will be at 14:05:11.
PLT Thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're 1 minute from LOS.
Ascension at 4 (garble) 45 about 9 minutes from now. You might
be interested - while you were asleep this morning, the workshop
passed the milestone of 3000 rev. In fact, they're on the
workshop's on 3002 now.
CDR Roger, Hank. Thanks.
END OF TAPE
I
SL-IV MC-753/I
Time: 06:36 CST 23:12:36 GMT
12/8/73
PAO This is Skylab Control loss of signal

from Tracking Station Bermuda. 8 minutes to Ascension Island's
station. Today's Flight Plan includes 4 hours and 38 minutes
of Apollo telescope mount data, do seven individual sessions
at the ATM console. Science pilot, Ed Gibson, is assigned
the bulk of the ATM sun studies with 4 sessions at the console.
Two in the morning, and two in the afternoon. Pilot, Bill
Pogue, is scheduled for two sessions at the ATM console,
one in the morning and one in the afternoon. While Commander
Jerry Carr has one session in the morning studying the Sun.
Other items on today's Flight Plan includes two Earth resources
surveys, EREP passes. The first, however, will be a calibration
pass shortly after 6 p.m. Houston time. In which the EREP
sensors will be aimed at the Moon, a known light source, for
purposes of calibrating the sensors. Performing the maneuver
for the calibration pass will require a total of some 22 minimum
impulse burns or mihs on the thruster attitude control system.
FFor going into the proper attitude, that _s 6 going into the
attitude and 16 coming out. EREP 14 on track 70 is scheduled
in the time period between the crew's evening meal and presleep
activities. Data will be taken for 19 minutes beginning at
8:30 p.m. central time. The nearly 6000-mile track over
Southeast Asia will pass over Naples, Thailand and Indonesia
and will terminate just before passing over Australia. To
maneuver to Z-local vertical attitude that is Earth looking
attitude for the EREP pass it will require require one
minimum impulse burn and none required =o return to the solar
inertial or Sun-looking attitude. Handheld photo options
for today include taking photos of cloud streets which are
long lines of cumulus clouds laid out in wind rows, generally
running with the direction of the wind; photos of southern
Chile and Argentina to include mountains, glaciers, coast
line, settlements, lakes and rivers to provide imagery of
little known areas; metropolitan development patterns of
Manila and the Philippines and photos of the Philippine
fault near Leyte Island. Gibson will serve as a subject for
the M092-093 lower body negative pressure and vectrocardiogram
medical experiment with Carr acting as observer beglnnin£ at
1:40 p.m. Carr will also take focial - facial photos of
Gibson during the experiment. Pogue is scheduled to take
ultraviolet stellar astronomy which is $019 experiment. Photos
of a star fields in the Milky Way at around 8:30 in the
morning. Young hot stars are abundant in this area of the
sky. Cart and Pogue will take ultraviolet airglow horizon
photographs S063 during the midday portion of today's Flight
Plan. The :remainder of the crew day will be occupied with
housekeeping chores, physical training, and meals. A 16-hour
I
SL-IV MC-753/2
Time: 06:36 CST 23:12:36 GMT
12/8/73
day of activity will end with the crew turning in at i0 p.m.

Pogue will have the overnight duty in case of a wake-up call to
the crew is needed. Three minutes away from acquisition at
tracking station Ascension. At 12:41 Greenwich Mean time.
We'll stand by for Ascension even though we're still some
3 minutes away from acquisition.
CC Skylab, Houston to Ascension for 5-1/2
minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston; we're i minute from LOS.
We'll be coming up on Carnarvon in 25 minutes at 16 and we're
scheduled to dump the voice/data recorder there.
through Ascension Island for the final pass this morning
over that station. 24 minu=es to Carnarvon, at which time
we'll be back. At 12:51 GMT, Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC754/I
TIME: 07:15 CST, 23:13:15 GMT
12/8/73

mean time. 50 seconds from acquisition at tracking station
Carnarvon, Australia_ overlapping - not quite overlapping,
a brief dropout between Carnarvon and Guam. Up live and
listeninB for Carnarvon and Guam passes.
CC Skylab, Houston_ through Carnarvon for
i0 minutes.
CC And, Skylab, as a reminder, we're dumping
the recorder here.
CC PLT, Houston_ whenever it's convenient
I have a small change to your S019 pad for time coming up
here in a couple of hours.
PLT Fire away, Hank.
CC Okay, on field 281 there at 15:10 start
time, the tilt was in error. We had on the pad 3.8, and
it should be 3.2.
PLT Roger; 3.2 (garble) Which film canister?
PLT Presume it's the same one we used yesterday.
CC Say again, Bill.
PLT I They did give me a film stow yesterday.
And looking on the pad here I didn't see a film canister
specified for S019.
PLT Oh, yeah, I see it; it's there, it's 002.
CC Skylab, Houston; we're I minute from
LOS. Guam at 29, and Bill will be standing by for the ATM
conference.
PLT Thank you_ Hank.
SPT Morning, Bill. Go ahead.
MCC Okay, good morning, Ed, you beat us to
it. We've got about 9-i/2 minutes here at Guam. And let
me hit you here with a couple of quickies and then I'll let
you have a turn, and then I'll take a turn and we can swap
back and forth. First let me apologize to Bill. I been
carrying some good words here to him from 52 around and
I haven't passed them up for a couple of days. Several days
ago you indicated that Bill had seen a triangular type feature
inside a coronal streamer and had gone into a CONTINUOUS
MODE for 52 on that. The question was whether or not there
was a chance that was associated with that large lens surge
out of the 8792 region. And the words from 52 are that what
Bill did was i00 percent the right thing to do going into
CONTINUOUS to get them to data, and there is a good chance
that that was associated with the surge. So good words to Bill
on that one. Another thought here, we have noticed-last night you
read the 52 FRAMES REMAINING countdown at 6000 something.
The previous three nights it had been 5000 and something.
I
SL-IV MC754/2
TIME: 07:15 CST, 23:13:15 GMT
12/8/73
You might just keep an eye as to whether there's a bar in

that digit that's slipping in and out going intermittent.
SPT Okay, I'm looking and it's got to be a
6; it could not be a 5 unless we've got a malfunction behind
further upstream than that, Bill.
MCC Okay, it could be that that intermittent
bar there, or it just could have been read wrong or understood
wrong here.
SPT Oh, I see what you mean; the intermittent
bar in the lower left vertical. Okay.
MCC Yeah, that's the one. Okay, on 52 quickies,
which, of course, you know they like one every orbit but they
don't get some pictures. We've got a question as to how
long it really takes to run a quickie from say being non-
Sun centered pointing, come over, point Sun Center, get the quickie
off and done with. About how long does that take? Over.
SPT Oh, I estimate, say 3 to 4 minutes. I
think if we - if we could get Jim Milligan his PATROL, SHORT
at some other time of the orbit, we could go ahead and get
that quickie out of the way before ESR.
MCC Okay, that sounds llke probably a good
idea.
SPT What I been doing is setting up and getting
the 52 portion of it done before ESR. And as soon as we get
the ESR, then get the 56 exposure, but that takes another minute
and a half. And we'll be glad to get lots of 56 exposures
and PATROL, SHORTS if y'all will just sprinkle them in quite
liberaly throughout the orbit.
MCC Okay, one thought on there now. Unless
I'm wrong the 56 exposures can be taken below 400 kilometers
as long as you're still above 250 kilometers. And as I
recall that's been running like 2 minutes, a minute to 2
minutes prior to the effective ESR at 400 kilometers there so
that you might be able to get it all in before that.
SPT Oh, okay, that was a surprise to me, Bill.
That would be a good thing to know, just how many experiments
are really constrained by what time limits here. Because
every once and awhile we run into both that ESR and ESS
where we might be able to get a little extra data if we
only knew what the real constraints were.
MCC Okay, we'll get that for you. The one
that's the hardest on 400 kilometers is SO55, because they
really are getting degraded down there. And it would seem
then that the 82's would also be affected somewhat, and
apparently X-rays arentt beginnin_ to _iek it up until about
250 kilometers.
SL-IV MC754/3
TIME: 07::15 CST, 23:13:15 GMT
12/8/73
SPT Okay, it's just in the XUV and UV

ranges there, huh?
MCC Okay, I'ii get some more words on that
if that's .- needs a little bit of an update there.
SPT Okay, go ahead.
MCC Okay, one other thing here, We've noticed
a couple days here when you're running a little late and
miss something on one orbit, maybe trying to make it up
the next orbit; we'd rather not do that. Just let it go
and we'll schedule it in later.
SPT Okay.
MCC Okay, let's see. You got anything for
us? We got: another 5_i/2 minutes here.
SPT Okay, thinking about the new active
region that's coming around the corner. Is that really a
new one or is it a remnant of an old one? Or can we get
a little mere history on it?
MCC Okay, it doesn't really have any history.
It is a new active region that there didn't used to be
anything there on the previous rotation. Old active region
80 should be coming around the northeast limb in about
I guess that should be east/northeast limb, sometime
late today or tomorrow. You might see indications of that
on XUV, although todate we have no hint that there's anything
there. But: 96 is brand new.
SPT Okay, that's very good. I got the
information which you sent up on 82B. Had I gotten that
Well, I_d like to go back and redo some of the - your
shopping list items which I've carried out, because I see
some of the backgrounds out in the lower - out in the corona
above active regions are still quite long exposures. I
was surprised by that because I've been carrying out
relatively short ones.
MCC Okay, one related thought on that. On
Monday which is your crew day off, we've got 82B comin_
in to talk to you rather than me. And right now it looks
like that's going to be Paul Patterson. And I think the
main emphasis of his talk is going to be things of this
nature and how best to use the 82B slit as a scalpel to
disect some of these phenomena that we can look at. So
that may be a good time to really take this message apart
and decide what a good plan of attack is.
SPT Okay. Yesterday's JOP 13 was called
off that we might see 50 counts on detector 3. I'm wonderin_
how would we actually see these counts. Can we actually
see it in the mirror auto raster? Or is the response of the
I
SL-IV MC754/4
TIME: 07:L5 CST, 23:13:15 GMT
12/8/73
equipment quick enough to actually flash the second digit

at us? Or is - will we see it Just as a flash of the last
digit the way we see the random noise? Is it necessary
to slip the mirror around in order to find it?
MCC If you actually did happen to be lucky
enough to get that to sample at the right time, you would
probably see it as a quick flash in that digit. However,
that sample rate is a lot slower than the true TM sample
rates. So the probability of your seeing a 50, if indeed
there was a 50 is actually pretty low.
SPT I guess even if we see it because of
the drift rates, there's nothing we can do in the way of
getting a grating of auto scan because the thing would just
drift away too fast. Because I can see two arc minutes
change in the star tracker gimbald.
MCC Yes, we concur.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC755/I
Time: 07:37 CST, 23:13:37 GMT
12/8/73
SPT - - in the way of getting a grating of auto

scan because the thing is just (garble) cause I can see 12
minutes' change in the star tracker gimbal.
CC Yes, we concur.
CC Okay. Have anything else?
SPT No, other than the - the message which was
sent up on the WLC, I was - I'm glad to see we could use it.
And also, it was interesting to see. It probably has a cumula-
tive effect of - because of the misalignment we've had all the
time, (garble) understanding of that message.
CC Okay, good. There's a couple of more
things for you. Some preliminary X-REA details on the beryllium
aperture. Degradation on that sensitivity is such that
now any time you see aperture 3, you are just about in the
C-flare ranch (sic). The first switch to aperture 3 from 4
comes right at about C-l, and switchinK from 3 to aperture 2 is
Just about at the M-I flare level. So that the beryllium
apertures have degraded and still represent a good confirmation
of the PMEC in flares. We're working on an aluminum plot based
on the flare data that we have, but we don_t have - have it worked
out yet. We've got pretty hard scatter in there and it's
hard to give a good curve.
SPT Okay. When I watched detector - when I
watched it bump up to 3 when we were having some activity,
my question was whether we had some hysterisis in there
and whether it was something previous. And there's whether
it actually subsided. So I would manually step it back down
to 4 and see if it jumped again, wondering whether that's a
worthwhile procedure or whether when every time we see a
3 up there, we know that the activity at that time is still
high.
MCC Yeah, I think you can count on the acti-
vity still being high. But as you know, llke - well, like
you say_ the hysterisis is there, and I've forgotten exactly
what the count level is. A good way to distinguish, as you suggest,
is to step it back to 4 and see if it goes back to 3 and then
you know which side of that hysteresis loop is on.
SPT Okay.
MCC Okay. We have I minute to an LOS. Gold-
stone is next in 16-1/2 minutes. On the coronal hole probing
with the 52 detector, we indicated yesterday that magnesium
l0 was the best. We're thinking now that on the limb, that
may not be the best, because the magnesium i0 has a fairly
large scale height. On the center of the disc, we can get a
difference of a factor of i0 in just I step of the mirror.
But on the limb, if we had a real sharp edge, we feel that
as you start looking sideways through that sharp edge, it
doesn't appear as a sharp edge, but it essentially gets
I
SL-IV MC755/2
Time: 07:37 CST, 23:13:37 GMT
12/8/73
mushed out. And we're looking right now at maybe trying to

use a line with a much smaller effective height and right
now we're looking maybe at neon 7 to see if that might not
be a better probing tool on the limb, and we_ll get back with
you on that when we know better.
SPT Okay. That's when I was looking at
the South Pole, the coronal - whole boundary of the South
Pole, which I was doing during some free time or something
but what you're referring to.
MCC That's right and looks like you're going
over the hill. So we'll see you tomorrow.
SPT Okay. So long, Bill. I also (garble)
the tapes on the (garble).
through Guam tracking station. The morning conference between
the Science Pilot Ed Gibson and Dr. Bill Lenoir, Scientist/
Astronaut on ATM operations. This Guam pass likely will
the most wordy pass of the day. 14 minutes to Goldstone
and at which time we'll he back for a stateside pass on
revolution 3002 and changing over to 3003 at the Cape longi-
tude. At 30 - 13:40 GMT, Skylab Control,
mean time. 50 seconds away from acquisition at Goldstone
and the continental United States pass. Standing by for
acquisition at Goldstone.
and Corpus Christi for 16-i/2 minutes. Out.
CDR Hello, Houston. Looks a little cool and
breezy down there.
CC Yes, it is. The weather's actually very
pleasant but clear and cool. Nice day for an EREP pass as
a matter of fact.
CDR With the sun angle we got, Bruce, you
can see JSC from here with the binoculars.
CC Roger. Sounds like really amazing (laughter)
visibility cause we show you on the I0 by 20 about over
Orlando or over Tampa - St. Petersburg now, or did you mean
a few minutes ago?
CDR Yeah, that's about right. We see Apalachieola
and we can see the the Gulf Coast all the way from there
to down beyond Galveston.
CC Beautiful_
CC Are those the stabilized ones, Jerry, on
20 power or are they monocular?
CDR Negative. It's just a little - I think
they're 7 power sco - binoculars, little handhelds.
CC Roger.
CC Skylab, this is Houston. 1 minute to
LOS. Next station contact in I hour and 21 minutes throuFh
Goldstone at 15:32. Out.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-756/I
Time: 08:11 CST 23:14:11 GMT
12/8/73
SPT Houston, SPT.

CC Go ahead, SPT.
SPT Okay, Bruce. Just like to give you a
quick word on what the corona looks like this morning. It's
changed considerably. We got that - 8:30 and at 9:30 two
relatively sharp streamers and one at 2:30, We don't have the
broad, define streamers, we had before. They are all relatively
sharp and pointed. The XUV monitor showed that they're pretty
much the same condition as yesterday. The coronal hole at the
south is not as sharply defined either. Seems to be a few more
intrusion of coronal hole into the material of both, but they're
very small. Active region out at the limb the east limb is a
little more prominent. Other than that it's pretty much the same.
PAO Skylab Cantrol. Loss of signal through
MILA tracking station. An extremely brief pass of - some 2
degrees elevation ankle at tracking ship Vanguard. First
contact with Vanguard this morning, Coming up in 18 minutes.
We'll return at that time. At 14:12 Greenwich mean time,
Skylab Control.
mean time, 50 seconds from acquisition at tracking ship
Vanguard. It will be a minimum elevation angle pass at
about 2 degrees. And the gap to the next station will be
slightly over an hour. About an hour and 9 minutes uuntil
Goldstone again. We'll stand by to see how well Vanguard
does on a very low pass.
CC Skylab, this is Houston. Surprisel
Vanguard for 4 minutes. Out.

CDR Boo, yourself.
CC We're watching you.
CDR Do I have to put my trousers back on.
CC We just told you we wouldn't be watching
you until Goldstone to catch you off guard. Seriously, we
got Vanguard up here so we wouldn't have to go full revolution
without contact with you, even though they are - maximum elevation
this pass is 2.4 degrees and normally we don't call a site
up with less than 3 degree elevation, but they're out at sea
and we got a a good clear shot over the water here.
CDR Roger.
SPT Morning, Houston. Did you get the works
on the white light coronagraph and XUV monitor before we
went over the hill.
CC We copied most of that, Ed. You were fading
out into the noise toward the end we think but we got it
on tape for - for the bulk of it.
SL-IV MC-756/2
Time: 08:111 CST 23:14:11 GMT
12/8/73
SPT Okay.
CC SPT, this is Houston. We're trying to
determine whether in fact we did we get all your last transmission
or not. Aboud the last thing we recall hearing you
talking about the active region on the east limb, and if you
then went on to describe S052 and the XUV mon we think we
did not copy that. We now have a minute to LOS here to
Vanguard, an hour and 5 minutes to go. Over.
SPT (Garble) the first time that we're on 8052
and then I talked about the XUV mon. Okay, real quickly.
White light: coronagraph had three streamers, one at 8:30 and
one at 9:30.
CC Yea.
8PT And one at around 2:30. All pretty much
running radial. And all fairly sharp. Very bent. Except
at the bases where it looked like they could be helping streamers
very far down. There was none of the broad diffused streamers
which we're seeing when we had lots of activity. These are
very isolated, very _ very pointed. The XUV monitor shows the
new active region coming around the corner. Relatively bright
from yesterday. On the disk it looks pretty much the same.
This thing's rotating a little bit. South Pole coronal hole
has got fairly sharply defined lining boundary, although
not quite as much as yesterday. Just a few more intrusions
of the coronal hole into the region above. Other than that
it's pretty much the same.
CC Okay, we got all that. Thank you, Ed,
and we're about to fade out here till.
SPT Thank you.
from tracking ship Vanguard. A pass that normally would not
have been in this orbit inasmuch as it's below the minimum
3 degrees; however, there would have been almost a full
revolution without contact with space station Skylab had not
Vanguard been called in on this orbit. Goldstone in an hour
and 2 minutes. And we'll be back at that time. 14:28
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC757/I
TIME: 09:30 CST, 23:15:30 i GMT
12/8/73

mean time and 50 seconds away from acquisition through
tracking station Goldstone. Orbit track on revolution
3004, coming down the west coast of the United States,
Mexico, and South America. We'll stand by for resumption
of communications between spacecraft communicator Bruce
MeCandless and the crew of Skylah IV.
CC Skylab, this is Houston; through Goldstone
and Corpus Christi for 13-1/2 minutes. Ont.
SPT Houston, Skylab.
CC Skylab, this is Houston. Were you calling?
Over.
SPT Affirmative, Houston; two pieces of
information on some camera gear.
CC Okay, sounds like bad news, but go ahead.
SPT Well, one is partially confirming
the the suspiction which the people had on the ground
about DAC 04. Last night I used that on transporter
06 where we had a little film left over, and I had the same
problem w_hich I've had in the ETC prep. The - so the problem
appears not to be in the transporter, but in DAC 04. And
I'm using DAC 09 today for the ETC prep coverage. And
secondly on the camera we're using on the ATM to get the
pictures of the monitors, we've had a failure of the
mechanism to transport the first cardboard fly out and
perhaps all of the other film; I'm not sure yet. There's
a detailed description of it on the tape recorder, and I'm
wondering if the camera folks could look at it and get back
with us as soon as possible with a possible fix.
CC Understand; that's the Polaroid camera.
And have you tried additional packs of film, or is it
just this one pack that's giving the problem?
SPT Okay, Bruce, all the information's on
the recorder, but briefly I'Ii give it to you. I tried
three different packs of film. I've taken the cardboard
out of one, tried to see whether I could get just the film
itself to advance. The problem appears to be in the little
claw mechanism which reaches - which gets ahold of the film at
the back and moves it out. The claw mechanism itself is moving
but for some reason it's not extending out far enough and
picking up the cardboard; it's just shreading the top of
it. So, there's - We have to have some way of adjusting
that. The stuff is made out of spring steel. It looks
as though it's going to be pretty tough to bend without
breaking it. So, I'm not quite too sure what the possible
(garble) right now.
SL-IV MC757/2
TIME: 09:30 CST, 23:15:30 GMT
12/8/73
CC Okay, we're handing over. I'll be with

you in a second.
CC Okay, we're back with you, Ed. We'll
get the photo people to look into this. I wouldn't try
to bend anything in the Polaroid until we - we looked at
it carefully. And we'll get back to you on it.
SPT Okay, Bruce, that's where we stand now.
CC Roger;out.
CC And, you mentioned using DAC 09 with
transporter 06 for your ETC prep later on today. Have you
verified that the film, in fact, is moving properly through
transporter 6 and DAC 9? Over.
SPT No, I have not done yet that - that yet,
Bruce.
CC Okay, it might be a good thing to check
on before you film it once more.
SPT Yeah, I'm with you, Bruce. This'll be the
third time through with it.
CC SPT, Houston; we'd like to have you use
transporter 5 for the MISI photography as it calls out in
your pad. We estimate you need 27 percent of a cassette to
cover the subject matter. And transporter 6 only has
8 percent remaining by our records. Over.
SPT Roger, Bruce. That's what I did say is
that I used transporter 06 last night and was going to film
some work on the urban (garble) workbench and that's where
I discovered that a (garble) on DAC 04, which was off. I
was not planning on using the transporter 6 for the work
on ETCs.
CC Roger. And what we're saying is we do not
want you to use transporter 6 for the ETC work. We want
you to use transporter 5 as it calls out on your film thread
pad, because transporter 6 only has 8 percent remaining and
5 has 27 percent remaining. Over.
SPT I concur, Bruce.
CC Roger; out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston; 1 minute to
LOS. Next station contact in 10-1/2 minutes through the
Vanguard at 15:56. Out.
PLT (Garble) Bruce. The PLT here just
completed SO19. And the instructions were to reset the focus,
which I did. My question is, I set it - set it to the second
gear tooth on the present to the mark, and that was completed
properly. My question is, should I reset it, or should I leave
it just the way it is?
CC Leave it the way it is, Bill, and we'll
talk to you over the Vanguard. Out.
SL-IV MC757/3
TIME: 09:30 CST, 23:15:30_ GMT
12/8/73
i
PLT Thank you.

