Skylab 4 PAO Mission Commentary 10 of 32

SL-IV MC-900/I
Time: 05:55 CST 28:11:55 GMT

12/13/73
PAO Skylab Control at ll hours 55 minutes

and 40 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station
is now within range of the Goldstone tracking antenna for a
pass over the United States. The pass over the U.S. will
last a little more than 16 minutes, and during the next 4 min-
utes or so we should have a wakeup call to the crew of the
Skylab mission. For the line live now for the air-to-ground
through the United States station.
SC (Music: "Ely's Coming")
CDR Morning, Houston, this is Skylab. Time
to get up and watch us fly over.
CC Hey, thanks for waking us up down here.
That was great. We're all going to run out of Mission Control
and look up at you as you go over.
SPT Morning, gang.
CC Good morning up there.
PLT Morning, Dick.
CC Good morning, sir. You guys get a good
night's sleep?
PLT Pretty good.
CC Skylab, Houston. As you guys get prepared,
I hope to look down and see what the city of Houston looks like real
early in the morning, you might tell us what it does look like. I'm
sure that Bill is hustling due to that first note on the first
part of his details about eating early so he can have a little
time in between breakfast and PT. I have one correction to the
Detail Flight Plan that I'd like to get up here at this site.
And that is that on the SPT and the PLT details at 12:17, the
handheld opportunity is the wrong number. It should be 101-15
vice 105-15, and that's a metropolitan area, the city of Brazilia.
And the EREP officer reports that the weather over Brazilia is supposed
to be good. So if Jerry or Ed has a chance to get it, it's
handheld 101-15. Out.
CDR Roger, Dick. Thanks.
CC Okay.
SPT Houston looks pretty good early in the morning,
there Dick. It's pretty sprawling. It reaches a lot more - further
out than I thought it would. Looks like a good place to live.
CC Well it is. We had a couple of guys go out
a while ago to look up into the sky and try to see the comet
this morning, but from down here the haze was kind of bad, and
no chance.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're about a minute from
LOS. The purple gang isn't going to see you for about another
hour and 20 minutes. I'ii give you a call at Goldstone at 13:32.
CDR Roger. We'll see you then.
CC Roger. Have fun on the long way around.
SL-IV MC-900/2
Time: 05:55 CST 28:11:55 GMT
12/13/73
CDR I think we'll just go back to bed.

CC Me too.
CC Skylab, Houston. As we go over the hill
it looks like the flow on the ATM C&D loop is going down. You
might go up and listen to itl and see if you hear that gurgle
sound we've been trying to get you to listen for.
CDR Okay.
CC Rog. You might also check the delta P
light on panel 203. We just saw the flow begin to start
down.
PAO Skylab Clontrol at 12 hours 13 minutes Green-
wich mean time. We've gone out of range of the tracking antennas
over the continental United States. Our next acquisition of
signal is almost an hour and 20 minutes from now. That will
again be at Goldstone tracking antenna in California. This
morning the crew awakened the ground with Three Dog Night's
"Ely's Coming." That wakeup call coming just a couple of
minutes before the ground normally would awaken the crew.
Instructions were given to the crew on the first handheld
photo teleprinter pad that they have. There is a slight
error in it and that was corrected. The site of this
morning to take place about i0 minutes from now is Brazilia,
the capital city of Brazil. The goal is there to photograph
Brazilia, a relatively new city, and a plains city. This is
one of the 20 cities to be studied by the Skylah mission
using handheld photography. The primary goal of the observation
to be - to determine the type of metropolitan area and the
type of developement that is occurring. And the study today
is of a plains city, Brazilia. Other cities to be studied are
mountain cities, desert, sea coast, river, and delta cities.
And they include such cities as, the United States, St. Louis,
Missouri, a river city, New Orleans which is a delta city,
and Phoenix, Arizona which is a desert city. And at the very
end of that pass Spacecraft Communicator, Dick Truly told the
crew to go back and listen for a little sound of gurgling in
the ATM control and display panel coolant loop. That coolant
loop has been getting some fluctuations in flow during the
last couple of weeks, and because of that they are trying to
find out now what might he causing that and get some additional
data on it. ATM cooling loop is primarily used for keeping the
touch temperatures of the control panel for the solar telescopes
down to a level below 105 degrees. And they are -
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-901/I
Time: 06:14 CST 12:14 GMT
12/13/73
PAO - a couple weeks, and because of that

they're trying to find out now what might be causing that
and get some additional data on it. ATM cooling loop is
primarily used for keeping tlhe touch temperatures of the
control panel for the solar telescopes down to a level below
105 degrees, and they are - there is some concern that if
that should fail or clog up that there would be a problem
with not being able to touch it for long periods of time,
and possibly might require a slight powerdown. That has not, how-
ever, happened yet. We have had a couple of stops in the -
in the flow in past times today. There's just a very mild
reduction in flow. This is Skylab Control. Our next acqui-
sition an hour and a quarter from now at about 13:30 Green-
wich mean time. This is Skylab Control at 12:15 Greenwich
mean time.
PAO Skylab Control at 13 hours 31 minutes
Greenwich mean time. We're now approaching acquisition at
the Goldstone tracking antenna in California. 52 seconds to
acquisition there. Pass through Goldstone and Texas should
last approximately 15 minutes. We're in the process of
changing shift here in Mission Control with Flight Director
Don Puddy coming on duty, but Dick Truly is still on at the
CAP COMM's position so we'll have a callup probably from
him at this pass over Goldstone. This is Skylab Control.
We're alive now for a continental U.S. pass.
CC Skylab, Houston. Hello stateside for 14
minutes.
CDR Hello, Richard. On that EREP, - ATM
coolant loop, yea verily, old Charlie was right. We got a
low DELTA-P light up there, but he blew it on the noise.
It's not a gurgle, it's just a whine.
CC No gurgle but a whine, huh?
CDR Right. Actually it's lack of a whine.
Sounds like the pump is - oh, you're pumping air or it's
well, I think it would whine more if it was pumping air.
But there's a definite decrease in the whine that you hear
while the pump's running. And then when the DELTA-P light
came back off again and the pump started pumping again, you
could hear it coming in louder.
CC Roger. About how long did this last,
Jer?
CDR Oh, I think it was about 3 minutes.
CC Roger. Well, I'm glad we were AOS at
least there for a few seconds so we could see it coming and
get you up there to look at it.
CDR Yes. That was a good call, Dick.
SL-IV MC-901/2
12/13/73
CC Say, Jerry, while I'm talking to you,

I'd like to make one minor correction to your detail pad for
today.
CDR Okay. Go ahead.
CC Roger. At a time of 19:28 down there
where it says S183 FI, and it says use PLT OPS pad. There
is no PLT OPS ops pad. It's your pad and and so you can just
delete that or put it in parentheses, that the film installa-
tion information is on the S183 pad that's addressed to you.
CDR Okay. Copy, Dick.
CC Okay. A couple other things. I'm sure
you've looked through the pads already this morning, but
there is one concerning S183 and - and it's status, some words
on S183 that we that you ought to be aware of and you might
take a look at. And also for the friendly SPT today so he
can make his plans. His family COMM is set up this evening
at a time of 01:32 at Bermuda. And we'll remind him again
later. 01:32.
CDR Okay. Very good, Dick, and one thing
for you. At 05:00 Zulu this morning I sent down a special
message for Jerry Hordinsky. It's a little farewell note
to Dee O'Hara. So would you give Jerry a call and let him
know that it's on tape and itts got time tag 05:00 Zulu and
ask him to get it?
CC I will certainly do that, Jer.
PLT Dick -
PLT - And - Houston, Skylab; PLT.
CC Roger, Bill. Go ahead.
PLT Roger. Kohoutek has really got a significant
tail now. I can see it with the naked eye and also the bino-
culars. It looks like it's grown quite a bit since the last
time I took observation. So it ought to become, you know,
visible from the ground shortly if it isn't already.
CC Roger. We'd love to have any description
you can give us of it.
PLT Okay. There's a fairly bright star near
the end of its tail. Actually, I don't know; the astonomer
would probably know which star I'm talking about, but the
tail extends from the head of the comet back to to that
star which - for which I don't know the name. And I don't know;
just judging, lld say 2 to 3 degrees is the length of the
tail. And it's significantly brighter and longer and more
distinct than it was previously. That was yesterday - yes-
terday morning or day before yesterday, the last time I took
a good look at it with the binocs. And I was able to keep it in
view even as the Sun was coming up, so it seems to be bright-
ening considerably. I don't want to give any undue hope
of it being very - real bright, but I can definitely see
it with the unaided eye and I can see the tail.
I
SL-IV MC-901/3
12/13/73
CC Okay. Thank you very much for the infor-

mation. I'm looking at a star chart now and you might glance
if you have a chance at that message we sent up of those
of that little star chart, l'm not sure if it's detailed
enough, but probably if we could identify the star that'd
help us in tail length and dimension.
PLT Okay. I'ii sure do that. I just hope
I've got the right star.
END OF TAPE
L
SL-IV MC-902/I
Time: 07:38 CST, 28:13:38 GMT
12/13/73
CC And Skylab, Houston for CDR and

PLT, we were kind of expecting to see some TV from TV 16
on the VTR so far, and I notice it's not there. Just a
reminder that it was listed for this morning's operation.
CDR Yeah. We're just getting ready to start
it now, Dick.
CC Okay. Good.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're about 45 seconds
from LOS. Vanguard comes up at 13:57.
PA0 Skylab Control at 13 hours 47 minutes
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station has now passed
out of range of continental U.S. stations, that last trans-
mission coming through Corpus Christi. Our next acquisition
of signal is 8 minutes and 45 seconds from now and that'll
be at the Vanguard tracking ship. Conversation with Pilot
Bill Pogue about the comet Kohoutek, today. Pogue reports
that Kohoutek has grown significantly and he said a tail
of 2 to 3 degrees is visible in the eye. That would indicate
a tail of 5 or 6 million miles in length, that's visible to
the eye. And of course, the tail does extend much beyond
that. It has been reported by ground stations that the
tail may run over 13 million miles to some photographic
instruments. Of course_ tail determination is largely based
on the amount of light that can be received by an instrument.
And the space station's instrument should be able to indicate
a tail even longer than that. An attempt was made a few
nights ago to get photography approximately 50 million
miles behind the comet. And also a distance up to 200 million
miles behind the comet to determine whether or not there were
remnant particles in the comet's orbit. The crew of Skylab
Commander Carr, Science Pilot Gibson and Pilot Pogue will be completing
their fourth week in space today. They'll be setting a
record tomorrow morning that That record is a 28-day 49-minute,
49-second record of the first Skylab crew. At that time
that was of course, longest space mission, that's less than
6 months ago. The original crew spent just over 28 days
aboard the space station. That-since broken record will
be passed by Carr, Gibson, and Pogue tomorrow at
8:51 a.m. central standard time. That record, of course,
has been broken since by the second Skylab crew, which
extended it by more than double that to more than 59 days
in space. Since their launch on November 16th, the Skylab
crew has circled the Earth more than 400 times. When they
woke up this morning at 6 o'clock, they had passed the
ll-million-mile mark in space. Today's activities include
9 passes on the Apollo telescope mount, and some Kohoutek
photography, as well as medical experiments, both M131 and
the M092 experiment, which will be performed today on Commander
Cart. Today's joint observation program on the Sun includes
SL-IV MC-902/2
Time: 07:38 CST, 28:13:38 GMT
12/13/73
a study of the inner and outer solar corona over a series

of day and night cycles. The data to support our - support
investigations of the rate of expansion of various parts of
the solar atmosphere and the effects of atmospheric expansion
or solar wind on the structures. More observations of
coronal structures or atmospheric structures at the Sun's
limb or edge will be conducted today. The crew will be looking
at the base of the coronal structures to get density and
temperature structure of the lower corona. From about 1/2
solar radii out to 6 solar radii. Of course, the Skylab
space station doesn't have the problem of atmosphere, so theytre
able to see very fine details of solar structure far from
the edge of the Sun. And those details would be obscured to
instruments located on Earth. The white light coronagraph is
the instrument most commonly used for studying the outer atmosphere
of the Sun. There are_ of course similar instruments studying
white light, that is to say visible light, in the outer
atmosphere on Earth. But they canlt extend very far out because
of the problem of distorting by the atmosphere of the
planet. A coronal hole at the South Pole of the Sun will
be one of the subjects studied in today's ATM. Data will
be recorded regarding the velocity field in and around the
hole to corroborate existing evidence of apparent solar wind
enhancment over those holes. And_ also, the resultant
of geomagnetio disturbances here on Earth. They'll get more
than 6 hours of data today from the solar observations.
This morning, Jerry Carr's the subject of MO92, MI71, that's
the lower body negative pressure and the metabolic activity
medical experiments. Science Pilot Ed Gibsonts the monitor
for those. After lunch, Gibson observes Pogue as he
performs the MI31 human vestibular function experiment.
Kohoutek photography was performed this morning by Bill
Pogue. It will be performed this afternoon by Jerry Carr.
Handhold photography of the Philippine Fault Zone and Manila
metropolitan development patterns is scheduled for about
5:05 p.m. central standard time today. And other handhold
photos included Brazilia, which is to be photographed during
that early morning pass. Weather conditions were reported
to be very good there. We don't have any information as
to whether the crew completed that photo assignment. Also
scheduled for optional handhold photography today are the
Orne Seamount, the - which is a mountain peak located about
95 feet below the surface of the South Pacific. The Australian
Bight Current, Australian Bight being a large bay area in the
south of Australia. Patterns of wheat - -
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-903/I
Time: 07:52 CST 28:13:52 GMT
12/13/73
PAO patterns of wheat production on the continent

of Australia, and insect infestation around the city of Perth. The
erew is scheduled to go to sleep tonight at i0 o'clock, and
Commander Carr will be the on-duty officer tonight after the
crew goes to sleep. Today's activity does include a very busy
schedule on optional handheld photography, that's part of the
visual observations program the crew has been conducting so
far on the mission. And so far that appears to be an excellent
source of information. The crew has available to them almost
2000 frames of photographic film for their 35-millimeter and
70-millimeter cameras. They are expected to get not only a
good deal of new photography of areas of the Earth, but also
some interesting comments. All - all the crew members received
about 20 hours of training before the mission began. And that
very intensive training and also the visual operations - obser-
vations book that they have should help them make comments
about ground targets that will instruct scientists as to what
can be seen from space. A lot of this is preparation for Shuttle
missions in which the scientists themselves may be able to go into
space And we hope that by that time we will be able to do a much
better job of training people for observation of the Earth from orbit.
We're about 2-1/2 minutes now from acquisition of signal at
the Vanguard tracking antenna. We'll bring the line up live
for air-to-ground through Vanguard. The pass through Vanguard
should last approximately i0 minutes. And that will be about
12 minutes then before we go loss of signal again. Handover's
still taking place here in Mission Control with Flight Director
Don Puddy taking over from Phil Shaffer.
CC Good morning, Skylabo The crimson team
is with you. AOS over Vanguard for ii minutes. And I hope we're
not going to talk about moth eggs today.
SPT Now that you mention it, Crip.
CC I heard you guys gave us a little music
this morning. Sorry I missed it.
CDR Well, we decided you were about due for
a little Three Dog Night.
CC We'll see if we can't return the favor some
day.
CC One of my favorite groups.
CDR Why don't you play us a little Three Dog
Night Christmas music some time like "Joy to the World"?
CC You're reading my mind.
SPT Houston, SPT.
SL-IV MC-903/2
Time: 07:52 CST 28:13:52 GMT
12/13/73
CC Go SPT.
SPT Hey Crip, the Sun center position for S052
has changed a little bit on the FINE SUN SENSOR readout.
CC Copy, the Sun center position has changed.
Can you - -
SPT Yeah. Yeah, it was in LEFT/RIGHT minus
33, it still is that. It used to be plus 3 and UP/DOWN, now
it's plus 6. 3 arc seconds drift in about 2 days.
CC Our initial thought on that is that it is
probably due to switching fine Sun sensors. And I'm assuming
this is with no bias, in right?
SPT No, right after we switched fine Sun sensors
I looked at it and wrote down the numbers. So it was actually
was yesterday, I guess then. So it really is only over 1 day. I
had a plus 3, and I'm sorry, plus 3 and LEFT/RIGHT is what has
changed. Now it is plus 6. UP/DOWN is minus 33 and that's remained
the same.
CC Okay, copy. It was from plus 3 to plus 6
since yesterday in UP, and correction, LEFT/RIGHT. And
the UP/DOWN is minus 33.
SPT That's right. I've noticed a similar
drift when we were on the other FINE SUN SENSOR. I din't report
the details, however. I'll try to keep up with this one.
CC Okay. And just for clarification Ed, can
you say is that's with BIAS IN or OUT?
CDR Crip, we're all finished with the VTR.
SPT Hold on, Crip, I'll put the ATM work on it,
and then it'll be all set.
CC Copy that.
CC SPT, Houston. Ed, regarding the difference
you've seen in S052 from that LEFT/RIGHT drift, I guess we don't
consider that 52 is probably that accurate and that could explain
that slight change. Regarding our switch to the SECONDARY
FINE SUN SENSOR, we told you yesterday we may be doing another
four-limb coalignment, and switching back to the PRIMARY. WeVre
probably going to go ahead and get another four-limb coalignment
on the SECONDARY as another data point within the next
couple of days before we do any switching, if we do any switching.
SPT Okay, thank you, Bob.
CC Rog. And Ed, for you, or CDR or somebody,
I guess we've got Tananarive coming up in about 19 minutes.
Itts not obvious to us that we really need comm through there,
but we don't have any command capability through Vanguard here,
do we can't select the correct antenna. At your option, if we
want comm through Tananarive we need somebody to go to the command
module and get about three switches for us. I can give you
those if somebody can copy them down.
I
SL-IV MC-903/3
Time: 07:52 CST 28:13:52 GMT
12/13/73
CDR Go ahead, Crip.

CC Okay, all it is, is select omni B tape recorder
forward_ rewind switch to OFF, and then a COMMAND RESET.
CC Correction on that. Instead of omni B,
itts omni Delta.
SPT Okay, omni Delta tape recorder forward
to OFF and COMMAND RESET.
CC That's correct. And if you do it, we need
you to do it in that order to keep from losing some data. And
we're about 30 seconds from LOS. Tananarive is in 17-1/2 min-
utes at 14:25, 14:25. If we miss that pass or you elect not
to make that selection, Goldstone is an hour and 5 minutes
at 15:12, 15:12.
SPT Okay Crip, looking at the corona the streamer
structure which is up at i0 o'clock which was a single one
yesterday has split into two very bright streamers. The one
down there at 8 o'clock, the single one is still there but
there is some structure between 8 and 8:30 about half the
distance out to the edge of the display which is now there.
Fairly diffused but it was not there yesterday. The one over
there at 3 o'clock or so over there remains unchanged.
(Garble).
CC Over the hill, Ed. We'll try to look at
it on the downlink.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC904/I
Time: 08:07 CST, 28:14:07 GMT
12/13/73
PAO Skylab Control at 14 hours, 8 minutes,

Greenwich Mean Time. Skylab Space station has now passed out
out range of the tracking antenna at Vanguard. About
16-1/2 minutes to acquisition at Tananarive. Expect the
relatively brief pass at Tananarive, about a 4-1/2 minute one,
and we may have a little problem with voice there. The instruc-
tion given by spacecraft communieator Bob Crippen, whose just
come on duty was to modify the antenna so they could pick
up voice through Tananarive where we have a low elevation pass.
At the very end of that pass, Ed Gibson,Scientist Pilot, was
giving a brief report on what he could see on the Sun. He
has been putting a little TV on the ATM. That solar tele-
vision about 5 minutes of it put on at Vanguard during the
daylight pass there was in addition to about 16-1/2 minutes
of personal hygiene photography that the crew put on this
morning. 15-1/2 minutes to acquisition at Tananarive. That's
now 9 minutes after the hour and this is Skylab Control.
PAO Skylab Control at 14 hours, 23 minutes,
Greenwich mean time. We're coming up on acquisition of signal
through Tananarive voice relay station on the island of
Madagascar. We'll bring the line up live now for air-to-ground.
Spacecra _ communicator is Bob Crippen.
SPT Houston, Skylab.
CC Hello, Edward, we're with you here for
about 2-1/2 minutes.
SPT Okay, just checking to see if you were there.
Do you want me to reconfigure after you go over the hill?
CC No, we can handle that at Goldstone when
we (garble).
CDR All right, Houston, CDR.
CC Go CDR.
CDR Looking over some checklist cue card
changes here, I find that we do not have change number i to
(garble) comet cue card. I'm wondering if that's the cue
card itself. No that's the entire cue card that was tele-
printed up to us.
CC We'll check that for you.
CDR Okay.
CC Okay, Jerry, you're right. That was the
whole new card. Was classified as change i.
CDR Okay. Thanks.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're probably going to
go LOS here in about I minute and we'll see you again at
46 minutes over Goldstone at 15:12.
SL-IV MC904/2
Time: 08:07 CST, 28:14:07 GMT
12/13/73
PAO Skylab Control at 14 hours, 29 minutes and

45 seconds. Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station has now
gone out of range of the tracking antenna at Tananarive° About
41 minutes to our next acquisition of signal, and that will be at
Goldstone where we'll have a 4-minute pass. Spacecraft com-
municator now is Bob Crippen. Crew all working very quietly
at this time. Indication is that they have about 21-1/2 minutes
on the tape recorder, which includes 5 minutes of ATM TV and
about 16 minutes of TV 16, which is the personal hygiene
television.
PAO This is Skylab Control at 30 minutes and
17 seconds after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-905/I
Time: 09:10 CST 28:15:10 GMT
12/13/73
PAO Skylab Control at 15 hours i0 minutes

Greenwich mean time. Wetre now about 56 seconds from acqui-
sition of signal through the tracking antenna at Goldstone.
The pass through Goldstone's a brief one, about 4 minutes,
and the spacecraft communicator is Bob Crippen.
CC Skylab, Houston. AOS Goldstone for 2-1/2
minutes. We see you en route back to solar inertial.
CDR Houston, did you (garble) the crew alert?
CC Negative. Stand by.
CC Skylab, Houston. We copy the crew
alert. We're checking systems and we haven't seen anything
yet that would cause it.
SPT Okay. Houston, we just got a second
crew alert about 15 seconds ago.
CC Okay. We copied that one also. We're still
looking.
CC Skylab, Houston. We seem to be getting
that alert coincident with us trying to do some antenna
commanding. Would you check the COMMAND RESET in the command
module that went back to center position. We're 1 minute from
LOS. We'll see you again at Vanguard in about 18 minutes.
At Vanguard is at 15:33 we'll be doing a data/voice recorder
dump there. It's also scheduled for the ATM conference, and
we don't - don't see any system problems at this time.
CDR Okay, Crip. The switch is now back to the
center position. It was not.
CC Okay. That was probably our problem.
and 48 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is
now passed out of range of the tracking antenna at Goldstone.
Did have a couple of crew alerts reported there. CAUTION
and WARNING system activated twice when attempt was made from
the ground to command the antennas on the space station.
Problem was discovered by the crew. The switch which allows
command to take place from the ground was in the RESET position
which didn't permit commands to go through and that did cause
CAUTION and WARNING at two points. Those were two commands
attempted at this end, and once the switch was reset it worked
properly. Our next acquisition of signal is 16 minutes away
at Vanguard. This is Skylab Control at 17-1/2 minutes
after the hour.
now about 53 seconds from acquisition of signal through the
Vanguard tracking ship. Pass through Vanguard should last
approximately 10 to ii minutes. We'll bring the line up
live now for air-to-ground through Vanguard.
SL-IV MC-905/2
Time: 09:10 CST 28:15:1Q GMT
12/13/73
CC Skylab, Houston. AOS Vanguard ii minutes,

doing a data/voice recorder dump. Turning the mike over to
Bill Lenoir.
SPT Okay. Very good. Go ahead, Bill.
MCC Okay, Ed. Let me just start off going
real quick through today's plan here. We've got seven sets
of JOP 26 BBIO's where we're looking at the limb, plus 2 and
minus 2 - that's backwards, minus 2 and plus 2 arc minutes,
primarily to get comparative spectra for 82B. At the same time
55 will be getting a - oh, I don't know what the right word
is - a mini super raster of the limb. They'll be getting a
limb swath there. We chose the south pole because its
boundary is harper at the coronal hole there and historically
it's better, a little bit more active with plumes and things of
this nature then the north pole has been. During this, one
of the S055 detector settings is 874 MECHANICAL, which has
an optical equivalent of 772, and just for your information
that's the old 766 OPTICAl, although this is now optimized
to put neon 7 in the middle of the band rather than on the
edge. The old number was a compromise to get a little bit
of both neon 7 and carbon 3 and now we're optimizing to get
the neon 7 (garble) 465 line right in the middle.
SPT May I have that wavelength again, Bill?
I'ii write it down here.
MCC Okay. It's neon VII line at (garble) of 465.
SPT Grating setting from 766 to what?
MCC 772 OPTICAL and we're listing it today
at 874 MECHANICAL, which brings me to my next point. Early
in the day we put the switch to MECHANICAL reference and we
leave if there for a major part of the day because if we did
not do that you had something like 9 or lO times on five
orbits that you had to swap back and forth from OPTICAL to
MECHANICAL. We thought that was probably bad so we put it
in MECHANICAL early_ left it there for the whole time, and
then we put it back to OPTICAL later on.
SPT Okay. That's a good way to work, we'll all
remember to (garble) MECHANICAL.
MCC Okay. Basically that's a quick look at
today other than what you could see yourself looking at the
schedule. One point for tomorrow. We have no JOP 18D, as
you're probably aware by now. This was deleted. It appeared
that only 52 would be able to see it and get any useful data.
We're not a i00 percent sure we understand all the ramifica-
tions of the pointing test so we have deleted that JOP 18D.
We will be picking up the next one at mission day 33, which
is 5 days from now.
SPT Okay. Did you delete it because of, you
wanted more time to study it or because you wanted an increased
brightness?
SL-IV MC-905/3
Time: 09:10 CST 28:15:10 GMT
12/13/73
MCC Both. And at this point the brightness isn't

sufficient that we think very many experiments will be getting
any useful data. So we wanted really a little bit of both.
SPT Okay.
MCC Okay. Now, on tomorrowts plan_ let me
get any input you've got to tomorrow's plan. We're looking
at like about five and a half orbits' worth of ATM. One thing
here, we do not have the TV downlink today in order to get
XUV MON. If you've got any thoughts from the XUV MON or
anything that looks different, and worth pointing out to us
for our planning conference at noon, if you tell it to me
now I'll make sure everybody's aware of it.
SPT I just put some on the VTR. You will not
have that in time?
MCC Negative. Apparently we don't have the
time to dump that and get it back in to here prior to the
planning conference.
SPT Okay, on the XUV MONITOR what shows up
essentially is the activations which have been called out
on the pad. And also some plage over by -
CC Could I break in for a minute? Bill,
would you turn off high voltage detectors 6 and 7 please?
SPT Okay, it shows up over there by filament
52. In the XUV monitor I don't see anything that's out of the
ordinary or worth pursuing. The corona over on the east limb
has been changing. The streamer now at i0:00 has broken into
two very distinct, very sharply defined streamers_ seeing
as we have had a fair amount of change over there recently.
And also the Smith longitude is pretty much close to the
limb, and the Herman longitude is just coming around right
after that. I think we ought to keep a close eye on the
corona and try to schedule in as many observations of that
as we can, we'll try to slip in as many shopping list items as
we can. That's the only thing that I see on the Sun that has
any appreciable time rate of change. A coronal hole
boundary to the south is good to work. Itts not as sharply
defined as we've seen before, that is 2 days (garble). The
prominence and filaments are not very dense. I did see a
prominence, if you will, or maybe it was a small surge up at
the north pole earlier this morning. That's in difference to your
statement about most of it being in the south. I guess happened
to be one up there this morning. What you're doing as far as the
spectra of the limb - the southeast quadrant looks good.
It's probably as useful as we can do with the Sun we have. And
the other question is, chromosphere network again, I'm won-
dering whether they have really explored that, particular look for
spectra of downdrafts, or looked at downdrafts at all in detail,
try to understand the - what really goes on at the vertices.
SL-IV MC-905/4
Time: 09:10 CST 28:15:10 GMT
12/13/73
of several cells coming together. We have carbon

lines which we're supposed to be able to find them in. I
have not tried that yet.
END OF TAPE
I
SL-IV MC-906/I
Time: 09:39 CST, 28:15:39 GMT
12/13/73
SPT Another question is chromospheric network

again; I'm wondering whether they have really expolored that,
particular look for spect=a of downdraft, or looked at down-
draft at all in detail, try to understand the - what really
goes on at the - (garble) of several cells coming together.
We have carbon lines which we're supposed to be able to find
them in, and I've not tried that yet, and I'm wondering how
useful it is, and I'm wondering whether we want to get some
spectra there. We could, matter of fact we could do on any
one of these a 9 by 9, spectra. That is take degrees, one
particular position and then (garble) conditions (garble)
spectra. Whether that would be useful in the downdraft, l'm
not sure. Or line profiles; and again if we need informa-
tion here on which lines would be the best to do line profiles,
(garble) That holds tru for almost all of the (garble) now
we have up here. We know which frames are most prominent, but
they may not be (garble) line profile then.
MCC Okay, Ed. One thing we did talk about,
chromospheric networks a bit earlier. So now the reason we
are not doing it is there's a conclusion that the 82B slit
is too long to really look at the boundaries there without -
and the internal part of the network without filling in too
much with other things. If 55 does have some data and they
will be returning later. The other thing that's appropriate
here is that particular J0P and series of building blocks
does not burn up 82B film as much as the JOPs that we're
concentrating on now. So in our attempt to usefully use the
82B film prior to the comet observations, we've gone away
from chromospheric networks. We will return to them later
primarily with S055 though.
SPT Okay, I understand that. In use of a
nonchromospheric network, that is a slit, there may be some
portions where excess - especially at self-center where we
only get the spectra from the relatively bright portions of
the belt or in certain lines of the boundaries and maybe
they can think a little more about that. I won't push that
one .
MCC Okay, and your remarks on the corona are
well taken here. The 52 PIs and team here certainly do want
to thank you for the SK-its you've been giving that's good work
and you got the work on the STANDARD MODE being okay occasion-
ally, when that looks like a good thing to do that'll fit in.
So that they're very happy with the way those are coming
along.
CDR Okay, very good. That's where we put a
little of the emphasis because that's where the activity looks,
I certainly hope that when ... shows up we're going to see
a lot more activity.
i
SL-IV MC-906/2
Time: 09:39 CST, 28:15:3_ GMT
12/13/73
MCC Yeah, so do we. Incidentally speaking of

that, the forcast here for the next 7 days a to whatts coming
up; we've got a couple of filaments; we've got F-37 which
should be coming over the limb beginning tomorrow, finishing
limb passage the following day. Now make that day after
tomorrow_ finishing the following day, at which time active
regions 93 and 98 should be returning. The day after that is
a crew day off. The following day is a big day. Active
regions 87, 92 return; we have a comet, 18-D that day and
also L-4, the lunar libration point JOP i0 will be worked that
day. Then F-39 returns, active region 96. And finally on
mission day 36 which is 8 days away, we have another comet
JOP and right now the target is at the first one that 82B will
participate in.
SPT Okay, that all sounds very good. That -
that brings up a point if - everyonets setting up a 7-day
forecast on ATM activity major blocks - feel free; that would
be useful information for the planning. Also on 82B, I would
like to have about an hour or so of time to look over and
correlate the pad which you send up with the JOP Summary Sheet,
get all the information in there, and make sure we understand
it all.
MCC Okay, we'll start sending 7-day forecasts.
We've put those out twice a week, Wednesday afternoon and
Sunday afternoon_ and I didn't copy the request on the 82B.
SPT Okay, that's (garble) delta. I would like to
have about an hour in which time to take the pad which is
sent up and transpose that information into the JOP Summary
Sheet and make sure I understand it all before we actually
get going. And I think maybe the night before would be a
better time to do it or at least 2 to 3 hours ahead of time.
MCC Okay, we copy that request. We'll see
what we can do.
SPT Okay. Other than that the Sun looks rela-
tively quiet, and probably what you've got lined up for today
is a reasonable compromise.
MCC Okay, Ed, we're i minute from LOS. Tanana-
rive is next at 15:58, and let's see that's in about 14 minutes.
Couple of other quickies here. $54 work on EVA repair is
proceeding; Rusty's getting pretty deeply involved in that
We're looking at adding that on, maybe perhaps to the
Christmas Day EVA for a fix to put it in filter 3 permanently.
One comment here on visibility. The pointing test, I dontt
know whether you noticed it or not but when you had Mercury
at the 6 o'clock position, at 2 o'clock right at the edge of
the field of view was Bet@ Sco and it shows up on the down-
link. At that time, Beta Sco had a magnitude of 2.9, Mercury
I
SL-IV MC-906/3
Time: 09:39 CST, 28:15:3_ GMT

12/13/73
had a magnitude of minus $.5. Being right at the edge there,

we feel that's the best vSsibility, but it does show up
perhaps a lower limit to what we hoped to be able to see.
Over.
SPT Okay. I wish I could tell you ... were
there. We got fixated on Mercury and starting working (garble)
before ... and didn't really look around to see anything else.
CC Okay, Ed, you're over the hill. We can't
see anymore so we'll talk to you tomorrow.
PAO Skylab Control at 15 hours, 45 minutes
and 8 seconds, Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is
now over the South Atlantic, 12-1/2 minutes from acquisition
of signal at Tananarive. During the Vanguard pass we had
the science conference on solar astronomy that was with Bill
Lenoir here on the ground talking to Ed Gibson the Science
Pilot aboard the space station. One of the things pointed out
by Bill Lenoir is that the first operations of the ATM solar
telescopes are now scheduled for mission day 33; that's 5 days
from today. Originally they had them planned for today but
the decision has been postponed now so that the first opera-
tions of the comet photography with the solar equipment will
be scheduled for mission day 33. Also Ed Gibson asked for a
7-day forecast specifically on ATM to help him in his own
science planning and at the very end of the pass, Bill Lenoir
explained to him that, when they were doing the experiment
on Mercury, for pointing purposes, there was a star visible
on the field of view, and that was Beta Sco, with a magnitude
of plus 2.9. That magnitude is just a little bit brighter
than the comet Kohoutek is at the present time and it was
visible at that time. Ed Gibson said that he hadn't noticed
that, that of course they had been concentrating on Mercury
which has a magnitude of minus .5. Minus .5 magnitude being
several times brighter than the plus 2.9. ii minutes to
our next acquisition of signal. It's now 46 minutes and
43 seconds after the hour. This is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-907/I
Time: 09:56 CST, 28:15:56 GMT
12/13/73
!
PAO Skylab Control at 15 hours 56 minutes and

45 seconds Greenwich mean time. We're now 55 seconds from
acquisition of signal at Tananarlve. Pass through Tananarive
will be the long one lasting almost i0 minutes, depending
on how well we're able to get voice relay through Tananarive.
Spacecraft Communicator is now Bob Crippen again, Bill Lenoir
having conducting the ATM conference over Vanguard in that
last pass. We_ll bring the line up live now for air-to-
ground through the voice relay station at Tananarive at the
island of Madagascar.
CC Skylab, Houston. AOS Tananarive 8-1/2
minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston. Does either the CDR
or SPT have a moment to chat?
SPT Go ahead, Crip.
CC Roger, Ed. Last night we sent a MO92
observer cue card change regarding configuration of the experiment
recorder selection. And basically, the intent of it was just
to tell you to leave it - leave B selected on EXPERIMENT
i and 2, because of that - that knob is slipping. And did
you all get a chance to look at that and do you understand
it?
SPT Okay, Crip. We got it and we understand
it.
CC Okay, Ed. There was one thing on that
first portion there. Looks a little bit misleading. It
tells you to put a verify after EXPERIMENT 1 and EXPERIMENT 2
ON. Actually that verify really refers to the EXPERIMENT I-B
and EXPERIMENT 2-B.
SPT Okay, Crip. We understand that. I don't
think we'll have a problem with it again, because we're all
aware of the - the bind you can get into. We all, now, any
time we have the selected - if it's not there already go
over to A. And then just up one.
CC Rog. Okay. We were just trying to save
you from that problem. Aqd about the only time, I think,
we'll go out of B, now, is when we're running 509.
SPT Okay. Very good.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're 1 minute from
LOS. We'll see you again at Hawaii in 36 minutes at 16:42,
16:42.
18 seconds Greenwich mean time. We've had loss of signal
through the Tananarive voice relay station. 34 minutes to
out next acquisition. That will be at the Hawaiian Islands.
This is Skylab Control at 8-1/2 minutes after the hour.
SL-IV MC-907/2
Time: 09:56 CST, 28:15:56 GMT
12/13/73
now to the northwest of Hawaii, about to be acquired there.

The pass through Hawaii will last about 9 minutes. And
spacecraft communicator, at this time, is Bob Crippen. We_ll
bring the line up live now for air-to-ground through
Hawaii. We've had a report, already, from telemetry that
the medical experiment is underway. M092 on Commander Carr,
with Science Pilot Ed Gibson observing. The line is live
now for air-to-ground through Hawaii for the next 9 minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston. AOS Hawaii 8-1/2 minutes.
END OF TAPE
I
SL-IV MC-908/I
Time: 11:47 CST 28:16:47 GMT
12/13/73
CC PLT, Houston. Bill, we aren't seeing

any H-alpha being taken helre on the ground. Could you veri-
fy for use that you are in AUTO and we got one frame per
minute selected?
CC Okay; we copy. H-alpha working now.
CC Skylab_ Houston. We're i minute from
LOS. We'll see you again over the Vanguard in 22 minutes,
where we'll be doing a data/voice recorder dump at 17:12,
17:12.
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space staiton is now out of
range of the tracking antenna at Hawaii. We're 20 minutes
from our next acquisition of signal at Vanguard. During
this last pass the lower body negative pressure device was
in operation. Apparently that run looks now as if it were
comple as if it has been completed on the Commander. It be-
gan at minus 40 level at the beginning of the pass and he did
go through the minus 50 level. We don't know whether the
run was totally completed satisfactorily, but at this time
the telemetry here in Mission Control shows no no delta
pressure on the lower body negative pressure device, which
would indicate that the run does appear to be complete. That
means he'll be moving on now to the metabolic activity portion
of it which requires him to strap up and sit on the bicycle
ergometer and peddle and breathe for a while so the doctors can
keep track of his work rate. 19-i/2 minutes to Vanguard.
This is Skylab Control at 52 minutes and 47 seconds after the
hour.
PAO Skylab Control at 17 hours Ii minutes
15 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now
Just west of the coast of Chile. Acquisition of signal
through the Vanguard tracking ship is about 49 seconds away.
Beginning to get acquisition at this time so we'll bring up
the line live for air-to-ground through the Vanguard tracking
ship.
CC Skylab, Houston. AOS Vanguard doing a
data/voice recorder dump.
CC Skylab, Houston. LOS in i minute. Hawaii
in 58 minutes at 18:51, 18:51. Correction on that. Hawaii
at 18:19, 18:19.
now over the South Atlantic and is passed out of range of
the tracking antenna at Vanguard. Got a long pass now. 56
minutes before our next acquisition at Hawaii, as Skylab
passes over mid-Africa where there are no tracking antennas
within reach. The present time Commander Cart is scheduled
SL-IV MC-908/2
Time: 11:47 CST 28:16:47 GMT
12/13/73
to be beginning the MI71 experiment, that's the metabolic

activity experiment using the bicycle ergometer. Apparently
he hasn't gotten hooked up yet for that, but he appears to
be in the process of doing the attachment of the necessary
electrodes and other devices for the experiment. And at the
ATM Pilot Bill Pogue should have been working during that
pass. He's still got about 16-1/2 minutes of daylight as
he crosses the South Atlantic and part of Africa. This after-
noon at 1:30 p.m., central standard time, that's 19:30 Green-
wich mean time, about 2 hours from now there'll be a press
conference. That press conference is the 28-day mission
review of the Skylab flight. Participants in the afternoon
press conference are William Schneider, the Skylab Program
Director from NASA Headquarters in Washington, Kenneth
Kleinknecht, the Skylab Program Manager for the Johnson
Space Center, and Stan Reinartz, the Deputy Skylab Program
Manager from the Marshall Space Plight Center. Again, that
press conference the 28-day mission review of Skylab will
be held in the Building 1 briefing room at 1:30 p.m. central
standard time today. This is Skylab Control. It's now 24
minutes after the hour.
END OF TAPE
l
SL-IV MC909/I I
Time: 12:18 CST, 28:18:18 GMT
12/13/73 i
PAO Skylab Control, at 18 hours, 18 minutes,

Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now 55 seconds
from acquisition of signal through the tracking antenna at
Hawaii. We_ll bring the line up llve for air-to-ground. At the
present time spacecraft communicator is Bob Crippin
and the Flight Director is Don Puddy. Earlier today the crew
was informed that the first comet operations are going to be
begun on mission day 33 for the solar telescopes. We'll give
you a little explanation of that and something about the ATM
control panel momentarily. We're alive now for air-to-ground at
Hawaii.
CC Skylab, Houston. Back with you through
Hawaii for 7-1/2 minutes.
CC Bet you guys didn't even miss us during
that long LOS.
CC CDR, you happen to have an opportunity
to maybe chat a little bit.
SPT Hold on, Crip, he just stepped out.
CC Okay. Hope he, hope he didn't step out
too far.
SPT He and a Mark I are tussling with each
other, he'll be with you in a minute.
CC Okay, no sweat. Just wanted to talk about
future planning_ and ops, and we can do that any time.
CDR Houston. CDR, go ahead.
CC Hello, Jer, is this a convenient time to
talk? We've got about a minute and a half left here.
CDR Thatls fine. Is that enough time?
CC Oh, yeah. I - give you time to, - I can
tell you what we want to talk about and then you can think about
it for awhile.
CDR Okay.
CC During this morning's ATM conference, Bill
and Ed, Bill Lenoir when he was talking to Ed was talking about
the ATM future ops and trying to give him a rundown on it and
talked about perhaps finding, giving some detail as to what particular
JOP they were planning in the future. That sort of falls in
line with the 7-day forecast that we now send you up, however,
with the science conference going on down here, that, - that
thing quite often changes in quite a bit less time than the
7 days, so we_ve been pondering perhaps adding some more
details to that and covering perhaps not 7 days but 5 to 7
days or something that you might think would be worthwhile
and uplinking it to you with a little bit more frequency. And
would like for you ponder whether that might be a good idea
or not. We're about 30 seconds from LOS, we'll have you again
at Vanguard in 24 minutes at 18:51, 18:51.
SL-IV MC909/2
Time: 12:18 CST, 28:18:18 GMT
12/13/73 i
CDR Okay Bob, let us think about it, right

offhand it sounds like a real good idea. We'll talk about
it again next time.
CC Okay, and we would also be thinking about
including more detail in such items as EREP and perhaps corollary
if it seemed applicable.
CDR Yeah, I think that sounds pretty good.
PAO - - minutes and 30 seconds, Greenwich mean time,
Skylab space station has now passed out of range of the tracking
antenna at Hawaii and is about to cross the equator in the
mid-Pacific. We're 22-1/2 minutes from our next acquisition of
signal at Vanguard. Little talk there with Bob Crippen telling
Commander Carr that they were considering, the ground is consi-
dering setting up regular up-to-date reports on the following
days activities. They are now presently sending up once-a-
week reports on the next 7 days. They are thinking about
making those briefer reports, perhaps a 3-day report coming
up twice a week. That was requested earlier today by Ed
Gibson during the morning science conference on solar astronomy
with Bill Lenoir. First comet operation using the solar
instruments are now set for mission day 33, that's 5 days from
today. Today is mission day 28. That was originally scheduled
for as early as mission day 29 or tomorrow, but after close
consideration of the comet's brightness and other crew activi-
ties, the ATM personnel_ on solar observers and so forth, de-
cided that, that should be postponed to mission day 33, because
primarily only ii minutes of white light coronagraph data would
be likely to be gotten tomorrow for a number of reasons. One,
the Comet brightness is still considered to be fairly
low and perhaps is too dim for good data. And also the
S082B film has not yet reached the point in the film where it has
high-sensitivity film especially selected for the comet, so
it wouldn't be possible to use the S082B yet. And also the
third consideration, for the ii minutes of white light corona-
graph data would require 6 hours of crew time. All three
crew members are expected to participate in the first obser-
vations of the comet to familiarize themselves with the opera-
tions and, that would require a total of 6 crew hours. That
was considered to be too large an expenditure of time for the
relatively small results expected from ii minutes of white
light eoronagraph and also because it was possible that the
comet's brightness has yet not reached the magnitude where it
would be really possible to study it. At the present time the
magnitude of the nucleus which of course, is the smallest
part of the comet is about plus 4. The crew indicated that they
had not noticed a star of plus 3 magnitude approximately during
their test of the pointing of the ATM instruments on Mercury
SL-IV MC909/3
Time: 12:18 CST, 28:18:18 GMT
12/13/73
that was performed several days ago. Earlier this morning

there was a problem with the ATM cooling loop for the control
and display panel. That problem has been going on and trouble-
shooting procedures have been underway for several days here
in mission control. The cooling line is a water-filled line
wlth_ of course, additives that runs through the - control and
display panel for the space station's Solar instruments. More
than a hundred different times during the current mission, the
coolant loop has a noticeable brief reduction in the rate of
flow. This morning's reduction was approximately a 3-minute
reduction and it did go to a full stop. Crew reported there
was a gur _ing sound and also a high-pltched whine for a short
period of time. Mission control electrical and general instru-
mentation and life support systems engineer believes that
that's probably due to a contamination in the line or possibly
a problem with one of the pumps. There is a second pump not
being used yet, and that could be brought on. After the ATM
loop was turned on, beginning the mission, the variations were
noticed from the very beginning and flight controllers shifted
more than a week ago to - from pump B to pump C, in an attempt
to determine if it was the pump that was at fault. Since that
time, course, it's been determined that pump C performs the
same way and it then was believed that it might be in the line.
Earlier it was considered that it might be a problem with the
transducer which indicates flow rate. They're quite confident
now that it is in fact a problem in the line. Although they
don't know how serious it is, it's not considered to be an
emergency. The cooling loop serves two purposes, one is that
it keeps the control panel cool and the limit on that is
105 degrees for touch temperatures. They would like to keep
that cool. If the controlling, the control and display
panel coolant loop were to failit would require less use of the
television monitors which tend to heat the panel op. Although
they generate only about 40 or 50 watts of electricity each,
they do tend to heat the panel up; but would probably limit
them for to 105 degree limit, to 15 minutes of operation
per revolution that would be approximately one-third of the
available time and only one monitor could be operated at a
time. It might be some limitation on the experiments. Also
it would mean that without a control and display panel coolant
loop the EREP tape recorders, Earth resources tape recorders
could be used only for 24-minute passes; that of course would
be about a 58-hundred mile - -
END OF TAPE
I
SL-IV MC-910/I I
Time: 12:32 CST 28:18:32 GMT
12/13/73
PAO - minutes of operation per revolution.

That would be at approximately one-third of the available time,
and only one monitor could b_ operated at a time. That
might be some limitation on the experiments. Also it'd mean
that without a control and display panel coolant loop the
EREP tape recorders, Earth resources tape recorders, could
be used only for 24-minute passes. That of course would be
about a 5800-mile-long groundtrack, and that 24-minute pass
would be - would require a 10-hour cooldown period afterwards
so that it'll be impossible to run back-to-back Earth re-
sources passes. Present time it's working still well, although
there have been some fluctuations, and there was, of course, one
this morning noticed right after the crew woke up. Crew did
monitor that and reported to Ground Control that they did
hear a whine and also - to bypass the Earth resources tape
recorder section of the line. That, however, has had no
effect apparently. This is Skylab Control. 17 minutes to
our next acquisition of signal. It's now 33 minutes and 26
seconds after the hour.
and 32 seconds Greenwich mean time. We're now 55 seconds
from acquisition of signal at the Vanguard tracking ship.
Pass through Vanguard should last a little less than i0 min-
utes, and we'll bring the line up live noe for air-to-ground
through that station.
CC Skylab, Houston. AOS Vanguard i0 minutes.
CDR Roger, Crip.
CC And for the CDR regarding our previous
discussion regarding forecasting, we would appreciate it,
Jet, if you'd come up with that - a reasonable idea for you
to give us some guidelines on how often you would like it
uplinked to you and for what duration you would recommend
that we cover - number of days.
CDR Okay, Crip. We sure will.
CC PLT, Houston. If you can work it in for
us at the end of this rev we would appreciate it if you can
give us a - a STANDARD on 52, a STANDARD MODE at the roll of
minus 5400.
PLT Will do, Crip.
CC Thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston. Welre 1 minute from
LOS. We'll see you again in 6-1/2 minutes over Ascension
at 19:06, 19:06, and we'll be doing a data/voice recorder
dump there.
CC Bill, in the blind. If you can hear me
we'd like XUV SLIT to WHITE LIGHT DISPLAY.
PAO Skylab Control at 19 hours 1 minute
and 24 seconds greenwich mean time. That last call from Bob
SL-IV MC-910/2
Time: 12:32 CST 28:18:32 _MT
12/13/73
Crippen went up after we had loss of signal through Vanguard,

according to our telemetry Nere. But he did want to get a
message in on changing the configuration of the solar tele-
scopes. We're coming up again on another acquisition in
4 minutes from now and we expect that message will go through
to them. Still about ii minutes of daylight left for the -
this Skylab solar pass. 1:30 p.m. today, not too long from
now, there'll be a press conference with William C. Schneider,
the Skylab Program Director, Kenneth Kleinknecht, the Skylab
Program Manager for the Johnson Space Center, and Stan Rein-
artz, the Deputy Skylab Program Manager from Marshall Space
Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. That's at 1:30 p.m.
central standard time, and that will be the 28-day mission
review of the present Skylab mission. Today is the crew's
28th mission day. They'll ble breaking the mark of the first
Skylab crew tomorrow morning. We'll leave the line up live
for air-to-ground through Aslcensin. The Ascension pass is
about a 6-1/2 minute pass. We're still about 3-1/2 minutes
from acquisition of signal _t that antenna.
CC Skylab, Houston. AOS Ascension, and
we have you for about 6-1/2 minutes, doing the data/voice
recorder dump. And Bill, under the TV section on XUV SLIT
would you take that to WHITE LIGHT DISPLAY for us?
PLT Rog; I've already got it on.
CC We showed you in - still in the LIMB POINTING
mode and we need to go to WHITE LIGHT DISPLAY, should have
warmed while ago when I asked for that STANDARD mode.
PLT Okay. I've got it.
CC Thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're i minute from
LOS. We'll see you again in about over Guam for a short
pass at 19:51, 19:51.
PLT If you folks could leave the tape recorder
going while I finish up M487 I'd appreciate it.
CC Okeydoke.
and 43 seconds Greenwich mean time. We've had loss of signal
at Asscension. Our next acquisition is 37 minutes away from
Guam. A reminder, that press conference at 1:30 p.m. with
william Schneider, the Skylab Program Director, Kenneth
Kleinknecht, the Skylab Program Manager for Johnson Space
Center, and Stan Reinartz, the Deputy Skylab Program Manager
from Marshall Space Flight Center_ will be under way in the
Building i briefing room in about 15 minutes from now. This
is Skylab Control. It's now 14 minutes and 12 seconds after
the hour.
END OF TAPE
i
SL-IV MC911/I
Time: 14:26 CST, 28:20:26 GMT
12/13/73
PAO This is Skylah Control at 20 hours 25

minutes Greenwich mean time. Skylab about a minute and a
half away from the Vanguard tracking ship. We have a
minute's worth of tape from the Guam site during the news
conference. We'll play that and then go into Vanguard pass
live.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're AOS Guam for 2-1/2
minutes and we're going to be doing a data/voice recorder
dump here.
CDK Roger, Houston.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're about 30 seconds
from LOS. We'll see you again over Goldstone in 35 minutes.
And we'll also be doing a data voice recorder dump there to
pick up some data that we missed out on earlier and that's
at 20:28, 20:28.
PAO This is Skylab Control that's the end
of the tape. We're up live about 40 seconds to acquisition
at Vanguard.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're AOS through
Vanguard for ii minutes. We'll be doing a data/voice recorder
dump here.
CDR Roger, Crip. And on the subject of
forecast, I think maybe - what I'd like to suggest is that
we do something like a 5-day forecast every 3 days. That
way it gives us two - two chances to mull over about every day
that you got forecasted. And 5 days probably is as far as
you guys would want to forecast anyway, I would imagine. And
every 3 days sounds like a reasonable frequency.
CC Okay, it so happens you hit pretty close
to what - Mr. Puddy here was thinking you would. So, 5 -
every - a forecast for 5 days every 3 days and we'll
we'll try to get that in work and get that up to you pretty
soon. Hey, Jer, while I got you on the line here, we've
been seeing that you've been cranking down your temperature,
or trying to crank down your temperature in - in the workshop
there. And we it's getting up about 78 degrees or so.
And it so happens that the cooling system's putting out about
all it's got so it's not really accomplishing much turning that
thing down. A recommendation if - if you're getting a little
bit warm is you might use the technique they tried on previous
flights, of taking a portable fan up in the dome area by
the hatch there and blowing from the workshop back up towards
over that heat exchanger, towards the MDA.
CDR Okay, thank you, Crip. We'll give it a
go.
CC Okeydoke. I take it is getting a little
bit warm in there.
CDR Houston, CDR.
SL-IV MC911/2
Time: 14:26 CST, 28:20:26 GMT
12/13/73
CC Go, Jer.
CDR A little comment for the S082 folks, on
the first limb scan I did where the limb offset was minus
2. Just as I was finishing the last - you know the second
and last exposures, which was a times one quarter. The
mirror went unstable, it really went bananas while it was
going from minus 45 down to about plus 1 or 2_ and then back
up to minus 45. I stopped it and got it going on the next
one. It seems to have stabilized now, and its not pulling
any more funnies. I tried to shift to a short wavelength on
on the last one and it wouldn't do it. I waited a little while
and tried it again and it shifted over to a short now. So, I'm
redoing the - the one on this one, it's a normal wavelength short.
CC Okay, believe we copy all that. Let us
think about it for awhile. And if we get a reoccurence,
please let us know.
CDR Okay. They seem to be just kind of random
funnies.
CDR Houston, I might add also, that very
frequently the limb offset will dither between 1 and 2,
rather than staying stable_ at i offset value.
CC I - I'm being told that's a normal
condition, Jer. And we're looking at it right now, and it
looks pretty good to us at this moment.
CDR Yeah, it's looking very stable right now.
CC Okeydoke.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're 1 minute from
LOS. We'll have you again over Ascension in 3 minutes.
And that's at 20:41. And for your information, we show the
VTR is essentially full right now, we're going to take control
of it, and we'll be dumping it tonight during your sleep
period.
CDR Okay.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Vanguard has
loss of signal. Over the Ascension Island station will pick
up Skylab in about a minute and a half. We'll continue to
keep the line up and monitor through Ascension.
END OF TAPE
i
SL-IV MC-912/I
Time: 14:39 CST 28:00:39 GMT
12/13/73
CC Skylab, Houston; AOS Ascension 9 minutes.