through the Texas tracking station at Corpus Christi. Space
station Skylab about 400 miles due west of the Isthmus of
Panama at this time, and in a few moments will began revolution
number 3004 around the Earth. Next station, tracking ship
Vanguard in 8 minutes at which time we'll be back. At 15:47
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-758/I
Time: 09:154 CST 23:15:54 GMT
12/8/73
PAO This is Skylab Control 15:54 at Greenwich

mean time. Acquisition in 50 seconds over tracking ship
Vanguard. At the last station pass the data showed the
temperature in the workshop, at least in the wardroom, at about
75 degrees Fahrenheit. Pressure is still holding at 5.1
ounce per square inch.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through the
Vanguard for 10-1/2 minutes. And we'll need to send up an
NAV of up date here so we'd like the CDR to stay off
the DAS for a minute, please. Over.
CDR Okay, it's all here. - yours.
CC CDR, this is Houston. We're through with
NAV update, DAS is yours. Out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston, i minute to
LOS. Next station contact through Tananarive in 18 minutes
at 16:24. Subsequent station contact an hour and 6 minutes
through Goldstone at 17:11. Out.
through tracking ship Vanguard. 17 minutes to Ascension Island
I beg your pardon Tananarive voice relay station. And
coming on around, the ground track misses Carnarvon, Guam,
and Hawaii and grazes by Goldstone for the final stateside
station of today. We'll he back in 16-1/2 minutes for
Tananarive at 16:07 GMT. Skylab Control.
mean time. Acquisition in 50 seconds at tracking station, or
actually voice relay station and Tananarive, the Island of
Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Next station after Tananarive
will be Goldstone in about 43 minutes, approximately, after
LOS at Tananarive.
for about 4-1/2 minutes. Out.
Next station contact in 44 minutes through Goldstin - Goldstone
at 17:11. Out.
PAO This is gkylah Control. Space station
Skylab has passed over the Indian Ocean horizon from Tananarive
voice relay station and will be out of contact for the next
42 minutes until it swings down the Pacific between the Hawaiian
Islands and the mainland United States and nicks the edge
of the Goldstone tracking circle. We'll return at that time
for a Goldstone pass. Final stateside pass of this morning.
At 16:29 Greenwich mean time. Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-759/I
Time: 11:10 CST 23:17:10 _MT
12/8/73

mean time. Goldstone tracking station upcoming in about
50 seconds. Space station Skylab passing down the Pacific
between Hawaii and the mainland, the United States, prohably
8 or 900 miles off shore but still within range of Goldstone.
Nearing the end of revolution 3004. Standing by for acquisition
at Goldstone.
for 4 minutes. We'll have a data/voice tape recorder over the
Vanguard, next site up.
for 4 minutes. We'll have a data/voice tape recorder dump
over Vanguard, next site up.
SPT Roger, Bruce.
CC Skylab, this is Houston. i minute to
LOS. Next station contact in 18-1/2 minutes through the
Vanguard at 17:33 with a data/volce tape recorder dumpout.
for the final time this morning through tracking station Goldstone.
Vanguard tracking ship upcoming in 15 minutes. Very quiet
pass across Goldstone. We'll re=urn in 15 minutes for Vanguard.
At 17:17 Greenwich Mean time, Skylab Control.
PAO This is Skylab Control. 56 seconds away
from acquisition at tracking ship Vanguard. And it's now
17:32 Zulu or Greenwich mean time.
CC Skylab, this is Houston. We'll get through
to Vanguard for almost ii minutes. Data/voice tape recorder
dumpout.
Next station contact in 14 minutes through to Tananarive at
17:57. Out.
through tracking ship Vanguard. 12 minutes to the next
station. Tananarive was relay station, which likely will
be the final pass over Tananarive for today. We'll return
in 12 minutes with Tananarive at 17:45. GMT Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
I
SL-IV MC760/I
Time: 1]:56 CST, 23:17:56 GMT
12/8/73
PAO This i!s Skylab Control at 17 - 17:56

Greenwich mean time. Space station Skylab in - within 50
seconds from acquisition through the voice relay station
at Tananarive, the island of Madagascar. We'll stand by
here as spacecraft communicator Bruce McCandless makes his
initial call to the crew through Tananarive.
for 8-1/2 minutes with an update to the S063 COP pad for
the PLT. Over.
PLT Rog, Bruce. Stand by about i0.
CC Unable. How about - about 3 or 4, Bill.
PLT Oh, I meant i0 seconds. Go.
CC Okay. Mighty fine. On the pad for
S063 COP operations at 18:29, all three exposures, the tilt
setting should be 24.0. That's 24.0 instead of 26. Over.
PLT Okay. I've got that changed.
CC And that's it.
PLT Thank you.
CC Skylab, this is Houston. About 2 minutes
to LOS. Next station contact in 37-i/2 minutes through Hawaii
at 18:42. Out.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Voice relay
station at Tananarive has had loss of signal. This ground-
track of Skylab misses Tananarive next time around. 33 min-
utes to tracking station Hawaii at which time we'll return.
And at 18:09 GMT, Skylab Control.
mean time. 50 seconds until acquisition through tracking
station Hawaii. Here in the control room, the teleprinter
loads :for tomorrow's Flight Plan are being reviewed by Neil
Hutchinson's team of flight controllers.
9 minutes. Out.
CDR Roger, Bruce. This is CDR. I got a look
at Kohoutek. Stand by.
CC Okay. We're right here. I'd like to
hear your comments.
CDR Kill the squeal first.
CDR Okay. I got a good look - my first good
look at Kohoutek in several days out window number 3 while
we were in the attitude for S063. I mentioned last night that
I - I had a vague impression of - of being able to see the
curved part of the tail as well as the straight. I was not able
to get that feeling as I was looking at it a few minutes ago.
The tail, however, is quite long - it's longer than I've seen
out the command module window and that reinforce - reinforces
my conviction that we were not seeing all of the comeZ out
the command module window; that part of it was being occulted
1
SL-IV MC760/2
Time: 11.:56 CST, 23:17:56 GMT
12/8/73
by the ATM solar panel. The tail is getting quite visible

now and is indeed quite long. I wouldn't even know how to
go about giving you an estimate of how many degrees I would
say it is. But it's getting easier and easier to see.
CC Okay. How about if you hold your hand
out at arm's length and compare the width of the comet with
the apparent width of your hand.
CDR If I do that, I can't see out the window.
CC How about a finger?
CDR It's down in a corner.
CC And, Jerry, can you - could you still
continue to see the comet out that window after you're back
in solar inertial?
CDR Now that we know of roughly where to
look, we'll check. I would doubt it after 60 some degrees
of roll. But I'll give her a whirl.
CC Okay. Thank you.
CC PLT, this is Houston. We've got about
3 minutes to LOS here. We've got a quick question for you
if you dol_'t mind.
PLT Rog, Bruce. Go.
CC Yeah, in your operations with the S190
on yesterday's pass, you mentioned that the MALF lights for
cameras 4, 5, and 6 came on simultaneously and in thinking
about this, we've determined that there are several items of
logic or oircuitry which feed cameras i, 2, and 3 or cameras
4, 5,and 6. And the thought has occurred to us that perhaps
we had some sort of a malfunction instead of the three cameras
running out of film simultaneously. And we're wondering if you
can veri fy for us from your recollection that the film on the
magazines_ especially mags 4, 5, and 6, was actually completely
depleted when you removed them by virture of there being no film
still left: across the area that goes up against the (garble).
Over.
PLT I can verify that, Bruce. They were all
pretty empty and my call about being simultaneous may have
been an error. I - I was keeping a close watch on them and
I just glanced - I was glancing down fairly often and then all of
a sudden, all three of them were on. So I can - I - That was
probably not a precise call. They were all - they all came
on within a see of a 10-second period. That's probably -
I ought to qualify that call.
CC Okay. That's that's mighty fine, Bill
cause they were loaded with about the same load of film any-
way and you'd expect that sort of thing. On mission day 20,
we sent you a message to troubleshoot (garble) 3 days ago.
S190 and voice record the results. Subsequent review of the
I
SL-IV MC_60/3 i
Time: 11:56 CST, 23:17:56 GMT
12/8/73
voice tapes is showing that step 2 through 6 were lost either

through data voice tape recorder dump or something similar.
We need this data to help diagnose the recent failure as well
as prepare us for the eventualities - for eventualities. I'd
like - we'd like you - get you to repeat the commentary on
steps 2 through 5. And especially answer the questions that the
capping shutters opened after the circuit breakers were
cycled. Over.
PLT Let me look at my papers just a minute
here.
CC Okay. We got about 20 seconds to LOS.
Next station contact is in 22 minutes through the Vanguard
at 19:11 with the data voice tape recorder dump there. Out.
PLT Okay. I'Ii put it on tape right now,
Bruce.
CC Okay. Beautiful.
SPT Bruce, let me go ahead with a quick
question for the ATM folks. In doing the last series of
building blocks and putting the 82B slit - change it to
the limb I found I was not at an up/down of zero. But on
the left limb, it was minus 0035 and over on the right
limb it was plus 12. I noticed the same thing yesterday.
l suspect that our XUV slit biases are not proper and
I would like to do a quick four-limb 82B coalignment.
CC Skylab, this is Houston in the blind.
That's in the Flight Plan for tomorrow. That's in the
Flight Plan for tomorrow. Out.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC761/I
TIME: 12:51 CST, 23:18:51 GMT
12/8/73

through the Hawaii tracking station. 19 minutes to tracking
ship Vanguard. Here in Mission Control Skylab's guidance
and navigation officer is keeping close watch on control
moment gyroscope number 2. During the past 3 weeks the
second of Skylab's three largest gyroscopes has shown very
slight changes in its behavior. On three separate occasions,
when bearing temperatures were at their minimum levels -
about 60 degrees Fahrenheit the wheel speed has slowed by
less than 1 percent, with the total electric current increasing.
The guidance officer emphasizes that this occasional fluctation
is not a cause for immediate concern and, in fact, seems to
be a reasonable expectation ifor certain conditions that
provide a modest stress to the bearings for each gyroscope.
When bearing temperatures drop to 60 degrees, and before
the bearing heaters begin operating, the cooler temperatures
cause some thickening of the lubricant. This, in turn, increases
the resistance to the spinning of the gyroscope slowing it
very slightly from its usual 8900-plus revolutions per
minute. As the wheel is slowed, greater electrical power is
supplied te increase its speed. While the three slight
fluctuations in the behavior of CMG number 2 don't cause any
immediate concern, they are identical to anomalies in the
operation of CMG number i, which failed 2 weeks ago. No
such fluctuations have been seen on the third controlling
gyroscope. The first changes in the CMG number i occurred
during the unmanned operations period, before this Skylab crew
entered the space station in November. After the slight
variation was noticed a second time on CMG number i, a
second, and noticeably different, change took place. On the
day of the Skylab crew's spacewalk, when the attitude control
system was required to work much harder, the slowing wheel
was accompanied by an irregularity in bearing temperatures,
with one bearing temperature exceeding the other. The following
morning, after a period of stress due to momentum dumps,
control moment gyro number i failed as bearin_ temperature
moved up quickly and wheel speed dropped. A similar variation
may have occurred in CMG number 3, but the wheel speed is
not measured. The transducer for wheel speed on CMG 3 failed
durin_ the first manned Skylab mission. This transducer
is analogous to a tachometer, which measures speed on an
automobile engine. Temperature and electric current measure-
ments are, however, working properly on this particular
CMG. Guidance and navigation people here in the Control
Center are keeping close watch on the control moment gyroscopes,
and to reduce stress on the gyroscopes, have the option of using
the thruster attitude control system, or TACS, alone, without
I
SL-IV MC761/2
TIME: 12:51 CST, 23:18:51 GMT
12/8/73
gyroscope support. At the present time, both controlling

gyroscopes, number 2 and number 3, are working beautifully.
With their increased experience in using two CMG's instead
of 3, flight controllers are now performing complicated
maneuvers with just a fraction of the nitrogen thruster
gas required for such attitude changes a week ago. 15 minutes
to tracking ship Vanguard at which time we'll return. At
18:56 Greenwich mean time, Skylab Control.
mean time. Tracking ship Vanguard will acquire space station
Skylab in about 45 seconds. However, the network controller
just advised the flight director that out at sea where the
Vanguard is on station there are extensive electrical storms
which will have some interference with at least the data
if not the voice. We'll stand by here for Vanguard pass.
CC Skylab, this is Houston; through the
Vanguard for 5-1/2 minutes. Excuse me, for 9-1/2 minutes.
And, for the PLT, we'd just like to pass on to you that we don't
have any concern that the SI90A camera is malfunctioning.
We think it's operating normally, and we appreciate your
intelligence in answering our questions. Out.
PLT No sweat, Bruce.
CC And, for the SPT. When you started out
talking to us about 3 seconds before LOS there, and our
last message may not have gotten up. We do have a 4 limb
coalign in the ATM schedule for tomorrow. Having noticed
this discrepancy in the up/down location previously with
SO82B, so I think that should take care of your problem.
Over.
PLT Okay, thank you, Bruce.
CC Skylab, this is Houston; i minute to LOS.
Next station contact in 58 minutes through Hawaii at 20:18.
Out.
through tracking ship Vanguard at sea, off the coast of
Argentina in the midst of an electrical storm which didn't
seem to hinder any communication through that station. We'll
return in 56 minutes when Skylab space station is picked
up by the Hawaii tracking station for the final time today.
At 19:22 Greenwich mean time, Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
I
SL-IV MC762/I
Time: 14:17 CST 23:20:17 GMT
12/8/73

mean time. Final pass over Hawaii for the afternoon upcoming
in about 48 seconds. Flight director, Neil Hutchinson, has
advised that he will be handed over and available for a
change of shift briefing at about 4:15 p.m. central standard
time in the Houston newsroom if anybody comes. Standing by
for acquisition at Hawaii.
8 minutes. Out.
SPT Houston, SPT.
CC Go ahead, SPT.
SPT In the ETC prep, we had a jam of the trans-
porter and did not get the ETC prep pictures.
CC Understand that's on the MI51 for ETC prep.
SPT Affirm.
CC Roger. When did you discover it. Over.
SPT When I set the camera up, marked the film,
and I checked to see if it was transporting 6 frames a second.
Worked great. After completing the ETC prep, I found out we
had a jam.
CC Could you tell if there was any significant
utilization of film?
SPT It did not look like there was very much
chan_e, maybe a percent or so. Percent or two at most.
CC Okay, thank you, Ed.
CC Which deck was that, please?
SPT (Garble) 9, Bruce.
CC Okay, thank you very much.
CDR Okay, Bruce, I got a couple of questions
for you.
CC Fire when ready.
CDR Okay, number one is just occurred to us.
What - how's primary coolant loop pressure been doing the last
20 days.
CC In a word, impeccable.
CDR Very good. Okay, next question regards
to the S063 comet cue card in the stowage part. If we're
going to wear out our tools and our hands and our time to
assemble the equipment, taking this stuff apart and putting
it back together, it seems to me that if we've got more S063
operations i_o go before we get to EVA day. What to you say
we modify the stow procedures and knock off this taking the
T025 canister all apart and putting the other occulting disk
and all tha_ stuff back on it.
CC Okay, we copy for your message, Jerry.
We"re going to have to work into that.
CDR Okay_ it just looks to me like a useless
I
SL-IV MC-762/2
Time: 14:].7 CST 23:20:17 GMT
12/8/73
expenditure of time and very likely unnecessary wear and tear

on the equipment. So, we did it. We took it apart, and played
the whole game this time, but next time I would propose that we
don't do it that way. Until we know the next time we use T025
there's going to be an EVA day.
CC Roger.
SPT Houston, I got a question for you.
CC Fire away, Ed.
SPT The maneuver pads were sent to the PLT.
And yet the SPT is performing the maneuvers. Is there a
reason that the PLT shouldn't be in on those maneuvers?
SPT The two pads on which that occurs are the
Z-LV maneuver pads. 14 which is 2318A. And the maneuver
pad which is (garble) which is the (garble)
CC Roger. We've got them, Ed, we're discussing
them now.
CC Skylab, Houston we agree that that's an
error on our part. Both of those pads, 18 Alfa and 14 Alfa,
should be addressed to the SPT. Over.
SPT Okay, thank you, Bruce.
CDR Okay, Bruce, CDR, one more thing.
CC Go.
CDR Okay, about 3 or 4 days ago I asked the
food people a question concerning drinks that are permissible
to be taken when we are on a high density food day and I
haven't gotten an answer yet. Would you pulse them?
CC We'll do that. And while we're talking
to you here. For the SPT_ if you're in a position where you
can take a note we've got a pair of small changes to your ETC
operation pads for this evening.
SPT Give me about i minute, Bruce, and I'll
be right up there and I'll copy you.
CC You got a minute to LOS we can catch it
later on in the day, it's not till zero Zulu.
SPT Okay.
CC And we got 1 minute to LOS. Next station
contact in 25 minutes through the Vanguard at 20:50 with a
data/voice tape recorder dumpout.
through Hawaii tracking station. Final Hawaii pass for
probably 8 or i0 revolutions. Next station tracking ship
Vanguard in 22 minutes, at which time the new commentator
will be back at 27 - 20:28 Greenwich mean time, Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
I
SL-IV MC-763/I
Time: 14:49 CST, 23:20:49 GMT
12/8/73

49 minutes Greenwich mean time. Skylab is nearing the range
of the Vanguard tracking ship. We'll stand by through that
station.
CC Skylab, tihis is Houston, through the
Vanguard for i0 minutes with the data voice tape recorder
dump. Out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston for the CDR, for
a second.
CDR Go ahead.
CC Roger, Jerry. In response to your question
about the drinks that are permissable with the high-density
food items_ we assume you're asking about the extra drinks.
And any item which is listed in the free calorie food block,
which is block 3 of permanent general message number 7,
is acceptable with the high calorie food items and this
includes the coffees, tea, apple drink, cherry drink,
grape drink, and lemonade. That is, there's not restrictions
on the extra drinks that you can use with the high calorie items.
Over.
CC That should be high-density items.
CDR Roger. I kind of knew that. The thing
was, in the preflight period we were drinking things like
orange juice and some of those. And I was wondering if those
are acceptable as well.
CC You mean in addition to orange juice, which
may have been preplanned into the menu?
CDR No. There's no orange juice anywhere in
a highrdensity day. The only juice that's given is one grape-
fruit juice, and that's it. But we were allowed things like
orange juice and things like that during the quarantine period.
And l_m wondering if it's still possible now, or whether we
should swear off of it.
CC We're researching that one for you, Jerry.
And, by the way, we just started sending the Flight Plans up.
And we got a paper low indication in the teleprinter. So we're
goin_ to hold off uplinkin_ anything else until you all get
a chance to change it out.
PLT Okay, Bruce. It's still ticking away. It
as soon as it stops this message, am I clear to change?
CC We'll give you a go on that when it's
ready, Bill. Apparently, the thing was released out at the
site. And it's still en route.
PLT Okay.
CC You know, faster that a speeding bullet, and
all that.
CC PLT, Houston. You're GO for paper change.
I
SL-IV MC-763/2
Time: 14:49 CST, 23:20:49 GMT
12/8/73
PLT Roger.
CDR Houston, CDR. Are you dumping experiment
tape recorder number i?
CC CDR, Houston. Negative. Experiment
tape recorder number 1 is the recorder with the tape motion
sensor that's intermittent and causes your green light to
blink.
CDR Well, it's got a long off cycle on the
blink, now.
CC Yes. That's the anticipated progress of
the failure mode of that sensor. It started out with little
bitty dropouts and now it's getting longer and longer.
CDR Okay. I'ii assume it's running, then.
CC We can verify it for you, that it is
running. And it is running now.
CDR Okay. Thank you.
CC CDR, this is Houston. We've got i minute
to LOS. Next station contact in 6-1/2 minutes through
Ascension at 21:06. In reference to your question about the
drinks, the only items that have not been covered here are
cocoa, orange drink, and strawberry drink. And these items
are not free calorie items. So from that standpoint the control
in mineral content and may not be used with the high-density
food items. And also, from lookinK at the overage food
inventory, we are carrying none of them in overage, so that if
you used any, you'd be just cutting yourself short later in
the mission. Over.
CDR Okay. Thank you.
CC Sorry about that.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Vanguard has
loss of signal with Skylab. The station at Ascension Island
will acquire the space station in 5 minutes. The biomedical
officer reports he is receiving good data on the lower body
negative pressure and vectorcardiogram runs on Science Pilot
Ed Gibson. Commander Jerry carr is the observer during this
medical experiment run. We are receiving good data. At
21 hours Greenwich mean time, this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC764/I
TIME: 15:04 CST, 23:21:04 GMT
12/8/73