CDR Roger Crip, and you better have them
teleprint up a message 2904 Alfa again, the PLT details
looks like the first couple of lines didn't make it.
CC Okay, you're very much on the alert for
the woodpecker working.
CDR Yeah he's doing such a good job we'll
have to feed him some moth eegs.
CC We'll never know if they go into diapause
if you do that.
CDR We've given up hope.
CC Yeah we got more than 40 days yet, never
give up hope.
CDR It's kind of nerve wracking waiting another
40 days to become parents though.
CC You ought to know Jerry.
CC CDR, Houston, we've resent that message,
it should be on board now and when you get a chance were the
first two lines completely missing or just unreadable on that
message?
CDR No they were missing Crip.
CC Okay, understand. Just skipped a couple
of blanks.
CDR That's affirmative. It's coming in now.
CC Jer, we copy we're dropping off in flow
again on the ATM C&D, you got time we'd appreciate if you
could check the sound also the Delta-P light.
CDR Okay, we got the Delta-P light and the
message came up okay for the PLT.
CC Copy that. We're 1 minute from LOS we'll
have you again at Guam in 36 minutes at 21:25, 21:25. We'll
be doing a data/voice recorder dump there. And can you tell
us if you hit a stop on the 82B auxiliary timer prior to
selecting wavelength short when you had the problem awhile
ago?
CDR As I remember Crip it had already timed
out on a normal and it was due for a times one quarter and it
was sitting there with a ready light. I tried going to to
short to see if would go there and it wouldn't go to short
and it appeared that I'd just done a normal sequence in long.
So I left it in short and did the times one quarter sequence
and after that put it to long and it went right in with no
problem.
CC Okay, you did not - I take it you did not
hit a stop then?
CDR Not that I remember.
CC And can yon tell us if that stop problem
I
SL-IV MC-912/2
Time: 14:39 CST 28:00:39 GMT
12//3/73
- the wavelength problem occurred in the building block i0

just after the mirror oscillation?
CDR No that was about two building blocks later.
CC Okay, thank you.
CDR That's w_y I said it appeared to be a
random funny because it didn't occur close enough to the
mirror oscillation to be connected with it.
CC Okeydoke, and we copy the flows starting
to come back up about now. For your information we indicated
it went all the way to zero.
PAO This is Skylab Control -
CDR It sounds like that noise in the airlock
module is where the pump is. It's sort of a whining noise and
as you were talking to me saying that the pressure was
(garble) it - it wounded like the pump was (garble) - -
CC Over the hill, Jer, I can't get you.
PAO This is Skylab Control we had loss of
signal at Ascension. Before Jerry Cart could complete
description of the ATM control and display console coolant
loop. Flight Controllers here in Mission Control just
shortly before LOS had noticed the pressure dropping off
again, as it has done several times during this flight. Asked
the crew to listen to the pump to the loop to see what kind
of sound they heard. Pressure went to zero and then started
back up again and it was coming up as we had LOS. Skylab
Commander Carr was describing what he'd heard has we had
loss of signal. We did hear him mention a whining sound.
That's the same description they had reported earlier today
when the situation occurred previously. Skylab is 31 minutes
away from acquisition at Guam at 20 hours 54 minutes
Greenwich mean time this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
b
SL IV MC-gl3/I
Time: 15:24 CST 28:21:24 GMT
12/13/73 I
PAO This is ISkylab Control at 21 hours

24 minutes Greenwich mean time. Skylab is about to be
acquired through the Guam t_acking station.
CC Skylab, Houston AOS Guam i0 minutes.
And Skylab will be doing a data/voice recorder dump here.
CC For the CDR, Jer we missed your
dissertation on what the sound of the pump was like as
you were going over the hill. If you have time this pass
we would appreciate hearing what you have to say.
CDR Roger, Crip. Is that a pump we're
listening to or is that a flow control valve?
CC Could be a pump.
CDR Okay, it really sounds very, very unwell.
The normal full up running pumps sound is a nice high
hum or buzz. And when - when the light starts flashing and
you go over and listen to it, you can hear the pump
lugging down like it's being loaded down very badly. And
the - the hum or the buzz or the whine what ever you want
to call it begins to sort of undulate in a random fashion.
It's not a constant frequency oscillation of any kind. It
goes down to a low frequency and then creeps its way
part way up and then staggers back down though. It sounds
just like a pump being loaded down very heavily. And
finally when the light goes out, and everything is balanced
out again the pump sounds normal. And once during this
last night pass it did it again, and Ed and I both laid
there and listened to it. It just sound like that the
pump is being loaded down something fierce.
CC Okay, we copy all that, appreciate you
taking the time to check it for us.
CDR Roger.
CC Skylab for your information regarding
the moth eggs. I'm being told that really we might expect a
few of them to break diapause in late January or early
February. But most should be in March unless something
unexpected happens.
CC Would you believe I said all that with
out giggling once.
CDR You're doing better, Crip.
CC I keep trying.
SPT Any idea as to how we can create the unexpected?
CC Well, the zero g is supposedly the
unexpected.
CC But knowing you Ed.
SPT You have a thought in mind, Crip?
CC Oh, I was just thinking that you're so
inventive that you might come up with something.
SL-IV MC913/2
Time: 15:24 CST 28:27:24 GMT
12/13/73
I
CC Skylab, Houston we're i minute from

LOS. We'll see you over the Vanguard in 31 minutes,
thatts at 22:05, 22:05. That's assuming that Bruce hasn't
taken the mike by then.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Guam has loss
of signal. Skylab will be within range of the tracking
ship Vanguard in 28-1/2 minutes. At 21 hours 36 minutes
Greenwich mean time this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC914/I
Time: 16:04 CST, 28:22:04 GMT
12/13/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at 22 hours 4

minutes Greenwich mean time. Skylab coming up now on
acquisition through the tracking ship Vanguard.
CC Skylab, this is Houston, through the
Vanguard for i0 minutes. A question for the PLT. When we
went over the hill at LOS, we didn't notice you emersed
the S193 operations did they come off as scheduled? Over.
PLT I got one of the exposures the MI31, did
not finish until 45 and that only gave me time when I got
setup to do the 1/12. 60 exposure.
CC Okay, we copy.
CDR Houston, CDR.
CC Go ahead, Houston.
CDR Roger, I don't know if this was planned
or not, but when we put the carrousel in and turned the power
on we found that setting position 9 we had to advance it to
auto to 21.
CC Okay, wait a minute run that one by again 3
Jerry. You installed the carrousel, you turned the power on and the
plate thing read number 9, right?
CDR That's affirmative. So, we had to go
ahead and reset until it went up to number 21. And I'm
wondering if that's what you expected on the ground?
CC I don't think that's what we expected,
but confirm for me that you made the one exposure that you
made was 12 plates farther down from where you installed it,
is that correct?
CDR Oh, I guess that's what it means, if you
take 9 from 21.
CC Yeah, okay, I'm just trying to make sure
we were all talking the same language. Okay, we got a little
bit of time until the next set of ops in 2 hours, we'll
get back to you with some talk on the subject. But don't
try to remove the carrousel or do anything to it in the meantime.
CDR Okay.
PLT Bruce, I have a question for ATM.
CC Fire when ready.
PLT I'm finishing up a pad, so I was getting ready
to set up the grating's for the next watch and the grating that
called out is 594, and I think that's optical reference. Everything
all day long has been mechanical reference, but I think that's
probably the 492 line. Would you check on that so I can get
the set up, and get the next person briefed properly?
CC PLT, this is Houston. That's correct. The
number is 594, and it is intended to be an optical reference.
PLT Rog_ 594, optical reference. Thank you
very much.
CC Roger.
I
SL-IV MC914/2
Time: 16:04 CST, 28:22:04 GMT
12/13/73
CC Skylab, this is Houston, i minute to LOS,

Next station contact in ii minutes through Canary Island at
22:25, Out.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Skylab is out
of range of the tracking ship Vanguard. Canary Island station
will acquire Skylab in 9-1/2 minutes, At 22 hours 16 minutes
Greenwich mean time. This is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-915/I
Time: 16:24 CST 28:22:24 GMT
12/13/73

minutes Greenwich mean time. Canary Island station will
acquire Skylab in about 40 seconds, wetll stand by for that
pass which will carry Skylab through the Madrid station
also.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Canary
Island and Madrid for 13 minutes. Out.
CC Okay, it sounds like we've got a better
lockon now at 12-1/2 minutes remaining in the Canary/Madrid
pass. Out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston; i minute to LOS,
next station contact in 27 minutes through Guam at 23:06.
Out.
of range of the Madrid station. Guam will be the next
station contact in about 26 minutes. Flight Director Don
Puddy is scheduled his change-of-shift news conference for
5:15 p.m. central standard time in the news center briefing
room in Building i. 5:15 p.m. for the change-of-shift
briefing with Flight Director Don Puddy. At 22 hours 40
minutes Greenwich mean time this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
i
SL-IV MC916/I
Time: 17:04 CST 28:23:04 GMT
12/13/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at 23 hours

4 minutes Greenwich mean time. Guam is about to acquire
Skylab. We'll stand by for that pass.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Guam
for 4 minutes. Out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston 1 minute till
LOS. Next station contact in 6 minutes through Honeysuckle
Creek at 23:15. Out.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Skylab's a
minute away from acquisition at the Honeysuckle station,
5-minute pass there. We'll keep the line up and monitor
that pass. The change-of-shift news conference with Flight
Director, Don Puddy will begin immediately after the
Honeysuckle pass.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through
Honeysuckle Creek for 4-1/2 minutes for the CDR. Over.
CDR Go ahead Bruce.
CC Okay, I got some words for you on S183
situation, but first off a question. I believe you were
the last person to operate S183 with the other carrousel,
carrousel 2-2 in place. And can you recall advancing the
film back to the 01 position prior to turning the power
off at the end of your operation period? Over.
CDR Frankly no Bruce, it was much too long
ago.
CC Rog, we copy and we understand. Some
time later on today if you could, check carrousel 2-2 and
see if the dot is lined up with the film gate. We think
that probably what happened is between, maybe one person doing
the operation and another doing the stow it was removed
while setting on plate 9 which would be about a 90-degree
misalignment. But getting back to the 183 K operations
impending what we would like you to do is not to advance
the carrousel. Take the Kohoutek exposure using the next
film plate. The indicator should read number 22 when you
power up. However, if it does not read 22 record the
number and press on with the exposure and the ops, and at
the end of the operations advise us of your status. If
the indicator, and do not turn the power off until we get
back to you, if the indicator does read 22 when you power
up then you're go to - go ahead and remove the carrousel at the
end of operations in accordance with the stow by advancing
it to the 09 position and remove it on that. After carrousel
removal you want to resync the spectrograph assembly back
to 1 that is back to 01 by turning the power on the plate
advance switch to reset and hold it, and then off when the
SL-IV MC916/2
Time: 17:04 CST 28:23:04 G_T
12/13/73
indicator reads 01 and power back it to off. Over.

CDR Okay, that's with the film carrousel
out, is that right?
CC That's correct.
CDR Okay, now going back to carrousel
number 2-2 if the procedure said to go back to zero
then that's what I did. I think if they will review
the tape of that last operation, I - I think I probably
taped it. I I was putting every single step that I
was doing on tape so they should be able to dig it out
of the data. On this particular one now, we'll expect
it to come up on flight number 22. If it does we'll go
ahead and remove it and step it on down to zero or correction
to i. If it does not come up on 22 we_ll take the next
plate anyway and then hold until we hear from you.
CC That's correct if if it does come
up on 22 go ahead and make the exposure on that plate
and when you get through with that exposure remove it by
advancing it to 9, and remove on 9 then resync things. If
it doesn't come up on 22 as you said, record the number
take the exposure and leave the power on until you get
back to us. Over.
CDR Okay, Bruce understand.
CC And we got 1 minutes till LOS here.
Next station contact through Canary Islands in 45 minutes,
at the time of 00:04, see you there.
CDR See you later Bruce.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Honeysuckle
has loss of signal. The next station is Canary Island in
43-1/2 minutes. The change of shift news conference with
Flight Director, Don Puddy will begin momentarily in the
building 1 briefing room. At 23 hours 20 minutes Greenwich
mean time this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC917/I
Time: 18:03 CST 29:00:03 GMT
12/13/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at 3 minutes

pass midnight Greenwich mean time. Skylab is coming up
on pass beginning at Canary Island and extending through
the Madrid tracking station.
and Madrid for 14 minutes. We'll be dumping a data/voice
tape recorder at Madrid. Out.
PA0 This is Skylab Control. Skylab is
maneuvering to the S183 experiment attitude for comet
Kohoutek photography.
CC Skylab, this is Houston, i minute till
LOS. Next station contact in 28 minutes - 34 minutes through
Honeysuckle Creek at 00:51. Out.
CDR Roger, Bruce and we're looking at
frame 22 on S183.
CC Hey, that's good news Jerry. Thank you.
PAO This is Skylab Control, Madrid has loss
of signal. The next station will be Honeysuckle in
33 minutes. At 17 minutes pass midnight Greenwich mean
time this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-918/I
Time: 18:49 CST 29:00:49 GMT
12/13/73

minutes Greenwich mean time. Honeysuckle is about to
acquire Skylab.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Honeysuckle
Creek for 7-1/2 minutes. Out.
CDR Roger Bruce. On S183 I sequenced it
around to station number 9, removed the canister, and we had
one frame sticking out again, clear out. I looked it over and
it was intact. I pushed it in and the hatch closed and I
removed a piece of glass.
CC Okay, we copy. What did the piece of
glass look like?
CDR Stand by I'll describe it to you.
CDR Okay, it's another piece of the emulsion
glass. This time I got a corner. The sides of the corner
are about a half inch by about 5/8 of inch respectively, and
the third side of it is almost smooth perfect arc. And there's
about 1/8 of an inch or 3/32 of an inch boundary around
the glass before you get to the - the - the emulsion; that
is a clear boundary. And the emulsion is the whitish yellow
looking emulsion.
CC Okay, we copy that. On the one that was
sticking out, which you pushed back in, did you notice the
number on it? Over.
CDR No, the light was too dim to see the
number on it.
CC Okay, we copy. Thank you for your report.
CDR Roger.
SPT Houston, SPT.
CC Skylab for the CDR. In connection with
S183, if we come up with another instance of a plate jamming
in the partially extended position, what we would like you
to do is remove that plate rather than pushing it back in,
and let the hatch go closed and then we can get the number
off it and find out where we really stand on things. Over.
CDR Okay.
CC And for the SPT, go ahead, sorry about that.
SPT Okay Bruce, I'd like to verify that 82B or
82A was to participate. And JOP 1 or building block IC
rather than or IB rather than IA. I would think they'd rather
have a roll of zero rather than minus 5400.
CC SPT, this is Houston. We'd like to go
with the pad that you have on board which is operating 82A
as a part of chip Bravo rather than Alfa. Over.
SPT Okay Bruce, I'm wondering if sometime they
could give me some reasoning for that, because it goes against
everything we've learned about the instrument.
SL-IV MC-918/2
Time: 18:49 CST 29:00:49 GMT
12/13/73
CC That's a fair enough request we'll do

that.
CC And CDR this is Houston again. If you
can work it in for the evening status report this evening,
we'd like to get the daily scribe mark position report on
carrousel ll and 22. Over.
CDR Okay Bruce.
CC And we don't you to realign anything
there Jerry. Just use one of the ATM overlays or something
and get us an angle reading as close as you could, so we can
figure out what's really setting on and what's doing. We'd
appreciate it.
PLT Roger Bruce.
PLT Bruce we just took a look at i-i the one
he just got through using. The drill hole mark was clocked
about l0 degrees counterclockwise from the slot position,
using that as the 12 o'clock position. So it's you know
like about 11:15 on the clock.
CC Okay, we copy. Thank you. We copy i0
degrees counterclockwise.
PLT Rog.
CC Skylab, this is Houston; 1 minute to
LOS, next station contact in 34 minutes through Merritt Island
at 01:31. Bermuda at 01:31 will be SPT private phone call
right antenna shifting to left as the pass progresses. Over.
SPT Thank you Bruce.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Skylab has
moved out of range of the Honeysuckle station. The Merritt
Island, Florida station will pick up Skylab in 33 minutes.
At 0 hours 58 minutes Greenwich mean time, this is Skylab
Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC919/I
Time: 19:30 CST 24:01:30 GMT
12/13/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at 1 hour

30 minutes Greenwich mean time. Skylab is about to begin
a pass at the Merritt Island, Florida tracking station that
will extend through the Bermuda station.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Merritt
Island and Bermuda for 12-1/2 minutes. SPT private phone
call coming up over Bermuda in about 45 seconds, right
antenna switching to left. Out.
SPT Roger, Bruce.
PAO This is Skylab Control. This is dinner
time for the Commander and the Pilot. Science Pilot's
dinner time was about an hour ago to enable him to get
back on to the Apollo telescope mount console. Following
his phone call he'll go back on the ATM console for an-
other hour or so.
CC Skylab, this is Houston 30 seconds
to LOS. Next station contact in 3-1/3 minutes through
Madrid at 01:46. Out.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Bermuda has
loss of signal. Madrid will pick up Skylab in less than
3 minutes. We'll keep the line up and monitor through
Madrid.
END OF TAPE
I
SL-IV MC920/i
Time: 19:43 CST, 24:01:43 GMT
12/13/73
CC Skylab this is Houston, through Madrid

for 8-1/2 minutes. We'll be dumping the data/voice tape
recorder at Carnarvon next site, and also the evening status
report at Carnarvon.
CC Skylab, this is Houston, i minute to LOS.
Next station contact in 26 minutes through Carnarvon at 02:19,
with the data/voice tape recorder dump. And we'll be standing
by at AOS for the evening status and carrousel report. Over.
CDR Roger, Bruce.
of range of the Madrid station now. The next station will
be Carnarvon in 24 minutes. At i hour 55 minutes Greenwich
mean time, this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL IV MC-921/I
Time: 20:18 CST 29:02:18 G_T
12/13/73
PAO This is Skylah Control at 2 hours 18 minutes

Greenwich mean time. Skylab coming off upon a pass through
Carnarvon and Honeysuckle. The evening status report will he
made during the Carnarvon pass.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Carnarvon
and Honeysuckle for 15 minutes. Go ahead with the evening
status report. Over.
CDR Okay Bruce. Sleep: CDR, 7.0, 5 heavy
2 light; SPT, 7.5, 5 heavy, 2-1/2 light; PLT, 6.5, 6-1/2 heavy.
Volume; CDR, 1200; SPT, 1250; PLT, 1500. Water gun: CDR,
7357; SPT, 2684; PLT, 8790. Body mass: CDR, 6.319, 6.318, 6.317;
SPT, 6.366, 6.369, 636 - correction, 6.371; PLT, 6.240, 6.246,
6.246. Exercise: CDR, method Alfa correction - method
Foxtrot, walk, plus 2 minutes; SPT, no change; PLT, no change.
Medications: none for anyone. Garments disposed of: CDR,
one pair of shorts, one T-shirt, one pair of socks; SPT, none;
PLT, none. Food log: CDR, salt, zero, deviations, minus one
coffee with sugar, rehydration water, zero; SPT, 11.5 salt,
deviations, none, water, plus 28 ounces; PLT, salt, zero, plus -
deviations, plus one butter cookies, rehydration water, zero.
Flight Plan deviations: none. Shopping llst accomplishments:
none. Inoperable equipment: none. Unscheduled stowage: none.
Photo log: 16-millimeter, one 40-foot DAC; S183 ops, Uniform
Alfa 04, 88, NA; Nikon, 01, Charlie India, 36, 27; 02, no
change, 03, Charlie India, ii0, 55; 04, no change; 05, Bravo
Hotel, 04, 53. 70-millimeter, Charlie X-ray, 47, 050; ETC,
no change; EREP, no change. Drawer A configuration: no change.
S183 carrousels: i-i, the drilled hole is 15 degrees counter-
clockwise from the shutter; 2-2, the line is perpendicular to
the shutter, that's 90 degrees. We don't know which way.
CDR out.
CC Okay, Jerry, we copy that, and that's
where we expected - sort of anticipated the S183 thing would sit,
and Iive got a couple of evening questions for you if you all
feel like meet the press time here.
CDR Okay. Go ahead.
CC For the PLT tomorrow on the M509 preparation,
during prep battery number 6 will be installed in the ASMU.
Battery 7 left in the donning station where it will be put on
charge for 3 or 4 hours with the topoff. In his details or
in his Flight Plan at about 18:45, there's a BAT 7 termination and
BAT 6 initiate charge, and we'd like to do the BAT 6 charge
with the battery left in pl&ce in the ASMU. And you can follow
the appropriate page in the checklist - Maneuvering Experiments
Checklist 1-2 for battery chlarging while installed. Over.
PLT Rog. Copy Bruce.
CC Okay. Oin the ATM world, we're still looking
SL IV MC-921/2
Time: 20:18 CST 29:02:18 GMT
12/13/73
at the S082B mirror problem. And you could help us out on

this in a couple of ways. First, is if you observe the 82B
mirror oscillation again, we'd like you to switch immediately
to the XUV slit white light display, and report any oscillations
or offselet - or offsets. Then you can go ahead and reselect
limb scan, limb pointing and resume operations. With regard
to what you have seen on the mirror oscillations, did you see
the oscillation on both the XUV mirror meter display and on
the counter 3 display of limb offset. Over.
PLT Bruce, I was only looking at counter 3.
CC Okay, we're just trying to get ducks in a
row here. And with respect to S082B wavelength talkback
predisperser, I told you to go to the command position during
today's operations. This is an idiosyncrasy of the instrument,
which has occurred frequency (sic) during the prelaunch testing. It
shows up either when operating in an auto mode or when commanded
from the C&D console. The cause of the anomaly is unknown
and further details and corrective actions on this can be found
under XUV slit operational procedures, page 13-3 in the ATM
Malfunction Procedures. Over.
PLT Okay Bruce. I guess all it cost us was a
few frames of film taken at the wrong value.
CC Roger. And for Ed, have you been able
to measure the white light coronagraph obliqueness between
MON 1 and MON 2? Over.
SPT No, not yet, Bruce.
CC Okay. Now for some good news. On tomorrow's
Flight Plan on day 29, we're deleting the leg blood pressure
activity from the Flight Plan. This effects the PLT. Over.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-922/I
Time: 20:26 CST 29:02:26 GMT
12/13/73
CDR He heard you Bruce.

CC Okay, we'll remind you again tomorrow,
that's at about 21:00 Zulu. Also for the PLT, in looking
through the dump tapes we have not yet received data on the
mission day ll limb volume measurements. And our conclusion
is that it was not accomplished. Is this correct?
CDR Bruce, this is the CDR. I'm going to go
back and research my whole flight plan. But the latest -
the last data we have on the measurements was day 327.
CC Okay, we copy and thank you. For the SPT.
Were you able to accomplish M487-2 Bravo yesterday?
SPT Did it this morning.
CC Okay, mighty fine, sorry to bug you.
CC And again for the SPT we have a note here
from time and motion study people. After looking at the TV
presentation of your suit donning after seeing the playback
suit donning tonight it brings to mind that during one g training
Dr. Gibson always has the most pained expressions during the
donning of the suit. The MISI personnel commented on this
several times and developed the " SPT grimace quotient".
They would like pass along to you that they have reviewed
the suit donning TV dump, and feel that your grimace quotient
for the zero g operations is several magnitudes less than
the one g one. Over.
SPT I kept them honest on the DAC though, Bruce.
CC Okay, we copy, thank you.
CDR You should have heard what he was saying
while he wasn't grimacing though.
CC I think Itm glad I couldn't hear.
CC And that about winds up the evening
status report/evening questions. When we get the news if
we get it before you turn in we'll read some up. I remind
you the med-conference is the Merritt Island pass at 03:06
and we've got about 6 minutes of station time remaining
here but I have no further traffic. Over.
CDR Bruce, tomorrow I see on the schedule
we have an ETC setup again and an MISI. I wonder would
you like to have somebody take a picture of Ed setting up
to take a picture of ETC?
CC Well, he's been through that routine
so many times he probably has that pretty well polished. I
think we better just stick with the flight plan.
CT In England? I'ii I'ii verify that.
Yeah, fine.
CC Skylab, this is Houston; i minute to LOS_
next station contact in 31 minutes through Corpus Christi
but Merritt Island in 32 minutes at 03:06 is your private
medical conference for this evening running on through 03:16
I
SL-IV MC-922/2 i
Time: 20:26 CST 29:02:26 GMT
12/13/73
We may see you at the tail end over Bermuda. Out.

PAO This is _kylab Control. The Skylab
space station is out of range of Honeysuckle now. The
station at Corpus Christi, Texas will acquire in 30 minutes.
At 2 hours 35 minutes Greenwich mean time this is Skylab
Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC923/I
Time: 21:04 CST 29:03:04 GMT
12/13/73 i
CC_ Skylab Houston, we're back in again.

We see tha[ you've shut down the coolant loop. This is
nothing critical, and I got about a minute or so worth
of background on it for you, which we'll try and get up over
Bermuda or Madrid after the medical conference. And I
guess from the time stand point I'ii turn you over to
the medics after one question.
CC In fact, I think I'ii hold that question
until Bermuda. Out.
PAO This is Skylab Control. The evening
medical status conference is underway now through the Merritt
Island station. The ATM control and display panel coolant
loop has been shut down for the evening. The plan now is to
shut that loop down each night and reactivate it in the morning.
The CAP COMM Bruce McCandless, will inform the crew of the
rationale behind this decision after the medical conference is over.
CC Skylab, this is Houston back with you
after the medical conference. Over.
SPT Roger.
CC Okay, we had a little bit of a comm
problem there with the noise and all that before. What
we asked you to do was to shut down the ATM C&D coolant
loop after unattended operations. And of course this you
did, and it's going to be standard operating procedure
for the foreseeable future here. As your undoubtedly
aware of the frequency of deep flow stoppages in the C&D
loop has been increasing over the last few days. We're
still investigating the causes of this. And in this
connection in the near future we will be scheduling
you to do a detail inspection of the ATM coolant loop
reservoir blotter probably with a pen light and anything
else that we can work out in the way of inspection procedures.
Later on we will probably also ask you to do a filter change out
and dismantle and inspect the filter that was removed. And of
course as the third step of this, as I mentioned, we'll be
shutting the coolant loop down every evening after the
last scheduled operation and powering it up in the morning.
For the next couple of days we'll give you calls for the
power up and down until we get a checklist change processed
through the mill here. The three leading candidates for
the causes of the problems with the coolant loop are gas,
contamination in the loop, and pump anomalies. As you know we
have shut down pump A figuring it to be failed. Pumps
Bravo and Charlie are, if it's a pump anomaly, exhibiting
the same sort of anomalies, maybe slightly different levels.
SL-IV MC923/2
Time: 21:04 CST 29:03:04 GMT
12/13/73
The testing and analysis thathave been done to date, particular

in St. Louis, do not support the circulating gas theory. In
fact, the results they got were actually contrary indicators
of circulating gas. So we feel pretty sure that it's either
contamination or pump trouble.
CDR Okay Bruce. I can hardly wait for that
checklist change.
CC Well, surprising you mentioned that
because I have the singular honor of informing you that
the teleprinter paper is low again. And we would like
very much for you to change it out before you turn in
this evening, so we can press on with our checklist change
uplink, although the one that you referenced won't be
amongst them tonight. And we've got about 35 seconds to LOS.
Next station contact is in 4-1/2 minutes through Madrid at
03:24, and I'ii be talking to you there. Over.
CDR Okay Bruce. So long.
CC And as we go over the hill, in the photo
status report this evening, you reported that Charlle X-ray
47 was in the Hasselblad. We think this probsbly should
have been Charlie X-ray 17 instead of 47, which you reported
last evening. I wonder if you could check it during the LOS
period? And if you did change it out, where was Charlie
X-ray 17 stowed? Over.
CDR No. You're right. It was 17.
CC Okay. Talk to you over Madrid with the
news.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Bermuda has

loss of signal. Madrid will pick up Skylab in about 3-1/2
minutes. We'll keep the line up and monitor through that
station as CAP COMM Bruce HcCandless informed the crew that
Apollo Telescope Mount control and display panel coolant loop
will be shut down each evening and reactivated each morning.
He reported on the three most suspect causes for the flow
fluctuations in that loop, gas in the line, contamination,
or a pump problem. Troubleshooting is still going forward
in this area and the experts are still looking at the data.
Have not determined yet what the problem is. We're a
little over 2 minutes away from Madrid acquisition.
END OF TAPE
!
SL-IV MC924/I
Time: 21:21 CST, 29:03:21 GMT
12/13/73
CC Skylab, this is Houston, through Madrid