4 minutes Greenwich mean time. The Ascension Island station
is about to acquire Skylab.
CC Skylab, this is Houston; through Ascension
for 6_i/2 minutes. Out.
PLT (Garble) Bruce, you got a new roll of paper.
CC Thank you, Bill.
CC PLT, Houston. Are you still up around
the ATM? Over.
PLT Confirm.
CC Okay, when you close up up in there,
if you're going up into the CSM_ could we get you to check
on panel 3 and make sure the DC voltmeter switch is on
main bus A and didn't get left on pyro BATT B yesterday?
PLT Stand by, it won't take but a second.
CC Yes. Thank you.
PLT Bruce, what did you want, main A or
main B?
CC We want it on the main A position. The
main thing is we wanted to make sure that it wasn't left
in pyro bat: B since it does put a small (garble) in the system.
And our telemetry was indicating that we had dropped about
a half a volt on that pyro bat B, and we thought it might
have been left there. Over.
PLT That's affirmative; it was, and it's
on main A now.
CC Okay, mighty fine. Thank you very much,
Bill.
CC PLT, Houston; another thing as we go
over the hill here. When you close out the - - PLT, this
is Houston_ do you have a minute? We'd like to get SO55
set up on degrating 1302 mechanical reference. And we got
about i0 seconds to LOS here. We'll see you all over at
Guam in 38 minutes at 21:51. Out.
PLT 1302 mechanical ref.
CC Roger; thank you.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Skylab has passed
out of range of the Ascension station. The next tracking station
to acquire will be Guam in 37-1/2 minutes, At 21 hours
12 minutes Greenwich mean time, this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
I
SL-IV MC765/I
Time: 15:49 CST 23:21:49 GMT
12/8/73

49 minutes Greenwich mean time. Skylab coming up on a very
short pass through the Guam station. Very low elevation
duration of pass will be about 3-1/2 minutes. We'll stand
by.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Guam
short pass 3 minutes for the SPT. Over.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Guam for
2-1/2 minutes, short pass for the SPT. Over.
SPT Go ahead.
CC Okay. We got a change to your ETC operations
pad, two minor ones, but you probably want to write them down.
SPT Okay stand by first until I put the
(garble) down at the bottom.
CC Okay, make that change to your detail pads,
I'm sorry.
CC And did you say you're on the bike right
now?
SPT That's right, I finishing up M093.
SPT Go ahead, Bruce.
CC Okay, sorry about that Ed. On you detail
pad, the 0G:28 entry ETC ops gets changed to 00:24 and the 02:33
entry gets changed to 02:29. Over.
SPT Okay, ETC ops at 00:28 is now 00:24. And
the ops that 00 - for 02:33 is now at 02:29.
CC Roger thank you, and sorry to interrupt
on your - your run there. We got a minute to LOS here,
next station contact in 34 minutes through the Vanguard at
22:27. Out.
SPT So long, thank you.
PAO This is Skylab Control, Skylab is out of
range of the Guam station now. Vanguard will pick up Skylab
in 31-1/2 minutes. At 21 hours 55 minutes Greenwich mean time,
this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
I
SL-IV MC766/I
TIME: 16:00 CST, 23:22:00 GMT
12/B/73
PAO Control at 22 hours Greenwich mean time.

Flight Director Nell Hutchinson has scheduled his change
of shift news conference for 4:15 p.m. central standard time
in the Building 1 news center briefing room. 4:15 p.m.
central standard time for the change-of-shift briefing with
Flight Director Nell Hutchinson. This evening's Earth
resources pass begins at 2 hours, 30 minutes Greenwich
mean time, or 8:30 p.m. central standard time, over the
Himalayas as Pilot Bill Pogue points the infrared spectrometer
at Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. Tonightts pass
will cover 5400 miles crossing Nepal, Bangladesh, the
coast of Burma, Thailand, the Gulf of Thailand, Indonesia
and Australia. The pass ends southeast of Derby, Australia
in the outback. Over Nepal, all of Skylab's seven cameras
will be turned on to get a photography for mapping inaccessible
areas, never mapped and for revising outdated maps of the
more reachable parts of that nation. The infrared spectrometer
S191 will gather data on Kathmandu as a special bonas for
today's run. The Nepal photography will also be used to
map the limits of forests, snow, and ice-fields. Photographs
and data taken on magnetic tape with Skylah's electronic
multispectral scanner will be used in Thailand for a
variety of study of forests, waters, land use, agriculture,
_eology and for mapping. Thailand's research project is
being conducted under the guidance of the National Research
Council of Thailand and Dr. Pradisth Cheosakul. The
Johnson Space Center's Dr. David Pitts will use data gathered
on extensive thunderstorms northwest of Borneo and also over
Java for his continuing investigation of the growth of severe
storms. Tonight's survey of Asian storms will supplement the
detailed information obtained over several U. S. areas during
this and the previous two Skylab flights. The two storm
regions will be observed by Bill Pogue through the telescope
viewfinder of the infrared spectrometer. An evaluation of
the performance of the S193, microwave radiometer - scatter
ometer - altimeter which was repaired during the first space-
walk of this current mission will also he performed today,
with the altimeter in use as the space station passes over
the Java Slope. A depression at the bottom of the sea, Just
south of the island of Java that produces a slight depression
in the surface of the sea. While Sky lab's instruments cannot
be used to survey the bottom of the sea, the high precision of
the electronic altimeter should reveal the differences in
the sea_s surface above the submarine slope which was produced
by the same volcanic action that produced the island of Java.
Usin_ the S191 again, the Skylab Pilot Bill Pogue will gather
infrared data on Derby_ Australia and other coastal subjects
I
SL-IV MC766/2
TIME: 16:00 CST, 23:22:00 GMT
12/8/73
of interest. Because Katmandu and the north Australian coast

are not mandatory sites for the infrared instruments, neither will
have 16-millimeter data acquisition. DAC camera will not be
used there. The DAC film is not of high enough resolution to
make it useful for Earth resources studies, but it is helpful
in locating sites and in cataloguing. For most runs, the
DAC camera is used with the viewfinder tracking system of
the S191. Today's Earth resources pass numbered 14 in the
Flight Plan will actually be the 12th of the current flight,
two passes were not completed. Flight's now in its 23rd day
and prior to the Earth resources run, the instruments will
be calibrated on the Moon. Skylab now at 21-1/2 minutes
away from the Vanguard tracking ship and we're about i0 min-
utes away from the scheduled change-of-shift news conference
with Flight Director Neil Hutchinson. At 22 hours, 5 minutes
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC767/I
TIME: 16:47 CST, 23:22:47 GMT
12/8/73
PAO This is _kylab Control, 22 hours,

47 minutes, Greenwich mean _ime. We're up live through
the Ascension station about 3 minutes left in this pass.
CC Skylab, _ouston we're about 45 seconds
from LOS at Ascension. Guam comes up a long way around at
23:25.
PAO This is Skylab Control, Ascension has
loss of si_:nal, the next station will be Guam in 33 minutes.
During the news conference, 2 minutes, 12 seconds in tape
was accumulated while Skylab was in contact at Vanguard and
the first-half of Ascension, we'll play that tape now.
CC Skylab, Houston, Hello from the Purple
gang at Vanguard for 8 minutes.
CDR Hello, purple gang.
CC Hello there.
CC Skylab Houston we've got 1 note here
for the CDR and also one for the SPT. Jerry for you, we'd
appreciate it during your prep for the EREP cal, we'd like
to get the frame counter readings on the S190 mags after
installation during that prep and if you_ll either voice
record these readings or if we happen to be in station contact
you can read them to me real time the EREP guys would appreciate
it.
CDR Will do, Dick.
CC Okay, Jer thank you. Also for
Ed Gibson, there's a message in the teleprinter that we just
uplinked which is a - just a little reminder about attitude
monitering during the inertial attitude hold period of the upcoming
EREP cal maneuver. Ed, I'd like to tell you though that we
do not expect any problems with this and there's still another
hour and a half or 2 hours before that maneuver. We just
thought you might look it over and help you out while you're
doing that.
SPT Okay, thank you Dick, when I get off the
bike, I'ii take a look.
CC Roger, don't get off for that.
CC Skylab Houston, we're i minute to LOS,
Ascension comes up at 22:41. And Skylab for your information
we will be dumping the data voice recorder when we get to
Ascension, out.
CC Skylab, Houston we're AOS Ascension for
the next i0 minutes, we're gonna dump the data-voice recorder
here.
PAO That's th E end of the tape. Flight Director

on the shift now is Phil Sha_fer, the CAP COMM, Dick Truly.
The $kylab crew has begun preparations for this evening's
Earth resources calibration and the pass shortly after that.
[
SL-IV MC767/2
TIME: 16:47 CST, 23:22:47 GMT
12/8/73
The comet Kohoutek observed earlier today by Skylab Commander

Jerry Carr has doubled in brightness during the past week as
it continues its journey to the Sun. The length of the
comets visible tail is now estimated at more than 7 million
miles and it is expected to grow, perhaps to a length of
50 million miles. Scientific observations of the brightning
comet are continuing aboard Skylab. Earlier today, Pilot
Bill Pogue used the ultraviolet airglow camera to obtain
detail photos of Kohoutek. The Skylab astronauts have photo-
graphed the comet more than two dozen times in regular twice
daily 35-millimeter pictures that will allow precise measurements
of the comet's total brightness. Such brightness measurements
cannot be made as frequently from Earth, where observer's
have just one viewing period each day. Skylab which has
no atmosphere to distort the view sees the comet once every
93 minutes. The Kohoutek control desk in Mission Control
reports that the first evidence of radio emission from a
comet has now been reported by ground based radio astromoners
from Kitt Peak, Arizona. The radio emission is of considerable
significance to scientists observing Kohoutek. The waves
indicate the presence of methyl cyanide, an unusual and
unexpected chemical much more complex than scientists had
viewed in the past. Such exotic elements may be similar
to those found in the vast reaches of space between the stars.
At present, the comet Kohoutek is traveling at a speed of
more than 115,000 miles per hour, Kohoutek now 65 million
miles from the Sun, will pass just over 13 million miles
above the Sun's surface in less than three weeks. Closest
approach is expected December 28th. Although the comet is
still dim, the increasing brightness should make it visible
in the early morning. It rises in the southeast sky about
2 hours end 20 minutes before the Sun, and should be visible
until dawn's first light p about an hour later. Kohoutek is
now 116 million miles from the Earth, with the distance
decreasing at a rate of about a million miles per day for
the coming week. Skylah now 27 minutes from acquisition at
Guam at 22 hours, 57 minutes Greenwich mean time D this is
Skylah Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC768/I
TIME: 17:23 CST, 23:23:23 GMT
12/8/73
PAO This ils Skylah Control at 23 hours,

23 minutes Greenwich mean time. Skylab coming up within
range of the Guam station _ery shortly. We'll stand by there.
CC Skylab, Houston Guam for i0 minutes.
CDR Roger, Dick.
CC Skylab, Houston in the next few minutes
if you have time between your EREP preps and your ATM opera-
tions, I'd like to tell you about a one-time good deal that
you might get to see a tropical cyclone from orbit. There
is a tropical cyclone that's presently located due west of
the Fiji Island. You are going to pass the south of the
cyclone at a time of 23:41:30 which is a few minutes after
LOS at Guam and don't bother about writing that time down,
I'ii tell you again at LOS. Again the location is between
the - is just to the west of the Fiji Island and the max winds
are 60 knots.
CDR Okay, thank you very much, Dick.
CC Okay and for the EREP guys, I'm not sure
by that time whether or not the S190 window will he uncovered
but at any rate we think probably one of the minus-Z windows
would be the best place to take a look if you get a chance.
CDR We'll have the 190 window uncovered by
then Dick.
CC Okay, okay.
CC SPT, Houston it looks like to us that in
on S055 that you're in mechanical reference and we just as soon
you be in optical reference. Just a reminder on this to help
you on the upcoming operations.
SPT Okay, thank you Dick.
CC Roger.
CC Skylab, Houston, we've been looking over your
shoulder, we like the maneuver time that's loaded also the
maneuver, we're satisfied with the momentum and you're GO for
the EREP cal sequence.
PLT Thank you Houston.
CC Roger. Skylab Houston we're about 45 seconds
from LOS at Guam, the Vanguard comes up at 00:05 and we're
going to clump the data/voice recorder at the Vanguard.
CDR Do you run a quick frame count, Dick?
CC Roger, go ahead.
CDR Okay, number i, 8578, number 2, 7915;
number 3, 8791; four, 8785; five 2328 and six 3648.
CC Say again number 5 please, Jerr.
CDR Number 5 is 2328.
CC 2328, okay, thank you.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Guam has loss
of signal with Skylab, Vanguard will pick up the space station
I
SL-IV MC 768/2
TIME: 17:23 CST, 23:23:23 GMT
1218173
in 29 minutes. Crew preparing for the calibration of the

Earth resources experiment package, that calibration to be
done with the help of the Moon. At 23 hours, 36 minutes
END OF TAPE
I
SL-IV MC769/I
Time: 18:03 CST 24:00:03 GMT
12/8/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at zero hours

3 minutes, Greenwich mean time. Skylab approaching acquisition
through the Vanguard tracking ship.
CDR - Alfa 5 is 67, Alfa 6 is zero. Bravo 2 is 56,
Bravo 3 is 76, Bravo 4 is 71, Bravo 5 is 75, Bravo 8 is 49,
Bravo 7 is 32, Bravo 8 is i, Bravo 9 is 58. Charlie 2 is 44,
Charlie 3, 88; Charlie 4, 71; Charlie 5, 83; Charlie 6 is 47,
Charlie 7 is 51. Delta 2 is 86, Delta 3 is 85, Delta 4 is 72,
Delta 5 is 14, Delta 6 is 57, Delta 7 is i0.
CC Sk - Skylab Houston we're AOS Vanguard for
9 minutes.
CDR Roger, Dick.
SPT Okay, Dick we got into that maneuver
2 minutes ].ate. I was working the ATM pad as specified and
turns out that that overlaps the maneuver.
CC Rog, Ed. We'll have to look back at them
and see where the mistake was made.
CDR Now when it's pitch dark you can't see
it, only when therels a little light around.
Yes, Okay it's got to be reflected likeness.
CDR Hey, I got the Moon_ just by accident.
SPT Hello_ there Moon. That's pretty.
CDR Here, let me take a get - my site all -
about full too.
CC SPT, Houston. If things work out like
they have in the previous lunar cals we may be able to make
up for the lost time durin_ the interval that's normally
scheduled for the contingency maneuver_ which probably won't
be required., but the maneuvers of the items following that
should he done on time,
SPT Okay thank you Dick.
CC Roger.
SpT (garble) Got 7 minutes to go to EREP, START.
CDR We're almost within limits now Ed.
CDR Can you tell how much further you had
to go Ed?
CDR Okay, don't let me distract you.
SPT They give us 5 minutes for a contingency
maneuver down here.
PLT Okay, that's 2 degrees left.
SPT Oh, okay.
CDR Okay we're coming up on the T minus 5 checks,
S192 MODE _oing to READYp door open now looking for a READY
light.
SL-IV MC769/2
Time: 18:03 CST 24:00:03 GMT
12/8/73
CDR Ed, you did good work. I think we're

going to be right in the ball park.
SPT Okay, looks like looks like they calculated
it right on the money.
SPT Next to i0 degrees, looks like it's
going to be 8 up. And I'm waiting. It looks like we may be dead
on left-right.
PLT Now it's 7.
PLT How much further do you have to go?
SPT 1.5.
CDR Okay, got a 192 READY, mode going to CHECK.
Let'_ see S190 heater switch light is OFF. We'll press to
test_ Delta temp and over temp are okay.
CDR Kere comes the preoperate configuration.
Tape recorder ON: READY light, ON; S192 ON, READY light
out; Mode, CHECK; DOOR, OPEN: 191 READY, POWER ON, READY ON;
COOLER is ON. The DOOR is OPEN. S190, POWER ON, READY OUT;
Mode, STANDBY; DOOR is OPEN, verify. 93 RADIOMETER, STANDBY
READY out; SCATTEROMETER, is OFF, READY out; ALTIMETER, is OFF,
READY out; 94 is ON, READY ON.
END OF TAPE
I
SL-IV MC770/I
TIME: 18:13 CST, 24:00:13 GMT
12/8/73
CDR READY out. SCATTEROMETER is OFF, READY

out, ALTIMETER is OFF, READY out. 94 is ON, READY, ON.
PLT Okay.
CDR About 3 minutes to go.
CC Sounds like you're all set Jerry, we're
about 2 minutes to LOS Canary Island comes up at 00:25, I'll
give you a call there.
CDR Okay, Dick and the maneuver looks like
it's going to work out okay.
CC Roger.
PLT And we're - Are we ramping down? Okay
at 0'.2 degrees to go, we got 7 up and 00 left/right. And the
O0 just switched from the left to the right side. Now we're
in a box and we're in good shape, press on. Okay, EREP
START to come at 16 minutes. Okay, I do my stuff at 24,
2 minutes to go.
CC Yeah, I forgot to tell y'all that the
weather for this was clear to the month.
SPT Yeah, that's great.
CDR That is neat.
PLT Don't see a single cloud, son-of-a-gun.
SPT I wonder how they arranged that.
CC Flight Planning.
SPT I see.
SPT Been meaning to talk to you about
Flight Planning Dick.
CC Lucky you're in the EREP pass.
CDR One minute to go.
loss of signal. Station at Canary Island will acquire
Skylab in 8-1/2 minutes. At zero hours, 16 minutes Greenwich
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC771/I
Time: 18:23 CST 24:00:23 i GMT
12/8/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at zero hours,

23 minutes Greenwich mean time. Skylab is approaching acqui-
sition at the Canary Islands tracking station.
SPT STOP. And continue tracking. Okay
CDR One minute to my next mark.
SPT coming back onto the limb.
CO Skylab, Houston, AOS Canary, Madrid
i0 minutes. Standing by.
CDR Roger, ick.
SPT trying another one. (Garble) a push.
CDR Next mark in 30 seconds.
SPT Okay. (Garble), here we go. Okay, and
now the (garble).
CDR On my mark it will be 26:00.
SPT Okay, now - -
CDR Stand by.
CDR MARK. 193 POLARIZATION going 24.
SPT (Garble) Basin.
CC Roger, Jerry, and I concur with that
time hack.
SPT And Ocean (garble) storms - Okay, 6 degrees
down. Data push button for 5 seconds. Camera off.
CDR Next mark in i minute.
CDR Okay, on my mark, it will be 28:30.
Stand by --
CDR MARK. SCATTEROMETER OFF, RADIOMETER OFF.
CC Roger, and SPT, Houston. When you get
a chance, we'd like SO55 to MIRROR LINE SCAN, please.
SPT Okay.
CC And also, any time from here on, you
can give us ATM frame count probably not during this pass,
so since we're listening to the EREP.
CDR On my mark, it will be 29:00. Stand by -
CDR MARK. SCATTEROMETER, ON. 29:06 -
CDR MARK, S191 going to REFERENCE 2. Okay,
Bill, we're going to want another AUTO CAL here in another
50 seconds.
PLT Okay.
CDR Give you much time the first time.
PLT Okay, I'm just getting two more checks
on the - -
CI)R 30 seconds to go.
PLT - up 5 degrees and minus 5 degrees. Okay,
I'ii be standing by.
CDR Okay.
PLT Okay, those last two were up 4 from mo -
minus 1 and down i0 seconds. Okay. Up 4 and minus 6.
CDR 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 -
CDR MARK.
I
SL-IV MC771/2
Time: 18:23 CST 24:00:23 GMT
12/8/73
PLT MARK.
CDR Got off the count there. Sorry about
that. Next mark is 30:30. 8 seconds. Coming up on 30:30,
stand by -
CDR MARK. SCATTEROMETER to STANDBY, 193
MODE to XTNC L/R. POLARIZATION is 5. Next mark's at 48.
Stand by -
CDR MARK it. SCATTEROMETER ON_ RADIOMETER,
ON.
CDR Next mark will be a S191 READY LIGHT ON,
in about i0 seconds.
CDR MARK. READY LIGHT is ON, 463246.
CDR MARK at 50. MODE to MANUAL on 94.
PLT Okay, give you some more tracking on the
Sea of Tranquility. Data button pushed. I'm not taking back
film.
END OF TAPE
I
SL IV MC-772/I
Time: 18:32 CST 24:00:32 GMT
12/8/73
SPT (garble) pushed I'm not taking DAC film.