for 7-1/2 minutes. With a little bit of information on
system reeonfiguration up in! the airlock module. Over.
CDR Roger, go ahead.
CC Okay. During some of the earlier EREP
passes on this mission, the secondary amp hour integrator
on some of the PCGs got out of sync with the primary switch
were in control, and they've been very slowly catching up.
However, to hasten this process of catching up, we're going
to command the secondary amp hour integrators on PCGs 5 and
6, into control of PCGs 5 anld 6. And catch them up a lot
more rapidly. And we'll keep you advised of the status.
Over.
CDR Roger.
CC And in the news this evening, there's
some good news and some bad news. First the bad news, General
Motors Corporation upped its wholesale prices to dealers,
by an average of $150 dollars per car and truck shipped out
today. This is about a 4 percent price hike bringing the
price increase at retail, for equipped vehicles to an average
of $188 dollars. Chrysler, Ford, and American Motors say they
will do likewise. Although the increase becomes effective
rod _, bona fide orders in dealers hands would have customer
protection through December 15th. Billionaire recluse Howard
Hughes made the news today. Officials at the Aviation Hall
of Fame in Dayton, Ohio, say, he and three other aviation
pioneers will be inducted into the Hall of Fame tomorrow.
Hughes is credited for furthering commercial aviation and
medical research and for his prototype of the revolutionary
fighter interceptor airplane used in World War II. He also
took active part in the development of the Lockheed Constellation
aircraft and that famous wooden flying boat the Hercules.
Colonel Bernt Balchen, who died earlier this year is to be
honored as the first man to pilot a plane over both the
North and South Pole. Brigadier General Charles Yeager will
be honored as a double Ace of World War II and the first
person to fly faster than the speed of sound. Dr. E.A.
Sperry gets honored for sol_ing a number of aeronautical
problems and his - and for His work with the gyroscope. The
British government cut England's 40-hour work week in half today.
Prime Minister Edward Heath said he was ordering the action,
effective next Monday, because work slowdowns by coal miners,
electrical workers and railroad engineers were cutting into
Britain's power output at a time of oil shortages due to the
Arab boycott. Three airlines announced flight personnel
cutbacks today, because of fuel shortages. Allegheny Airlines,
which serves the northeast part of the U.S. said it will cut
flights by 30 percent. Eastern Airlines say they will lay off
SL-IV MC924/2 i
Time: 21:21 CST, 29:03:21 GMT
12/13/73 I
440 pilots by the first quarter of 1974. This is in

addition to the 360 pilots due for furlough come January.
They're also laying off another 2100 mechanics, agents, and
350 management personel over and above the 500 already announced.
Pan American World Airways says i000 cabin attendants will
be furloughed effective January 10th. They've already laid
off 160 pilots. Independent truck drivers began a 2-day
work stoppage today. The big rigs still plying the highways
occasionally ran into flying bullets and bricks. Incidents
of violence and vandalism have been reported at Pennsylvania
and Ohio. Washington: The Senate Judiciary Committee today
approved Ohio Senator William B. Saxbe to be Attorney General.
The was vote was 15 to i. Senator Ervin, of North Carolina,
cast the no vote. He claims Saxbe is constitutionally
House for appointment. Again in Washington. The
ouse voted 221 to 192 to bar fuel for busing children beyond
neighborhood schools. It also voted 256 to 155 to remove coal
from the emergency energy bill's restrictions on profits by
in - industry. The Agriculture Department said today an
investigation by the department's Inspector General has
cleared Kenneth Frick, head of the Agricultural Stablization
and Conservation Service of any wrongdoing. The investigation
was triggered by an anonymous letter questioning Fricks traveling
to his home state of California at government expense. U.S.
Secretary of State Kissinger arrived in Cairo today preparing
for the Middle East peace conference scheduled next week.
While in Algiers yesterday he met with Algerian President
Houari Boumedienne and made progress on resuming diplomatic
relations broken in 1967. Algerian Foreign Minister Aziz
Boutaflika called the meeting a turning point in relations
between the two countries. Police in Rome say billionaire
J. Paul Getty's 17-year-old grandson may be returned by
kidnappers any day now. It is rumored the family has paid
out 3.4 million dollars in ransom. James Vorenberg , the
Harvard Law School professor who quit as special consultant
to the special Watergate Prosecutor when Archibald Cox was
fired, announced today he is returning to aid Cox's successor
Leon Jaworski, who reportedly made a personal request for his
services. George Matesky, the "Mad Bomber" of yesteryear was
freed in New York today after 17 years in a mental ward. He
was arrested January 21, 1957 after planting 32 bombs in
public places of New York City including Radio City Music
Hall and Grand Central Station during the years from 1940
to 1957. Nobody was every killed, but 22 persons were in-
jured by his bomb explosions. Matesky allegedly terrorized
New York to draw attention to his claim that Consolidated
Edison Company had cheated him out of compensation for turberculosis
SL-IV MC924/3
Time: 21:21 CST, 29:03:21 GMT
I
12/13/73
generated by an on-the-job accident. When questioned today

as to his plans, Matesky said, "he would write a book."
Tornadoes struck Tennessee add Georgia today after causing
havoc at Denver, Colorado, yesterday. Today's estimates run
well over 2 million dollars _orth of damage and injuries to
at least 24 persons. Fourty-four houses and 8 mobil homes
were reported destroyed and about 30 houses damaged. Most
of the havoc was in the residential areas located 50 miles
North - of Atlantic. The st - of Atlanta. The stock market
nosedived lower again today. Analysts blame worries about
the energy crisis. The Dow Jones industrial average which
sank more than 40 points Tuesday and Wednesday lost another
i0 points more to close at 800.43. Declines overran advances
by a more than 3 to i margin in moderately active trading on
the New York Stock Exchange. The market staged a brief rally
this morning but lost ground after the British announcement
that a drastic cut in energy supplies in that country would
mean a 2-1/2 day work week for most businesses. Analysts
also say Wall Street was disturbed by the confusion caused by
the new Federal Energy Agency announcement yesterday of a
25 percent cut in domestic gasoline production, that we passed
on to you, however, this was later announced by White House
aides to be only a 5 percent cut. And the good news is that's
all of the bad news for tonight. Over.
SPT How'd you like a frame count, Bruce?
CC Lay it on us, fast.
SPT 3349, 119, 911, 4984, 3320, and I neglected
H-alpha at the beginning which is 10310.
CC Okay, we got them Ed, zero seconds to LOS.
Next station contact in 28 minutes, Carnarvon at 03:59, last
pass of the evening. Out.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Madrid has loss
of signal. Skylab will be in range of the Carnarvon station
in 27 minutes. We have the mission surgeon's daily report on
crew health for today, on Mission day 28. Crew health remains
excellent. Sleep, exercise, and eating patterns are good,
signed Jerry Hordinsky, M.D., for Dr. W.R. Hawkins, M.D.
Carnarvon will be the last pass of the evening before bedtime
for the crew. We'll come back up just prior to acquisition
there. At 3 hours 33 minutes Greenwich mean time, this is
Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-925/I
Time: 21:59 CST 29:03:59 G_T
12/13/73

minutes Greenwich mean time. Skylab is about 50 seconds
away from acquisition at the Carnarvon station.
CC 8kylab, this is Houston through Carnarvon
for 4 minutes, last pass of the evening. Out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston. 2 minutes to
LOS. There's no real convenient wakeup site in the morning.
We'll give you a call through Carnarvon at 12:12 Zulu, however
we suggest you set your portable timers as alarm clocks to
wake up at 12:00 Z. Over.
CDR Okay Bruce.
CC Roger, good night.
CDR Good night.
of range of the Carnarvon station now. That was the last
pass of the evening before bedtime. We've said good night
to the crew. Wakeup tomorrow morning will be at this same
station, Carnarvon at 6:12 a.m. central standard time. We'll
take this line down now until that time. At 4 hours 5
minute Greenwich mean time, this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-926/I
Time: 06:11 CST 29:12:11 GMT
12/14/73
PAO Skylab Control at 12 hours ii minutes and

acquisition of signal at the Carnarvon, Australia tracking
station. The pass through Carnarvon will last a little less
than 6 minutes. This will be the morning wakeup call from
the ground, and we do expect the crew will probably be - awake
for the last i0 or 12 minutes. The line is live now for air-
to-ground through Carnarvon.
CC (Music: "The Blue Tail Fly".)
CC Skylab, Houston, good morning. We've got
4 minutes left here in the pass at Carnarvon.
CDR Morning, Richard.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're 1 minute to LOS.
Guam comes up at 12:27.
20 seconds Greenwich mean time. We're now out of range of the
tracking antenna at Carnarvon, Australia. 7 minutes and 14 seconds
to acquisition at Guam. The crew was awakened this morning by
Spacecraft Communicator Dick Truly and Burl Ives singing "The
Blue Tail Fly". We'll bring the line down now and bring it
back up in another 5 minutes for the Guam pass.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC927/I
TIME: 06:24 CST, 29:12:24 GMT
12/14/73

and 42 seconds Greenwich mean time. A Skylab space station
is now just about to come in acquisition of signal through
the Guam tracking antenna. The pass through Guam should
last a little less than 5 minutes. We'll bring the line
up live now for our spacecraft communicator Dick Truly.
CC Skylab, Houston; Guam for 4 minutes. Out.
CC Skylab, Houston; we're i minute from LOS,
Guam. Goldstone comes up at 12:49, and we're going to dump
the data/voice recorder at Goldstone. Out.
and 35 seconds Greenwich mean time. We're now 16 minutes
from acquisition of signal at Goldstone and we've just gone
out of range of the tracking antenna at Guam. This is
Skylah Control at 32 minutes and 47 seconds after the hour.
and 47 seconds Greenwich mean time. Wetre now 54 seconds
from acquisition of signal through the Goldstone tracking
station. The pass through Goldstone and Texas should last
approximately 15 minutes. We'll bring the line up live now
for air-to-ground through the Continental U.S. stations.
CC Hello, Skylab, Houston; stateside for
15 minutes.
CDR Roger, Dick.
CC Roger, and we're going to be dumping the
data/voice recorder here at Goldstone.
CC Skylab, Houston; this morning whenever
you've collected your load of paper from the woodpecker
I've got a couple of comments for the SPT and the PLT.
SPT We'll be with you in a few minutes, Dick.
CC Okay, no problem. We still have ii minutes
left in this pass; lots of time.
CC And, SPT, Houston. We see a couple of
switch throwings on the ATM° If you're up there I need
to give you a couple of reminders about a couple of those
pads that are up there.
SPT Go ahead, Dick.
CC Roger, Ed. First thing is is we'd like to make
sure you get the ATM coolant pumps Charlie on panel 203 on
prior to doing any extensive operations this morning, since
we turned it off last night. Second item is, we sent up
a in addition to the SAP pad we sent up a solar activity
update pad that was message 2952 Alfa. We want you to he
sure and read that ome before you start operations this
morning. And just a reminder, down at the bottom of it it
includes a pen and ink correction to the ATM schedule pad.
SL-IV MC927/2
TIME: 06:24 CST, 29:12:24 GMT
12/14/73
Also on your details pad this morning you've got the first
bright and early NuZ update. And that opportunity's coming
up in about 8 minutes at 13:02.
SPT Okay, Dick, I got them all. Thank you.
CC Yes, sir.
PLT Dick, PLT here. What pad do you have for
a change for me on?
CC Roger, Bil ! . It isn't even a change,
I can tell you real fast. We sent up in preparations for
your M509 preps, we inadvertingly uplinked the wrong message
and then we sent the correct one. Your message number that
you should use for that this morning is 2937 Alfa. And
2937 with no change letter should be thrown in the trash
this morning.
PLT (garble).
CC That's right, 2937 Alfa. And just anothher
reminder on that pad and also the one for Jerry that supports
M509_ you'll need to use those same pads tomorrow. So after
you get through with the prep today be sure and don't throw
them away and you can use them again tomorrow.
CC And, Bill, I have one more item for you
that you might want to jot down for your own planning. Your
family COMM is set up this afternoon at 01:35 Zulu; the
Carnarvon pass 01:35.
PLT Roger, 01:35.
CC Yes.
SPT Houston, SPT.
CC Yes sir, Ed, go ahead.
SPT I'm looking at the white light coronagraph
display. The streamer which was there at ii o'clock_ I'm
sorry at 8 o'clock, which was fairly intent and very narrow_
is still evident but it's a little less bright, just
barely (garble). And the remainder of the corona looks
pretty much unchanged. I'm going over there and take a
look and see what it looks like in H-alpha after I get my
shopping list i.
CC Okay, Ed, thanks for the update.
CC Skylab, Houston; we're i minute to LOS.
Vanguard comes up at 14:50.
CDR Roger.
19 seconds Greenwich mean time. Wetre now 8 minutes and
44 seconds from acquisition at Vanguard and we've just gone
out of range of the Texas antenna. This is Skylab Control
at 4 minutes and 32 seconds after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC928/I
Time: 07:11 CST, 29:13:11 GMT
12/14/73

acquisition of signal through the tracking ship Vanguard.
Pass through Vanguard should last approximately 10-i/2 minutes
and we'll bring the line up live now for air-to-ground.
CC Skylab, Houston. Vanguard for 7 minutes.
SPT Houston, SPT.
CC Go ahead, Ed.
SPT Hello, Dick. I had a chance to go over
and look at the limb in H-alpha now over the east side. And I
don't see any prominence activity around 260. However,
down around 240, there is some. I've got to get some coverage
with the 55 mirror auto rasters down to line 14 or so all the
way from 240 up to 270. And the patrol (garble) 56 and the shopping
list item 2. What I'ii - get a little time t 9 I'ii wait and roll
the 82B slit (garble) to change it to the limb and give
them subnormal exposures just a couple are seconds off the
limb, all the way up.
CC Okay, Ed. Copied.
SPT Looking at the XUV monitor picture, the - in
general, it pretty much remains the same except over the east
limb at ar - between 260 and 270 looks like we have something fairly
hot coming around the corner. Even though we do get a lot of
limb brightening and line of sight increase because of the
double limb effect over there, it still looks pretty bright.
CC Good show. Maybe something hot's coming.
SPT Sure hope so.
CC Roger.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're 45 seconds from
LOS at Vanguard. Tananarive comes up at 13:42.
crossing the South Atlantic and is out of range of the tracking
ship Vanguard. 16 minutes and 23 seconds to acquisition at the
voice relay station at Tananarive on the Island of Madagascar.
This is Skylab Control. It's now 25 minutes and 22 seconds after
the hour.
54 seconds from acquisition of signal at Tananarive. The pass
through Tananarive should last approximately 3 minutes - a very
brief pass through this tracking station. We'll bring the line
up live now for air-to-ground through Tananarive.
CC Skylab, Houston. AOS Tananarive for 3
minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're i minute to LOS
from Tananarive. Goldstone comes up in about 45 minutes from
now at 14:29 and we're going to be turning over to the famed
Crimson team. So We'll see you guys in the morning.
SL-IV MC928/2
Time: 07:11 CST, 29:13:11 GMT
12/14/73

Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station has passed out of
range of the tracking antenna at Tananarive. We're now just
about an hour from the Skylab crew's breaking of the record set by
the first Skylab crew of Pete Conrad. That record 28 days, 49
minutes and 49 seconds will be broken this morning at 8:51
and 12 seconds. Astronauts working aboard the Skylab space
station are going to be surveying the Earth with electronic
scanners and special cameras this afternoon. This morning,
Gerald Carr and William Pogue should be in the process of
preparing the astronaut maneuvering unit. That's a nitrogen
powered backpack being tested for future use in repairing
satellites and for other work outside the space shuttle.
Skylab's ultraviolet star camera will be pointed at the
growing comet Kohoutek this morning. The comet_ now just
50,000,000 miles from the Sun, continues to grow in size
and brightness as it speeds along it looping course at more
than 130,000 miles per hour. Bill Pogue and Science Pilot
Ed Gibson will spend several hours today gathering solar
photography. Just a short time ago, Science Pilot Gibson,
who is at work at the ATM control and display panel, indicated
that he could see some signs of limb brightening - that is, to
say brightness around the edge of the Sun that would appear to
indicate an active region coming back into view. We do
expect in the next couple of days that active region 87, which
was quite prominent during the last mission, are quite promi-
nent during the last pass around the Sun, may be coming back
into view in the next few days. Scientists on the ground are
anxiously awaiting for the added benefits of a solar eclipse.
That eclipse, called an annullar eclipse, because it leaves
a disk of sunlight around the edge, is expected to block the
center of the Sun on December 24th. Skylab's instruments will
view parts of the eclipse during six separate orbits, three
of which will be operated by the ground unmanned before the
crew is up at work and three which will be operated by the
crew. Part of the day-before-Christmas solar eclipse will
be seen near dawn for most of the United States, including
the East Coast, Southeast and parts of the Midwest. This
morning, the flight crew of Phil Shaffer, now going off
duty, has been working on a 5-day forecast to be sent up to
the crew later. That 5-day forecast will be one of the new
changes for the crew. They did ask a little more detail on
what would be going on and they'd like more frequent updates.
So they will be getting a 5-day forecast twice a week. 5-day
forecast for this week indicates that on day 30, which is
tomorrow, they'll be doing S063 comet operations and airglow
operations, M092 medical experiment on the Science Pilot,
SI-IV MC928/3
Time: 07:11 CST, 29:13:11 GMT
12/14/73
solar inertial pass to use the Earth terrain camera over

Paraguay. Their first run of the M509, that's the astronaut
manvuering unit of which TV 36-B is scheduled, the commander
will be making the run. An ambient food inventory, and of
course their daily operations of $233. Mission day 31, medi-
cal experiments again. This time_ M092 on the commander.
Comet observations, twice with S019. Photo planned to get
stellar absorption spectra through the comet's tail. S063
airglow experiment set - scheduled for mission day 31, which
is Sunday. $201, comet operations - that's the comet camera
far ultraviviolet electronigraphic (sic) camera that was sent up
with this crew. And also a plan on doing some troubleshooting of
this control and display panel coolant loop. That's the
one that has shown fluid reductions a number of times and
some indication that the pumplmay be in trouble. There is
of course, a backup pump on that line. But they are concerned
that it may increase the touch temperatures of the instruments
and for that reason, limit the amount of use of the TV monitors.
So they are going to do a coolant loop troubleshooting on
mission day 31, 2 days from today. Mission day 32, which
is Monday, is the crew day off. On the crew day off, they
will be doing, however, S183 comet operations. Theytll also
do an Earth resources pass, a predawn geothermal pass over
Italy, on track 58. S063 ozone observations are also scheduled
for Monday. And a possibility for the crew day off, is TV 81,
which is of course their crew choice television. Mission day
33 which is next Tuesday - -
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-929/I
Time: 07:49 CST, 29:13:49 GMT
12/14/73
PAO - - your thermal pass over Italy on

track 58. S063 ozone observations are also scheduled for
Monday. And a possibility for the crew day off is TV 81, which
is of course the crew choice television. Mission day 33,
which is next Tuesday, is scheduled to be the first comet
observations with the solar telescope equipment. Also
scheduled for that day is a run of M092 on the Pilot, Bill
Pogue and an Earth Resources pass that will require an early
wakeup time. That's a predawn geothermal pass, as well as
the one that is scheduled for the crew day off. And that
one will take place over the Western United States and
Central America. There are, of course_ Skylab instruments that
are capable of seeing in the dark, essentially. And that's
the purpose of that pass. They'll be using their thermal
sensor on the multispectral scanner and possibly the
infrared spectrometer. S063 ozone and comet observations
are scheduled for Tuesday. And so is an atmospheric observation
by the $201 comet camera. Also scheduled TV 77-2 for
Tuesday's activities. Mission day 34 which is next Wednesday,
M092, again will be performed on Sience Pilot Ed Gibson and
a second run of M509, thatts the astronaut maneuvering unit.
S019 comet observation and, of course, continuing solar
activity which is scheduled for all of the days, as is the
$233 twice daily comet observations. Today's activities
are primarily a major EREP activity this afternoon after
Earth resources pass and on Earth limb observation, scheduled
for later today. This morning the preparation of M509 astro-
naut maneuvering unit, a comet photography with S019 today;
that's also scheduled this morning with the commander doing
the operations, and extended activity on ATM. Also
scheduled for this afternoon is a run of MO92 on Science
Pilot I'm sorry_ on Pilot Bill Pogue. This is Skylab
Control, we're now 37-1/2 minutes from our next acquisition
of signal. It's 51 minutes and 25 seconds after the hour.
from acquisition of signal through the Goldstone tracking
antenna. This pass through Goldstone should last a little
less than 5 minutes. This time spacecraft communicator,
Bob Crippen has taken over from Dick Truly and he'll be
giving up the call.
CC Good morning, Skylab° AOS Goldstone
4-1/2 minutes.
CDR Good morning, Red Men.
CC Good morning. Howts everything up in
the Sky?
SL-IV MC-929/2
Time: 07:49 CST, 29:13:49 GMT
12/14/73
CDR Doing fine. Just finished looking at

Kohoutek. It's getting longer and stronger.
CC Very good. Been going outside to see
it in the morning. Haven't been able to do it with the
naked eye yet.
CDR No, Bill's been able to see it unaided
for some time. And I saw it a couple of times out of the
command module and haven't seen it since until last night
and this morning, And you can see it again
CC Very good.
CC PLT, Houston. You got a moment, Bill?
PLT Stand by i, Crip.
CC Okay. No rush.
LOS. We'll see you again over the Vanguard in about
17 minutes at 14:50, 14:50. We'll be doing a data voice
recorder dump. And Bill, all I was wanting to do was to
make sure that you'd gotten the pen and inks that were called
up this morning for this upcoming pass, which just said in
the first or in the two J0P 24's you have coming up that
we wanted mirror auto rasters for 55 and do an option B.
PLT That's written in there, Crip.
CC Very good.
PLT I see it.
CC Okay.
PLT Thank you for reminding me.
SPT Houston, SPT.
CC About to go over the hill. Go.
SPT Get you (Garble)
CC You're unreadable. Have to catch you
later.
is now south of Baja, California. 15 minutes to our next
acquisition of signal at the Vanguard tracking ship. During
this last pass, Commander Jerry Carr, who performed the
$233 twice daily comet photography, the morning run of that,
indicated that he could see the comet quite clearly and
it was brighter than before, and also longer. That
has been the report. Here on Earth, it's a little bit more
difficult now to observe the comet. It's coming up closer
and closer to twilight and as a result, twilight brightening,
that is brightening of the atmosphere is interfering with
the viewing of the comet. It is still visible about 2 hours
before sunrise every morning throughout the United States.
Also, here in Mission Control a clock with bright letters
has been lit up for the eastern test range at Cape Kennedy.
SL-IV MC-929/3
Time: 07:49 CST, 29:13:49 GMT
12/14/73
That's a pad test being performed on the Skylab rescue

vehicle, which is now being prepared for use in the event
something should go wrong later in the mission. Eastern
test range clock is for pad test today at Cape Kennedy.
14 minutes to our next acquisition of signal. This is
Skyla5 Control at 36 minutes after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC930/I
TIME: 08:49 CST, 29:14:49 GMT
12/14/73

Greenwich mean time. We're now 55 seconds from acquisition
of signal through the tracking ship Vanguard. The pass
through Vanguard should last approximately ii minutes.
Spacecraft communicator is Bob Crippen. And we're live now
for air-to-ground at Vanguard.
CC Skylab, Houston; AOS Vanguard. We have
you for about ii minutes and we'll be doing a data/voice
recorder dump here.
CDR Roger, Crip.
CC i0, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, i, MARK. You
guys have now been in orbit as long as the SL-II crew. Con-
gratulations.
CDR Thank you, Crip. Hey, I see you finally
learned how to count down from i0 backwards too.
CC Truly retrained me this morning.
CDR My golly, you're trainable.
CC He claims he!s got to do it everytime
I leave the console though.
CDR Now maybe you'll teach us, Crip.
CC Lots of luck on that. I can't teach myself
anything.
CDR You know, Crip, it's hard to believe
that Pete and his guys went home on the 28th day because
we kind of get the feeling we're just getting started.
CC Well, it probably all depends on your
point of view. When you go up there planning to stay 80
and some odd days, well, that - that's the best view to
look at it.
CDR I guess so.
SPT Houston, SPT.
CC Go, SPT.
SPT Morning, Crip.
CC Good morning, Edward.
SPT I'm looking at the XUV monitor and one
thing which I did not mention earlier was that there is
a very prominent bright point located at around 241 degrees
.39 radii. Or more specifically it was at a roll of minus
1728, up/down a plus 2, and a left/right around 378. It
appears as an enhancement in the cromospheric network close
to the vertice (sic) of a couple of cells. And it also has
pretty much filled in a small filament channel which was
running east west yesterday off of a larger filament channel
running north south from the South Pole. Now I'ii talk a little
bit more to it about when we get to Bill in the conference
later on. But it may be something we want to keep an eye
on today.
SL-IV MC930/2
TIME: 08:49 CST, 29:14:49 GMT
12/14/73
CC Okay, appreciate that rundown on it, Ed.