SPT Holding steay as a rock, I'll just click
off a couple of frames. Okay. And release these little
push buttons.
CDR Next mark will be 33:48.
SPT This will be for the Sea of Serenity. I'm
pushing the data push button now.
CDR Coming up on 48. Stand by.
CDR MARK. SCATTEROMETER OFF.
CDR MARK. RADIOMETER OFF.
CDR Correction. SCATTEROMETER and RADIOMETER
to STANDBY. Now the SCATTEROMETER is going to OFF.
PLT Okay. I've got a few frames of the Sea
of Serenity.
CDR EREP STARP - STOP at 34:00.
PLT Okay.
CDR Six minutes to the next mark.
PLT Okay. That finishes my sequence there.
CC And PLT Houston. Just as a reminder, we
need to get those S190 filters changed prior to time of 40:50,
which is the next EREP start time.
PLT Roger. PLT copy.
CC Okay.
CC And while we got a minute here, we'd
just like to pass up to Ed Gibson, a real "Atta boy" on catching
that mistake in maneuver times. It's a wonder that he wasn't
5 or 6 - you weren't 5 or 6 minutes late instead of only 2. It
was strickly a problem in not catching a mistake between
disciplines down here and weTll try to do better.
SPT No problem Dick. Most of the planning for
this has been real good. Itts worked out real smooth. I had
a nagging feeling and my left eye ball was looking at the
maneuver pad and my right eyeball at the ATM pad.
CC Well, we appreciate it. It was due to a
late Flight Plan change, but we certainly should have caught
it and we thank you for catchin_ it.
SPT When we get a break Dick, I'll tell you about
that tropical storm_ a little bit later,
CC Okay.
CDR Go ahead now, Ed, there's nothing cooking
for 5minutes.
SPT Oh, okay. Dick, it looks like we're all
set up for unattended ops, except for playing to Sun center.
We were still off in active region 96 when I went into the
(garble) mode.
PLT Okay. (garble) We're not doing anything.
We'll change the filters now i. Excuse me.
SPT Okay. I'll open that while you get your
I
SL IV MC-772/2
Time: 18:32 CST 24:00:32 GMT
12/8/73
gloves on.
CREW Okay. (garble)
CREW Okay. Yeah. Thank you.
PLT All right. What's the news there?
SPT Let's see. At 00:29, right? Okay.
Station 1 should get Charlie, Charlie.
PLT Charlie, LCharlie. Okay.
CDR Let me hold your hose here, so it doesn't
drag across.
PLT Okay. Charlie, Charlie's in, and Papa,
Papa is going back. Hey, there's the Moon.
CDK Yeah. Okay. Station 2 will be Delta,
Delta.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're about 1 minute
from LOS. Guam comes up at 01:05, and SPT, we copied your
comments on active region 96. And if you don't get to the
pointing, we can take care of it from the ground.
SPT Thank you.
PLT You did say station 2, did you not?
SPT Yeah.
PLT Okay.
CDR Think your pocket must be open, Bill, there's
swabs floating all over the joint.
CDR Okay. Delta, Delta on station 2.
CDR Station 3 is Echo, Echo.
PLT And that should be confirmed. It is.
Okay.
CDR All right. Station 4 is Foxtrot, Fo_rot.
PLT Correct.
CDR All right. 5 is Alfa, Alfa.
PLT Okay. (garble)
PLT Foxtrot, Foxtrot. No, no.
CDR Alfa, Alfa.
PLT Alfa, Alfa, okay.
CD_ There you go.
CDR Got it.
PAO This is Skylab Control. The Skylab has
passed out of range of the Madrid station. Next acquisition
at Guam in 25 minutes. At zero hours 39 minutes Greenwich
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC773/I
TIME: 19:03 CST, 24:01:03 GMT
12/8/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at i hour,

3 minutes Greenwich mean time. Guam is about to acquire
Skylab.
CC Skylab, Houston Guam for 4 minutes.
SPT Hello, Houston.
CC Hello there, how did it go?
SPT Well it all went pretty well, one problem
arose when I got to realize we did not get the ETC data
after the second maneuver.
CDH Dick, this is the CDR, the one of the
I think we would have caught it Dick if we would have had
the ETC operations on the C&D Checklist like we usually do
but it wasn't on there this time and so it went right by
both of us.
CC Okay, we're a little confused in trying
to unscramble the - the pads here we - stand by i.
CDR Dick, apparently the two maneuver pads
were set up for the PLT, that may be a little confusion
also and I tried to unscramble it.
CC Roger, we caught that one as far as the
ETC data, we don't think there was any ETC data for this
calibration run required after those nine singles that were
on Ed's pad during the middle of the data take.
SPT Those were the ones that were not taken,
Dick.
CC Roger, understand. Skylab Houston I minute
to LOS Guam. Honeysuckle comes up at 01:14,
PAO This is Skylab Control. Guam has had
loss of sil_nal. Skylab will be in range of the Honeysuckle
Australia station in about 3 minutes, we'll keep the line up
and monitor into the Honeysuckle pass.
CC Skylab, Houston we're at Honeysuckle for
3 minutes.
SPT Roger, Dick.
CC Rog. And Ed if you're up at the ATM panel
monitoring, we'd like MPC INHIBITED.
CDR Houston, CDR.
CC Roger, go ahead, Jer.
CDR It just occurred to me Dick, those
frame counts I gave you I probably should have gone ahead
and told you that I had not yet done the sensitometry advance.
So that means you add 28 frames to each one to cover
sensitometry. And do you need a frame count now, at
the present?
CC Negative, Jerry, we appreciate the input,
we will add the numbers and we're satisfied the way they are.
SL-IV MC773/2
TIME: 19:03 CST, 24:01:03 _MT
12/8/73
CDR Okay.
CC Okay and one comment I think we kind of
figured out where we got bit on this ETC thing, we did put
the ETC ops on Ed's detail pad and addressed the ETC pad to
him, however and left it out of the C&D pad because it
was a single frame operation, however the thin_ that changed
that we didn't take a count of is we have now added a third
guy up there to monitor the maneuver and it just happened I
think that the pads were in the wrong place at the time and
it just allowed a little slip-up.
CDR Yeah, that's too bad. I guess we need
to work up a good check and balance system to keep ourselves
bitten by it before, again I mean. And I would - I'd suggest
you'd go ahead and just toss it in the C&D list.
CC Rog, concur Jet and we'll do that.
CDR Okay.
SPT I think the way you're doing it Dick
would have worked out real well, had I a not given into the
maneuver a little bit late and I got behind him.
CC Rog, understand. Skylab, Houston we're
about i minute from LOS Canary Island at 02:04.
PA0 This is Skylab Control. Skylab is out
of range now of the Honeysuckle station. The next station
to acquire Skylab will be Canary Island in 41-1/2 minutes.
At i hour 21 minutes, Greenwich mean time, this is Skylab
Control.
END OF TAPE
I
SL-IV MC774/I
Time: 20:0'2 CST 24:02:02 GMT
1218173
PAO This is Skylab Control at 2 hours 2 minutes

Greenwich mean time. Skylab is approaching acquisition at
the Canary Island station with overlapping coverage through
Madrid.
CC Skylab Houston AOS Canary Islands and Madrid
for 13 minutes.
SPT Hello, Dick.
CC Hello, there. If you guys are interested
and you don't have anythin_ for me right now I can describe
the weather on this upcoming EREP pass for you.
SPT Sounds good, go ahead.
CC Okay, the pass when you start up in Nepal,
we're predicting from satellite pictures that the weather will
be broken overcast up there. It appears to break up a little
bit and then it will definitely be broken over Thailand. Then
it's clear over the water, then when you get down over Borneo
it will go back to broken overcast, breaking up a little bit
over - down as you proceed southward over Java, and then it
will be scattered clouds 0 to .3 from a point in between Java
and Australia to the end of the data take.
SPT Okay, Dick we got that thanks very much.
CC Okay, since we're working you guys so
late this evening, and we're going to be running out of passes
due to what the EREP pass will take up. I've got - 1 question
here and then I thought I might give you the status on the
airlock module coolant loops from the EGIL. The first the
question that I have comes from the ENCO and it has to do with
the teleprinter messages. We were wondering since you replaced
the paper roll earlier today how's the readability of the
messages, and also we forgot to say anythin_ to you about it
but did you take the new roll today from a previously unopened
storage container or not?
SPT Dick, the teleprinter messages look real
clear, pretty sharp and as dark as we've ever seen them. So
there's no problem there. The teleprinter roll this is the second
one from the - from a new batch. The one which was in just
last, which we used to correct the problem was the first one
out of the new batch.
CC Okay, Ed. Thank you very much, and if you'd

would like to hear it the - the EGIL is worked up a status on
how the airlock module coolant loops are doing.
SPT Sure would go ahead.
CC Okay, it turns out that the primary loop
reservicing that you did was extremely successful. The task
itself was performed as the EGIL said in exempt exemplary
SL-IV MC774/2
Time: 20:02 CST 24:02:02 GMT
12/8/73
fashion and since the reservicing the primary loop prompt

end pressure has dropped less than 1 p.s.i, at this rate
SL-IV can be completed without reservicing the primary loop.
The secondary loop pump in pressure which had been decreasing
about one-half of a p.s.i, per week during the unmanned phase
has slowed to an almost imperceptible leak rate. We're kind of
uncertain as to why this leak rate decrease occurs, but a simular
thing did occur toward the end of SL-III. The loops presently
look better than they have since SL-II, and we expect no problems
and successfully completing this mission. An as an award for
this good work I have here on the CAP COMM console a plun_er
better know as the universal plumber's tool that has an award
written on it that will end up on your desk when you get home. It
says award, this universal plumber's tool is awarded by the EGILS
to the crew in particular the PLT of SL-IV for the outstanding
plumbing work and reservieing the AM primary coolant loop
from the birds. Over.
CDR Roger thanks Dick you got 3 real plumbers
up here.
CC Roger, (garble) I'ii make sure you get this
award.
CDR We try to do a little something every day to
prove to you that we're plumbers.
CC (Laughter) Well, wetre trying to help
you from down here too.
CDR Dick at least that's one tool we haven't
had to use so far up here.
CC (Laughter) Roger. Hey i other thing here
remember the other day we were talking about the - we sent
you a message on crew motion and we imposed on I think it was
Bill not to do his PT during his PT period and we ended up
getting real beautiful JOP 13 data out of it, because of the
lack of crew motion. And Phil wants me to tell you that we
don't ask the boimed anymore during the night, if you are awake
or asleep we ask G&S.
SPT We can't keep anything a secret.
CDR I call that going to you most reliable sensors.
CC (Laughter) Roger.
SPT Hey Dick if you got a minute I'ii tell
you a little bit about the storm we went over.
CC Go ahead, we got 7 minutes and standing
by.
SPT Okay, it looked like a relatively small one,
but kind of a mean little fellow. It was small and compact,
Presqual squall like was light and not very much extensive
activity along them. (Garble) streaks were also present but
they were also light and they also defined a (garble) quite well.
SL-IV MC774/3
Time: 20:02 CST 24:02:02 GMT
12/8/73
There was only one over shooting cloud top which I saw and that
was not very prominent. There was no circular exhaust clouds in
the center or close to the center. However, the eye was well
defined (garble) were gradually slping inward (garble) circular.
We were at an oblique view so we could not see all the way down
to the water. There were no (garble) which leads me to believe
that this is probably not going to go too far, well maybe some
(garble) will develop but they were certainly not apparent. What
really cauKht my eye is there was a wide band of turbulent clouds
pokin_ its way up above the (garble) and spiraling inward. It was
a relatively thick band of turbulent clouds not isolated
thunderstorms, but just a wide band of turbulence, and it was
very close to the eye. It was also fairly uniform that is
all the turbulence properties alon_ the band were uniform.
In general it was well formed except for no (garble) it looked
kind of
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC775/I
Time: 20:].1 CST 24:02:11 GMT
12/8/73
SPT forms that as all the turbulence properties

along the band were uniform. In Eeneral, it was well formed
except for no feeder band and it looked kind of mean. Right after
that, we passed over another storm at 2347 6 minutes down
the road. That had a lot of thick clouds it was much more
extensive than the smaller one we had just seen. It was a
wide band of many cells, but it was not formed into a vortex.
There were no eye or really feeder bands coming in from anywhere.
So even though it was larger than the other tropical storm, it
Just didn't look like it was ever going to develop into anything
(garble) at that time.
CC Roger, Ed, thank you for the description.
It_ll be interested, I'm su interesting, IVm sure for
the guys to compare that description to the satellite photo.
On it, we can see toward the bottom of the photo, the beg-
innings of the larger storm that you picked out, but on this, or
at least to my uneducated eye, just looks like a real large
cloud cover.
SPT Yeah it, it probably would from afar,
but when you got down to it, you could see that there was
an awful lot of turbulence and (garble) activity went in there,
too. However, it just wasn't well formed into a vortex (garble).
We got some good Hasselblad 100-millimeter photos of it.
CC Okay, Ed, thank you very much. We've
still got about 4 minutes. The only other note that I've
got in front of me here, and while we have the time_ I might
as well talk to you a little bit about it. It has to do with
Kohoutek and the estimation of the comet tail. We were in-
terested in the - in the description that Jerry gave about
the tail that he saw earlier today, I think it was. There're
a couple of ways that we - that you - a couple of things you
might use to compare the length of the tail. The one that
would be the - the comparison with the lunar diameter which
is about a half a degree. And also if you saw the comet, or
you do see it through the SO63 viewfinder, the viewfinder has
calibrated circles course when you look through the optics,
this view might show or will show a fainter comet and thus the
tail may appear shorter. For you information, I do have the
numbers for the diameters of the three rings in the S063
viewfinder. If you wanted to jot them down. The first ring
is a diameter of 3.3 degrees, the second ring is a diameter of
5.7 degrees, and the third ring is a diameter of 12 degrees. Over.
SPT Roger, Dick, and I tried it again this
afternoon during one of the night passes to see Kohoutek
through the $3 window, and it looks to me like it is still
behind the ATM panel_ but it's moving in the right direction
i
SL-IV MC775/2
Time: 20:11 CST 24:02:11 GMT
12/8/73
where we'll see it come out.

CC Okay, good.
CC gkylab, Houston. We're about a minute
from LOS in Madrid. Carnarvon comes up at 02:44 and one
question on ED63 on the valves that were disposed of. We
were wondering if you could let us know approximately how
much agar was left either in inches of fraction of - of
inches in the valves at the time that we got rid of them.
SPT Dick, we just haven't gotten rid of them yet.
Now that I know we're really after the agar I'ii go ahead and
try to do a thorough job of getting the other plants out of there.
CC Rog. What we're interested in was how
they appeared when we put them in the chiller and, if you
can remember that, we're about to go LOS, but you might put
that on the voice tape and so we'll get that data.
SPT Okay,
PAO This is Skylab Control. Madrid has loss
of signal. Carnarvon will acquire Skylab in 24-1/2 minutes,
and at acquisition at Carnarvon the crew will be in the midst
of the Earth resources survey. The data take on that Earth
resources pass scheduled to hegin at 8:30 central standard
time. At 2 hours, 18 minutes Greenwich mean time, this is
Skylah Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-776/I
Time: 20:40 CST 24:02:40 GMT
12/g/73

minutes Greenwich mean time. Skylab approaching acquisition
through Carnarvon. The Earth resources pass started I0
minutes ago. The crew should be in the midst of that at
_cquisition. We'll stand by.
PLT Stand by -
PLT MARK. At 43 the ALTIMETER went ON.
Stand by
PLT MARK. At 06 the S190 MODE went to AUTO,
and ETC should be in AUTO.
CDR Clear area.
PLT Next mark is at 44 even.
CC Skylab, Houston. AOS Carnarvon and
Honeysuckle 13 minutes. Standing by.
CDR Roger, Dick.
CDR Okay, Ed. On my next mark, it'll be
44. ETC to STANDBY.
CDR Coming up on 44:00. Stand by -
CDR MARK. 192 STANDBY. ETC to STANDBY.
44:06. Stand by -
CDR MARK. INTERVAL going up to 20.
We're over Australia now?
SPT Yep. Sure are. It's coming up. We had
ing a place to hold these maps. Losing the doggone thing.
There it :is. Derby. (garble)
CDR Okay. Looking for S190 READY light to
go out.
CDR MARK. 190 READY light out at 13. MODE
to STANDBY.
PLT Okay, I'm painting up the - -
CDR 45:30 coming up. Stand by
CDR MARK. S194 MODE to MANUAL. Go ahead,
Ed Bill.
PLT It's going be west side of the Bay leading
up to Derby. I'm getting a few seconds there, then I shall
go up and faint to the west of the city.
PLT Oops. I didn't want that on.
PLT Better be it. It is it. This is (garble)
red.
CDR At my mark, it's going to be 46:30.
PLT (Garble) it looks like.
CDR Stand by -
CDR MARK. ALTIMETER to STANDBY. RANGE going
to 87.
SPT Another clear area.
CDR On my mark, it'll be 46:45. Stand by
CDR MARK. ALTIMETER is 0N.
PLT Hey, I'm looking straight down through
some haze now. Still (garble)
SL-IV MC-776/2
Time: 20:40 CST 24:02:40 GMT
12/8/73
PLT About 3 to 4 miles to the west of the

city. Too bad we don't have any DAC to document it. The west
of the river. Okay, let's see if we can find anything else.
CDR On my mark, it'll be 47:40.
PLT Okay. I'm going to go up to the south
of the city and west of the river.
CDR Stand by -
CDR MARK. 191 REFERENCE to 2.
PLT Learn how to travel now. Red - here's some
big lake here. I'll just get some data on it.
PLT Looks like a dried lake bed. At 48:10,
an angle of 30 degrees left sep.
PLT Get some good data on that lake.
CDR Okay, and Bill, in 20 seconds, I'm
going to need a VTS AUTO CAL.
PLT Okay. Give me a call.
CDR Okay.
END OF TAPE
!
SL-IV MC777/I
Time: 20:48 CST 24:02:48 GMT
12/8/73
CDR I0 seconds. Standing by. Okay, on my call,

it will be 48:40, stand by -
CDR MARK.
PLT Right.
CDR VTS AUTO CAL.
PLT Okay.
CDR Okay, I've got an ALTIMETER UNLOCK light.
READY light is out.
PLT Turn it off for 15 seconds.
CDR Yep.
PLT Okay, I'm coming up on a lake, I've got
54 degrees, 3 degrees left. Time is goin_ to be -
PLT MARK. When it comes into view 54 degrees,
up; 3 degrees left.
CDR Okay_ I've got a READY light on ALTIMETER,
and it's cooking again.
PLT MARK. 49:23. Starting to track. Now for
comparative purposes_ I'm going to go to a large - what appears
to be a large dry lake. Actually, it looks like there's a little
bit of water in it. An awful lot of erosion streaks there.
Might be just blowing dust down there on the surface.
SPT Okay, I got the ALTIMETER UNLOCK light, still
got a READY light.
PLT Okay, data right now is 47 degrees and
our time if 15:10. I'ii give a mark. 15:10, 5 degrees and 6
left, I'm tracking a dry lake bed, there's an awful lot of
erosion
SPT Okay, still got a READY light and ALTIMETER
UNLOCK light at 50:20 ALTIMETER going to STANDBY and -
PLT Northeast, to southwest.
SPT Okay, looking for an 8191 READY light
at 51:20.
PLT Okay, there's the shore line.
CDR Okay, on my mark, it will be 51:20.
CDR MARK. S191 READY light came ON at 51:20.
EREP STOP now at 51:24.
PLT Man, there's the Tasmanian Bay right -
what is that, Bass?
CDR Oh, yes, the Bass Strait?
PLT Channel or whatever it is. Okay, BRAVO
7 reads 33 percent. S192 DOOR going CLOSED now.
CC SPT_ Houston, we still have about 5 minutes
left this pass from LOS Madrid to AOS Carnarvon. We observed
about i00 mibs were fired and we were wondering if you can
get a chance sometime in this next 4 or 5 minutes, if you
could let us know what you observed.
SPT Yeah, Dick. When I went to make the
fine maneuver, apparently there must have been a wrong
number entered, because as soon as I looked at the attitude
SL-IV MC777/2
Time: 20:48 CST 24:02:48 GMT
12/8/73
errors and the last entered, they were not what was called out
for you know, the rates were not the same. So then, I looked
at the pad and realized that they were pretty much the same as
regular Z-LV, so I went into Z-LV. Actually I hit the - some
position of the switch for an instant, which was SI and then
back to Z-LV. So I think that's where the mibs came in.
CC Okay, and we'll take a look at our dump
data when we get it down here and - and take a look at exactly
what happened.
CD_ Tasmania looks like there's a very high in the
(garble)islands. (garble) spots - down there.
PLT Well_ enough of that. Back to work.
CDR Bill, give me a VTS CAL.
PLT Stand by.
PLT MARK.
CDR Okay.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC 778/1
TIME: 20:55 CST, 24:02:55 GMT
1218173
CDR - - like we've got enough tape left for

another one.
PLT I've got to click off i0 seconds here, I think
I'll wait and see until we _o over New Ealand - New Zealand.
CDR Supposed to?
PLT We come close. It depends on our roll
angle.
CC Skylab Houston we're about 1 minute from
LOS. MILA comes up at 03:31. Be advised this pass at MILA the
first half of it, we're going to get the evening status report
and then when we hand over to Bermuda, we're going to give
you the Doctor and have the medical conference. We will have
one more ]pass after that one at Madrid prior to saying goodnight
so we'll be ready for the evening status report at MILA, 03:31.
CDR Okay, Dick. See you then.
CC Okay.
CDR Got it?
PLT Yeah, hey it's clear too, it sort of a
if we can get some handheld back there at the wardroom window
the south island is clear.
SPT The south part of it? At that Alpine fault
zone down there.
PLT I'm going to use my i0 second ph DAC
frame on it. This is the clearest we've seen these mountains.
PAO Honeysuckle has loss of signal. The next
station will be Merritt Island, Florida. Skylab will be within
range of that station in 32-1/2 minutes. At 2 hours and
58 minutes Greenwich mean time, this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC779/I
TIME: 21:08 CST, 24:03:08 GMT
12/8/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at 3 hours,

8 minutes Greenwich mean time. A few minutes ago just prior
to loss of signal at Honeysuckle, Science Pilot Ed Gibson
and the CAP COMM Dick Truly were discussing the TACS fuel
cost of the Earth resources pass in the terms of i00 mibs
a mib is a minimun impluse burn. One mib is equal to
5 pound seconds of fuel, i00 mibs would be the equivalent
of 500 pound seconds. Skylab is 21 and a half minutes away
from acquisition through the Merritt Island, Florida station
at 3 hours, 9 minutes, this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC780/I
TIME: 21:30 CST, 24:03:30 GMT
12/8/73
PAO This is Skylah Control at 3 hours,

30 minutes Greenwich mean time. The Merritt Island, Florida
tracking station is about to acquire Skylab, we'll stand by.
CC Skylab, Houston we're AOS at MILA and
Bermuda for the next 15 minutes.
CDR Okay, Dick I don't know if my voice can
stand two C&D runs plus an evening report but here she goes.
CC Okay, before yon start Jerry let me pass
up one item for Ed, that I wanted to pass up a little earlier
but the EREP prevented me.
SPT Go ahead.
CC There are two messages on board, one is
a checklist change message number 2453 Alfa and the other
one is - is a fill-in-the-blank stability test message
which is number 2455. These two this checklist change
in the test wil _ will need to be into the ATM book prior
to tomorrow's scheduled stability test which occurs just
after your PSA and I thought you ought to know that they're
on board if you want to do anything on them tonight. With
that, I'm standing by for the evening status report.
SPT Okay, thank you Dick, I've already got
the change in and I'm just working the numbers in now.
CC Good show.
CDR Okay, sleep: CDR, 7.0, 5.5 heavy,
1.5 lighti_ SPT, 7.0, 7 - stand by.
CC While you're getting that together, Jerry
be advised we are going to dump the data/voice recorder here.
CDR Okay, it's 7.0, 6.7 - 7 heavy, 0.3 light;
PLT, 7.0, 6.5 heavy, 0.5 light. Volume: CDR, 1650; SPT, 1450;
PLT 1800. Drink guns: CDR, 7149; SPT 2303; PLT 8446.
Body mass: 6.304, 6.304, 6.304; SPT, 6.351, 6.359, 6.359;
PLT, 6.234, 6.240, 6.240. Exercise: CDR, Method Alfa, leg,
29, 4800. Method Bravo, Alfa, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, i0, 20
each, Method Charlie, Charlie, Delta, Foxtrot, 06, 15 each.
Method Echo, Alfa, Bravo, 03, i0 each. Method Foxtrot, walk,
09 NA, run 01 NA, springs, 01, i00, toe rises, 02, 150.
SPT, Alfa, leg, 40, 8339. Method Bravo, Bravo, Foxtrot, and
curls, 16, 40 each. Method Foxtrot, springs, 14 - stand by.
CC Okay.
CDR Okay, method Foxtrot is zero. PLT, method
Alfa, legs, 35, 6000. Method Bravo, Alfa, Bravo, Delta,
Echo, 08, 50. Method Charlie_ Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo,
Foxtrot, Golf, i0, 20 each. Method Foxtrot, walk, 10, NA,
springs, 01, 75, toe rises, 01, 50. Method Echo, Alfa, Bravo,
02. Medications: CDR, SPT and PLT, none. Garments disposed
of: CDR, one pair of socks. Food log: CDR, salt 5.5,
no deviation, plus 2.5 rehydration water; SPT, 1.5 salt,
SL-IV MC780/2
TIME: 21:30 CST, 24:03:30 GMT
12/8/73
plus one tea, plus one grape drink, zero rehydration water;
PLT, 1.5 salt, plus one mint, minus 1.0 rehydration water.
Flight Plan deviation, none, shopping list accomplishments
none. Inoperable equipment: DAC 04, DAC 09, a transporter
05 and they all need troubleshooting. Unscheduled stowage,
none. Photo Log: 140-foot EREP, number 14, Charlie Lima,
i0, 69, NA. Nikons: Nikon 01, Charlie X-ray 36, 61; Nikon 2,
Bravo X-ray zero - Bravo Echo 08, 34; Nikon 03, no change;
Nikon 04, India Romeo 09, 08; Nikon 5, no change. 70-millimeter
Charlie X-ray 47, 144. ETC, Charlie Tango ii0, 73; EREP
set Tango, 8674, 8011, 8887, 8881, 2421, 9744. Drawer A
configuration: Alfa i, 02; Charlie India 73, 96, Charlie India
56; Alfa 2, 05, Charlie India 93, 72, Charlie India 122;
Alfa 3, 06, Charlie India 125, 08, Charlie India 124; Alfa 4
03, Charlie India 71, 82, Charlie India 82 - -
CC Break, Break. CDR, Houston we're about
to hand over to Bermuda so you can be talking to the doctor.
I'ii pick the very tail end of that report when we get you
at Madrid, over.
CDR Okay, I've got one line and I'm done.
CC Okay.
CDR DAC 07, Charlie India 72, 90,
Charlie India 85 and that's it.
CC (Chuckle) Roger. Way to go.
PAO This is Skylab Control the daily medical
conference is in progress now. There is still some 4 minutes
of coverage left at Bermuda, we'll continue to keep the line
up and monitor in case that conference ends before Bermuda
loss of signal.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC781/2
Time: 21:38 CST 24:03:38 GMT
12/8/73
ban on gasoline sales from 9:00 p.m. Saturday to midnight

Sunday nigkt. Last Sunday about 80 percent of the nations
service stations closed their doors. Vice President Gerald
Ford made h, is first foray into the foreign policy in his new
job with a 50 minute meeting in Washington today with Israeli
Defense Minister Moshe Dayan. A spokesman for the Vice President
said Dayan expressed appre appreciation to the United States
for the rapid replacement of equipment during the recent
mid-east conflict. A key Arab spokesman committed his bloc
to the resumption of oil supplies to the United States as soon
as Israel sets a time table for withdrawal to its 1967 borders.
The pledge came from the Algerian minister of industry and
energy, who is in Washington talking with State Department
officials. Secretary of State Henry Kissin_er flew out of the
United States today on a trip that will include a swing through
the Middle East. Kissinger continues to lay groundwork for
the December 18th peace conference in Geneva between the Arabs
and Israel. Alabama Governor George C. Wallace has made up
his mind to run from for an unprecedented third term as
governor. He has told friends that he plans an active campaign
next year despite the pal - paralysis caused by 1972 assasination
attempt. In Rome, Pope Paul the sixth renounced the gas-burner
in favor of the oat-burner. The pope left his limousine home
and rode to Rome in a horse-drawn carraige. The 75-year-old
spiritual leader set an example of concern over the energy
crisis. Finally in sports_ with the football college football
season nearly ended, the pros took over this Saturday with
2 nationally televised games. Minnesota trounced Green Bay s
31 to 7. Oakland defeated Kansas City, 37 to 7. And tomorrow
up in Dallas they're expecting a barn - barn burner when the
Cowboys collide with the Washington Redskins, first place in that
division is at stake. The Oilers are in Pittsburgh for a tussle
with the Steelers. One other thing in Houston sports Jimmy Wynn
will be wearing a different uniform next season. He was traded
to the Astros - by the Astros to the Los Angeles Dodgers for
veteran pitcher, Claude Osteen.
SPT Thank you, Dick. Sure which we had TV
uplink with all those good games coming up.
CC That's the truth, that_d be a good
deal. Trouble is you would have to get them 4 minutes at a
time and 45 minutes apart.
CDR That would sure make for a long football
game.
CC Well, the EGIL says that probably you'd
probably manage to get only commercials anyway.
CC And Skylab we're about i minute to LOS
SL-IV MC781/I
Time: 21:38 CST 24:03:38 GMT
12/8/73
PAO This is Skylab Control 3 hours 44 minutes

Greenwich mean time. Burmuda has loss of signal and Madrid is
about to acquire Skylab. We'll continue to keep the line up
and monitor through the Madrid station.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're AOS Madrid for
6-1/2 minutes, we're set up for a family conference with Bill,
and we're unable to raise him. Just a reminder if he'll whiz
up to the command module we're all set up.
CDR He's on his way Dick.
CC Rog, I'm real sorry I didn't have a chance
to warn him, but you were trying so hard to get in that evening
status report before we hand it over to the doctors, just didn't
work out.
CDR l'm sorry about that.
CC Well I am. And it's for Bill it's a right
antenna is the best antenna. I have a couple of things here.
First of all we we're wonderinK for Ed Gibson if he inhibited
momentum dumps with the switch anytime during these recent
operations.
SPT Yeah, Dick at the beginnin_ of the EREP
cal we had in the checklist there to do it at the very beginning.
CC Okay, Ed we didn't expect that. We will
look at a checklist and and make sure we don't have some
we don't need to change there. One other thing - the biomed
officers look through the down voice tapes from M092 today
and we did not get the SPT's leg blood pressure from today's
run. If you you just didn't report it we'd appreciate it
if you would record it on channel A, and if you did miss getting
it and you have a chance the PI says it'll be acceptable to
get it this evening before you go to bed, and that will let
us avoid rescheduling those blood pressures.
SPT 145 over 90.
CC Okay real fine, thank you much.
CC And Skylab we still have about 5 minutes
left here at Madrid that's run me out of notes I do have a
little news here I'm not sure that you're not just sick of hearing
me talk though. If you would like for me to pass it on to
Henry, I'ii get him to read it during the mornin_ otherwise,
I can read it to you now.
CDR Go ahead.
SPT (Garble)
CC Okay. America is - are - Americans are facing
another _ another gasless Sunday, filled their tanks up and
rearranged travel plans to avoid getting caught short on the
highways. Spot checks show that a majority of service station
owners again plan to comply with President Nixon's voluntary
SL-IV MC781/3
Time: 21:38 CST 24:03:38 GMT
1218173
the last pass of a very long day. We'll be talking to you

in the morning, so say good night Dick.
MC Good night Dick, good night Skylab.
SPT Good night big daddy, good night Dick.
CDR Good night all you purple troops.
CC Good night from them too.
CDR Thanks for slugging through it all with
US.
CC Roger it was fun.

CC But I know you're lying if you say youtre
not glad to see us go over the hill for once.
CDR Rather than lying we decided to just
remain silent.
CC Roger.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC782/I
Time: 21:54 CST 24:03:54 GMT
1218173
PAO This is Skylab Control. Madrid has had
loss of signal. The crew on Skylab and Flight Controllers
here in Mission Control having said their goodnights during
this station pass. Wake-up time in the morning, 6 a.m.
central standard time. We're awaiting the daily medical
status report from the Flight Surgeon. And as soon as that
is available, we'll come back up and report that to you.
At 3 hours, 55 minutes Greenwich mean time, this is Skylab
Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC783/I
Time: 22:36 CST 24:04:36
12/8/73

36 minutes Greenwich mean time with the Mission Surgeon's
daily report on the crew health. Quote, "The crew remains
in good health, regular exercise seems to have a good effect
on the crew's condition. Signed Edard Burchard, M.D. for
W. R. Hawkins, M.D." We'll take this line down now until
wake-up time in the morning. Crew wake-up time 6 a.m. cen-
tral standard time. At 4 hours, 36 minutes Greenwich mean
time, this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE;
SL-IV MC-784/I
Time: 06:03 CST 24:12:03 GMT
12/9/73
CC Morning. Time to be up and at them.

We got you 7 minutes here through Ascension.
CDR Good morning, Hank.
CC Good morning. Is it sleepy out there
this morning?
CDR Yes. Kind of foggy.
CC CDR or SPT, Houston.
CDR Go ahead.
CC Okay. On your teleprinter pad this
mornin_ there's a message regarding the - the pointing and
stability test coming up and it calls for a step 2 that calls
for a NuZ update 13:40. We'd like to get that now if we could.
Wetre in a window from 08 to 12:36_ and that way we can watch it
for a rev and then not do it as the message calls out.
CDR Okay_we_ll take care of it.
CC And sort of appreciate it, and we're
about i0 seconds from LOS. We_ll see you at Carnarvon at 32.
through Ascension Island tracking station, where Hank Harts-
field as spacecraft communicator made the wakeup crew - wakeup
call to the crew of Apollo. Apollo? Skylab IV. It's awful
early in the morning. We'll be back in 21 minutes at Carnar-
von. This is Skylab Control at 12:10 GMT.
PAO This is Skylab Control at 12:31 Green-
wich mean time. Carnarvon, Australia, tracking station in
50 seconds, followed by Guam. Hookup live and listening
for both of these passes.
CC Skylab, Houston through Carnarvon for
10-1/2 minutes, and the NuZ update looks good to us.
CDR Hi, Hank.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're 1 minute from LOS.
We'll see you at Goldstone at 1:02, and that's about 29 min-
utes from now.
CDR Roger, Hank.
through Carnarvon tracking station, and apparently Guam is
not supporting on this revolution because of technical prob-
lems at the station. TransmStter antenna or amplifier or
some piece of gear on the fritz. This morning Commander
Jerry Carr and Science Pilot Ed Gibson are scheduled to per-
form a pointing and stabilization test and preparation for
viewing and recording data on the comet Kohoutek. Based on
information sent up by Mission Control and Houston, the crew
will maneuw_r Skylab at 8:13 a.m. central standard time to a
position where the planet Mercury will be visible in the
white light coronagraph, thatls S052 video monitor on the
Apollo telescope mount console. The maneuver is small because
SL-IV MC-784/2
Time: 06:03 CST 24:12:03 GMT
12/9/73
Mercury is in the vicinity of the Sunj which is a normal

pointing attitude of Skylab for ATM operations. Planet
Mercury will be visible in the lower portion of the S052
video monitor just below the occulting disk, which normally
blocks out the Sun in the center of the monitor, permitting
viewing of the solar corona. Grid marks on the monitor will
assist the crew in planning maneuvers that will be conducted
after the initial acquisition of Mercury on the $052 video
monitor. Three maneuvers are scheduled to be performed by the
crew to reposition Mercury at different points on the grid of the
video monitor. The crew will generate their own maneuvers
to position Mercury at various locations on the $052 grid
around the occulting disk in the center. During the actual
viewing of Kohoutek with the ATM, beginning on or around
December 14, the ultraviolet scanning polyerometer/spectro-
heliometer g055 will be used. This instrument operates
photoelectrically and requires no film. All data are recorded
electronically. The S055 instrument is capable of accurately
measuring the strength of certain emission features of ele-
ments with high time resolution in various stages of ioniza-
tion. It observes seven emission lines in the wavelength
region from 300 to 1350 angstroms. Performing the pointing and
stabilization test will serve a dual purpose. Engineering-
wise, it will provide data that we can indeed perform the
maneuver to reacquire Khoutek or in this case the planet
Mercury. At the same time it will provide the crew with
some-on-the job training in making precise small maneuvers
for positioning Kohoutek in the proper location on the ATM
video monitor for acquiring the desired data. Carr and Gibson
will observe Mercury on the video monitor for about 5 minutes
between eaclh maneuver, to reposition the planet at various
grid points on the monitor. Solar viewing and acquisition
of data with the ATM will occupy a large portion of today's
activity for all three crewmen at various times during the
day, A total of 4 hours and 53 minutes of data take is
scheduled today. Pilot Bill Pogue is scheduled to take some
photos of comet Kohoutek just prior to the pointing and sta-
bilization test. During the pointing and stabilization test
Pogue will be taking Kohoutek photos with the S063 camera.
More Kohoutek photographs are scheduled by Pogue at 2:30 p.m. with
Cart performing the maneuver. Later in the morning Carr will be
the subject for the M092, M093 lower body negative pressure
veetorcardiogram medical experiments with Gibson as the ob-
servor. Gibson will -
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC785/I
TIME: 06:48 CST, 24:12:48 GMT
12/9/73
PAO lower body negative pressure,

vectorcardiogram, medical experiments, with Gibson as the
observer. Gibson will take Carr's leg blood pressure and
facial photos during the MO92, M093 experiment. Pogue is
scheduled to take gegenschein_zodiacal light, that's
SO73 photos at 6:30 p.m., just after his evening meal.
Purpose of this experiment is to measure the brightness and
polarization of the visibile background of the sky as seen
from above the Earth's atmosphere. ATM television will
be recorded on the video tape recorder during today's ATM
operations with TV dumps SChleduled for Texas and Honeysuckle
tracking stations. A dozen handheld photo options are on
the docket at various times during the day. If time permits,
the crew will photograph volcanoes in Guatemala, a sea
mount in the north equitorial counter crimp, west of the
Galapagos Islands, and submarine volcano south of Japan called
Nashino-Shima. Other handheld photo options including include
upwelling water and plankton blooms off the coast of South
America, land use patterns in East Malaysia, and major ocean current
boundaries off the coast of South America showing changes
in sea surface colors and conditions across and along the
currents. At day's end Gibson is scheduled to don the
M133 sleep maneuvering - sleep monitoring device, which will
evaluate the quantity and quality of sleep he gets during
the sleep period. Carr's the duty for the sleep period in
case a need arises to awaken the crew. Tomorrow is scheduled
for a day off for the crew, it says here. As we mentioned
before, Guam is not supporting on this revolution because
of technical problems. 21 minutes to Goldstone and stateside
pass at which time we shall return. Skylab Control at 12:50
GMT.
PAO Acquisition upcoming at Goldstone for
a stateside pass on revolution 3016 and start of 3017. One
of the teleprinter messages that was uplinked to the crew
today, or earlier today, in preparation for their days work
is called general message solar inactivity, to all crewmen.
And it says, "The Sun remains quiet; no significant activity
reported and all regions stable are declining. Old active
region 80 is not yet returned as expected. Old active regions
don't die, they just fade away."
CC Skylab, Houston; through Goldstone and
MILA for 16-1/2 minutes.
PAO Upcoming during the stateside pass will
be the routine morning ATM conference with - between Science
Pilot Ed Gibson aboard Skylab, and Astronaut/Scientist
Dr. Bill Lenoir, who's standing by here to talk to Gibson.
SL-IV MC785/2
TIME: 06:48 CST, 24:12:48 GMT
12/9/73
CC Skylab, Houston; we'll be handing over