SPT You know, Crip, something's missing from
your life until you've tried to biocide the inside of a
trash airlock.
CC That's lots of fun, huh?
SPT This place is superclean.
CC Very good. Everybody's a good housekeeper.
SPT The CDR's made plans for the SPT to go
EVA to the trash airlock to straighten up the 02 tank.
CC That'd be kind of a tight squeeze, I
believe.
CC You think you could curl up and - -
SPT (Garble) strong arm of the ejector ought
to do it.
CC If could curl up enough to climb in there
CC That's at least got to be more fun than
the WMC though when you (garble) at it.
SPT Had a little of that, too, Crip.
CC Yes, I can - I can sympathize with that
one.
CDR Ed is captain of the head today.
CC Congratulations, captain of the head.
CC That's good training.
SPT I told the CDR I wanted to get ahead and
have a little authority, so he put me in the head and gave
me a little authority.
CC Very little.
CC Tried to get ahead in this world.
CC Skylab, Houston; we're 1 minute from LOS.
We'll see you again in 14 minutes over Tananarive at 15:14,
15:14.
SPT Roger, Crip. We'll see you then.
CC Roger, doger.
PAO Sk_lab Control at 15 hours 1 minute and
38 minutes Greenwich mean time. Skylah space station is
now over the South Atlantic and has passed out of range of
the tracking ship Vanguard. During this last pass we had
some conversation between Science Pilot Ed Gibson who was
talking about cleaning the trash airlock with biocide. He
said the space station was extremely clean, and of course,
as we know from previous studies it is, in fact, about as
clean as a surgical operating room. And also Bob Crippen,
the spacecraft communicator, told the crew that they had
now passed the record set by the first Skylab team of Pete
Conrad, Joseph Kerwin and Paul Weitz. That record was 29 days
SL-IV MC930/3
TIME: 08:49 CST, 29:14:49 GMT
12/14/73
49 minutes and 49 seconds, and the crew did pass that record
at 8:51:12 central standard time this morning. This is
Skyla5 Control 12 minutes to our next acquisition of signal.
It's now 2 minutes and 27 seconds after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-931/I
Time: 09:13 CST 29:15:13 GMT
12/14/73
PAO Skylab Control at 15 hours 13 minutes end

just south of the Cape of Good Hope about to he acquired through
voice relay station at Tananarive on the island of Madagasgar.
The pass through Tananarive should last about 10-1/2 minutes.
The Spacecraft Communicator is still Bob Crippen. This is
Skylab Control, we're live now for air-to-ground at Tananarive.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're AOS Tananarive for
9 minutes.
CDR TV 47 is complete, Crip.
CC Very good.
CC CDR, Houston. Are you busy now, Jer, or
could I give you something that we need to change on this
upcoming housekeeping in the command module today?
CDR No, go ahead.
CC Okay, I can tell you what it is, might
give you time to pull out the CSM Systems Checklist to note it.
This is going to be a change for today only, and it's not a
permanent change to the checklist. Do you have that CSM Systems
Checklist handy?
CDR It's up in the command module, but I'ii
take notes.
CC Okay. On page 4-3 of the Systems Checklist
we would like you for today only on the suits to not do the
suit heat exchanger primary glycol valve to FLOW i minute
and then back to BYPASS. We're just going to leave it where
it is. And the reasoning behind this is you might recall
that it leaked back on Al's flight, and in test at the rescue
vehicle at the Cape it has leaked also. And since it's not
leaking now we decided to - think that weld be better off
not cycling it or at least it's going to minimize the probability
of inducing a leak. And we're considering making this a
permanent change, but we haventt done that yet.
CDR Okay, that's page 4-3. It's the suit heat exchanger
primary flow test for i minute.
CC That's affirmative. We do not want to do
that one.
CDR Okay.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're i minute from LOS.
We'll have you again in Hawaii in 36 minutes at 5 -oh, it's
about 16:00. And I guess you'll be out looking at the comet
at that time. I'm being told that wetre misprouncing the name
of it, that it's not Kohoutek, but Kohoutek.
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now over the
Indian Ocean and is out of range of the Tananarive tracking
voice relay station. At the present time we're approximately
SL-IV MC-931/2
Time: 09:13 CST 29:15:13 GMT
12/14/73
35 minutes from our next acquisition of signal and that will

be at Hawaii. During this last pass the crew was told that
they should not be cycling the suit heat exchanger glycol loop
valve. That glycol loop valve which is in the command module
is cycled once a week and has been during this mission but
a careful look at the rescue vehicle down at Cape Kennedy and
also at the previous Skylab command module indicates that the
valve itself is responsible for a very slight glycol leak.
That leak was spotted by the last Skylab crew and had to be
wiped up a number of times during the flight. They think now
that the valve itself may be irritated by that cycling. The
cycling is normally to keep the valve operating properly to
keep it from sticking in a position, but they feel that in
order to keep it from leaking they'd rather not be cycling it every
week as they have been doing. It won't he used, of course,
until the crew returns. The leak wasn't a problem on the
previous mission although it was a bit messy, and glycol is
not something we like to see leaking from the coolant loop.
So that valve cycling will not be done weekly as it has been
so far during the mission. This is Skylah Control. 33 minutes
to our next acquisition of signal. It is now 26 minutes and
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC932/i
Time: 09:58 CSt, 29:15:58 GMT
12/14/73
PAO Skylab Control at 15 hours 58-1/2 minutes

Greenwich mean time. We're presently about 55 seconds from
acquisition of signal through the tracking antenna in Hawaii.
Hawaii tracking station has reported to us that they had some
problem with a power loss in their reel house. They can't
position their antenna for S-band reception. So there will
be no crew voice expected on this pass. The down llnk is
probably going to be inhibited for the entire pass. It is
possible to use the VHF - that's the circuit used for private
conversation through the command module. But flight director
has asked that not be done. They should - the crew should be
able to hear instructions, however, from CAP COMM Bob Crippen.
We're going live now for conversation with Bob Crippen talking
to the crew and they will not be responding probably for the
entire pass. Network informs us that they've cleared up
the problem in Hawaii so we may get some conversation after all.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're A0S over Hawaii
for 6 minutes and see you're going back to solar inertial.
CC Skylab, Houston. We are AOS over Hawaii
for about 4 minutes, I think.
SPT We got you, Crip. Maneuver looks good from
here.
CC Very good.
CC Ed, while you're there, there's a small
discrepency on the bottom of your S019 maneuver pad and your
details as to when to do a Nu update. And the 16:18 time is
Z
probably the best one to start with.
SPT Copy, Crip. 16:18.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're 1 minute from LOS.
We'll see you again at Vanguard in 22 minutes at 16:28 and
that one's scheduled for Dr. Lenoir to talk to you, Ed.
SPT Okay CrOp. Look forward to it.
18 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station now in
the north Pacific is out of range of the tracking antenna at
Hawaii. We're 20 minutes from acquisition through the Vanguard
tracking ship. This time this morning, S019 operations should
be underway. That's comet photography by Commander Carr. S019,
of course, is an instrument used for other purposes than comets.
But it's one of the dozen instruments will be used to focus on
the comet Kohoutek during the mission. This is Skylab Control.
It's now 8 minutes 50 seconds after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-933/I
Time: 10:27 CST, 29:16:27 GMT
12/14/73

is now about 53 seconds from acquisition of signal through
the tracking ship at Vanguard. That Vanguard tracking ship
pass should last approximately i0 minutes. Wet11 bring the
line up live for air-to-ground. Spacecraft communicator
is Bob Crippen.
MCC Skylab, Houston with the ATM pass here
through the Vanguard for 9-1/2 minutes.
SPT Hello, Bill. Go ahead.
MCC Okay, Ed. This morning we've got the
Quiet Sun revisited here and that's dedicated to that well
known biographer of solar inactivity, what's his name.
MCC Okay, Ed. A couple of quick items here
on today's plan. The first thing to point out is, you do
have two orbits with significant amounts of observing time.
This is in response to your request at the conference a couple
of days ago, that your observing time be saved up and be
given to you in blocks. You've already had part of it. The
other reasoning behind it was that we were really unable to
schedule in some of the inputs that you had to the planning
conference, in particular studying the east limb. We thought
we'd give you significant time here, that if you chose, you
could put together a program of your own in that area. So that
SPT Okay.
MCC that's available for you. The JOP 24, which
is really 82 Bravo's synoptic type JOP here is just coming up on about
a day and a day and a half two day centers. JOP 26 we
repeat on the west limb. We chose the west limb really
because we thought we knew what to expect there. And on the
east limb with some of the activity that's behind it we weren't
totally sure what to expect on that.
SPT Okay. I'll just answer your question on
that one later, but go ahead.
MCC Okay. live got one extra here on that
and it concerns the 82B's operation on those BB 10s. Today
we're doing an exposure normal sequence of three for the first
82B, and then we're doing a single 2-1/2 second exposure for
the second sequence in there. And a reminder as to the most
accurate way of timing that is to use the 82B OPS timer. And
SPT Okay. I got that.
MCC Okay. And be sure to turn it off. You
might remind Jerry about that in case therets no EREP, because
he will be doing those similar things during his, in the no
EREP alternates.
SPT Okay.
MCC Similarly, we have a four-limb coalign in
the no EREP alternate. We'll pick that up tomorrow or the next day,
if in the likely event that EREP does fly.
SL-IV MC-933/2
Time: 10:27 CST, 29:16:27 GMT
12/14/73
SPT Okay.
MCC That's about it for the day. We've got
the quiet Sun and that's what motivated our choice of selected
shopping list items. The NOAA people tell me that they
greatly appreciate your comments, both on the white light
eoronograph and the XUV MON, and it definitely is a significant
input to their forecasting. Tomorrow, filament 37 starts its
limb passage, which you will finish the following day. Similarly
2 days from now active regions 93 and 98 will begin limb passage.
So those ideas are in our mind here for future planning. And
right now, why don't I turn it back over to you and you tell
me what you see and what you think we ought to be doing?
SPT Okay. First of all in the corona, the
bright narrow streamers which were at the edge of the streamer
activity at around 8 and i0 have decreased in intensity significantly
and they're still there. The one at i0 appears to have moved up a
little more towards the north, so there is some changes going on in
the corona in that area. I did not see any real evidence
though of a blowoff of a filament or any kind of a transient
when I looked at it. In the XUV monitor, we have a bright
area on the limb which we would expect of around 240
to 270. And itts exceptionally bright, even considering
looking at a double limb and limb brightening. It still looks
significantly bright. So I think we've got something just
around the corner. Third point is the bright point, which
has come up over the past - one day and which I'm taking
some observations on right now. It appears at around 241 degrees
at .39 radii, or right now, what I'm looking at is a
roll of minus 5393 up/down of plus and 311 in a (garble) rate of
minus a 182. It appears as a enhancement in the chromospheric
network in H-alpha and - very (garble) localized when looking at
it in the XUV monitor. However, the whole area appears rather
broad. And looking at it with the 55 in oxygen 6. So
I would think that this ought to be something we ought to
be following also today. I looks like - I wouldn't say call
it a EFR (sic). I'm not quite too sure what label to put on it as
yet. But it is in the instrument in the chromospheric network
and a significant bright point, which has grown in 24 hours
in the XUV. So as far as making any recommendations, I
guess, I would look for a JOP 17A, step i, building block ii,
followed by step 4, building block 36A on that bright point
sometime today. Right now I'm doing a little shopping list
item on it, getting a mirror auto raster and an exposure
short wavelength (?) (static) normal 82B on it. And a patrol short
for 56. Second thing is that I was going to ask about JOP 26 and
why we were working over in that part of the limh we were in, opposed
to, say, working at the left limb at rolls of 0000, 0600, 1200, and
1800 to study the activity which is slipping (?) around the corner.
SL-IV MC-933/3
Time: 10:27 CST, 29:16:27 GMT
12/14/73
Now if you want to be able to predict what you're going to see,

then perhaps the east limb or the west limb is the safest.
MCC Okay. That was our feeling here, that we
were going after quiet limb. And we thought that we could
more reliably get it
on the west limb.
SPT Okay. There's also a filament, which
I took a few observations on this morning at around 236 degrees
solar north. Thatts on your prominence. And there's another
segment south of that location and I cannot see whether they're
joined in the H-alpha, yet.
MCC Okay. Thank you. Got that.
SPT Okay. That's the only things that I
see from here. I think the bright point's king of interesting
because it has come up and it appears enhanced on the network.
MCC Okay. Fine. We have seen a little bit
of that. And we were tentatively calling it an emerging flux
region. But I think from your vantage point, you've got
a lot more visibility into that than we do in real time.
SPT It may very well be. But I didn't
want to put that label on it until I saw some more manifestations
of a flux region. Something magnetically is happening there, but I'm
not sure we're going to see sun spots in the dipole up here.
MCC Okay. Sounds - Sounds real fine. Let
me answer a question you asked yesterday. Regarding the
roll for 82 Alfa on a building block i, the question was
why we were running at the minus 5400 roll rather than the
zero roll? And the answer was related to the JOP 26s we
were doing, we were studying the south polar regions. We
wanted to get an 82A spectrum where the dispersion was clear
in the polar region for supporting that JOP.
SPT Oh, okay. I understand that.
MCC Okay and that's not an everyday occurance.
That's that time only. Call your attention to the fact
there's a the solar update pad which talked about the eruptive
prominence on the limb, etc. At the tail end of it, there
are a few schedule changes. Just want to remind you that
they're down there - that's sort of a hidden trap that you
might forget. Got a few words here from 55.
SPT I think we're past that time. Those were
at 14:30 pass.
MCC Oh. Sorry about that. You're right.
I'd forgotten we're a little bit later in the day here. A couple
of words here for 55. Let's see first, we've got 1 minute
till LOS and the next station is Tananarive in 16 minutes. And
some words from 55. They want you to know that they do see
spicules and they find them very interesting. The crew day
off on Monday, I've got George Withbroe coming in to talk
to you about the details of what 55 sees there and also what
SL-IV MC-933/4
Time: 10:27 CST, 29:16:27 GMT
12/14/73
their plans are for the active Sun when it rounds the limb
the following day, the active sun being defined as 87/92. And
also, at some point in the next 2, 3, 4 days_ what I'd llke
to do is at the tailend of one of these, just give you a
real quickie outline and looksee into the ATM experiment's
comet plan based on how we understand the pointing test went
and what each individual experiment intends to do and hopes
to get. Does that sound okay to you?
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC934/I
TIME: 10:38 CST, 29:16:38 GMT
12/14/73
MCC - - find them very interesting. The crew

day off on Monday, I've got George Withroe coming in to talk
to you about the details of what 55 sees there, and also what
their plans are for the active Sun when it rounds the len
the following day. This active Sun being defined at 8792.
And also, at some point in the next 2, 3, 4 days, what I'd
like to do is, at the tail end of one of these, just give
you a real quickie outline and look see into the ATM experiments
comet plan based on well - how well we understand the pointing
test went and what each individual experiment intends to do
and hopes to get. Does that sound okay to you?
SPT Yeah, that sounds very good, Bill, I'd like
to hear that. And also, if we could get sent up on a tele-
printer the comet magnitude versus time that we've experienced
so far, I'd like to plop that out here, versus the expected
data, just to get a feel for how it's coming along.
MCC Okay, fine, we'll do that for you.
CDR Very good. I'ii give you words on
the comet probably the next pass. I had a chance to look
at it this pass night site.
MCC Okay, fine. We'll talk to you tomorrow.
Greenwich mean time. The Skylab space station is now out
of range of the tracking ship Vanguard. 14-i/2 minutes to
our next acquisition of signal, that will be at Tananarive.
Conversation was with Bill Lenoir, who's conducting the ATM
briefings and conferences with the crew, while Ed Gibson
the Science Pilot was responding indicating he will be giving
us some information later on the comet Kohoutek, Kohoutek
observations and that he - he did make some observation of
the comet himself, We suspect if he hasn't done so already
the Science Pilot may be able to able to make a determination
of the brightness of the comet. It's now behome very difficult
for ground base observers to determine its magnitude. The
comet rises about 2 hours before the Sun, but by the time
good observations are possible it rises only very slight
amount above the horizon. By the time a good observation
is possible, twilight is interfering with it, and of course,
the Earth's atmosphere makes it almost impossible to get a
good accurate determination of magnitude. Here in the Kohoutek
Control Room scientists report that they haven't had any
measurements of magnitude for the last couple of days because
of the twilight problem. Indications the crew have made
over the last few days or two days, would indicate that it
has gotten a great deal brighter, perhaps on the order of
a magnitude brighter than it had been a week ago. Last
readings we had would - would indicate that about a magnitude
SL-IV MC934/2
TIME: 10:38 CST, 29:16:38 GMT
12/14/73
of just a little bit higher than 3, about 3.2, 3.3, would

be the present reading on the comet. That would indicate
that it's about i0 to 12 times as bright as the dimmest
stars in the heavens and still a long way from its brightest
crown. Teams that have been studing magnitude indicate that
they still expect it to reach about i00 times its current
brightness. Two weeks from today; of course, the comet will
pass the Sun at its closest point about 13.4 million miles
above the surface. It will be at its brightest when it's
nearest the Sun but it will continue to be quite bright in
the period after perihelion which is December 28th for a
period of several weeks after that as it moves away from
the Sun again, and during which time it'll also be moving
a little bit closer to the Earth. 12 minutes to our next
acquisition. This is Skylab Control at 41 minutes and
is now over the southern part of Africa. About 50 seconds
from acquisition of signal through the voice relay station
at Tananarive from the Madagascar Republic. We'll bring the
line up live now for air-to-ground through Tananarive.
CC Skylab, Houston; we're AOS through Tananarive
for about 2-1/2 minutes.
CC And for the CDR_ Jet, if you got a got
a minute we'd appreciate hearing that the SO19 operations
on Kohoutek came off okay.
CDR Yes they did, Crip; no hitches.
CC Okeydoke, very good. I don't know if you
heard. We had a sort of a scratchy pass the last time over
Tananarive, and I was informed that we've been pronouncing
the comet's name incorrectly. That where as I've been calling
it Kohoutek, it's actually Kohoutek.
CDR Roger.
CDR Can't win them all, Crip.
CC Roger that. FLIGHT tells me that goes
along with the Gypsy Moose.
CDR Right; at least you knew how to pronounce
diapause.
CC I only did that after Ed said it.
CC We're 1 minute from LOS and we'll see
you again over Hawaii in about 39 minutes, at 17:36, 17:36.
We'll be doing a data voice recorder dump there.
CDR I never should have let you brief me before
I left, Crip.
SL-IV MC934/3
TIME: 10:38 CST, 29:16:38 GMT
12/14/73
CC You're lucky you didn't make that mistake.

has passed beyond the range of the tracking antenna at
Tananarive. Our next acquisition is 36 minutes away at
Hawaii. On this pass some more conversation between Science
Pilot Ed Gibson this time, and spacecraft communicator Bob
Crippen about the proper pronounceation of the name of the
founder of comet 1973F. That Czechoslovakian gentleman who worked
at the Hamberg Observatory will be here in Houston following
Christmas at about the time of perihelion for the comet, and
at that time l_m sure wetll get a much better understanding
of the proper pronounceation of the gentleman's name. This
is Skylab Control at 17 hours Greenwich mean time.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-935/I
Time: 11:34 CST, 29:17:34 GMT
12/14/73

and 40 seconds Greenwich mean time. The Skylab space station
now crossing the North Pacific northwest of Hawaii. There's
about 50 seconds from acquisition of signal at the Hawaiian
Islands tracking station. Pass through Hawaii will last about
9-1/2 minutes. The spacecraft communicator, Bob Crippen.
We're live now for air-to-ground through Hawaii.
CC Skylab, Houston. AOS Hawaii doing a
data/voice recorder dump. We've got you for about i0 minutes.
SPT Hello, Crip. Let me talk to you about
comet Kohoutek.
CC Talk to me, Edward.
SPT Okay. The night side before last, I
got a chance to look at it, while the folks were working on
S019. And it certainly is growing fast from what I saw
yesterday. The tail appears to be about 4 degrees in arc
length and visible with the binoculars. The length to width
ratio is estimated to be around 20. That puts the width
at something like 1/5 of a degree. The full width is acheived
around say, three widths back (garble) of 3/5 of a degree. And
from there on it's pretty uniform and very straight. It starts
to
CC Hey, Ed.
SPT - - (garble) intensity.
CC Ed, l'm having a hard time hearing
you. Either you're little far from the mike or something.
CC Didn't mean for you to stop talking, though.
SPT Okay, Crip. I'ii talk to you again on
another pass. I've got to get the ATM going.
CC Okay. Fine.
CC And you're coming through loud and clear now.
LOS. We'll have you again in about 23 minutes over Vanguard
at 18:07. And maybe, Bill, you can tell us how the Faulklin (?)
current photograph turned at that time.
PLT Okay.
has now passed south of Hawaii and out of range of the tracking
antenna there. 20 minutes of loss of signal now before our
next acquisition at the Vanguard tracking ship. Beginning
of this pass, Science Pilot Ed Gibson talking about comet
1973 F, the comet Kohoutek. That discussion was relatively
brief and Science Pilot Gibson said he would go on in a little
more detail a little bit later. He was beginning his operations
on the ATM solar instruments. His indications are, I'm sure the
crew has surprised some people here on the ground. The people
in the Kohoutek control room, back room of Mission Control,
SL-IV MC-935/2
Time: 11:34 CST, 29:17:34 GMT
12/14/73
said that they had not been able to get good readings from
ground based observed - observations of the comet. It's
very difficult now to determine its brightness, but
Science Pilot Gibson said that it was much brighter today
than when he saw it yesterday. Yesterday, Bill Pogue, the
Pilot of the Skylab Mission said that he found it to be
much brighter than it had been the previous day. So, apparently
the comet is growing substantial in brightness and in length.
Yesterday, Bill Pogue said that he estimated its length
at 2 to 3 degrees, apparently using the binoculars for
that estimate. Today, Science Pilot Ed Gibson says that
it's about 4 degrees long. 4 degrees would correspond to
about 7-1/2 million miles in length. That's, of course, the
visible length through the binoculars. It would be a good deal
longer than that if more detailed observations were possible
with telescopes or with cameras. Of course, on the $233
experiment, using the Nikon 35-millimeter camera, it will
be possible to determine the length with a little bit more
precision and also the brightness with some somewhat more precision.
We may get a question up to the crew today, to ask them
to estimate the magnitude of the comet. They can do that
by using their binoculars. The technique is to defoeus
the binoculars, that is to put them out of focus on a star
of known magnitude and then compare that to the brightness
of the comet. That's, of course, a technique that's used
by ground obs - ground observers, as well. But, the ground
observers do have the interference of the atmosphere to
contend with. Science Pilot Gibson also said that the
length of the comet being 7-1/2 million miles was about
20 times as long as it was wide. And that would be that
mean that the estimated width of the comet is about 400,000
miles. That's nearly a half a million miles across, with
the widest point coming more than a million miles behind
the forward end of the comet. Comet at this time is about
50 million miles from the Sun. It will reach its closest
point 13.4 million miles two weeks from today. Currently,
its speed is estimated at about 130 miles per hour. That's
very fast, but not fast enough to be noticed in observing
it from Earth. We should get more indication on the comet
later in the day. And we'll certainly be paying attention
for that. This afternoon the Skylab crew will be performing
an Earth resources pass, the thirteenth of this mission. That
pass will - The crewmen will be turned on northwest of
Vientiane over Thailand at 23:52:50 Greenwich mean time. The
first site for observation is an Indonesian storm front.
Thunder storms located over the Island of Borneo. Also
scheduled for observations with the infrared spectrometer,
SL-IV MC-935/3
Time: 11:34 CST, 29:17:34 GMT
12/14/73
that's a scanning device on an - a device that's used for

a very small points and can be pointed by one of the
crew members. Also, scheduled for the use - with the S191
is uniform sites around Alice Springs. They're attempting
to gather data either on large lakes, barron fields, or
rock outcrops, trying to get some data on a uniform area
to determine exactly what sort of response that will get in
the instrument. That, of course, will aid them in detecting
similar areas in other parts of the Earth, and in determining
what the characteristics or signatures of those areas are.
Also, a broken hill area in mid-Australia or possibly
Canberra will be located with the S191 infrared spectrometer.
Operator for the infrared spectrometer today, or the man
who points it by using a viewfinder tracking system telescope,
is Commander Jerry Cart. The 193, multi - microwave radiometer
and altimeter will be in use, as well, over the water areas
around Borneo, and they will be using the altimeter portion of
that instrument for looking at the Java Slope. That's an
area where the water surface, itself, is depressed. It's
depressed due to a subsurface depression that is very -
very deep under the water off the coast of Java. That
subsurface depression caused by the volcanic uplift of
those islands, can be detected in a surface depression. Also_
scheduled are SI90A camera activity. That's, of course, the 6-band
multispectral photographic facility. A series of six cameras
will be used over Borneo, the water areas around there.
part of Java, and all the way to the Australia Coast. It'll also
be used over Aus - Alice Springs, Australia in the center of
the continent and the southeastern portion of Australia including
Canberra. The multispectral scanner 192 will be used over
Borneo and also over the Alice Springs area. Pass ends at
24:15:40 Greenwich mean time in the waters between Australia
and New Zealand. This is Skylab Control. We're a little
less than 15 minutes from acquisition of signal at Vanguard.
It's now 52 minutes and 20 seconds after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC936/I
Time: 12:06 CSt, 29:18:06 GMT
12/14/73

10 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station now
54 seconds from acquisition of signal through the tracking
ship Vanguard. Pass through Vanguard should last about
9-1/2 minutes. Skylab spacecraft communicator is Bob Crippen.
CC Skylab, Houston. AOS Vanguard, 9-1/2 minutes.
CC CDR, Houston. You got a chance to chat
this pass or have I caught you right in the middle of your
exercises?
CDR I'm right in the middle right now. What
do you need?
CC Oh, there a couple of items and questions and
so forth I wanted to go over with you. Why don't you - we'll
pick them up later.
CDR Go ahead. I'm taking a short rest period.
CC Okay. Yesterday, on 183, you stated that
the com_ was not centered in the field of view and you said
it was about 0.6 or 0.7 from the center. Can you tell us
whether you were talking about in as a percentage of the
total field of view or were you talking about degrees?
CDR No, I was using the same sort of pointing
reference as we did from the Sun. That is, the center of
the viewing area is zero and you got to radius out. It was about
6/10ths of a radius out.
CC Okay. Copied. 6/lOths of a radius.
CC Okay and Jer, one other item we have is
that you may have seen the checklist changes we sent up in the
command module about isolating the RCS PSM B valve, and we're
going to ask you to end up closing that thing. We'd like you
to do it over a ground pass at your convenience. And you do
have that CM-7 scheduled which you can do at Just about any
time. And if you want to delay that till, when we have another
ground station pass, that will be fine and we can pick it up
all up at once.
CDR Okay. I'd say sometime in the next 1/2 to
3/4 of an hour'd be fine.
CC Okay. I - to tell you what we got coming
up on passes - we have Ascension at 18:23, and that's about 13
minutes away and unfortunately we don't have another pass 19:44.
That's back around over Vanguard again. But therels no hurry.
If you want to pick up the CM-7 and pick up this valve later,
that'll he fine.
CDR Okay. I've already done the first part of
CM-7. I'ii pick up the last part of it and this valve deal on
the Vanguard pass.
CC Okay. That111 be fine. And -
CDR That is unless the boys object to leaving that on
the secondary loop so long.
SL-IV MC936/2
Time: 12:06 CST, 29:18:06 GMT
12/4/73
CC There's no objection to that.

CDR Very good.
CC One other item is on the upcoming 92
run that we've got today. We have switched you over to
check out a different leg band. I believe you've been
running on the Alfa November band and - but we're seeing
the same clipping that we've seen on the Charlie Juliet,.
But the Charlie Juliett bands have awl - a higher range and we
want you to go back to using those. And thatts going to be
applicable from now on - on all your 92 runs.
CDR Okay. Charlie Juliett.
CC I'll leave you alone for a while and you
can go back to working up a sweat.
CDR Okay. I'm looking out the wardroom
window and I see some big ice islands out there, Jim. It's
kind of strange. The clouds stay away from the ice islands.
There're stratus clouds right up to the edge of the island
and then clear over the island.
CC That's interesting. (Laughter) I'll
let - some of the Earth resouces kind of guys wonder about
that. Assume it has something to do with being so cold.
CDR Must be.
SPT Houston, SPT with the COMM check.
CC Loud and clear, SPT.
SPT Okay. You can hear me now. Is that correct?
CC That's correct. I didn't mean to make
you go away mad awhile ago.
SPT No, you didn't do that. I just didn't
nearly have the time to start it over again before I got a ATM
pass going here and I got a period of (garble). Instruments are
taking it by themselves right now.
CC Tell us about Kohoutek.
SPT When I was - the problem - the problem
that I'm having is to use the headset and to get it at the
right distance. Apparently, what I had before, it was too
close and you swore I had it too far and now I've got them
measured 1/2 film width from the lower lip and I hope that
works.
CC Right. Nothing like precision.
SPT Okay. Now I tell you about comet Kohoutek.
I got a chance to look at it the night before last. The
orbit night before that, and in looking at it through the
binoculars_ I saw the round - the tail of around 4 degrees.
Yesterday, I had estimated to be around 3 degrees. And I did this
by just comparing the field of view in the binoculars with something
I could see inside and, you know, measuring distances and
angles and so forth, it came off at around 4 degrees. I'd esti-
mate a length to width ratio of around 24. That'll give you
SL-MV 936/3
Time: 12:06 CSt, 29:18:06 GMt
12/14/73
width of around 53. And again, all this is eyeball. The - it gets
to full width around three widths back. That is 3/5th of a degree
back from the coma. For the edges, of the tail are very straight
from those three widths back. And at around ten or so back,
it starts to fade away, and gradually, by 20, it's disappeared. I
think a lot of it is dark adaptation . Now the coma itself,
relative to the tail, is relatively bright. And I could see
nothing in the way of a second tail that is either a bluish-
white tail anywhere. This one was come primarily white which I
saw. I cou _ not identify yellow as yet, - had a yellow tinge
to it. It's primarily white. I could not see whether the
comet itself was eliptical. I think we're a little bit too far
out for that. However, comparing it with yesterday, the
brightness (garble) and increased as it moves in rapidly
toward the Sun. I guess it's now almost a half a solar radius
out and itts picking up speed and moving fast. I expect in
the next 2 or 3 days we ought to see a some dramatic changes
and it's going to be pretty interesting from there on.
CC Very good
SPT We'll keep looking.
CC Thank - Thank you for the excellant description,
Ed.
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station over the South
Atlantic has passed out of range of the tracking antenna of
Vanguard ship. 6 minutes and 50 seconds to our acquisition of
signal at Ascension. During this pass, a couple of things.
lee islands reported as the space station passed near the
50 degrees south mark. That's as far south as it goes. Just
to the - just to the east of the coast of South America, they
indicated that the clouds over the ice area could be detected
as quite prevalent where there was no ice. But where the
ice was located, of course, there were no clouds. Explanation
being that to produce clouds, you require a certain amount of heat
energy in the water. And when you have no heat energy, therets
a tendency for the clouds to be dissipated. Science Pilot
Ed Gibson gave a more thorough report on the comet and his
observations on of it. Said that it increased in length from about 3
degrees yesterday, to 4 degrees today, which would indicate it's
about 33 percent longer or it's grown in the vicinity of
about 2,000,000 miles in length. He also gave some additional
explanation of what it appeared to be in mention that dark
adaptation, that is to say that his eyes getting used to the
dark had something to do with determining how long it was.
That's, of course, one of the problems with determining the
length of the comet's tail and its width, depends on the
kind of instrument you're using, your location. For ground
SL-IV MC936/4
Time: 12:06 CST, 29:18:06 GMt
12/14/73
observers, of course, the major problem is the atmospheric

conditions, as the atmosphere is more or less cloudy or
polluted, it's more and more difficult or less difficult
to detect the length of the comet. The longest report
given by ground observers is about 13,000,000 miles for length.
Although it's expected that some comet material may be found back
50 to i00 or possibly as far back as 200,000,000 miles behind
it. Photography has been taken by the Skylab crew to sense
materials that are located as far back as 200,000,000 miles.
But itVs expected that they should be able to see something
back at least 100,000,000 miles behind it. 5 minutes to
acquisition of signal of signal at Ascension. The Ascension
pass normally would not take place on this revolution. But
despite the very low elevation, they've decided to bring it
up since it is the last pass for another hour and a half and
otherwise, they would have a Vanguard - the Vanguard pass
taking a long period of time between our observations.
This is Skylab Control. We'll leave the line up for the
4 minute interval between now and the Ascension pass and
we'll notify you just before that begins.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC937/I
TIME: 12:19 CST, 29:18:19 GMT
12/14/73
PAO Skylab Control at 22 minutes and 49 seconds

after 18 Greenwich mean time. Wetre now about a minute
from acquisition of signal at Ascension. The pass will
last about 3-1/2 minutes. Spacecraft communicator, Bob Crippen.
CC Skylab, Houston; we're AOS Ascension
3-1/2 minutes.
CC PLT, Houston. You got a moment to talk,
Bill, about the upcoming EREP (garble) this afternoon?
PLT Go ahead, Crip.
CC Okay, first item is we do want you to
go to - to take the EREP COOLANT VALVE to FLOW prior to
- in your prep. And I guess your procedures call for that
and everything, but since we've been switching it back and
forth on you we didn't know whether you realized what we
wanted. But we do want to go to FLOW at the beginning. And
then at the end of the thing we'll go back go back to bypass.
PLT Has the cooling system settled down now?
CC Negative. It's - it's - we're still
investigating possibilities of what we might be having to
do about it, but for today's OPS -
PLT Okay, it's duly noted. Anything else?
CC Okay, one other item regarding that
I guess we kind of like appreciate it if somebody might
sort of watch that DELTA-P light on panel 203 during the
- this long LOS we got coming up here. We'd be interested
to know if the thing does go down. One other item is we
call out for you to do a 192 alignment check in your C&D
prep. And we would like you to go ahead and do the alignment
check but we don't want you to fool around with the focus
either on the visible or the thermal channels. You can go
ahead and try to peak it with your with your mike, the
X - X and Y for visible, and X and Z for thermal. And if
we find out later they are peak satisfaetory_ well, we'll
go ahead and schedule a complete alignment.
PLT Okay, I'll try my best on those things.
CC Okay, the thing about it is is that focus,
of course, has been so sensitive we don't want to take a
chance on messing it up. One other item is the if you're
got your C&D pads handy, l'd like to make a couple of
corrections. And we are I minute from LOS. Next AOS is
over Vanguard again in an hour and 18 minutes.
PLT Okay, keep talking.
CC Okay, if you've got it handy, we -
PLT I got it.
CC Okay, we would like to delete the period
following 22:37:00 and add start fine maneuver at 23:42. In
SL-IV MC937/2
TIME: 12:19 CST, 29:18:19 GMT
12/14/73
other words, we just didn't put in the the fine maneuver.