to MILA here in about 3 minutes. And we'll be dumping the
voice and data recorder there. And SPT, Bill is standing by
to your ATM conference if yau're ready.
MCC Good morning, Ed. Whenever you're ready
to start talking ATM, just give me a call.
SPT Morning, Bill, we're all set up. Go ahead.
MCC Okay, just a couple of quickies here
before I get into some other meat here. The solar update
don't really have much to say. We've got the fairly quiet
disk for yeu up there, obviously. Active region 80 has
shown no evidence to us that it's returning, as I'm sure
you know. One thing that shows up that we have not yet told
you about on the (garble) data, the EUV (sic) and the long X-ray,
is on the east limb about south i0, approximately where active
region 88 is expected in 2-1/2 to 3 days. Both the EUV
and the long X-rays so - show some enhancement there, and
we're not sure whether this represents either active region 88
significantly intensifying and really becoming a fairly large
region to see it 3 days in advance here, while it was
behind the disk or whether it's just a new nothing region
again in front of it. So that you might want to just keep an
eye on that next day or so and see if anything develops
out of that.
SPT Okay, exactly where is that? Is that
right at the limb now?
MCC Well, yes. We show as an enhancement
on the limb in EUV and long X-rays about south i0 on the
east limb so that the XUV mon would be - look about south 10.
SPT Okay.
MCC Okay, and last night we got all of the
words and changes and everything up on the ATM pointing stability
test. I den't necessarily want to go into it in any detail here,
but I wanted to get you a chance to ask the whole room
here any questions on it that you had. And we're prepared
to say nothing about it all the way up discuss it step by
step. It's your option. Over.
SPT Okay, I've looked through it and I
believe I understand what we're after there. There was a
step 26 references made to getting to a moltering position
by moving the overlay orgin to the place that you want to
get to. And I think I suggested that at one time and it
seemed like a good idea. But now that I think about it I'm
wondering whether that's really going to give you the data
you're after in plotting out the desired versus actual,
unless you keep the display idown there and then see how close
SL-IV MC785/3
TIME: 06:48 CST, 24:12:48 GMT
12/9/73
you come to the origin. But there's no real reference marks

close to the origin to tell how far off you came. I think
I'ii do it the way it is here. Itll circle through adding
and substraeting in octal.
MCC Okay, Crip, incidently, ran this yesterday
and he does it with the octal addition and substractions,
and that's the way I've always done it. The - You would
have to tape the overlay and, of course some other way mark
it. And if you don't have any references there, that is a good
point.
SPT Okay, on the part that was deleted was step
8 to verify the electronic crosshairs are aligned in the
center of the 52 occulting disk. And I assume that we still
had ought to do that.
MCC Stand by a minute.
SPT Even if we don't align it to the exact
center, we at least ought to put the put them fairly close
and use that as a reference.
MCC Yeah, it looks to me like that probably
got left out erroneously here in that big - in that big group.
You might want to make sure that you've got the sunlight time
in order to do that.
SPT Okay, I'll have to try and hop in at the
end of this orbit with Jet.
MCC Okay, and then 26A we just want you to
make a 2-axis maneuver_ your option. And put it where you
donVt think the TV D set there will bother you, then B and C are
single axes and preferably back to where you started from.
SPT Okay, I guess Mercury is going to show
up at 6 o'clock. How far out?
MCC It's on the overlay. It should be Just
about half way between the edge of the occulting disc there
and the edge of the overlay. In other words about half way
into the the marking pattern on that. And in the simulator
when we did it, it came out at about 5:30, at - right about
in the middle. However, we had a NuZ error of about a
half degree so that that could have been part of our problem.
SPT Okay.
MCC Okay, Ed, anything else you want to say
about that?
SPT No r except the other two guys are starting
the to see step 41 part of it pushed ont.
MCC Say again.
SPT Jer and Bill are starting to see step 41
disappear.
MCC Oh, yeah. Well, the main thing on that
SL-IV MC785/4 1
TIME: 06:48 CST, 24:12:48 GMT
12/9/73
is that the easiest way to see that is when you're looking

at the Sun in H-alpha 1 or something like that so that you
can see even the little bitty minute moves. Looking at the
gross white light there, you probably wouldn't see it.
You might be tricked into believing that it had no effect
when, in fact, it has a significant effect. Inci - -
CDR Is there any addition you want to make
today?
MCC No, none that we're aware of right now.
On that 41 with H-alpha 2's door open all the time, anytime
you're in SI mode you've really got the capability onboard
to just do that on your own; sort of a bootleg.
SPT Okay, I have done it to a to a degree,
but I have not gotten to go precise in the measurement. So,
maybe I will in the future.
MCC And, Ed, we just noticed that 82A door
failed to open. We'll handle it from here with the ground
malfunction.
SPT Okay, thank you.
MCC And to reconfirm, we do want to do
step 8. So, make sure you plan to do that in the sunlight.
SPT Okay, certainly will.
MCC And we've got up to 5 minutes left here,
We're bootlegging some extra time here on somebody else's pass.
A couple of points here just on JOP operations. In the
JOP summar_ sheets, when there's a parentheses around
something, the rules the way we interpret that is that
that means it is not necessary to do that step unless the
pad specifically calls for it. That may help you save some
time on some of the JOP setuips.
SPT Okay, that's the way I understood it.
Most of those involve a maximization of 55 detectors. I
tried to go ahead and do that if I thought I had the time.
Thought it would perhaps give a little better data.
MCC Okay, that's what I thought. We just
wanted to make sure you didn't think you had to do that if
you were getting behind. Okay, and we sent up the changes
to J0P IB that we think fix up the problems that are
associated with that, basically just stepping down and looking
for the limb when you're at zero grating. When you're off
zero grating_ of course, the zero order detector won't work.
So, we'll just give you the pad numbers and tell you where
to go on that one. Was that fairly clear now?
SPT Yeah, that's clear. I understood what
was happening as soon as it happened, but unfortunately I
wasn't looking ahead and it was led into it.
SL-IV MC785/5
TIME: 06:48 CST, 24:12:48 GMT
12/9/73
MCC Yeah, well, the JOP summary sheet had

some bad problems there. And again today on the 4-1imb
coalign which we finally put in, g2B has an extra word. They
want to see what their limb offset indicates when the white
light has you right on the limb. So, just a reminder on
that.
SPT Okay, I think it's pretty good. I think
we ought to come out plus or minus i or zero. In doing the
- all the work which we have on the limb, I've already
operating in that mode of going to the white light limb,
and then going limb stand in order to get the offset. And
I've noticed I usually been pretty close if not right on.
So that phase works out real well. I'm wondering how the
heck we ever got a bad bias? I believe it's probably an up/down.
Probably also in left/right for the XUV slit. The same
bias which we started out with initially and I wonder
whether that was not determined properly. It's kind of hard
to figure out how that could happen though, because he's
taking four marks and four different limbs and letting the
computer de the rest and you really can't be too far off
that way.
MCC Yes, we're not sure whether somehow
a glitch got in there or whether it's a drift between the
fine Sun sensor and the rest of the canister. But it appears
that 82B and H-alpha i are tracking together so that the
pointing should be valid no matter what we've done. When
we point by the numbers we may have been off in the up/down
like you say.
SPT Yeah.
MCC Let's see, we got about 2-1/2
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-786/I
Time: 07:25 CST 24:13:25 GMT
12/9/73
MCC Let's see. We get about 2-1/2 minutes

here. Had one question. Let me ask you the question and then
let you either answer it or ask me questions, whatever you want.
One thing either today or day after tomorrow. We'd like to
sort of get: a little commentary from you on how you, Bill,
and Jerry operate when you're at the panel and a typical
sequence what you do there, how you fit in shopping lists,
if you do, and things of th_s nature. Okay. Why don't you
go ahead.
SPT Okay. Let me clarify that one. Do you want
that on tape or you want that real time?
CC Well, either way. If we did it real time
we could talk about it if we had any questions. If it's
easier for you put it on tape and I'll get it.
SPT Okay. We'll try it and give you as much
as we can on real time. Okay. The 82A door talkback is now
white again. It was gray.
MCC Okay. We got that.
SPT No, Bill. I haven't been able to look
at the pad for today very much with the pointing and stability
test coming up. I know we are going to be working on spicules again,
and I'm glad to see that because I hink we got a good tool on
board for doing that. But I think we'll have to put off further
discussion of most things until tomorrow.
MCC Okay, Ed. We'll probably - let's make it
day after tomorrow. Tomorrow Paul Patterson will be here in
my place to talk to you about use of 82B slit and some -
really a discussion as to how they recommend that you use
that to really dissect the Sun in a fine manner. I'll be here
if you have any questions for me, but Paul'll be doing most
of the talking.
SPT Okay. In using the 82B slit at the limb -
I have tried in most of the JOP where we had pointing
right at the limb to use a white light display and get the
slit tangent to the limb there. ,So even though it called for an
up/down and zero, I knew what we were after, and I think they
got what they were after on most of those JOPs.
MCC Okay. They sounds good. Let's see.
We're 40 seconds from LOS here and it looks like Carnarvon
is next in 44 minutes, which would be at about ii past the hour,
and they just pointed out to me here that in order to do
step 8 you have to do step 7 also, which just says you
got to open all those appropriate doors. Okay. See you
tomorrow then.
SPT Thank you very much, Bill. So long.
SL-IV MC-786/2
Time: 07:25 CST 24:13:25 GMT
12/9/73

through the Bermuda tracking station. Space station Skylab
nearing the northern coast of the continent of South America
will skin by between Vanguard and Ascension Island missing
both stations. Also Tananarive. Therefore the next station
will be Carnarvon and Guam _or the final time today starting
in 42 minutes, at which time we shall return. At 13:29
mean time. Acquisition forthcoming in 50 seconds at tracking
station Carnarvon and Guam, final time this morning through
those two stations. Crew should be maneuvering to attitude
for the ATNI pointing and stabilization test at this time.
20 seconds to predicted acquisition at Carnarvon, and standing
by.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Carnarvon
for 6 minutes. Over.
CDR Roger, Bruce.
CC Okay. Good morning. And for your infor-
mation, we are still in the process of running the ground-
commanded malfunction procedure on the S082A door, and we're
getting an in transit indication. We'll keep you posted on the
status. Don't worry about it right now and don't disturb
the 82A configuration.
PLT Bruce, the PLT here. Got a couple of
things in the photo area.
CC Go ahead, Bill.
PLT Rot. I have a (garble) instruction,
message 2454. It says remove okay. Down load B - Bravo,
Echo 08. And load into Nikon 04, but Nikon 04 already has
some film in it.
CC Okay. Let me check here. I think you'll
be instructed to remove the IR film from Nikon 04 sometime
later in the day here, Hold on.
PLT Okay. The chronology is eating me up here.
I downloaded it. I noticed it said remove T025 canister, but
it would have been nice to have a post-S063 ops notation in there.
I've already downloaded the film, and I've got to put it back
in there now.
CC All right. Now we're working on a post-
S063 mod so that you'd leave the TO25 canister attached to
the S063 to AMS adapter except when we're going to go to an
S063 EAII configuration next. And if you look at the, or if
you ask the SPT to look at the SPT photo pad, in his facial
photos whiclh occur at about 18:00 Z he's instructed to down-
load IRO9 from Nikon 04. And after 18:00 then you can load
BE08 into the NK04. Over.
SL-IV MC-786/3
Time: 07:25 CST 24:13:25 GMT
12/9/73
PLT Yes. That sounds great, Bruce. It would

be nice to have had it on the pad that way.
CC Roger. We copy. And I guess there's no
time specified on your film change pad.
PLT That's affirm. I should have used my
head there and went ahead and downloaded 02. I'll put it
back in and get the S063 ops with it.
CC Stand by. Let me check on that before
you go ahead and reverse it.
CC PLT, Houston. Okay. Herets the sequence
we want to go through if you're listening. Over. PLT, this is
Houston? Over.
PLT Rog. I was away from the box. Go ahead,
Bruce .
CC Okay. Downloading of NK02 right now is
good. Ed will need NK04 wth the IR film still in it for
facial photos. Then you need to load BE08 into NK04 to do
S063. NK02, which you just emptied out, gets loaded as it
says on the pad with BB44 and that gets used for S073 at
around 01:00 by you. Over.
PLT Let me take a look at my Flight Plan
here for just a minute.
CC Okay. We got 30 seconds to LOS. Next
station contact in only 9 minutes through Guam at 14:26.
Out.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-787/I
Time: 08:i8 CST, 24:14:18 GMT
12/9/73

from Carnarvon, Australia, tracking station. A gap of about
7 minutes remaining until acquisition at Guam. The final
pass over Carnarvon and Guam for this morning. We'll stand
by live for Guam.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Guam for
a little over 4 minutes. Out.
SPT Houston, would you confirm that before
step 18 you want a maneuver time of zero set in.
CC That's affirmative, Ed. We do.
PLT Houston, Skylab; PLT.
CC Roger. Go ahead, PLT.
PLT (garble) Bruce. So that you'll know I got it
right, the way I'm reading it now is, I'ii go ahead and
load Nikon 02 with BV. It's Bravo Victor 44 for standby for
S073 later on today. I will wait until after the spatial photosj
M092, I'ii take Nikon 04, download IR-09 and stow, and load
it with Bravo Echo 08 for the S063.
CC Roger. That's correct. And I expect we'll
have a change to your S063 comet operations pad we're working
on here cause right now it shows NK
PLT Yeah, I'ii go ahead and use Nikon 4 for
that.
CC Right.
PLT Okay. Thank you very much.
CC SPT, this is Houston. We'd like you to turn
off the primary ACQ Sun sensor, per step 16 before you
go SI.
CC SPT, Houston; you copy about the primary
ACQ Sun sensor°
SPT Yes.
CC Skylab, this is Houston. One minute till
LOS. Next station contact in 18-1/2 minutes through Goldstone
at 14:48. Out.
through tracking station Guam. 16 minutes to Goldstone.
Tracking ship Vanguard having trouble with its data circuits
onboard the ship. The data downlink from the space station
will be marginal during this upcoming pass over Vanguard,
however, they do report that the ship can carry two-waY voice.
Skylab crew in the midst of conducting the ATM pointing and
stabilization test which they rotate the spacecraft to allow
the ATM telescopes to pick up the planet Mercury. 15 minutes
till acquisition at Goldstone and a stateside pass through
Goldstone and Texas and MILA stations. At 14:33 GMT, Skylab
Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-788/I
Time: 08:47 CST, 24:14:47 GMT
12/9173

mean time. Acquisition at Goldstone tracking station upcoming
in 50 seconds with live television through the ATM monitor
expected over the Texas station as the crew alines the ATM
on the planet Mercury for the ATM pointing and stabilization
test. We'll stand by for this stateside pass.
CC Skylah, this is Houston through Goldstone,
Corpus Christi and Merritt Island for 15-1/2 minutes with the
data/voice tape recorder dump at Corpus Christi and how goes
the pointing/stability test? Over.
SPT Looking good so far, Bruce. We got Mercury
a little bit early, maybe around 2 minutes early. And it's
at - on X Gf plus 1 and Y of minus 120, right at 6 o'clock.
CC Okay. Mighty fine, Ed. Great.
CC Do you have any subjective commentary on
the stability? Over, Ed.
SPT Just a minute, Bruce. We'll be right with
you.
CC We're just back seat driving down here.
Take your time.
SPT Okay, Bruce. The stability looks fairly
reasonable. The outer gimbal of star 2 when we locked on
was minus 115. That's what it is now and the outer - inner gimbal
of 2 is on 2125 and that's what it is now, also. The only thing
I've noticed is that Mercury has shifted to zero on the X axis
but it remains at minus 120 in Y.
CC Roger. We copy.
SPT Our first maneuver will he to minus I00
in X and plus i00 in Y.
CC Roger. We copy.
SPT The second maneuver will bring us back on-
to the Y-axis with an X of zero and then we'll make strictly
a maneuver down the Y-axis to get back to the original position.
CC Okay.
CC Okay. We now are receiving you in real
time television here through the courtesy of Corpus Christi.
We can see Mercury on our screen. Actually it looks like it's
over on the left-hand side - or is it - yeah.
SPT That's the burned-out spot in the vidicon,
Bruce. Mercury's down at 6 o'clock.
CC Okay. Right. We got it now.
SPT (Garble)
CC Yeah, we got it now. And the ATM was just
telling me the same thing. I hadn't seen your burned-in spot
previously.
SPT Bruce, at 14:53 the star tracker remained
at the original gimbal angles and right now we're still looking
SL-IV MC-788/2
Time: 08:47 CST, 24:14:47 GMT
12/9173
SPT at a X of zero and Y of minus 120 and it

appears to be holding stable and I think we can read the
display to around 0.i degrees. We're using the XUV monitor
overlay in order to get a little finer resolution on the
grid. It turns that reads - brings our grid up into a factor
of 4, or _ne-quarter finer than what we have right now. And we
can interpolate between those two places, so it looks like about
a tenth of a degree is what we can read it to and then hold it.
CC Roger. Thank you.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC789/I
TIME: 08:59 CST, 24:14:59 GMT
12/9/73
PAO This is Skylab Control. For those

of you watching the ATM television picture, the blob of
light in the left center of the screen is not planet Mercury,
but a piece of contamination on the vidicon tube or in some
part of the optical system. Mercury is at about 6 o'clock,
lower centerscreen, a little white dot. Space station Skylab
has been maneuvered until planet Mercury is at about the 2 o'clock
position on the screen, the upper right corner.
CC Skylab, this is Houston; 1 minute to
LOS. Next station contact through the Vanguard a - in ii minutes,
probably, at 15:12. We are having some trouble with the
circuits through Vanguard. If we don't get you there it
will be Tananarive in 38 minutes at 15:41. We've observed
the first maneuver repositioning Mercury, and it looked pretty
good to us. Did it come out where you - where you wanted
it to, Ed? Over.
SPT Bruce, it looks like we missed it by
i0 in both directions in octal.
CC Okay, we copy.
through tracking station at Corpus Christi, Texas. 8 minutes to
tracking ship Vanguard, which is having difficulties with
some of the data circuits, although it's very likely we will
have voice with space station Skylab. Currently underway
with the ATM pointing and stabilization test using planet
Mercury as a target. This test is in preparation for the
forthcoming viewing and data recording of the comet Kohoutek
_L using the ATM instruments later on this month starting on
about the 14th of December. Back in 8 minutes for tracking
ship Vanguard. At 15:04 GMT, Skylab Control.
mean time. Acquisition hopefully through tracking ship
Vanguard in about 50 seconds. Some of the circuits, data
circuits particularly, from that ship are on the fritz. So
we'll see how this turns out. Standing by for Vanguard.
Vanguard for i0 minutes. Over.
PLT Go, Bruce.
SPT Hello, Bruce.
CC Roger, we're just with you here through
the Vanguard.
SPT Okay, Bruce, real quick. The desired
position in the first, in X and Y respectively, were minus
i00 and plus I00. We attained minus 70 and plus 113. Those
positions held constant for 6 minutes. We then went to a
SL-IV MC789/2
TIME: 08:59 CST, 24:14:59 GMT
12/9/73
desired position of zero and plus 113. We attained plus 006

and plus IZO. We're now trying to get back to the original
position of plus 000 and minus 120. We'll let you know
how that comes out.
CC Okay, in going to the second desired
position which was zero and plus 113, did you determine your
maneuver commands based on the actually attained first
position of minus 70? Over.
SPT That's affirmative, Bruce. We took
the attained position and moved that right down into the
present position in the following block. And we've done
that for both maneuvers.
CC Okay, thank you.
CC Skylab, this is Houston. Can you tell
us whether any of your normal movements or your movements
around inside the vehicle have caused any noticeable jitter
or perturbation of the image of Mercury on the scope? Over.
SPT Bruce, we have not tried that as per
a request before. We've tried to be pretty quiet and
have not noticed any movement of Mercury except maybe a
drift of 0.005 or so occasionally will change our reading
by 0.i if it's just on the boundary.
CC Roger, we're aware our request to you.
We just thought that you might have noticed something along
those lines.
SPT No, we have not, Bruce. And our maneuver
time going back, or our time to maneuver back is at 45. Is
that affirm?
CC That is correct, Ed.
SPT Okay, would you like us to perform some
• more pointing (garble) apparently we got some nonlinearities
in here in addition to the scale on the overlaying, not
representing the same as the spatial scale we're looking at
in the tube. And apparently it's going to take a little
sorting out and I wondered whether you need some additional
info.
CC Understand you're saying that you don't
think that the overlay is properly scaled for the tube?
SPT Well, we're coming up with some fairly
different values like this last one we attained was minus
017 and minus 124. We were shooting for 000 and minus 120.
So we were off 17 in octal in X, and that's fairly sizable
and off 4 in Y.
CC Okay, would you compare the size of the
clear circle in the center of the comet overlay with the size
of the occulting disk on the WLC image that you're using, please?
SL-IV MC789/3
TIME: 08:59 CST, 24:14:59 GMT
12/9/73
SPT Okay, we can do that when we get in

sunlight, Bruce. We can't see the occulting disk right now.
When we did line it up on the center initially, it looked
as though we were pretty close to being right on center.
But the occulting disk image is not a very sharp one on the edge,
so it's going to be very difficult to get that number you
asked for. However, the occulting disk does appear slightly
elliptical and not circular which is what this display showed.
SPT l'm sorry, the overlay shows it to be
circular. The WLC TV shows it to be elliptical.
CC Okay, Ed, we got a minute and a half to
LOS here. In the time remaining until your maneuver commence
time of 15:45 you're cleared to go ahead and drive the
planet Mercury around to any position within the field of view
of the overlay at your option. You're also clear to conduct
crew movements to see if you can determine any effect on
the stability of the system. And my question on the over-
lay was addressed to the possibility that we had some sort
of change in the size of the image in the electronic
reproduction system on the cathode ray tube just
to see if t]nat was a possible causative factor here. And
we'll be talking to you next in 18 minutes through Tananarive
at 15:41. Over.
SPT Okay, thank you, Bruce. We'll go ahead
and try a few more maneuvers and see if we can't figure out
what some of the correlations would be.
CC Okay, and please record on tape all the
maneuvers you do and the positions and stuff like that.
And
SPT We're writing it all down and we'll put
it on tape.
CC Right. Mercury sets at 15:40; that's
in about 17 minutes.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-790/I
Time: 09:23 CST 24:15:23 GMT
12/9/73
SPT Okay. Thank you, Bruce. We'll go ahead

and try a few more maneuvers and see if we can't figure out
what some of the correlations would be.
CC Okay. And please record on tape all the
maneuvers you do and the positions and stuff like that.
And
SPT We're writing it all down, and wetll put
it on tape.
CC Right. Mercury sets at 15:40. That's in
about 17 minutes.
through tracking ship Vanguard. Apparently patched together
some of its ailing equipment and supported this pass. 17
minutes to voice-relay station in Tananarive. Between the
stateside stations and Vanguard there was a series of hand-
held photographic options available to the crew of volcanoes
in Guatemala. Volcanoes Santiaquito, Acatenango, Pacaya,
and Fuego. Four volcanoes in Guatemala. The object is to
photograph the eruption clouds and the turbulence of volcanic
ash and steam given off by the volcanoes. We'll return in
15 minutes for voice-relay station Tananarive. Apparently
low pass of only 3 degrees 3 minutes, 4 degrees elevation
angle. At 15:25 GMT, Skylab Control.
PAO This is Skylab Control 15:40 Greenwich
mean time. Very brief pass coming up here at voice relay
station at Tananarive. About 3 minutes total time. We'll
stand by to see if contact is indeed made through Tananarive.
for 3 minutes. Out.
LOS. Next station contact in 45 minutes through Goldstone.
Out. And that's Goldstone at 16:28. Copy. Over.
SPT We got it. Thank you, Bruce.
through Tananarive. Extremely brief pass, and a total of
six words down from the space station. 43 minutes to Gold-
stone, final stateside pass of the day. Returning at that
time, this is Skylab Control at 15:45 Greenwich mean time.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-791/I
Time: 10:27 CST 24:16:27 GMT
12/9/73

mean time. We're in acquisition at tracking station Gold-
stone. The predicted acquisition time probably a little on
the conservative side because of mountains to the southwest
of that station in the Mojave Desert blocking out part of
the view of space station Skylab. Standing by for air-to-ground
on this final stateside pass of the morning.
CC Skyiab this is Houston through Goldstone
for 4-1/2 minutes. Out.
CC PLT, this is Houston. Over.
PLT Go.
CC Roger. When you get down to the S082
operations in your schedule pad go ahead and do them per pad.
You will not get a READY light but take the exposure anyway,
and we'll work on the situation some more during the next
night pass by ground command. Over.
PLT Okay. Now that's the 82 OP you're
referring to.
CC That's affirmative.
PLT Thank you.
CC Skylab this is Houston. 45 seconds to
LOS. Next station contact in 17 minutes through the Vanguard
at sea at 16:49. Out.
PAO This is Skylab Control. LOS Goldstone
for the final time this morning. About another six or eight
revolutions before space station Skylab Begins coming over
the states again on ascending passes. As space station Skylab
passes over the Pacific Ocean, moving parallel to the West
Coast of the Americas, Jerry Carr and Ed Gibson may have an
opportunity to observe and photograph a mountain submerged
beneath the sea. The mountain peak, which rises to
just 65 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, is lo-
cated about i000 miles southwest of Acapulco. Although such
surface features, called sea mounts, are believed to exist in
many parts of the world's ocean, only a few have been mapped
and added to navigational charts, mostly in the Pacific and
South Atlantic. While the Skylab crew cann't see 65 feet through
the ocean surface, the sea mount should be recognizable because
of the generally lighter color associated with shallow water.
Changes in subsurf in surface waves and a wake produced by
the north equatorial countereurrent to the east of the sub-
surface peak. Such observations as that suggested to the
crew for 16:38 Greenwich mean time or 10:38 central today
may lead to future space mapping of sea mounts that are po-
renal hazards to growing ocean travel and world trade. Sev-
eral years ago the United States nuclear submarine Scorpion
rammed a sea mount while running submerged out to the west
SL-IV MC-791/2
Time: 10:25 CST 24:16:27 GMT
12/9/73
of the Azores Island in the Atlantic with all hands lost.

Next station, 13 minutes, tracking ship Vanguard. This is
Skylab Control at 16:36.
mean time. 2-1/2 minutes away from acquisition through
tracking ship Vanguard. As Skylab space station approaches
the Pacific: coast of Chile the crew will have an apportunity
to photograph and observe one of the world's major ocean
upwellings. Off the coast of northern Chile, Peru, and Ecqua-
dor, winds push the surface waters of the Pacific ocean away
from the land. In its place, cool and nutrient-rich water
from the deeper layers of the ocean rise to the surface.
This upwelling of - upwelling of rich subsurface waters often
a colorful bloom of plankton that should be clearly observ-
able from space. The upwelling water should appear as much
darker blue, with the plankton blooms varying in size and lo-
cation. Using a telephoto lens, one of the crewmemhers will
make records of the plankton off the Pacific Coast of South
America_ off northwest Africa, and near the west coast of
New Guinea during the mission. By taking two photographs of
the Same location about 4 or 5 seconds apart, the crew will
provide stereo views of the plankton. This may allow scien-
tists to judge the depth of the plankton's growth. Skylab
IV Commander Jerry Carr and Science Pilot Ed Gibson will both
be completing housekeeping tasks as we approach the antenna
range of tracking ship Vanguard, while Pilot Bill Pogue is
scheduled to be operating the solar instruments in the ATM.
The handheld photographs to be taken through the window used
by the SI90A, a set of six cameras that are a part of the Earth
Resources Experiment Package, are a crew option. The crew-
members have been asked to use infrared film today as they
expand scientific knowledge of large changes in the ocean
environment:_ changes that are essential to our understanding
of the economics and ecology of the oceans. 40 seconds away
from acquisition through tracking ship Vanguard and standing
by.
CC Skylab this is Houston through the Van-
guard for 10-1/2 minutes. Out.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC792/I
TIME: 10:55 CST, 24:16:55 GMT
12/9/73
CC Skylab, this is Houston; i minute to

LOS. Next station contact in 14-1/2 minutes through
Tananarive at 17:14. Subsequent station is Hawaii in
59 minutes at 17:59 with a data/voice tape recorder dump.
And for the PLT, it should be about sunset when you come
over there and we'd like to talk with you for a moment
on the S063 Nikon film configuration situation. If you have
that message 2454 in your details and the Flight Plan handy
why, we cart go ahead and talk through it. Over.
CDR I'm pretty sure he heard you, Bruce; he's
just busy at the ATM.
CC Roger, thank you, Jer.
PAO Skylab Control; loss of signal at tracking
ship Vanguard. 12 minutes to voice relay station at
Tananarive. Returning at that time, this is Skylab Control
at 17:01 Zulu.
mean time. Acquisition upcoming in about 50 seconds at
voice relay station Tananarive on revolution 3019 for
space station Skylab. Alive and listening at Tananarive.
Skylab space station currently in an orbit with an apogee
of 243.8 nautical miles; perigee 227.5 nautical. Takes an
hour 33 minutes and 14 seconds to go all the way around
for one revolution. Velocity 25,087 feet per second.
CC Skylab, this is Houston; through
Tananarive. For the PLT when he has a minute we've got a
8-minute pass here so we can wait a little bit.
CC Skylab, this is Houston. Is the PLT
available?
CC Skylab, this is Houston. Is the PLT
available?
PLT Go, Houston.
CC Okay, Bill, let me just talk you briefly
through the way that we - we had the pad set up here. And
I guess at they outset this little general message film
change is not to be confused with the film thread pad
which you've been accustomed to doing at your option early
in the morning to get it out of the way for the day. In
looking at our procedures we feel that we should have put
a time on this film change pad to let you know when it was
to be done. However, if you look down your detail at 22:56
is the time in the day when it really should have been accomplished.
That's also referenced by DET 22:56 in the right-hand column
of your - your Flight Plan for today. To get it
PLT Rog. I've seen both of them, yeah.
CC It was an unfortunate way that we - we
SL-IV MC792/2
TIME: 10:55 CST, 24:16:55 GMT
12/9/73
arranged things here because it's been - it's taken us several

hours to sort things out down here on the ground too. But
to get you back into the - the right configuration with
a minimum amount of perturbation to the checklist and things
of this sort, we would like you to go ahead and reload
BEO8 into NK02 using the same frame count as when you unloaded
it, and to go ahead and proceed as things are laid out in
the Flight Plan and the details and the film change message
with our apologies. Ovver.
PLT No problem. BE08 into Nikon 2, and
I would proceed as I would have normally if I hadn't have done
the download.
CC Yeah, you guys were just getting ahead
of us here. And in the future on - if we have a film change
message like that we'll put on it the time that it's to be
accomplished so that we don't get into this box again. And
with reference again to that entry in your details where
it says S063, CST-2, and S073 PR-2, the only things that you
need to do associated with CST-2 and S073 PR-2, are those
oh, about half dozen items associated with the Nikon
reconfiguration on the thing, including the film loading
and maybe going from the manual cable release to the electric
cable as referenced in there pretty much your option, although
I'm informed that you can actually go either way on that
cable release. Over.
PLT Okay, Bruce, thank you very much.
CC So just leave the whole assembly there
in the SAL and don't take the eight bolts out and all this sort
of thing.
PLT Yeah, I'd already decided I wasn't going
to do that anymore; we'll wear that stuff out.
CC Right.
CC And we got a minute and a half to LOS
here. Next station contact in 36 minutes through Hawaii
at 17:59 with a data/voice tape recorder dump. See you there.
PLT Thank you, Bruce.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC793/I
TIME: 11:58 CST, 24:17:58 GMT
12/9/73
PAO Skylab Control; LOS through the voice

relay station at Tananarive. Acquisition at Hawaii for
the first time this morning, upcoming in 34 minutes at
which time we shall return. This is Skylab Control at
17:24 Greenwich mean time.
mean time. 50 seconds from acquisition of space station
Skylab through the Hawaii tracking station. Commander
and Science Pilot at this time should be involved in M092,
093 medical experiments. Consequently there likely won't be
too much in the way of conversation over Hawaii. Standing
by as we're i0 seconds away from acquisition.
CC - - for 7-1/2 minutes with a data/voice
tape recorder dump. Out.
LOS. Next station contact in 22 minutes through the Vanguard
at 18:28. Out.
PAO Skylab Control. Loss of signal through
tracking station Hawaii. Approximately 19 minutes to
acquisition at the next station which is tracking ship
Vanguard at sea in the Atlantic, east of the southern coast
of Argentina. At 18:08 Greenwich mean time, Skylab Control.
mean time. Acquisition at tracking ship Vanguard in 50
seconds. The Science Pilot and Commander at this time still
likely involved in the M092, 093 lower body negative pressure
and vectorcardiogram medical experiments combination. Some
20 seconds away from predicted acquisition at Vanguard.
Vanguard for 9-1/2 minutes. Out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston; 30 seconds
to LOS. Next station contact in 16 minutes through Tananarive
at 18:53. Out.
through tracking ship Vanguard. 14 minutes to final pass
of the day over the voice relay station at Tananarive. Today's
ATM pointing and control test focusing the white light
telescope, or SO52, on Mercury, so the crew could practice
very small maneuvers that will be useful for observing and
photographing comet Kohoutek, was completed successfully.
The nitrogen gas thrusters went almost without use today.
Only one very brief burst, amounting to less than 5
pound-seconds, was required to assist the two gyroscopes in
performing today's maneuver. A second maneuver, planned
for 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. central time, should use about the
same small'quantity of nitrogen gas from the thruster attitude
SL-IV MC793/2
TIME: 11:58 CST, 24:17:58 GMT
12/9/73
control system. This afternoon's attitude change will allow

Pilot Pilot Bill Pogue to photograph the comet Kohoutek
with Skylab's ultraviolet airglow horizon camera. Although
today's maneuvers should require a total of just under
i0 pound-seconds, last night a complex combination of errors
during one - during an Earth resources maneuver used a total
of 726 pound-seconds of TACS gas. The Skylab crew called
up a display to assist them in performing last night's
maneuver. The display gave, "total attitude error," which
measured the difference between the space station's present
attitude and that to be held at the conclusion of the
entire maneuver. When the crew saw 15 degrees as an attitude
error, they also noticed a discrepancy in the rates of
attitude change. This combination of differences led them
attempt remedial action. The 15-degree figure, however,
measured the difference between present and final attitudes.
A different display, measuring "following attitude error"
would have been given the information required for the crew
to judge differences between actual current attitude and
desired current attitude. Unfortunately, the remedy attempted
by the crew required a major shift in the space station's
attitude. Science Pilot Gibson instructed Skylab's control
system to shift from Z-local vertical, or Earth-looking,
which keeps the space station moving to keep Earth resources
instruments pointing at the ground directly beneath the
orbiting laboratory, to solar inertial, which is Sun-looking.
The new instruction required a very large attitude change,
and TACS firings began immediately. The Science Pilot
then shifted back to Z-local vertical, again bringing gas
bursts. A total of 99 mibs, or minimum impulse burns, or
a little less than 500 pound-seconds were spent in the Earth
resources maneuver last night. Only i mib, about 5 pound-
seconds had been expended for the pass, which covered a
5400-mile area from the Himalayas to the Australian outback.
Altogether, more than 700 pound-seconds of TACS were used
yesterday. The remainder was required for the calibration
of Earth resources instruments by pointing at the moon,
a constant light source, earlier in the evening. Later today,
probably at the upcoming Hawaii pass, in about 50 minutes,
mission control will conduct a review of the problems that
led to the excessive and unexpected use of nitrogen thruster
gas last night. A discussion of appropriate techniques for
monitoring attitude changes and for correcting errors will
be held with the crew, during that pass. Fortunately, the
substantial improvement in flight controllers' understanding
of maneuvering with only two of the three main Skylub Skylab
SL-IV MC793/3
TIME: 11:58 CST, 24:17:58 GMT
12/9/73
gyroscopes has reduced use of nitrogen TACS gas to a minimum.

Under present conditions, a daily TACS budget of 329
pound-seconds is allowed for maneuvering to photograph the
comet Kohoutek, the Earth_ and other features of interest.
That amount is expected to be far more than will be required
to complete all of Skylab's experimental objectives, through-
out a mission of up to 84 days.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-794/I
Time: 12:43 CST 24:18:43 GMT
12/9/73
PAO - featured of interest. That amount is

expected to be far more than'll be required to complete all
of Skylab's experimental objectives throughout a mission of
up to 84 days. 9 minutes to acquisition at voice relay
station Tananarive, returning at that time. This is Skylab
Control at 18:43 Greenwich mean time.
mean time. 50 seconds away from acquisition on a very brief
pass, final one today, across voice relay station at Tanan-
arive. Barely above the horizon as space station Skylab
crosses southwest Africa, somewhat west to the of the station
at Tananarive on the island of Madagascar. Space station
now in revolution 3020. Standing by for Tananarive.
CC Skylab this is Houston through Tananarive
for 2-1/2 minutes. Over.
PLT Roger.
CC Okay, Bill. And if you could pass on to
CDR and SPT, over Hawaii at about 19:35, which is next site,
we think y'all should be pretty free and we'd like to take
a couple of minutes to discuss the APCS situation resulting
from the or during yesterday's EREP pass. Over.
PLT Rog. I think they copied that.
CC Okeydoke.
CC Skylab this is Houston. 1 minute to LOS.
Next station contact in 38-1/2 minutes through Hawaii at
20, oop - through Hawaii at 19:35. Out.
through the Tananarive voice relay station. Acquisition up-
coming at Hawaii in about 35 minutes. After nearly 7 months
of operation one of the 16 panels used to collect solar power
for the ATM batteries has shown some signs of age. ATM
solar panel number 15, which has produced a steady flow of
power since the Skylab space station was launched last May,
has dropped its power output by about 50 watts during the
past few days. Under usual conditions panel number 15 would
be expected to generate 400 to 500 watts of power, with a
maximum of 600 watts possible when greater amounts of electis -
electricity are being used by the Skylah crew. The i0 per-
cent drop in output occurs regularly about 15 minutes after
the solar panel is brought back into sunlight. While no
complete analysis of the small but clear-cut power drop is
possible, the engineer monitoring Skylab's electrical system
says the 50-watt drop is probably due to semiconductors
opening up as they are heated by the Sun. Semiconductors
used in the solar panels have generally resisted the 180- to
190-degree temperatures of bright sunlight well, although
they are by nature sensitive to heat. Two other solar panels
SL-IV MC-794/2
Time: 12:43 CST 24:18:43 GMT
12/9/73
of the four-piece ATM system, panels 8 and 13, have been

slightly degraded for many months, producing about 40 watts
less than originally expected, or degration of about 8 per-
cent. The slight reduction in the total power capability
in the ATM panels leaves flight controllers confident that
Skylab's solar powered electrical system will keep the lab-
oratory well supplied during the 2 months the crew may re-
main in orbit. At the present time the Skylab electrical
power system continues to provide about 7000 watts of power
for the space station's many systems and sophisticated elec-
tronic gear, a level essentially unchanged from earlier
flights. 33 minutes to Hawaii, and a conference with the
crew on TACS usage and maneuver monitoring. We'll return
at that time. This is Skylab Control at 19:01 Greenwich
mean time.
END OF TAPE:
SL-IV MC-795/I
Time: 13:34 CST 24:19:34 GMT
12/9/73

mean time. 50 seconds from acquisition at Hawaii. During
this Hawaii pass there'll be a discussion between the space-
craft communicator, Bruce Mceandless, here in Control Center,
and the crew of Skylab on yesterday evening's EREP calibra-
tion maneuver and also the EREP over southeast Asia in which
an excessive amount of TACS fuel was used. We'll stand by
here for this Hawaii pass.
CC Skylab this is Houston through Hawaii
for 9-1/2 minutes. We'll be dumping the data/voice tape
recorder at: Vanguard. And if we've got our quorums we can
talk about EREP 14 APCS system from yesterday. Over.
CDR Go ahead, Bruce.
CC Okay. A couple of points that we need
to discuss here since, as you probably gathered, things didn't
exactly nominally with respect to the Z-LV maneuver itself.
Actually you you got into Z-LV at noon, went on around through
the night pass in great shape, and the anomaly or the off nominal
situation arose when you were doing the final fine EREP ma-
neuver to take the X principal axis out of the orbital plan
and set you up for the - the EREP sensor attitude with the
essentially the X axis in orbital plane. As we've been able
to piece it together while you were flying along there, you
were monitoring attitude error on the DAS, .this being con-
trol attitude error with the 52,003, 5002 entry. And this
was reading zero as it should be as you were tracking along
in Z-LV. Now there's a distinction that needs to be made
here and that is, that this one is the difference between
your position and the Z-LV attitude and the attitude error
that is called out in the maneuver monitor cue card that
is attitude error for TACS control off, and is the one
that we need to monitor during maneuvers. So you went along
and entered the X-, Y-, and S-axes offset, and in passing
here we noted in the Y-axis a 51622 was entered when it should
have been 51662, which was about 0.32 of a degree toO
positive, which is no big deal. We could have tolerated
that easily during the maneuver. However, when you went ahead
and entered these offsets, since you were looking at the
attitude error it immediately jumped up to about a 15 or so
degree attitude error in the Y axis, which was probably a
surprise to you, and may have erroneously confirmed a
suspicion that you'd entered the wrong value in the DAS.
Now the error that we've referenced in the maneuver monitor
cue card for TACS control off is the present vehicle error from
what you could call a floating or a running attitude, that is
the one that - the one that you'd be following along as you
get to attitude and like the DAP following error in the CSM
SL-IV MC-795/2
Time: 13:34 CST 24:19:34 GMT
1219173
autopilot. The one that you had selected, via the 52003 and
50,000, or 50,002 I guess it was, immediately jumped to this
15.2 because that was your current error from the attitude
which you should have been in 5 minutes in the future, which
was the maneuver time that was allocated.
MCC That's like the CSM total attitude error.
CC And it's like the CSM total attitude error.
So we think that this point may have bothered you and erroneously
led you to Believe that you'd entered a really bad maneuver when
you really hadn't. And
CDR That's right, Bruce. That's a good point
that hadn't even occurred to me until now, and I'm glad you
clarified l:hat because thatts exactly what went through my
mind.
CC And just for the record, it's getting
ready to talk to you all on this, I went through the ATM
systems checklist and data book and it took me quite a bit
of rooting around in there to find the attitude error for
control ca]+lout for signal memory locations, so I guess the
message here is to use the monitor cue card to because it's got
it all right there in concise form. Anyway, you went from there
and you started looking at the rates which were smaller than
predicted and further reinforced your belief that maybe
something was wrong, and in this connection on our telemetry
we show that the sign of the X-rate was opposite to what we'd
given you on the pad, and - -
CDR That's right.
CC We're- a little - a little bit of egg on our
face in this situation because when this pad was sent up
we'd not gotten all three simulator runs completed as in the
past we've been doing to make sure that we've got a complete
vote in, and we'll do this in the future, pardon me, to get a
consistent set of rates there's a slight possibility that the
small error in Y offset could have influenced us so we think it
was probably all our fault on the X sign. However, another
point's to be made here is that on the monitor, you
should be monitoring for not necessarily the wrong signs
but a tendency to reverse sign. And use that as your cue
instead. Okay. Anyway you proceeded along So ahead.
CDR Bruce. Okay, buddy. In that particular
situation where you feel you have made a wrong entry when
you get the opposite sign on a rate, that Just really
confirms it, and that's what led me down the garden path I'm
afraid.
CC Kog. We concur with that. There's a
There's no quibble there and as I say, we're in - we got egg
on our face for that and we'll work a little harder on making
sure that we got all the rates up to you right. Anyway, at this
SL-IV MC-795/3
Time: 13:34 CST 24:19:34 GMT
12/9/73
point you apparently cycled the mode switch to SI and owing