PLT I don't see it on my pad, but go ahead
and give me anything else you have.
CC Okay.
PLT Just that other written down.
CC Okay, basically all we were doing was to
put in - we would like to indicate the fine maneuver times
on both yours and Jerryls pad at 23:42. And one other item,
if you see the DELTA-P light come on while we're LOS, we
would like you to secure the ATM monitors. We do not want to
leave them on with the pump down.
PLT Okay, Crip, I got that one.
CC And, Bill, where I was referring previously
on that fine maneuver, it goes under your operations remarks
under the OPS remarks.
PLT Okay, I found it.
CC Okay, you might also tell Jer to note it
on his pad. Actually Ed's going to be taking care of it so
it's really no sweat for you.
PLT Okay, now we asked to have it, though. Thank you.
is about to cross the Coast of Africa. It's passed out of
range of the tracking antenna on the island of Ascension.
And hour and 15 minutes will pass before we have another
acquisition. That will be again at the tracking ship Vanguard.
This is Skylab Control at 29-1/2 minutes after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC938/I
TIME: 13:43 CST, 29:19:43 GMT
12/14/73

after a round trip of the world is back to Vanguard 50 seconds
from acquisition at the tracking ship there. Pass through
Vanguard should last approximately ii minutes and the space-
craft communicator is Bob Crippen.
CC Skylab, Houston; AOS Vanguard ii minutes.
And we'll be doing a data/voice recorder dump here. Jer if
- whenever you work your way up into the command module we
can get this one switched.
CDR Okay, I'm on my way.
CDR Okay, Crip, go ahead.
CC Okay, Jet, what we want you to do is to
take the service module RCS PSM propellent B to close and
verify the talkbaek as barberpole.
CDR Okay, understand. PSM Bravo to close and
get a barberpole.
CC That's affirm. And to give you a little
rationale here, I think we told you about it before, but the
data from both of the trim burns indicate that either the
primary or secondary fuel propellant valves on quad B is
still is still leaking through the valves. In order to
keep quad B secure from leaks in any of the other quad
systems and to preclude the nes - necessity for a real
time critical action, we recommend changing the glass in
that configuration like we've done now to keep the PSM B valve
closed. Did you get a chance to look at those checklist
changes regarding this new configuration that we sent up
this morning?
CDR That's affirmative.
CC Okay, we unfortunately have made a minor
error in one of them on the SWS deact checklist that we would
like to - to correct. And we can either - we could pick that
up a little bit later, but what we had done was we had left
out PSM on one of them right at the last. We had said service
module RCS propellant B open talkback gray, and what we
meant was service module RCS PSM propellent B open talkback
gray. And I'ii get that when you've got the checklist
later.
CDR Okay, I've got it in my hand here and I
haven't got to that checklist yet. So, I put that in the pad.
CDR Okay, that's on message 2942, and it was
the last line on that one.
CDR All right_ I got it.
CC Okay, that makes all of our onboard check-
lists except the CSM systems checklist contingency procedure
SL-IV MC938/2
TIME: 13:43 CST, 29:19:43 GMT
12/14/73
for CSM soft undocking and reclooking compatible with our

new change. And we are - just elected not to put it in
there since it would - if we knew we were going to have to go
in and do that soft undocking thing, we could be aware of it.
And we'll do it real time.
CDR Okay, good enough.
CC Very good; that handles it for us. Thank
you.
CDR Okay, Crip, I'll go ahead and get a
stack on a primary loop now.
CC Very good.
CDR By the way, Crip, I've done and undone
this overboard vent valve with the cryogenics system so many
times that I've kind of forgotten what the configuration
ought to be. Where do we stand right now?
CC We're checking on it for you, Jer.
CDR Okay.
CC Jer, we're under the impression that
we should he venting into the vehicle now, and that that
should have been the situation for about the past week.
CDR The polychoke is out, the cryo vent valve
is in, and the inner connect hose that connects the cryo
vent to the hatch dump has been completely removed.
CC Okay, that's - that's the configuration
that we thought you were in and thatts the one we want
you to remain in.
CDR Okay, good. I noticed the cryro tanks
and the search tank this morning were both within just a
few pounds of each other.
CC Okay, that coincides with what we're
seeing down here.
CC And one other item, Jet, unrelated to
that is that we told you last night that we would remind
you today on your original Flight Plan that we sent you
up yesterday we called out for a leg blood pressure on
- on Bill this afternoon, and we wanted that scrubbed.
CDR Roger, we remembered that.
CC Very good.
CC And, CDR, Houston. Jet, if it's convenient
we've got Ascension coming up in about 5 minutes and I'd
like to give you a short briefing on something that we've
been seeing with CMG 2 that - that you ought to be aware of.
if Ascension's the convenient place to talk about it.
CDR Okay, we'll be ready and waiting.
CC Okeydoke.
SL-IV MC938/3
TIME: 13:43 CST, 29:19:43 GMT
12/14/73

We'll have you again in 3 minutes over Ascension at 19:58,
19:58, and we'll talk about the CMG 2 thing there.
range of the tracking antenna aboard the ship Vanguard. Our
next acquisition is just a minute and 45 seconds away at
Ascension at which time spacecraft communicator Bob Crippen
will talk to the crew about the second of three control
moment gyros. Give them a little explanation and some details
on the performance of that gyroscope which is used to provide
some of the stability for the space station and help it to
maintain attitude control. We'll keep the line up live now
for the pass through Ascension. The pass should last about
10-1/2 minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston; we're AOS Ascension, and
we have you for about ii minutes.
CDR Roger.
CC Okay, and Jer, if you've got some time
and if the other guys are available they might - might want
to listen to this little briefing I got on CMG 2.
PLT Jerry's listening, and we're standing by.
CDR Okay, Crip.
CC Okay, I certainly don't want to say anything
that's alarming, but we're premission said we're going to
try to keep you advised of everything we were saying on the
ground here. And that's what I'm going to try to do now to
tell you something that we been seeing on CMG number 2. Normally
bearing 2 is about - has a temperature about 4 degrees lower
than bearing 1 on a CMG. And we have seen on four different
occasions this Delta temperature decrease by a small amount.
And accompanying that we've also seen an increase in wheel
current which is indicative of some increase in friction
somewhere. Now, nothing we've seen here is - is an alarming
increase, but we did see on CMG number i, about 21 days prior
to its failure, a signature very similar to this, only of
much greater magnitude. Consequently wetre doing some advance
planning here on the ground regarding what we would do if
we did lose another CMG. And we hope to uplink you some -
some details of what this planning consists of probably by
tomorrow.
CDR Okay, Crip. I got a little - my preliminary
from you I guess, about a week ago and that was interesting
to read. I also made a few comments to the data priority
folks, Phil Shaffer namely yesterday on tape, and I'll expect
he'll be getting them today sometime.
CC Okay, fine. Can you elaborate on that just
SL-IV MC938/4
TIME: 13:43 CST, 29:19:43 GMT
12/14/73
a little bit more, Jer, as to what you were talking about?

CDR Why don't you wait and let Phil fill you
in on it?
CC Okay, fine.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-939/i
Time: 14:00 CST, 29:20:00 GMT
12/14/73
CDR One question I have is, in the event

we do end up going into the wide dead band mode, assuming
no other RCS usage in the occasional trimburn, what sort
of a time period have we got available to us on the wide
deab-band mode?
CC Well, actually we're referring to a
couple of things here. And I'm not specifically which wide
dead-band you're referring to right now Jer, so, maybe I'd
prefer to wait until we get this message up to you tomorrow
which will go into details on all of these.
CDR Okay. Those are some of the details
that welre going to be interested in. And that is what sort
of endurance do we have in the different types of modes
that we could go into.
CC Okay. Apparently, you were made aware
of this problem at some earlier date. And I was not aware
that you had been told about it. It sounds like you're
aware of the situation.
CDR Yeah. We heard about the CMG problems,
oh gosh, it's been 2 weeks ago, I think, is when it was first
mentioned. And, oh, 5 or 7 days ago, or so, a little
preliminary message came up indicating the three major
theories as to what the problems might be and what some of
the courses of action might possibly be. But it was emphasized
that that was strictly a preliminary and that there was more
steudy going on.
CC Okay. One small amount of information
in addition to what you got before. Subsequent research
following that last message you got, I guess, was we've
been seeing these little glitches on the bottom part of the
heater duty cycle, in other words, at the colder temperature
and so we're looking at maybe doing some kind of managing
of that to keep it from getting down on the colder side.
SPT Crip, have they been able to dig back
into the data on the - on all the CMGs and find out whether
these things have actually occurred at other times other
than just before CMG i went out, or at this particular
time for CMG 2?
CC In our data search it is - we have not
found out any more cases of this than what we've reported.
CDR Thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston. One other additional
information is we have developed what we call a quaze
inertial patch to be loaded in the ATMDC, which reduces the
cost per rev around to about I00 to 150-pound seconds, each
rev. Also we're working on something similar to that for
the command module, which would reduce the RCS cost down to
about a third of what it is now.
SL-IV MC-939/2
Time: 14:00 CST, 29:20:00 GMT
12/14/73
CDR Crip, what's our useful number of pound

seconds remaining?
CC We have 26,000 pound seconds total. We've
saved 6000 pound seconds as a rescue dead a redline and that
leaves us 20,000 pound seconds available.
CDR Thank you.
CC Okay. And as I said, we're going to
be uplinking a message to you, hopefully, maybe by tomorrow,
it'll probably be about the same time we would be loading
this APCS quazi inertial patch. And that will go into a
lot more detail as to, you know, fuel usage in both (garble) with
RCS or with the APCS.
SPT Okay. That sounds like a little over
a week, Crip. I hope we can come up with some other methods.
LOS. We'll see you again over Guam in 35 minutes. That's
at 20:42, 20:42.
CDR Okay, Crip. We'll see you then.
CC Roger.
now crossing northwest Africa is out of range of the tracking
antenna on the island of Ascension. 32 minutes and 40
seeonds to our next acquisition at Guam. During this last
pass, Bob Crippen was talking to the crew about the status
of working on the control of moment gyroscope number 2. No
additional problems have occurred with that lately, but the
ground controllers felt that it was about time the crew was
inform_ more fully on the status of the work being done, in the
event something should happen to the control moment gyro. Very little
concern, actually, at this time about the possibility that it
will go out of action, but despite that, since it's very
important and, in fact, essential to complete the mission, a
number of preparations have been made to work without the
second control moment gyro. Current indication is that they
would be able to go about 8 days on thruster attitude control
system gas. That is to say in the backup nitrogen gas that's
available on the space station itself. After that 8-day
period they would use the reaction control system of
the command module, so that gives them a very large pad for
return to Earth. But, of course, they're trying to increase
that now. And believe that by putting a patch into the computer,
that is a new set of instructions into the computer on the
command module, they may be able to make it a little more
efficient in terms of maintaining attitude for the entire
space station. Status Report was very brief and essentially,
merely, pointed out that the slight variation about 1 percent
drop in wheel speed that has been observed a number of times
SL-IV MC-939/3
Time: 14:00 CST, 29:20:00 GMT
12/14/73
on the second control moment gyro seems to be associated

with the lower end of the heater cycle. As the temperatures
drop to about 60 degrees, just before the heaters come on,
there appears to be, what some people believe, to be a
cooling off of the lubricant. And that in turn causes the
wheel to slow down. Of course, as the wheel slows down,
the electrical energy used to power it, increases and that's
about the total extent of the variation. It's been very
very small, generally less than a 1 percent reduction in wheel
speed and a corresponding increase in current. No changes
have taken place in that in the last few days and there has
been no additional cause for concern. This was, of course,
just the status report on that situation there. Early
this evening, the Skylab crew will be making a pass over
southeast Asia, Indonesia and Australia. That's a Earth
resources pass. Instruments will be turned on over Thialand,
but, in fact, they won't begin actual data taking until they reach
an area just off the coast of Vietnam, before passing over the
Island of Borneo. When they have crossed Borneo, one of the main
targets for that area is a severe thunderstorm front over the island,
which will be observed using the infrared spectrometer. Although
the SI90A camera set, and also the 193 radiometer will be
in use at the same time. That area is being studied, primarily,
for Dr. David Pitts, whose a Johnson Space Center Scientist
concerned with thunderstorm development, and particularly
interested in storm growth and prediction of future storms.
A number of other experiments also scheduled for that run
including a photographic and multispectral scanner data to
be gathered for semiautomatic land-use mapping on the
Alice Springs, Australia area. Alice Springs an heartland of
Australia is to be studied for a number of purposes, including
a later study of the potential use of geologic data, data
on land-use mapping, agriculture and forestry in the
area. That's a wide scale study which also includes the
area around Cambrai. Pass ends approximately 23 minutes
after it begins. It begins at 23:52 Greenwich mean time
and ends at 24:15. It covers a 6500 mile track along the
descending track 13 from just north of Borneo to the waters
between New Zealand and Australia. Another problem of
concern that the crew will be working at a little more
closely on Sunday is the occasional variation in the
flow of the ATM control and display panel loop. That coolant
loop has dropped to zero flu zero flow on
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC940/I
Time: 14:13 CST, 29:20:13 GMT
12/14/73
PAO Other problems of concern that the crew

will be working at a little more closely on Sunday is the
occasional variation in the flow of the ATM control and
display panel loop. That coolant loop has dropped to zero zero
flow on several occasions and it's believed that there may be
either a flaw in the pump itself or possibly could be contami-
nation or air in the lines. That's being looked at now and
our troubleshooting procedure's being prepared for the crew.
They're expected to make some sort of a troubleshooting run
on Sunday. Main reasons for concern on that is that should
the control and display panel loop shut down completely for
extended periods, it would cause temperatures of the control
panel to increase beyond the desired level. At the present
time, the guideline is 105 degrees for temperature. To offset
that possibility of increasing temperatures, the TV monitors
that are used for pointing the solar telescopes and also for
gathering certain types of data would have to be shut down
for approximately two-thirds of an average revolution. That's
part of a set of instructions that'll probably be sent up to
the crew shortly. And one other reason for concern, there is
that the Earth resources tape recorders would be limited to
24-minute passes and there would have to be a 10-hour cool
down as the control and display panel coolant loop were to
fail com_etely. This expected at this time, there's a back-
up pump still available. That if it is pump C on the verge
of failure, that pump B might still be able to be brought on
line without problems. However, they haven't really come to
a final determination on that and the troubleshooting procedure
will be underway again for the next 24 hours. This is Skylab
Control. 27 minutes to our next acquisition of signal. It's
now 15 minutes and 16 seconds after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC941/I
Time: 14:41 CST, 29:20:41 GMT
12/14/73

acquisition of signal at Guam. That pass through Guam will
last approximately i0 minutes. The spacecraft communicator
is still Bob Crippen. Flight Director on duty is Don Puddy.
We'll keep the line up live now for air-to-ground through Guam.
CC Skylab, Houston. AOS Hawaii, 9-1/2 minutes.
Correction AOS Guam.
CC Skylab, Houston. We are 1 minute from
LOS. We'll see you again over the Vanguard in about 31 minutes
at 21:22, 21:22. We'll be doing a data/voice recorder dump
there.
CDR Rog, Crip.
range of the tracking antenna at Guam. Our next acquisition
is about 27 minutes away. Over the Vanguard station during
the last pass, spacecraft communicator Bob Crippen told the
crew that they'd like them to shut down one of the valves that
feeds the reaction control system of the service module. I'd
like to give you an explanation at this time of the problem
there. During that last Vanguard pass, Bob Crippen asked the
crew to shut down the valve that feeds propellant to the four
reaction control system quads or sets of engines on the service
module. The valve links the propellant storage module, which
supplies additional fuel to any or all of the four quads, to the
main fuel lines. The problem, however is located elsewhere in the
system. The isolation valve which is used to shut off the
fuel tanks specifically for quad B from the fuel line that
feeds the quad B engines has shown some signs of leakage. The
leak is however, relatively unimportant because it is
between the fuel storage tank and the fuel line itself. The
line itself 3 on the other hand, is isolated on its opposite
end by a separate valve that keeps fuel from flowing out
of the line and into the combustion chamber - or, if the engine
is shut down due - that valve prevents fuel from flowing out
of the line and into space. Problem is other end where the
fuel tank connects with the line. Because the fuel tank and
fuel line are not isolated from each other because of the
leaking isolation valve, fuel from the propellant storage
module or PSM, may flow not only to the engines, but also
back into the fuel tank. With the valve open, should - if
a leak should occur in any of the sets of engines, fuel might
flow from the quad B tank into the main line that's fed by
the propellant storage module, the backup fuel tanks, and thus
might reach other engines and go or possibly go overboard.
So the problem is not not one that's serious but in the
SL-IV MC941/2
Time: 14:41 CST, 29:20:41 GMT
12/14/73
event that one of the quads should begin leaking, fuel would
flow from this - this one isolation valve would allow it
to flow back into the general system, and thus go out into
one of the other engines, and couldn't be isolated. So for
that reason the PSM valve has been closed off. The leaking
isolation valve doesn't present any problems at this time
and it will not cause any loss of fuel whatsoever. It would
require a loss of - of valve at the engine and - and of
things for fuel to go overboard. During the previous Skylab
mission, the valves downstream, that is to say the valve at
the engines were found to leak on two quads. At that time
an isolation valve upstream, that is near the fuel source,
was closed to prevent fuel from moving into the lines that
fed the leaking quads. The isolation valve closed to prevent
fuel from reaching the lines during the last mission,
corresponds to the isolation valve that's now been found to
have an imperfect closure on this mission. As I wo - like
to repeat that, the isolation valve itself only allows fuel
to flow from the tanks into the fuel lines, it does not allow it
to flow overboard or to leak inside the engines themselves.
So, it's relatively a small problem but in order to keep that
fuel from going overboard in the event a leak should occur
in any of the engines, they have shut down the PSM or propellant
storage module valve. During our last pass we also got some
information over Ascension about the command module - about
the control moment gyro number 2, checked with some of the
personnel here, and have discovered the total amount of fuel
now available in the even - in the event that command module
control moment gyro number 2 should fail. Is relatively, high and
considered to be safe for an extended period, present expectations
are that should that control moment gyro fail, we would have
sufficient TACS, thruster attitude control systems gas or
nitrogen gas, to last at least 8 days, possibly longer. And
we'd also have enough reaction control system fuel available
to last at least 8 days, and possibly should this patch that's
being worked up by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
be completed, that might give an extension of up to 28 days
of RCS attitude control. So, it's conceivable that even with the
loss of another control moment gyro should that patch be effectively
completed it might be possible to continue a mission for
up to 36 days. That of course would limit to a large degree
the types of maneuvers that could be performed that some
calculations have already been begun on maneuvering without
a control moment gyro. It indicates that for example, an
Earth resources pass might require as much maneuvering fuel
as an entire day's - day's solar enertial attitude control.
But that those figures are certainly encouraging, that - we
have at least enough for 16 days of attitude control and
SL-IV MC941/3
Time: 14:41 CST, 29:20:41 GMT
12/14/73
possibly enough for up to 36 days of attitude control without

the second control moment gyro. Again, to repeat that,
problem has not gotten any worse in the last several
days, they did get a status report on it however, earlier
today. This is Skylab Control 22 minutes and 45 seconds
from acquisition of signal at the Vanguard tracking ship.
This is Skylab Control at 58 minutes and 15 seconds after
the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC942/I
Time: 15:19 CST 29:21:19 GMT
12/14/73

19 minutes Greenwich mean time. Space station is coming
into acquisition at Vanguard. On this the beginning of
the 3,094 rev. We'll stand by for the air-to-ground.
SPT Hello, Crip, SPT.
CC Your really on the ball Ed. We've got
you for about ii minutes through Vanguard doing a data/voice
recorder dump. What can we do you for?
SPT Okay, in the ATM schedule at ii minutes
remaining we have a 55 MIRROR AUTO RASTER detector all
mechanical ref with no grating position.
CC Looks like you've caught us again.
CC Okay, Ed it's mechanical 102 or optical
all balls.
SPT Thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston. You guys might have
noticed the woodpecker pecking. We've got your flight plans
on board for tomorrow. One item of note of course, wetve
got you running 509 tomorrow, and we had set up a couple
of pads today that actually carry over until tomorrow.
We are assuming that you guys are holding on to those.
SPT Yeah, we got them Crip. We're going
to hang onto them.
CC Thank you.
CC SPT, Houston. For your information
only we noticed a surge over on the limb at 25/1.0. If
you get some serving time you might be interested to take
a look at it.
SPT Yeah, I'd like to Crip. They want me
to - at least the pad says to run this thing below 400 K. I'm
wondering how mandatory that is as to whether that's to give
me leeway or whether that's the observation they really want.
SPT Crip, say the position of that surge
again, please.
CC Okay Ed, you got a GO on pointing at
it and it's at 25/1.0. If you elect to go ahead and look
at it 82A would like an 80 second exposure short wave length
and 55 would just continue to run like they are.
SPT Thank you.
LOS. We'll see you again over Ascension in 7-1/2 minutes
at 21:39, 21:39.
PAO We had relatively limited communication
with the crew on this pass. Principally because the
commander and the pilot were involved in a medical run.
SL-IV MC942/2
Time: 15:19 CST 29:21:19 GMT
12/14/73
The science pilot was at the ATM console viewing the Sun.
We expect to have a change-of-shift briefing with the off-
going Flight Director, Donal Puddy and with William Shoddy,
who is the Skylab Kohoutek Project Manager participating.
That briefing will take place at approximately 4:45 p.m.
central standard time in the news center briefing room in
building number i. We expect to reacquire the space
station in about 5 minutes on what's call a low elevation
pass through Ascension, and then carry it on through to the
Canary Islands and Madrid. So we'll keep the line up for
another 4 or so minutes waiting for the Skylab space station
to be reacquired. Standing by at 21 hours 34 minutes
Greenwich mean time.
END TO TAPE
SL-IV MC943/I
TIME: 15:34 CST, 29:21:34 GMT
12/14/73
CC Skylab, Houston we're AOS through Ascension,

we've got you for about 2-1/2 minutes with a short break
and then we'll pick you up again at Canary.
CC Skylab, Houston we're going to lose you
here in about 30 seconds and pick you up in another minute
over - over Canary.
CC Skylab, Houston we're AOS through Canary
and we have you for about i0 minutes.
SPT Hey Crip, it was a very good looking
surge, it was about an arc minute or so above the limb and very
straight up, I got a fair AUTO RASTER work on it and
82A got one exposure however it was not 80 seconds,
about - more like a half of that because of the end of 400 K.
CC I'm sorry Ed I didn't understand, how
long the exposure was.
SPT About 40 seconds rather than 80.
CC Copy.
SPT I cut it off at 400 K.
CC Skylab, Houston we're i minute from LOS,
next station contact is over Guam in 26 minutes at 22:21,
22:21, be a data/voice recorder dump there. Ceimson team
is going off execute shift for awhile. They'll take a day
off and come back Sunday evening doing details and be with
you in the evening. You guys have a good time and we'll
see you Sunday.
SPT You too troops. Enjoy the day off.
CDR Sayonara.
CC Rog, I'ii probably spend it in the SLS.
I finally get a chance to use it now that you guys are gone.
PAO We've had loss of signal through the
Madrid tracking station. We'll reacquire again in about
24 minutes. At 21 hours, 56 minutes Greenwich mean time,
this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC944/I
TIME: 16:19 CST, 29:22:19 GMT
12/14/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at 22 hours,

19 minutes Greenwich mean time. We're about a minute and
a half away from acquisition through the Guam tracking site.
At this time the crew is collectively involved in preparations
for an Earth resources pass, identified as EREP pass 15 over
track number 13, according to the schedule. We'll stand by
for the air-to-ground through Guam. Expect to have acquisition
- expect to be acquired through Guam at about - for about
7 minutes. Standing by.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Guam for
7 minutes. Silver team on down here and we got some information
for you regarding your EREP configuration.
PLT Roger, Bruce go.
CC Okay, Bill due to the energy shortage
up there, prior to the EREP pass this evening on panel 206
we'd like to get you to adjust the reg bus pots as follows:
reg adjust bus i, 20 degrees clockwise, that's 20 degrees
clockwise, bus 2 pot, 25 degrees clockwise, that's 25 degrees
clockwise. Also on your SWS Systems Checklist page 2-15,
pre-EREP powerdown, we'd like for you to perform steps 2
and 7 which is turning out the some of the lighting down in
the workshop and turning off a number of the fans. After
the EREP pass is completed, you flip to page 2-16 and perform
2 and 7 of the post-EREP powerup which reverses all
that. Also we will command all theamp hour integrators
in the airlock module back to primary and by telemetry
comand turn off the heaters in the front end of the MDA,
over.
PLT Okay, Bruce reg i, 20 degrees clockwise,
2, 25 degrees clockwise and do you want me to do that right
now?
CC At your convenience. If it's convenient
now, it will be fine.
PLT Okay and then do the step 2 and 7 on
page 2-15 of the Systems - SWS Systems Checklist. EREP
prep and reverse that follow on the following page following
the EREP.
CC Roger, out. And we're dumping your
data/voice tape recorder at the present time.
CC Skylab, this is Houston just to keep
you up to date on the latest situation with the A - ATM,
C&D coolant loop. When you came over the hill here at Guam,
we noticed that your flow was somewhat below normal. To
be more specific it was zero, and in fact it's been coming
back up since then and now looks normal. We're working
on a procedure down here that involves a partial reservicing
SL-IV MC944/2
TIME: 16:19 CST, 29:22:19 GMT
12/14/73
of the loop which we hope to have up to you in a couple of

days, over.
SPT Okay, Bruce thank you. I looked at the
reservoir just last orbit and it looked pretty good, looked
full with no bubble.
CC Okay, thank you Ed.
CC SPT, this is Houston in the ATM schedule
pad for today, we neglected to indicate that the closeout
at last pass should have been a powerdown for EREP. That was
our fault, we do - we would like to get the panel powered
down prior to the EREP pass, over.
SPT Okay, Bruce I'll be doing that in a few
mom_ts, thank you.
CC Roger, thank you.
CC Skylab, this is Houston 1-1/2 minutes to
LOS, next station contact in 7 minutes through Honeysuckle
Creek at 22:33, out.
PAO We're in between station passes, that is
to say, we're in between Guam and Honeysuckle tracking site.
Expect to reacquire again in about 4 minutes. The mean time
a reminder that we'll have a change-of-shift briefing at
4:45 p.m. central standard time, with Don Puddy the
Flight Director on the off-going shift. And we've also - will
have William Shoddy who is the Skylab Kohoutek Project Manager.
standing by to participate. We're about 3 minutes from acqu -
reaquiring, we'll keep the line up. The crew at the present
time is involved in preparation for the Earth resources pass,
which is scheduled to begin at 23 hours, 52 minutes, and
50 seconds Greenwich mean time, or roughly in an hour and
about 20 minutes from now. Keep the line up standing by,
reminding you that the new shift on is under Neil Hutchinson
and the Spacecraft communicator is Bruce McCandless.
Standing by.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC945/I
Time: 16:30 CST, 29:22:30 GMT
12/14/73
CC Skylab, this is Houston, through

Honeysuckle, Creek for 4 minutes. Out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston, i minute to LOS.
Next station contact in 26-1/2 minutes through the Vanguard
at 23:02. Out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston, correction, next
site is Canary Islands in 44 minutes at 23:20.
PAO And the space station has moved out of
range of the Honeysuckle tracking site. We've lost data
here indicating that we will next acquire at approximately
42 minutes through the Canary Island station. At 22 hours
38 minutes Greenwich mean time, this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC946/I
Time: 16:46 CST 29:22:46 GMT
12/14/73

46 minutes 25 seconds Greenwich mean time. A minute plus
over the time for the projected change-of-shift briefing
with notice to the news media representives that the
Flight Director, Don Puddy is now en route to the news
center in Building number i. And he'll have with him
Terry Watson who is the Guidance Officer who will be
prepared to answer any questions on the CMG should they
arise. Expecting to have the change-of-shift briefing
momentarily. At 22 hours 47 minutes Greenwich mean time
this is Skylab Contol.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC947/I
Time: 17:18 CST 29:23:18 GMT
12/14/73

29 minutes Zulu time. During the change of shift briefing
space station was acquired through Canary and Madrid. We
have about 50 seconds of tape recorded information and
then we'll go live from there on, on the balance of this
pass.
Island and Madrid for 13 minutes. For the SPT, we'd like
to get a REG BUS 2 OPEM CIRCUIT BOLTAGE ADJUST, please.
Over.
PLT I can get it for you Bruce. I'm up
here.
CC Okay, Bill REG BUS 2 counterclockwise
by 5 degrees. Over.
PLT Roger. I'ii be doing it in the next
i0 seconds if they want to watch.
CC Okay.
PLT Okay, take a look at that.
CC Looks perfect Bill. Thank you.
CC I guess it's the Bay of Biscay and
approaching the coast of France.
PLT Yes, that checks. Thank you. We got the
full south coast of England and Dover is sited, beautiful, the
channel's clear.
CC Roger, it sound like you got a good
view. Can you see the White Cliffs? And since I asked
you about White Cliffs the flight director wants to know
if you can see any grapes.
PLT (Chuckle) No, it's really a beautiful view
though. Western Europe - half of Western Europe is completely clear.
We can see, oh, I would say about the southern quarter of
England.
CC It must be about midnight.
PLT That's affirm.
CC Okay, you should be passing Munich and
Vienna shortly. This may - may be even Berlin visible up to the
north.
PLT We're starting to pick up quite a bit
of cloud cover now.
CC Roger, we copy.
CC And 1 minute till LOS here next station
contact in 27-1/2 minutes through Carnarvon. At 00:00 Zulu.
PLT Roger, Bruce.
PAO The space station has moved out of range
of the Madrid tracking site at this time. That's the Madrid
SL-IV MC947/2
Time: 17:18 CST 29:23:18 GMT
12/14/73
tracking site. And on this pass we will fall out of contact

of any of the stations, the ground stations. We will have
the Earth resources pass identified as EREP pass number 15,
over track number 13. That begins at 23 hours 52 minutes
50 seconds Greenwich mean time. Roughly 16 minutes from
now when the space station is over southeast Asia. It's
a track that will last about 23 minutes. And we'll have
a total length of approximately 6500 miles. At 23 hours
35 minutes Greenwich mean time this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC948/I
Time: 17:58 CST, 29:23:58 GMT
12/14/73

minutes Greenwich mean time. We're about a minute and a half
from acquisition through the Carnarvon tracking station. We
expect at this time that the crew is in its Earth resources
pass, identified as EREP pass number 15 over track 13, which
takes it over Southeast Asia, across Australia, for a total
of about 6500 miles. We'll keep the llne up for the air-
to-ground which we expect momentarily.
CDR I'll be able to get for you.
CDR To isolate cells side by side.
PLT Okay, I'm going - okay 190 MODE, STANDBY,
MEDIUH, INTERVAL, and FRAME 08, INTERVAL 20. RADIOMETER to
STANDBY. 93 yellow light is - -
CDR One of the cells - -
PLT ON.
CDR Even has an overshooting top.
PLT ALTIMETER ON at 50 - on the (garble).
Two seconds slow on the MODE to AUTO on the 190.
CDR Oh, here's - just a couple of real classic
cells, just all out by themselves for the world to see. I
thought I'd missed my chance to get a good thunderstorm.
CC Skylab, this is Houston, with you through
Carnarvon and Honeysuckle Creek for 13-1/2 minutes. Out.
CDR RoEer, Bruce.
CDR Okay, got a good thrunderstorm here, with
a nice little overshooting top on it, taking data. Right now
going for the anvil, taking data. A dual cell. All right
gone for clear water and data. Termination.
SPT Is it very clear down there?
CDR It is now. Gotta to go for Alice Springs
now. 44.9. And set that camera to 12 - 125th - et. Left
6 for Alice. Made it over the north Australian coast I
believe. Got clouds.
PLT Standing by for 0320. Man, that's unusual
right there in that area, too.
CDR Yeah, maybe I'm a little bit too quick to
call that Australia.
PLT STANDBY.
PLT MARK. STANDBY. Fast 08, and INTERVAL
to I0.
PLT ALTIMETER UNLOCK light, turning it off
for 15 seconds.
CDR Okay, we're interested in range land and
rock outcoppings.
PLT Ought to be a lot of them.
CDR Fortunately, all there is now is a lot of
clouds.
PLT Okay, 193 is back ONand I do have a
SL-IV MC948/2
Time: 17:58 CST, 29:23:58 GMT
12/14/73
READY light. Standing by 04:30. And it going to turn it

back to STANDBY. Now I got the ALTIMETER UNLOCK blinking
now. On my mark 04:30.
MARK. And the ALTIMETER to STANDBY.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC949/I
TIME: 18:04 CST, 30:00:04 GMT
12/14/73
PLT I'm on (garble) now. On my mark,

04:30 -
PLT M_RK. And the ALTIMETER to STANDBY.
Be soaking up the 192 data here. Not either; we're in CHECK.
CDR Okay, the clouds are beginning to break
it up. Break up. Scattered cirrus, scattered to broken cirrus
now, it looks like. All right, from northern Australia down to
about central Australia just north of Alice Springs, it was
broken to overcast. It's now broken to scattered cirrus and
breaking up. Now we're looks llke we're headed for -
now it's broken low deck, broken strato cu. Okay cameras
going on at 45-degree time. Alice Springs where are you?
PLT Stand by 06:13 -
PLT MARK. 190 MODE to AUTO.
CDR Okay.
PLT 06:20, stand by -
PLT MARK. 192 MODE to READY. ETC to AUTO,
Ed.
CDR Looking for some range land and not finding
any. All right, this looks like it's probably range land. Or that
either, no it's all wind streaked. Don't see how you can
grow anything there. Back out and take another look.
PLT Now we're taking 192 data over this area. S
Standing by for 07:20 and at 07:20 Ed, ETC, to STANDBY. And
07:20 my mark
PLT MARK. Check, ETC to STANDBY.
CC All right, there's some good outcroppings
right there. Data.
PLT And I've got light out and that's 31
MODE to going to STANDBY. SHUTTER SPEED, MEDIUM; FRAME,
i0.
CDR Okay, little or no outcroppings
PLT INTERVAL, 20. Waiting for 09:53.
CDR 10.7 right. Okay the clouds over the
Alice Springs area were clear, oh, a scattered to
broken I would say and most of them were low cumulous.
At this moment I'm looking 45 degrees ahead and we're coming
into an overcast conditions now. And I must be looking
very close to the (garble) test site area. Now we have
scattered or broken to overcast clouds, very little ground
visible. Looking for vegetation. Oh, that's rocks.
SPT Looking up ahead there do you see the
clouds starting to thin out?
CDR Negative, solid overcast.
PLT 09:53 we go to 190 MODE, AUTO again.
CDR Now there is little or no ground available
to be seen.
SL-IV MC949/2
TIME: 18:04 CST, 30:00:04 GMT
12/14/73
PLT Okay.
CDR All right, I'm now 15 degrees to the left
of track and I've got a little patch of ground. However it
is not vegetated, it is dry and sandy looking.
PLT Standing by for 09:53.
CC Skylab, this is Houston with the overcast
you can scrub the S190 ETC and the DAC operations on 191 for
the balance of the pass, over.
PLT Thank you Bruce, that's a very good call.
CDR Okay, Bruce I'm going to take - I'm going
to look for Canberra if I don't have any luck there, we'll
give her up.
CC Rog, that's the alternate site, sounds like
a good plan.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC950/I
Time: 18:10 CST, 20:00:10 GMT
12/14/73
CDR Okay, the clouds break, they're broken

up till about 15 or 20 miles from the coast and then over the
coastline they're scattered cu.
CC Okay, which side of that break is Canberra
on? Can you see it?
CDR I haven't located Canberra yet. But I
got a good vegetation area which is what I'm supposed to be
going for.
CC Okay - -
CDR Might be the eucalyptus groves are
interested in HHI46, I think it is.
CC Okay.
PLT I didn't understand you, Ed, but at 11:45
and that's coming up in about 30 seconds, the ETC was - we
scrubbed that, though. We scrubbed it.
CDR Hey, Canberra, where are you. Somemore
dark vegetation, very dark vegetation.
PLT And, I'm going to go ahead - -
CDR Which I'm going to go for.
PLT - - with JOP i0.
PLT And, 11:45 callout to NO GO. No - no ETC.
Negative on the ETC, Ed, I'm sure - -
CDR All right - -
PLT - you heard that call.
CDR - got data on light vegetation area and
data on dark vegetation area.
PLT Standing by for 12 minutes - -
PLT MARK. 191 REFERENCE to 2.
CDR Got a farmland area now.
PLT And 194 MODE to MANUAL.
CDR Data on farmland.
PLT What are you doing - just going in the
breaks of the clouds there?
CDR Yeah. Okay, we've about run out of
opportunities.
PLT Okay, the solar interial manevuer is
suppose to start here in about 30 seconds.
CC Okay, and Bill we do want to get the
SHUTTER SPEED on S190, to the SLOW position, before you do
the Earth limb stuff.
PLT Okay, it's going to SLOW now.
CC And 191 AUTO CAL of course.
PLT Yes, and stand by in about 5 seconds -
i0 seconds.
CDR Okay.
PLT Jer.
CDR Ready.
PLT Stand by on my mark.
SL-IV MC950/2
Time: 18:10 CST, 30:00:10 GMT
12/14/73
PLT MARK. VTS AUTO CAL.

CDR Okay, you got it.
PLT Thank you. And that SHUTTER to SLOW.
Okay, we're configured for 190 all right.
PLT And the S190 interval is i0. So, I
think l'm up to date on my 190 configuration. SLOW i0 and
I0..
CC And you verify S190 is in MODE STANDBY,
Bill?
PLT That is affirmative.
CC Okay, 46 seconds till LOS. Next station
contact in 37 minutes through Bermuda at 00:52. Out.
PLT Thanks for the help, Bruce.
CC Roger, sounds like a good job there.
PLT And coming up 50 40 I should get
the READY on the VTS, 191.
CDR Must be headed over New Zealand.
CC Yes sir, passing over the southern Island.
CDR Hey, how about that, I got a good
good picture of it. I'm going to take a couple of pictures.
PLT Stand by for 15:40.
CDR Okay, I'm taking pictures - -
PLT Okay READY light off.
CDR The Alpine fauct.
PAO With the sta - with the space station
heading over New Zealand out of range of the Honeysuckle
tracking site. And with the end of the EREP pass momentarily.
At 16 minutes Greenwich mean time into the new day, that
is day of the year 349, this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC951/I
Time: 18:50 CST 30:00:50 GMT
12/14/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at 50 minutes

Greenwich mean time. About a minute away from acquisition
through Bermuda. The crew at this time should be finishing
their post-EREP closeout. They have just completed Earth
resources pass number 15 over track 13 which was over the
southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. A half minute
away from acquisition, we'll stand by.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Bermuda
for 7-i/2 minutes. Out.
SPT Skylab.
CC Go ahead, but we're getting a loud
squeal in the background Ed.
SPT Okay, Bruce. You got a NuZ update
at 00:24. Do you want the one that's called for at the beginning
of the next daylight cycle?.
CC Stand by, please.
CC (Garble) Skylab, this is Houston for
SPT. I understand that you gave us a NuZ update at 00:24,
is that the statement?
SPT That's affirm.
CC Okay, we didn't see it called out as
being required anywhere here. But that eliminates the need
for the one at 01:24.
CC Skylab, this is Houston, 30 seconds
to LOS. Next station contact 3-1/2 minutes through
Madrid. Out.
PAO We had limited conversation with the
crew through the Bermuda tracking station. Due in part I'm
sure to the fact that they had completed their post-EREP
work and were in the midst of their dinner. One more thing
the schedule - 2 more things on the schedule tonight. The
science pilot will spend some additional time approximately
an hour at the ATM console. And then later in the evening
at about 9:00 p.m. central time pilot will do some additional
Kohoutek comet photography. We're just about 2 minutes from
reacquiring through Madrid. So it's our intention to leave
the line up. We'll stand by for the air-to-ground through
Madrid.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Madrid
for 8-1/2 minutes with a data voice tape recorder dump. Out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston a minute and
half to LOS. Next station contact in 26-1/2 minutes
through Carnarvon at 01:36. PLT phone call Carnarvon and
Honeysuckle, 01:36 through 01:52, start out on left antenna
and switch to right. Over.
PLT Roger, Bruce. Thank you very much, left
SL-IV MC951/2
Time: 18:50 CST 30:00:50 GMT
12/14/73
then right.
CC Roger, out.
PAO At i hour 11 minutes Greenwich mean
time this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC952/I
TIME: 19:34 CST, 30:01:34 GMT
12/14/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at 1 hour,

34 minutes Greenwich mean time. About a minute away from
acquisition through Carnarvon. We'll stand by for the
air-to-ground.
and Honeysuckle. And PLT private comm, antenna left, switching
to right. We're with you for just about 16 minutes, out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston for the SPT.
We just saw the last segment of ATM video going to VTR if
you're finished with the recorder we'll take it and rewind
preparatory to dumping, over.
SPT Roger, Bruce it's all on there, go ahead.
It's yours thank you.
CC Okay, we've got it and we have 2 minutes
to LOS, next station contact in 32 minutes through
Corpus Christi, Merritt Island and Bermuda. The evening status
report at Merritt Island at 02:23. Corpus Christi is AOS
at 02:21, out.
PAO At 1 hour, 52 minutes, 17 seconds Greenwich
mean time. This is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL IV MC-953/I
Time: 20:20 CST 30:02:20 GMT
12/14/73

minutes Greenwich mean time. The space station is approach-
ing the continental U.S. That is to say, the tracking sites
of the continental U.S. Texas will be the first site to
acquire and then MILA. Evening status port evening status
report is upcoming, and we'll stand by for conversation with
the crew.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Corpus
Christi, Merritt Island and Bermuda for 14 minutes. And
we're ready for the evening status report whenever you are.
CDR Okay Bruce. Here it comes. Sleep: CDR,
7.5, 7/heavy, half/light; SPT, 8.0, 7/heavy, i/light; PLT, 8,
8/heavy. Volume: CDR, 1600; SPT, 1500; PLT, 1900. Water
gun readings: CDR, 7384; SPT,2717; PLT, 8823. Body mass:
CDR, 6.308, 6.309, 6.307; SPT, 6.377, 6.372, 6.374; PLT, 6.227,
6.226, 6.231. Exercise: CDR, method Alfa, minus 01 minutes;
SPT, no change; PLT, no change. Medications: none. Clothing
discarded: CDR, none; SPT, one pair of shorts; PLT, none.
Plus one tuna spread, one biscuit; PLT, plus 4 salt, zero
deviations and zero water (garble)
CC Break, break. Break, break. Negative.
We picked up with plus one tuna spread and plus one biscuits,
which, I gather, must be the SPT. Would you start over please,
on the food?
CDR Okay. CDR, 16.5, 16.5 salt, plus one
butter cookies, zero water; SPT, 4.0 salt, plus one tuna spread,
plus one buscuits, and 2 ounces of water; PLT, plus 4 salts,
zero deviations, zero water. Flight Plan deviations: none.
Shopping list accomplishments: none. Inoperable equipment:
DAC 4, transporter 3 combination has jammed again. The transporter
was okay on DAC number 2. We will troubleshoot and try to find
the cause. Unscheduled stowage: none.
CC Okay. We copy. Did you get the MI51
coverage of ETC prep with DAC 4 and another mag. Over.
CDR Okay. That's coming. 16-millimeter film;
ETC prep done with DAC 9, transporter 05; supplies, Charlie
India 93, 63, Michael Tango 06; 140-foot DAC, EREP 15,
Charlie Lima 09, 42; M509 prep, (MI51) Charlie India 71,
42, Charlie India, 82; Nikon status: 01, Charlie X-ray 36, 22;
02, no change; 03, no change; 04, no change; 05, Bravo Hotel,
04, 59. 70-millimeter; Charlie X-ray 17, 077. ETC and
Charlie Tango ii, 070. EREP, set Tango, that's 8716, 8054,
8929, 8923, 2466, 9787. Drawer A: Alfa i, 02, no change;
Alfa 2, 05, Charlie India 93, 63, Mike Tango 06; Alfa 3, 06,
no change; Alfa 4, 03, Charlie India 71, 42, Charlie India 82;
DAC 07, no change.
CC Okay, we got all that, and the frame count
SL IV MC-953/2
Time: 20:20 CST 30:02:20 GMT
12/14/73
for Nikon 5, is that after your last 233 this evening?

CDR That's affirmative.
CC Okay.
SPT Would you like an ATM frame count?
CC Fire when ready, Ed.
SPT 09 09974, 03140, 00112, 00828, 04790,
03168.
CC Okay. And if you would, please, Ed, ATM
C&D coolant loop pumps are all OFF. Just pump Charlie is
ON, panel 203.
SPT Rog. That's done already.
CC And we're reconfiguring the MDA heaters
back ON following your EREP pass. And I guess that takes
care of the evening status report.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC954/I
TIME: 20:28 CST, 30:02:28 GMT
12/14/73
CC And we've got some evening questions, if

you all are of a mood.
PLT Go ahead Bruce, if the price is right.
CC Okay, off the top, this morning - last
night we sent you up for use this morning two general messages
concerning the M509 prep for today and tomorrow. Have you
hung onto these? If not we can send up duplicates.
PLT I got it in my little warm hand right now
looking at it.
CC Ok - Okay, beautiful. If CDR's the same
we will save paper and not send it up again.
PLT Yes, it is.
CC All right. For the CDR, when you did the
S019K ops today, did you look for the comet in the telescope
viewfinder of the S019? Over.
CDR Yes, and all those comments are on tape,
Bruce.
CC Okay, the thing that we're concerned about
is whether it appeared with the head on the intersection of
horizontal reticle line with the left vertical line if that's
on tape, we'll buy it.
CDR Okay, Bruce the head of the comet was at
about 530, out about I think it was I think I said 3/10 of
a radius out and the tail was almost radially out for a minute
was streaming at 530 and it looked to me like it probably
was out of the field of the view, the very end of it. I would
suggest pointing to put the head of the comet in the upper
left quadrant and that should get the whole thing - spike and
tail.
CC Okay, our intent had been to put the head
of the comet over towards the 9 o'clock position with the
tail going either straight up or straight down. I'm not sure
which from the drawing here and we'll take your comment and
work on the pointing.
CDR OKay, it was close to being straight
down but not very good as far as getting out to 9 o'clock.
CC Roger, and for you and Bill with reference
to the sunrise problems that you've been having with $233 ops,
you'll notice that we've been having you take the first
photo in the direction of the comet but about a minute before
eometrise. We've also started giving you the anticipated
time of comet rise to the nearest second and would like
you to begin the second frame that is the frame that's focused
on infinity for the comet at comet rise time. One of the
purposes of the third frame is to determine how the sky is
brightening prior to sunrise. However we want to complete it
before actual sunrise or before the sky gets significantly
SL-IV MC954/2
TIME: 20:28 CST, 30:02:28 GMT
12/14/73
brighter. If you can give us a mark over the intercom system

or on tape when the sky does seem to get significantly brighter
or when you first become aware that the Sun is about to peak
over the horizon, we'll use this factor in adjusting our
sunrise times. And in the light of that did today's pass
give you any problem with the sunrise? Over.
CDR Okay, this morning the 233 pass went well.
The sunrise came after the final exposure was taken and we
were in good shape. The comet is now bright enough so that
you can see it in the airglow and so that first - that first
photo early is probably a pretty good photo and you're probably
getting something, too.
CC Okay, mighty fine.
CDR I'ii tell you what though, I think you were
3 or 4 seconds late on comet rise. I wonder do you want us
to watch the comet and start the exposure the instant it clears
the airglow or do want us to go by the time?
CC Okay, we'd like to go by the time as
published on the pad for the time being.
CDR Okay.
CC And for you Jerry in your detail Flight
Plan for tomorrow, that's message 3002 Alfa, we need to
change the time for the S063 Kohoutek maneuver from 14:56
_o 14;48. This is necessitated by changing the maneuver
uration.
CDR Okay, Bruce that's noted.
CC And one more question dealing with M509,
can you estimate for us the time that was actually required
to do the M509 prep today with this prep today run tomorrow
type situation. We - we'd like to use this figure to be
able to better schedule the future runs and how did it seem to
work out? Did I get broken up by handover there?
CC Skylab, this is Houston how do you read?
CC Skylab, this is Houston how do you read?
CC Skylab, Skylab this is Houston, how do
you read?
CC Skylab, this is Houston, we've lost one
of our land lines receiving from you, we understand the
Comm Tech at the site is copying you. Madrid in 6-1/2 minutes
at 02:41 for the private medical conference, also for a
data/voice tape recorder dump. No acknowledgment required
if we get you back through Bermuda before LOS, I'ii call again.
CC Skylab, this is Houston i minute to LOS,
Madrid in 5 minutes. 02:41, private medical conference and
data/voice tape recorder dump, out.
PAO We've had loss of signal through Bermuda.
Reacquire again at Madrid in 3-1/2 minutes. So we'll keep
the line up and wait for the reacquistion.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC955/I
Time: 20:37 CST 30:02:37 GMT
12/14/73
PAO We've lost signal through the Madrid

tracking site. It was at that site where the evening
medical conference took place. We will next acquire
the space station in 26 minutes. At 2 hours 49 minutes
Greenwich mean time s this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC956/I
Time: 21:14 CST 30:03:14 GMT
12/14/73

acquisition at Carnarvon, which might possibly be the last
site of the night. We'll stand by for communication with
the crew through the tracking site at Carnarvon.
CC Skylab this is Houston through Carnarvon
for 5 minutes and Honeysuckle Creek a little later for
1 minute. Over.
PLT Uh - rog, Bruce, the PLT here.
CC Okay, Bill. Due to the problems we
had with Bermuda and the land lines, we missed two items
here. One is on M509 prep, which you did today for the
operation tomorrow, we'd like to get an estimate of the time
that was required to do this from you, so that we can better
schedule future runs. And in connection with the run
tomorrow if you'd indicate whether you think this is the
way to go or not. Over.
CC And we're sending an NAV update
up to the ATM DC. We don't think there's anybody on the
DAS.
PLT Okay.
CC And while your thinking about that one
on 509 for the SPT, in the evening status report we got a
frame count 070 frames in the ETC, and we were expecting to
hear about 35 frames used. Can you confirm that it was
70, and if so do you know where the other frames went?
PLT Stand by.
PLT While we're getting that squared away,
our best estimate is for the subject for Jerry's prep this
morning at 30 minutes was right. However, I was - I should
run serial to him because see my activities takes place
afterwards and I was a little bit late getting to the ATM
panel because I had to wait until he got through. Now
15 minutes is enough for the observer I think. But it
had to be after the subject has done his prep.
CC Okay, beautiful comments. Those are
the sort of words we like to hear and we'll scheduled it
that way in the future.
CC And this is our last pass of the evening.
We suggest that you set your alarm clocks for 12:00 Zulu
for wakeup. Closest site is 12:05 at Goldstone, but we're
afraid if you wait until then to get up, the SPT may be
a little pressed for the ETC operation early in the morning.
Over.
PLT Okay, I copy that. And Bruce, I was
talking to the medic and missed my comet. If you can get
SL-IV MC956/2
Time: 21:14 CST 30:03:14 GMT
12/14/73
me some other times, l'll get that about oh, 22:20, some-
where along in there. Excuse me 04:20.
CC Hey, Bill let's just scrub the comet
ops there. I think we are getting enough data so that one gap
in the data take with the comet ops won't seriously
compromise anything. And we'll just put you over there
at the regular time and press on. Over.
PLT Okay. And stand by for that ETC comment.
SPT That count should be 40 Bruce, 040 not
070.
CC Okay, thank you very much Bi - Ed. And
I got some evening news here it's going to be broken in a
couple of chunks, but I'ii give it a whirl here.
PLT Go ahead.
CC The House passed and sent to the Senate
today legislation that could put the nation on year-round
daylight saving time by the second week in January. The
bill would require clocks to be set ahead one hour on the
fourth Sunday after it's signed into law. Year-round
daylight savings is one of the measures requested by the
President to help save fuel. A few hours before the arrival
of U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger today, goverment
officials and Western diplomats in the Saudi Arabian capital
indicated that King King Faisal might be willing to
consider a limited resumption of oil deliveries. This would
occure only if Kissinger or President Nixon makes a public
announcement calling for Israeli withdrawal from occupied
Arab land. Seabottoms off the shores of Mississippi, Alabama
and Flord_a will be offered to drillers next Thrusday in an
effort to uncover two to three billion new barrels of oil.
A total of 147 tracts of continental shelf seabottom will be
offered for lease by the Department of Interior despite
environmentalist objections. We got 38 seconds to LOS. We're
coming up on Honeysuckle in 7 minutes for a one minutes pas
a minute and a half pass. That'll be the last pass of the
evening. President Nixon lit the powered-down national
Christmas tree tonight and said, "the spirit of Christmas is not
measured by the number of lights on a tree. The spirit of
Christmas is measured by the love that each of us has in
his heart." Before he pushed the button that illuminated a
single star at the top of the 40-foot Colorado blue spruce,
the President called attention to the energy crisis that
dimmed the usual bright display. The Greek military regime
began releasing political detainees today, a day after it
promised to free all 300 persons arrested for involvement
in demonstrations last month. The Senate passed and sent
to the House today a bill to permit the government to use
SL-IV MC956/3
Time: 21:14 CST, 30:03:14 GMT
12/14/73
aluminum instead of copper in making pennies. The authority