to the fact that you were sort of on the back side, this
started a maneuver back to SI which is about a Ii0 degree
eigen maneuver. With a maneuver time loaded in of 5 min-
utes this brought the this called for rate limiting and brought
the in position maneuver time alert up which was a .3 degree
per second limit and it started firing at eight mibs per
second. The - The proper action, according to the maneuver
monitor cue card, which is the one that we endorse, would
have been to go into standby and then reselect Z-LV which
would have not put you through the cycle back, or attempt to
get back to SI. You then cycled the mode switch to Z-LV,
which (garble) out the rates to SI, and commenced a 5 minute
maneuver back to true Z-LV with no offsets. The run was
actually completed with no offsets then from true Z-LV. You
were quite correct in not reentering the set of offsets we
had given you since they were Deltas from the momentum conser-
vation if you will, Z-LV position and were on the order of about
4, 4-1/2 degrees, and had they been reentered again they
would have put us about 4 degrees out of error. So you see
when you went back to Z-LV it knocked out all the offsets,
even the ones that had been put in at noon, the orbital noon
the previous day. And the reselection of a mode here zeros out
all the biases that are loaded and in .fact to zero out the
bias all you really had to do in Z-LV was push the
switch from its center position back into Z-LV again without
even really changing the mode to anything other than Z-LV
for anything more than a microsecond or something like that,
if in fact it does that, but it would have zeroed out the
the biases for you there.
SPT Yes. Bruce, that was my intent and
it was just: an error in hitting the switch in the wrong direction.
I did notice from what we had in the Y maneuvers that they were
(garble) the flying maneuver to the Z-LV offset and (garbleO
so I was pretty much assured that we were okay and (garble)
Z-LV attitude. But the error came in hitting the switch in the
wrong direction.
CC Right. Okay. The data take was good.
In fact, the error between what we had targeted it for and
the true Z--LV you wound up in was only .17, that's 17 one
hundredths of a degree and the largest axis was probably
less than .2 r.m.s, so there's no complaint from EREP
people on 1:hat one, and we understand what you had to say on
the mode switch there. Just like to summarize a couple of
quick points. We got about 30 seconds to LOS. Vanguard in
22 minutes. We sure would like to encourage you guys to
stick by that monitoring cue card explicitly because we've
SL-IV MC-795/4
Time: 13:34 CST 24:19:34 GMT
12/9/73
had a lot of people down here working it over and it's our
current best yet. Also, the DAS entry should be verified
if at all possible before entry and the data as we mentioned
it did come out good so there's no sweat there and we're just
looking to try and make sure that we all understand as much as
we can about the control system here in the - -
SPT (garble) Bruce. We always do use the monitor
cue card and the reason for monitoring the attitude error which
I usually do sometimes when I punch in a maneuver, is just to
make sure that I get the right order of magnitude errors that
which I have punched in. It's just to me another check that I
have put in approximately the right values. From there on I
go on over and switch to rate. And as you pointed out at the
beginning there is a difference between the actual attitude that
you're at at that time (garble) put in and the Z-LV 5 minutes down
the road and that's what I didn't appreciate.
CC Roger. We copy. I think that was the
heart of the matter. I think we're going down in the mud
here. We'll see you all over Vanguard.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC796/I
TIME: 13:45 CST, 24:19:45 GMT
12/9/73

through Hawaii. Somewhat of a monologue there across
Hawaii as Spacecraft Communicator Bruce McCandless explained
to the crew the combination of errors that took place
yesterday both on the ground and aboard the space station
in getting into and out of the Z-local vertical attitude for
the Earth resources lunar calibration run and also the data
take over Southeast Asia. After LOS here the Flight Director,
Nell Hutchinson, gave McCandless a, "well done," over the
flight director loop for cramming as much discussion into
that pass as he did. Next station will be Vanguard in
19 minutes. And the ground track misses all other stations
from Vanguard back around to Vanguard again. It is below minimums
at Ascension this time around, only a degree and a half. So
from Vanguard back around again there's about an hour and
25 minute LOS period. Returning in 19 minutes for Vanguard,
this is Skylab Control at 19:47 Greenwich mean time.
mean time. 50 seconds from acquisition through tracking ship
Vanguard. Currently a review of tomorrow's flight plan under
way. Teleprinter loads that come up on the television display
monitors for review before their uplink to the space station
teleprinter. This Vanguard pass will be followed by almost
a full revelution of loss of signal period. It'll miss all
stations until space station comes around to Vanguard again.
CC Skylab, this is Houston; coming to you
through Vanguard for 9-1/2 minutes with a data/voice tape
recorder dump. And we got a request for the CDR. At his
convenience today we'd like for him to give us a readout on
the M509 PSS bottles; that is the pressure on the three of
them. And we can get that at the evening status report, it'd
probably be convenient, or whenever it's convenient with you.
And if the PLT is listening, we have an item for him.
SPT He's listening, Bruce. Go ahead.
CC Okay, I'm speaking to you, Bill, today
as a representative of the Amalgamated Association of Orbital
Plumbers. And I have sitting here on the console today a
very symbolic award, commonly known as a plumber's friend
or a plunger. The citation that goes with it reads: Award,
this universal Plumbers' tool is awarded by the EGILs to the
crew, in particular the PLT of SL-IV, for the outstanding
plumbing work in reservicing the airlock module primary coolant
loop. And it's signed as being presented from the Birds.
And just to show you that we're for real, we have a polaroid
picture down here of Charlie Dumas making the presentation
yesterday afternoon to Dick Truly. And we'll have the real
SL-IV MC796/2
TIME: 13:45 CST, 24:19:45 GMT
12/9/73
thing for y'all when you get back. And, of course, three
awards giw_s you permanent possession of the plumber's friend.
Over.
PLT Roger. i going on 3.
CC (garble) seriously, it's just a little
belated recognition of your mighty fine job there getting
the bird back in operating shape.
PLT Well, that's very kind, and it just goes
to show we already knew we were a bunch of plumbers.
CDR Houston, CDR.
CC Go ahead, CDR.
CDR Okay, I before starting on these DAC
malfunctions on transporter 0703, I tried them out on the
theading DAC that we have on the film vault and they both
work perfectly at all speeds with no problem. So I think
DAC 4 is our problem. I'm going to try to troubleshoot
that.
CC Okay, Jerry, that sounds good to us.
Press on with it.
PLT And, Bruce, I'm going to give a complete
report on tape in about 3 hours to regarding the configuration
of the Nikon so that the film people will be sort of
satisfied in their own mind they know what's going on. And
we'll be on even terms with each other again.
CC That sounds like a winner, Bill. Thank
you.
CC And, also, just pass to the CDR here
as a reminder. We've got him set up for his phone call
next Vanguard pass at 21:44, which is about an hour and
a half fron now.
CDR Okay, Bruce; thank you.
CC That should be, oh, i0 or 15 minutes
after you get out of the SO63K maneuver thing.
CDR Roger.
SPT Houston, SPT.
CC Go ahead, SPT.
SPT Looks like we managed to get our polaroid
camera back in working condition. Apparently there was
some small=, either piece of paper or something else
which became jammed in the slot to which the film comes
out. I was; able to take the piece of cardboard which is
on top of one of the film packs and - and cut the back
so it was flush again and then reinstalled the film pack
and the arm grabbed it this time and it just popped out
a very small white article which disappeared, and I have
not found yet, but it's been working fine every since.
SL-IV MC796/3
TIME: 13:4.5 CST, 24:19:45 GMT
12/9/73
CC Okay, that's good news to us. But

you've disappointed the guys that made up the 6-page malfunction
procedure we were getting ready to ship up. However, we'll
hold that in abeyance in case it goes on the blink again.
SPT Better send it up. Sounds like I need
some time to study it.
CC We're trying to save on teleprinter paper.
SPT Yeah, first I was just able to get the
XUV photo from the Sun and we got a bright spot which showed
up pretty much in one day's time here. It's probably the
brightest bright spot we have on the disk, and it's up
there by the North Pole at about 020.9 radius.
CC Okay, we copy that. And if you see any
increased activity around the North Pole here on Earth,
let us know. Okay?
CDR It's picking up slowly.
SC (Garble) memory.
CC Mighty fine.
LOS. Next station contact in 8 minutes through Ascension
at 20:23. Out.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-797/I
Time: 14:15 CST, 24:20:15 GMT
12/9/73

through tracking ship Vanguard. 6 minutes to Ascension Island
for an extremely brief pass of about 3 minutes, and even though
it's below minimums for out elevation angle, only a degree and
a half, it will be brought up for voice communications on this
revolution to avoid having a complete orbit without contact
with the space station. While the Commander, Jerry Carr, and
Science Pilot Ed Gibson are sitting down for their evening
meal tonight, they'll have a special show right outside their
wardroom window. At about 7:10 central standard time tonight
a small par - portion of the Earth will block sunlight traveling
to the Moon. The partial eclipse will reach its maximum cover-
ing only about a tenth of the Moon's diameter, over the following
35 minutes at about 7:45 Houston time. If Skylab's Commander
and Science Pilot want to, they may take handheld photographs
of the partial eclipse. The crew may also see a reddish brown
hue in the area of the Moon nearest the eclipse portion. The
reddish color is produced by sunlight passing through the
Earth's atmosphere. The shorter blue wavelengths are scattered
by Earth's atmosphere, giving us our blue-colored skies.
Longer red wavelengths pass through the atmosphere. These
red wavelengths produce a tinted color on the surface of the
Moon, visible to spacemen eating dinner and to groundlings
with clear skies and a view of the Moon. While the partial
eclipse is underway, Pilot Bill Pogue will take advantage of
the slight dimming of the Moon to make photographs of the debris
left nearly I00 million miles behind the comet Kohoutek. Just
after midnight tonight the planet Earth will pass through the
plane of Kohoutek's orbit. From this vantage point any particles
left along the orbital path of the comet should be clear, as
the view from the Earth and from Skylab will look at such finely
scattered debris edge on. The comet itself is now about
115 million miles from Earth and a little more than 63 million
miles from the Sun. Most of Skylab - Skylab's instruments
could not photograph the very fine particles left so many
millions of miles behind the small head of the comet Kohoutek.
The instrument used tonight, however, is S073, which uses a
light measurement device, also used for the study of contamina-
tion around the space station. The S073 detects faint back-
ground light beyond the Earth's atmosphere, light known as
gegenschein and zodiacal light. Nine measurements are planned
with accompanying photography. Four four will measure light
reflected from gas and dust particles around the space station.
Two will register light from particles believed suspended at
libration points some 240 thousand miles from the Earth and an
equal distance from the Moon. One of the libration points is also
in line with a point some 90 degrees behind the comet Kohoutek
and may show some light from debris up to 200 million miles
SL-IV MC-797/2
Time: 14:15 CST, 24:20:15 GMT
12/9/73
behind Kohoutek. Three other photographs will focus on comet

debris about 50 degrees behind Kohoutek. By adjusting the
total light readings to eliminate starlight, an estimate of
the total debris can be made scientists studying the comet
discovered just 9 months ago. Two minutes to Ascension.
We'll leave the circuit open for this very brief Ascension
pass of 3 minutes, just barely over the horizon to the south-
east of this station on a lonely rock clump in the middle of
the South Atlantic. Standing by at 20:21 GMT.
CC Skylab, this is Houston with you through
Ascension for 4 minutes. Out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston. One minute to
LOS. Next station contact in 1 hour and 18 minutes through the
Vanguard at: 21:44 Zulu. CDR private comm. See you there.
CC And for your information, since we wontt
be talking to the CDR over Vanguard next pass there, the sub-
sequent Ascension, i.e., an hour and 30 minutes from now, at
21:57, we're going to be reinitiating the S082A door trouble-
shooting malfunction, all by ground command, but just want you
to know what we're doing. Out.
CDR Roger, Bruce.
CC And it's in the dark, so there will be no
impact, but we're just keeping you advised.
CDR Okay, thank you.
through tr_cking station at Ascension Island. Space station
will be LOS or out of contact for the next hour and 15 minutes
until it comes back around to Vanguard again. At 20:28 Green-
wich mean time, this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC798/I
TIME: 15:43 CST, 24:21:43 GMT
12/9/73

43 minutes Greenwich mean time. Skylab is coming up within
range of the Vanguard tracking ship.
CDR Hello, Houston COMM TECH this is Skylab;
loud and clear.
CC Okay, _Skylab this is not Houston COMM TECH.
I think you're still on S-band, over. Jerry and it's VHF
antenna right to left, over. And Skylab this is Houston
with you through Vanguard for 10-1/2 minutes and for the
SPT or the PLT I've got a update to your permanent general
message on overage foods if you've got a paper and pencil
handy.
SPT Can you get me on the nightside, Bruce?
CC Sure thing it's not urgent at all.
SPT Thank you.
CC Skylab this is Houston, 2 minutes to LOS.
Next station contact in 4 minutes through Ascension at 21:57.
And for your information, this is the station Ascension at
which we'll be conducting the S082A door malfunction ops by
ground command, out.
CDR Roger, Bruce.
loss of signal, Ascension Island station will acquire in
2 minutes, we'll keep the line up and monitor through the
Ascension pass.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Ascension
for i0 minutes. We'll have the data/voice tape recorder dump
over Guam, out.
CDR Hello, Bruce.
CC Hello, Jer.
CDR Hey Bruce, give my wife a call would you
when you get a free moment and tell her - She asked me a question
I didn't have time to answer and that is that there's a jar
or can of parts for that car top of mine somewhere in the
garage.
CC Okay, I'ii do that and from talking to the
con - COMM TECH, he was under the impression that you terminated
the conversation, they said they had about 2 minutes left of
station coverage there.
CDR No, it just fell out and I tried the
other antenna and it didn't work.
CC Okay, a jar of car parts car top parts in
the garage.
CDR Yeah, there's a lot of place to look but
that's just about the best I can do.
CC If it's anything like my garage, that's not
very specific. I
CDR That's right, by the way the comm was
SL-IV MC 798/2
TIME: 15:43 CST, 24:21:43 GMT
12/9/73
beautiful this time, absolutely perfect.

CC Okay, thank you.
CDR My compliments to the Vanguard.
CC Roger, we'll pass it on to them. And
when you ihave a second we've got an update to the overage
food list. The update is entitled orange drink.
CDR Go ahead.
CC Knew that would get your attention. Okay -
CDR Had me salivating all over the swawk box.
CC What it boils down to is that reinventory
shows that there are two orange drinks and one cream peas
available, these should be listed in the section 4 of your
overage food permanent general message number 7. That is
items that may be - that are not used in scheduled menu and
it may be used in moderation and I guess with the quantity of
one and two you can't help it but use the moderation but
anyway -
CDR That's right.
CC - anyway it's item 60, 60 orange drink,
quantity nwo and item 56, 56, cream peas, quanity one.
CDR Roger, I'm sure the orange drink will be
used.
CC (Chuckle) Roger.
CDR Bruce M509, PSF number 2, 2400, number 3
is 2300, number 4, 2200.
CC Okay, we copy that Jerry, thank you.
END OF TAPE
I
f SL-IV MC799/1
Time: 16:03 CST 24:22:03 GMT
12/9/73

LOS. Next station contact in 34 minutes through Guam at
22:42 with a data/voice tape recorder dump, and we have been
successful in getting the S082A door open. We're going back
to one motor, that is the primary motor only operation and
we'll keep our fingers crossed here. Over.
PLT Okay, Bruce, I'd appreciate it whenever you
can get a chance to tell me what you did in order to get the
motors motors door open and why you're going to one motor.
CC Okay, we're going to one motor so that
in case it hangs up again in the future, that will be a - a
one motor hangup and we hope that we can get it unhung by
using two motors. And I'm sure there will be a complete
description prepared here in a station pass or two. We're
just going over the hill and we waited until this long to
tell you about it because we were just successful.
PLT Very good. Thank you, Bruce.
CC Roger, out.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Skylab has
passed beyond the range of the Ascension Island antennas.
The next station to acquire will be Guam in 32-1/2 minutes. The
S082A that CAP COMM, Bruce McCandless was referring to at
the end of that pass is the ultraviolet coronal spectrohelio-
graph, one of the ATM instruments has been a problem from
time to time during this mission of the door of that instru-
ment hanging up partially opened. That happened again earlier
today, but was successfully cleared a short while ago. Flight
Director, Nell Hutchinson, has scheduled his change-of-shift
news conference for 4:30 p.m. central standard time in the
news center briefing room, Building i. 4:30 p.m. central
standard time for the change-of-shift briefing, Flight Direc-
tor, Neil Hutchinson. At 22 hours, i0 minutes Greenwich
END OF TAPE

Skylab 4 PAO Mission Commentary 8 of 32

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SL-IV MC700/I

TIME: 09:30 CST, 21:15:30 GMT

CC Skylab, Houston, we're about 30 seconds

CC Roger. We were Just talking about that and

PAO Skylab Control, Greenwich mean time 16

CC Skylab, Kouston. We're AOS Goldstone and

PLT Okay, Dick. Fire away. I'ii copy for

PLT Roger, Dick.

PAO Skylah Control, Greenwich mean time,

PAO 25 seconds, through the Vanguard tracking

in ii minutes and 40 seconds as Skylab continues its scienti-

PAO Skylab Control, Greenwich mean time 18

PA0 Skylab Control, Greenwich mean time 19 hours

The question was whether or not removing or leaving the eyepiece

PAO Skylab Control, Greenwich mean time,

acquisition in 18 minutes, 45 seconds will be the Vanguard

PAO Skylab Control at 20 hours 38 minutes

PAO Skylab Control at 21 hours 48 minutes

PAO Skylab Control at 22 hours ii minutes

PAO Skylab Control at 23 hours 31 minutes

CDR Story, while going through the DAC

CC Bill, we're scrambling to get that

PLT You don't tell on us we won't tell on

PAO Skylab Control at 23 hours, 53 minutes,

CC Jer, did Iou have the slit on the inner

PAO Skylab Cc ntrol at 0 hours 5 minutes and

SPT Story, I reversed the polarity during

Time: 18:50 CST 22:00:50 GMT

PAO Skylah Control at 0 hours, 50 minutes,

area was bright and the horizontal area corresponding to that

PAO Skylab C_ntrol at 1 hour 31 mintues and

CC Bill, you!'re NuZ's looking good and the

first magnitude are given brightness values of less than i.

PAO Skylab Control at 1 hour 51 minutes and

resources pass will begin at 14:27 Greenwich mean time or

PAO Skylab Control at 2 hours 39 minutes

PAO Skylab Control at 2 hours 48 minutes and

PAO Skylab Control at 3 hours 31 minutes and

be at Honeysuckle about 38 minutes at 04:19, but we won't

PAO - - data take at 14:27 or 8:27 Houston time.

of course it has been repaired at the beginnin_ of this mission,

PAO Skylab Control at 4 hours i minute and

The series of 35-millimeter photographs taken over the

PAO This is Skylab Control, 10:54 Greenwich

CC Oh, l'm sure we will return. Then maybe

CC You get somebody else to get that tooth

CC Glad we were here to share it with you.

southern Brazil. Medical experiments today are M092, lower body

CC Skylab, Houston. AOS Bermuda for

CC - - charge particle motion thing.

CC Skylab, Houston; we're AOS through

bit on the outer gimbal of CMG 2 is really only a special

cumulative ease we're saying just forget it.

PAO - - Standing by for Guam Island tracking

SPT Glad you didn't (garble) clear the Flight

MCC Okay. The CALROC that didn't go yester-

SPT Okay. Thank you. I was kind of disappointed.

SPT I see the (garble) 584's a possibility

PAO This is Skylab Control, 13:00 Greenwich

the ATM solar panel, as far as the camera's concerned. I

CC Oh, you've got it - -

PLT Crip, you should're been a diplomat.

Ascension pass of the morning. Next station after Ascension