was requested because of the high price of copper. The U.S.
announced today that seismic signals, presumably from a
relatively large Soviet underground nuclear explosion, were
recorded in the early morning. Also today, the U.S. G.S.
said that it had determined a moderately strong earthquake
about I00 miles southwest of Adak Al - Island, Alaska. The
agency said there were no reports of damage, although the
quake was felt on Adak. U.S. District Judge John J. Sirica
said today that he may rule Monday on whether three Watergate
tape recordings the White House wants kept secret may be
played for a grand jury. Stock prices jumped today as
brokers cited renewed hope for a possible end to the Arab
oll embargo. The Dow Jones average of 30 industrials
rose 15.22 to 815.62. The widely-watched index had lost
over 50 points in the previous 3 days. Skylab news today
centered on your EREP pass and comet observations. In
sports, tonight the Houston Aeros seek undisputed possession
of second place in the World Hockey Association, West
Division, when they visit Minnesota's Fighting Saints. One
final word which will be of particular interest to the SPT,
concerns a review of The Quiet Sun which appeared in
Science Magazine. Donald E. Billings of the University of
Colorado, says the technique you used in discussin E the
photosphere and chromosphere makes the book an excellent
supplement to previous compilations on the Sun. And that's
it, we may have had LOS. Over.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC957/I
Time: 21:22 CST, 30:03:22 GMT
12/14/73
CC Skylab, this is Houston, you still

reading me?
CDR Loud and clear, Bruce.
SPT - -
CC Okay, we had a little keyhole and I
guess our calculations on coverage are off here. Did you
copy as much of the news as you wanted to copy?
CDR We sure did we got the whole thing.
CC Okay, very good. We'll talk to you over
Honeysuckle and see you in the morning.
CDR Actually we got everything but reviews
on Ed's book, you'll have to do that again.
CC Okay, once more with Hal here, we're
getting into the noise here. I'ii do it once more with
gusto over Honeysuckle.
CC Skylab, this is Houston, with you through
Honeysuckle Creek for a minute and 27 seconds. Final pass
of the evening, first call in the morning as I mentioned
before will be Goldstone at 12:05 recommend you set your
alarm. And once with glowing eloquence the item for Ed. His
book The Quiet Sun was reviewed in Science Magazine by
Donald E. Billings of the University of Colorado, and he
says the technique that you used in discussing the photosphere
and chromosphere makes the book an excellent supplement to
previous compilations on the Sun. Over.
SPT Thank you Bruce.
CC If you'll like we could record that and
play it every morning for wakeup or something?
SPT l'm being jerked enough now, Bruce.
CC Time to say good night, Dick.
PA0 The Skylab crew hBs been given a good
night for this their 29th mission day. We have the mission
Surgeon's report on the status of the crew's health. And I'ii
quote Dr. Jerry Hordinsky. He says, "the 1/3 point of the
mission has been reached in good health" and that's the end
of quote. Crew will be awakened at approximately 6 a.m.
central time tomorrow, at which time they will have another
day that is fairly busy with an inventory of food, comet
photography, medical experiments in which the science pilot
is the subject and the observer is the pilot, an M509
astronaut maneuvering unit exercise involving the commander
as the subject and the pilot as the observer, a liberal
amount of ATM solar observing; all in all a busy day for
mlsion day 30, the 349th day of the year 1973. At 3 hours
END OF TAPE
SL IV MC-958/I
Time: 22:34 CST 30:04:34 GMT
12/14/73
PAO Skylab Control at 04:34 GMT. The crew

of Skylab had a call over the Bermuda station. We had a
cau non and warning system light showing here in the
Mission Control, and we waked the crew up briefly and they
checked and it was a circuit breaker that they had
inadvertently thrown in structural transition section. They
remedied that. We'll play that tape back for you now.
CC Skylab, this is Houston. Observing our
telemetry, we noticed a master caution and warning indication.
It's system 2 only. You got both a caution and a warning
on system 2. All your spacecraft systems look good and we'll
continue watching on through Bermuda, which is 04:13 and
catch it again in Madrid as you go over the hill. Over.
There's no reply required. Out.
SPT Houston, there was a circuit breaker thrown
inadvertently on the STS panel. No problem up here
at all.
CC Okay. Mighty fine. Sorry to bother you,
but we just wanted to let you know we were keeping an eye
out for you. Good night.
PAO This is Skylab Control at 04:36 GMT.
That will be all for tonight. Signing off.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC959/I
Time: 06:04 CST, 30:12:04 GMT
12/15/73

now off the coast of the northern part of the United States
and we're about 50 seconds from acquisition of signal through
the tracking antenna in Goldstone. The pass through the United
States station should last approximately 16 minutes. We'll
bring the line up live now as spacecraft communicator is Dick
Truly.
CC Skylab, Houston. A good morning to you.
We're stateside for 15 minutes.
CDR Good morning, Dick.
CC Good morning.
CC And Skylab, Houston. For the SPT, your
day starts off with a real hustle this morning. You got a
solar inertial ETC ops coming up in just a few minutes over
Paraguay. You have a pad in the teleprinter for it and later
on this morning, when you guys get the pads out of the teleprinter,
I have a few comments to make about them.
CDR Okay, Dick. He's up and hustling.
CC Roger, Jerry and However, that particular
pad has no corrections at all to it. So no problem there.
CDR Okay.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're going to be handing
over from Goldstone to Texas very shortly and we're going to be
dumping the data/voice recorder ar Texas.
CDR Roger.
CC Skylab, Houston. For your information,
since we've come AOS here this pass at Goldstone, we are -
have observed a - another glitch on the CMG number 2 that's
very similar in all its indications to the previous ones we've
seen. The situation looks fairly stable to us at this time. The
momentum dump is ove_ and no problems with that (garble) control.
But I just thought we'd advise you of what's going on.
CDR Okay, Dick. Thank you. You dropped out
just as you were starting the message and we just heard the
last part of it.
CC Okay. I guess I got caught in the hand-
over, Jerry. What I said was is since we've been AOS here
at Goldstone and we did not see it - the previous site before
I called you for wakeup at Guam, we've been observing another
glitch on CMG-2 which is similar in all its indications with
regard to wheel speed, current, and bearing temps, to the
previous glitches. The situation looks stable now. Your -
completed your momentum dump and you're back in solar inertial.
No problems with attitude control, but just thought we'd keep
you advised. And we still got about 3 minutes here before LOS.
CDR Okay. Thanks a lot, Dick.
CC Yes, sir.
SL-IV MC959/2
Time: 06:04 CST, 30:12:04 GMT
12/15/73
CC Skylab, Houston. We're i minute from LOS.

The situation on CMG still remains the same. It looks stable.
We'll - I'ii give you a call at Vanguard at 12:31. And on the
subject of the CMGs, there is one of the messages that we
uplinked during the evening is a permanent general message.
It discusses some of our philosophy in operating guidelines
with regard to potential CMG failures.
CDR Thank you, Dick.
CC Roger.
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now over Central
America and has passed beyond the range of the Merritt Island
tracking antenna. 8 minutes and 20 seconds to acquisition
of signal at Vanguard. Skylab crewmen Cart, Gibson_ and Pogue
began their at Goldstone. Gibson started the day by
stowing the M133 sleep monitor experiment. He was being
monitored last night with a special fitted cap to detect and
record data on the quantity and quality of his sleep. This
morning during the next few minutes, we'll be passing over
Paraguay and there'll be a solar inertial pass with the
Earth terrain camera to gather oblique photography along
track 20/21. That photography is used for topographic mapping
which will be provided to Paraguay to cover areas that are
relatively unmapped at this time. Data take begins about
6:30 a.m. this morning. That's about 7 minutes from now.
Other items on today's Flight Plan include Kohoutek photography,
solar studies with the ATM equipment, television of Carr flying
the M509 astronaut maneuvering unit, medical experiments,
airglow photography and an ambient food inventory. Bill Pogue
is scheduled to record the comet Kohoutek this morning at
7:36 a.m. central standard time with the 35-millimeter Nikon
camera. And again at 6:29 p.m., the comet will be photographed
again by Pogue at 9:05 a.m. with the S063 ultraviolet camera.
That latter photography will require a maneuver of the Skylah
space station by Jerry Carr and that's the only scheduled
maneuver today. Carr will be pilot of the M509 maneuvering
unit with Pogue assisting and Gibson will record the action
on the video tape recorder for a later TV dump to ground
stations. About 20 minutes of television are scheduled for
the crew. This will be the first time that this crew has
flown the backpack maneuvering unit. The unit was flown
several times by previous crews in the spacious orbital work-
shop interior. ATM studies will include more synoptic obser-
vations of the Sun to investigate the evolution of the quiet
and active features of the solar surface. A new emerging
bright point on the Sun, observed yesterday by Ed Gibson and
mentioned several times in the air-to-ground, will be observed
under the joint observing program 17 along with some
SL-IV MC959/3
Time: 06:04 CST, 30:12:04 GMT
12115173
observation of prominences and filaments as they crossed the

solar disks yesterday. Ed Gibson indicated he could see
some signs of brightening on the eastern limb. Those are believed
to be associated with active region 84, which should be coming
back into view sometime today. Other ATM data will be gathered
under JOP 25. That's joint - Joint observing program 25. In-
terrelated active region complexes filament, filament channels,
prominences, and other solar features larger than 5 arc minutes
across. Coronal rays, cavities, condensations, and streamers
will be studied under JOP 26 on the limb of the Sun. ATM data
take today's five sessions at the console will be about 4 hours
and 10 minutes. Handheld photos will be taken today of the
Fauklen current off the tip of South America. They are scheduled
for 9:42 and 11:20 this morning. Cart and Gibson are scheduled
to take an inventory of the remaining food items to verify the
total amount of food available aboard Skylab. Inventory
exercise will take about 4 hours of crew time in today's Flight
Plan. Also scheduled is optional handheld photo targets today
include upwelling water and plankton blooms off the west coast
of South America at 3:58 p.m. Patterns in wheat production
in Australia, at 5:27 p.m. and insect and disease infestation
in the Eucalyptus Forrest on the southwest Australian coast
at 5:29 p.m. Gibson will be the subject of the M092/93 lower
body negative pressure and veetorcardiogram medical experiment
with Pogue the observer. S063 ultraviolet airglow horizon
photography will be performed there around 6 p.m. by Gibson
in the study of thermal balance of the Earth's atmosphere.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-960/I
Time: 06:26 CST 30:12:26 GMT
12/15/73
PAO - - thermal balance of the Earth's

atmosphere. The S09 S009 nuclear emulsion experiment will
be deployed by Gerald Carr before retiring for the day. The
nuclear emulsion strips will be placed by a thin section of
the multiple docking adapter wall to allow the high energy
particles which have passed through the wall to pass through
the emulsion stacks and leave records. The exposed emulsion
will be returned to Earth where measurements of variations
in thickness and direction of the tracks will be traced through
the strips. The energy in charge of the cosmic rays can be
determined by this method. Skylab crewmen are scheduled to
retire at i0:00 p.m. and Ed Gibson will be the duty man for
the sleep period in the event that it is necessary to call them
in the night. During this last pass over Vanguard, spacecraft
communicator Dick Truly informed the crew that there were
some slight variations noticed again on the currents and speeds
and temperature and, of course, lower end of the temperature
scale on control moment gyro number 2. This is to repeat some-
thing that's happened frequently over a long period of time
and it's not considered to be any sort of a real problem but
they have been keeping their eye on it. The current moved up
slightly about 200th to 300th of an amp and wheel speed dropped
about 1/2 percent from about 8912, which is a standard area
of operating to about 8870, and thatts the way it stands at
the loss of signal at Merritt Island. This happened again at
the lower end of the heater cycle on the bearings. Bearin_
temperatures around 60 degrees on both bearings. One slight
difference between this and previous times is that both
bearings are now at the lower end of their cycle. Previously
there's been about a 2 degree difference between them. It's
not considered to be any problem. Loss in wheel speed was
less than a percent and in the vacinity of about 1/2 of a
percent and that again repeats something that's happened
frequently over the last several weeks. A pad has been
sent up to the crew however to discuss the plans for loss of
another control moment gyro should that happen and present
indications are that there should be sufficient attitude
control nitrogen gas and control fuel in the reaction control
system the command module to maintain attitude for a period
of about 16 days, possibly to be extended to about 36 days if
plan to institude a new mode of operation in the control -
in the command module computers can be brought on line in the
next couple of days. So that's an indication that we still
have an extended period of time should that second control
SL-IV MC-960/2
Time: 06:26 CST 30:12:26 GMT
12/15/73
moment gyro go out. About a minute and i0 seconds now to

acquisition at Vanguard. We'll leave the line up live for
air-to-ground through that tracking ship. The Vanguard pass
expected to last about i0 minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're AOS Vanguard for
about 8-1/2 minutes. The CMG status at AOS looks essentially
like it did when we left you at the States. A couple of things.
We are gonna have about a little over an hour LOS between
Vanguard and our next AOS at Goldstone. One of the things weld
like to do here is get the ATM C&D coolant loop running so
we can take a look at it while we have AOS. And, I've got a
couple or three things to mention to you about the pad. The
only correction I have is on the ATM schedule pad, but I do
have - there are two or three pads that were - that you can end
up throwing away and I'd like to make sure you know about them.
CDR Okay, Dick, I'm ready to copy.
CC Okay, first of all - And you can pass this
on to Ed, Jerry. We sent up a - the S063 Ed's S063 pad and
immediately followed it without a space with the PLT's S063
pad. That error was noticed and then a space was put into
the teleprinter and we uplinked again the PLT's S063 pad.
So Ed should be careful there. He'll get to the end of his
pad and he can just cut off the pad that's immediately following
it and throw it away. Another thing we had a problem with the
command line and we inadvertently uplinked a portion of a
permanent general message that had to do with the CMGs.
After that problem we did uplink two complete copies of that
same message and that was permanent general message 12. So_
you have two good copies and one partial copy and you can throw
the partial copy away.
CDR Okay.
CC Another reminder for Ed and Jerry this
morning. One of the messages onboard is the - has to do with
the food inventory and you ought to read that one pretty
carefully before you get started on the ambient food inventory
that you're scheduled for today. Here's a - I have a note
here for the PLT, which has to do with his S063. If he looks -
when you look at it closely, Bill, you'll notice that the
vehicle arrives at the S063 attitude about 9 minutes prior
to the first data take, start time and that is not a mistake.
We did - It just happened to turn out that way due to
momentum management considerations and we thought you ought
to at least be aware of it_ if you happen to dig out that
sack and possibly think something was wrong.
PLT Okay, thank you.
SL-IV MC-960/3
Time: 06:26 CST 30:12:26 GMT
12/15/73
CC Yes, sir. And, Jerry, if you've got the

ATM schedule pad, I have one pen and ink correction to it and
then I'll be through for - on the pads this morning.
CDR Okay, that'll take a second.
CC Okay.
CDR Ed, will be right with you with the
schedule.
CC Okay.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC961/I
TIME: 06:36 CST, 30:12:36 GMT
12/15/73
SPT Okay, Dick, go ahead with the change of

the schedule pad.
CC Okay, in the daylight cycle that starts
at 16:57 down to the time of 13 minutes remaining in JOP 17
Alfa step 2. We'd like you to jot in there 15 arc seconds
and this is the off-pointing required to take you from the
bright spot to get the background spectra. Over.
SPT Okay, Dick, I got that. That's pretty
much the way I've been doing it in the shopping list. Thank
you.
CC Okay, and Ed, if you're through with
the ETC and got another second, I did have a question for
you.
SPT Go ahead.
CC Okay, you did a - you wore the M133 gear
last evening and the - our requirements for the mission on
the M133 are a total of 9 performances, and you've accomplished
about 5 of them so far. There is some talk and some desire
on some peoplels part to get more than 9 performances, as
a matter of fact, up to as many as 18. And about the only
thing that really bears on whether we do this or not is
your desires. If - if you care to do more, we can certainly
schedule them in. If you care not to, the requirement is 9
and we'll stick with that. So you might think about that and
let us know.
SPT Yeah, okay, Dick. That thing really is
no problem at all. It's 5 minutes before, 5 minutes after
sleep and the guys get good data. I don't see any reason
why not to continue on.
CC Okay, we'll - we'll take that into consideration,
Ed, and you may be seeing more of the 133's other than what
was originally planned.
SPT Roger. That was the intent when I sent
down to those folks and asked what was required in order to get
them a little better data or more of it, it's a very small impact
and I don't mind doing it.
CC Okay, real fine. Thank you.
Goldstone comes up at 13:43, and we're going to dump the
data/voice recorder when we get to Goldstone. I'll remind
you again there.
CC And, CDR, Houston; as we go over the hill
you've got the pleasure of being assigned the first NuZ
update of the morning. Just a reminder there, it comes up
at 13:00. Out.
SL-IV MC961/2
TIME: 06:36 CST, 30:12:36 GMT
12/15/73

Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station now across the
South Atlantic, has passed out of range of the tracking
ship Vanguard. Our next acquisition is more than an hour
away at the Goldstone antenna in California. During this
last pass the crew was asked to bring up the ATM control and
display panel coolant loop. That has now been activated and
seems to be working fine. Flow is up around 240, 245 which
is the proper range for it, and there doesn't seem to be any
problem with it. That, of course, has ceased to flow a
couple of times, and there are preparations underway to do
a checkout of it, to do a troubleshooting run on the control
and display panel coolant loop that keeps the television
monitors from overheating the control panel and causing it
to be too hot to touch. This is Skylah Control. It's now
41 minutes and 43 seconds after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC962/I
Time: 07:42 CST, 30:13:42 GMt
12/15/73

Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now just to the
west of Oregon, off the coast. About 50 seconds from acqui-
sition of signal through the tracking antenna Goldstone. This
pass through Goldstone will be a relatively brief one with
Goldstone and Texas both in line about ii minutes. At the
present time here in Mission Control, there is some discussion
going on about the possibility of cancelling the comet maneuver
for this morning depending on the kind of data they get on
that control mom_t gyro. They prefer not to put any additional
stress on it. We're coming live now for air-to-ground, 20
seconds away for an ll-minute pass over the United States.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're stateside for
ii minutes.
SPT Good morning, Dick.
CC Good morning.
CC And Skylab, Houston. Be advised our
initial look at the CMG is that it looks much more healthy
than it did the last time we saw it. We are going to look
at it for a few minutes here. In the event we continue to
be worried about it, we will scrub the S063 Kohoutek maneuver
and ops. And in that event, I had some Flight Plan change for
you. But there's no sense reading them up to you unless we make
that decision and I'ii get back to you as soon as we know.
SPT Okay Dick. Thank you. One thing we could
use a little extra time for is the checklist changes which
have been mounting up, and right now I can't see Jerry behind
all the paper on the wall.
CC Okay.
CC Skylab, Houston. We've decided not to
do the S063 maneuver and the Kohoutek S063 comet ops coming
up. So I have some Flight Plan changes I'd like to get up
there primarily for the PLT. Over. And Bill, there are
changes to your details pad and also the Flight Plan itself.
PLT Give me about 30 seconds, start talking,
I'ii be ready to copy.
CC Okay, Bill. I sure will.
PLT I'm ready now, Dick. Go
CC Okay. Let's take the Flight Plan first,
Bill, which is overview at a time of around 14:30 or so in
your column, I want to change the S063 CPR-1 to an APR-I.
We're going to do a atmosphere ops on S063. Down below that,
where it says S063 COP at a time of about 15:20, delete that.
Below that, where it says S063, CS - correction CST-2,
delete that. Okay. We're going to - now during that period,
that we just made those two deletions, we're going to make a
put in an ATM pad. So I want you to jot in there ATM and
your own station time there, is 15:13 Zulu. Okay. Furthermore,
SL-IV MC962/2
Time: 07:42 CST, 30:13:42 GMT
12/15/73
down below that at about 16:40, where it says S063 APR-2, I

want to change that to read S063 AOP. And that's the only
changes to the Flight Plan. Well, correction - let me make
one more over in CDR's.column; it's very simple. At about
15:20 where it says S063-K maneuver, just delete that. Over.
CC PLT, Houston. We just handed over. Did
you copy those checklist changes. If so, I'ii go on - I
mean those pad changes.
PLT Houston, Skylab.
PLT Houston, Skylab.
CC Roger, PLT. Go ahead.
PLT Okay. Dropped out just about the time
you were explaining the 15:20. Say again all after 15:20 on
CDR column.
CC Okay. That was a simple one. I just to
delete the S063-K maneuver at 15:20. That might be a good
chance for him to work on those checklist changes Ed was
talking about.
CC And - -
PLT Okay. I'ii just read it very real quickly.
CC Okay. Go ahead.
PLT All right. Instead of S063 PR PPR -
CPR-I, it'll be APR-I. And that's at approximately 14:20. In
that period, also I delete S063 COP at approximately 15:20.
Instead, I pick up an ATM pass starting on station 15:13.
I delete APR-2 and make it AOP at approximately 16:45.
CC That's correct. Be advised there's a
pad in work to support that AOP maneuver and just to be com-
plete, Bill, why don't we let me make a couple of changes
on your details pad and then we'll be sure we are together.
PLT Okay. And I did delete the CST-2.
CC Rog.
PLT Go with detail changes.
CC Okay. At the entry that's listed there, at
15:05, just delete that entire entry. And replace it with
entry 15:13, ATM. And I'ii have a mission note for you on
which - we want you to do on that ATM pass. Down there below
at 16:15 entry, delete all after S063 and replace it with
AOP (pad). So that entry will ready in its entirety, 16:15
S063, AOP (pad).
PLT Roger. I delete S063 15:05. Make it
15:13 ATM and that 16:15 entry will read S063 AOP (pad).
CC Roger.
CDR Houston, CDR. It looks like you have
not done the momentum dump inhibit. Shall I crack that off
my pad?
CC That's affirmative, CDR. We did scratch
that inhibit. And Bill, one correction to what I just told you
SL-IV MC962/3
Time: 07:42 CST, 30:13:42 GMT
12/15/73
on your details pad. I'd like to change that time of 16:15

to a time 16:09 so you'll be getting off ATM a little bit before
the daylight period's over to start the S063 on station at 16:09.
PLT Roger. 16:09.
CC Okay. We're about 50 seconds from LOS.
Vanguard comes up at 14:07. And when we get to Vanguard, Bill,
I have a mission note here to tell you what we'd like you to do
on that daylight cycle on ATM.
PLT Roger.
CC Thank you very much.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-963/I
Time: 07:54 CST 30:13:54 GMT
12/15/73

Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station now south of
Acapulco is out of range of the tracking antenna at Corpus
Christi, Texas. 11-1/2 minutes to our next acquisition of
signal at Vanguard. During this pass, space craft communicator
Dick Truly read up some checklist changes to the crew. After
looking at control momenum gyro number 2 details on
telemetry here it was decided by Flight Director Phil Shaffer
that we should not go with a maneuver for the comet operations
which are about an hour away, but instead take conservative
course and prevent stress being given to that CMG. Control
moment gyro is working properly. It again had one of its
little anomalies. Wheel speed dropped by about 1/2 a percent
and it is now returning to normal. At the very end of
that pass we're getting readings that are typical of the wheel
speed, but it has not completely returned to normal stable
basis. It's still a little bit below - a fraction of a percent
below its standard running speed, and bearing temperature
number 2 is still at the low end of the scale, so for that
reason it was decided to take the conservative course, eancel
the maneuver for a comet operations and also (garble) cancel
a momentum dump inhibit, which would stress the control
momenum gyro, even though very slightly, perhaps enough to
give it some problems. No one really knows whether that would
be a difficulty but rather than take the chance they did decide
to cancel the comet operations. In place of S063 comet
photography this morning we'll be doing an ATM pass with
Pilot Bill Pogue at the console and also an S063 atmospheric
observation They're be two of them now today, rather than
just one. There'll be one this morning and there'll also be
one by the science pilot later in the day. So the conservative
course has been chosen by Phil Shaffer and that comet operations
and maneuver has been passed over for today. The wheel speed
does however seem to be coming back to normal and bearing
temperatures are expected to start warming up when the heaters
come on very shortly. This is Skylab Control 9-1/2 minutes
to acquisition at Vanguard. It's now 57 minutes and i0 seconds
after the hour.
just about to come in range of signal of the tracking ship
Vanguard. A pass through Vanguard should last about 11 minutes.
Spacecraft communicator continues to be Dick Truly and the
Flight Director, Phil Shaffer. We're live now for air-to-ground
through Vanguard.
SL-IV MC-963/2
Time: 07:54 CST 30:13:54 GMT
12/15/73
PAO Hank Hartsfield has now sat down at the

console so he may be coming up for the air-to-ground here.
CC Skylab, Houston. Good morning from the
bronze team. We're through Vanguard for ll minutes.
CDR Good morning, Hank.
CC Skylab, Houston. Just give you a few
more words on the CMG problem we had this morning. The
problems we've always seen is during maneuvers at low bearing
temps. Now the CMG had gotten back to a normal readings all
except the bearing temps were still slightly in the region where
we could have a problem and we thought the smartest thing to do
was just to cancel the maneuver cause we were in that region of
possibility of bearing stress.
CDR Okay. Thank you, Hank. Glad to know that.
SPT Hank, does momentum dump effect it the
same way as a maneuver?
CC Say again, Ed.
SPT Do momentum dumps, since they are maneuvers,
fall in the same category or are they slow enough?
CC Roger. The dumps fall in the category of
maneuvers but we think this one may have started during
a dump.
CC And, for the PLT. On the pass coming up,
no need to acknowledge, the - we sent you up a little pad
that tells you what we want you to do during the ATM pass
we just read up to you Flight Plan change.
CC And, also for the PLT. Your S063 pad for
the AOP is on board.
PLT Okay, Hank, thank you.
CC And, Bill, that's S063 SOP pad has some
information you'll need for that prep too.
PLT Okay. I better go get it then. Thank you.
CC SPT, Houston. I've got one small change
for your details we could get out of the way now if it's
convenient.
SPT Be about i minute, Hank.
SPT Okay, Hank, sorry to keep you waiting.
Please go ahead.
CC Oh, no big rush on it, Ed. In your details
down at 16:00, which is quite a ways away yet, it calls for
a NuZ update and since we're not doing a maneuver we want to
scrub that.
SPT Okay, will do. Thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're going LOS. Our
next contact will be Tananarive in 15 minutes.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC964/I
TIME: 08:18 CST, 30:14:18 GMT
12/15/73

has passed out of range of the tracking ship Vanguard. We're
13-1/2 minutes now from acquisition at Tananarlve. This is
Skylab Control at 18 minutes and 50 seconds after the hour.
from acquisition of signal at Tananarive. The pass through
Tananarive will last about 9 minutes. The spacecraft com-
municator is Hank Hartsfield. Handover has taken place here
in Mission Control and the Flight Director on duty now is
Charles Lewis.
CC Skylab, Houston; we're through Tananarive
for about 9 minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston; we dropped out there for
for 3 or 4 minutes; we're back with you. We got another
5 minutes left at Tananarive.
CC Skylab, Houston; it sounds like we may be
starting to lose lock on you. Our next station is Hawaii at
17, and that's about 37 minutes from now.
PAO Skylah Control at 14 hours 41 minutes and
42 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is
now gone beyond the range of the antenna at Tananarive.
35 minutes and 27 seconds before we have an acquisition again
that w_ll be at Hawaii. The present time still some discussion
going on concerning control moment gyro number 2. That gryo-
scope did have a brief interruption in its proper operation
with a reduction in wheel speed of about half a percent, and
a slight increase in current associated with that. Again
as in the past this has occurred when temperatures became
very low on the bearings. The temperature normally does remain
low for a - relatively long period of time_ several hours
before the heaters will come on and begin to warm it up again.
Right now the temperature's on bearing, bearing number 2
which is the colder of the two, right around 58 degrees. Wheel
speed rpm has come back up now; speeds are back at normal
levels. They did drop a fraction of a percent for a period
of about an hour th_s morning. And at this time there are have -
some steps have already been taken of course, limit the
stresses to the control moment gyro during this cold period.
And one step taken for that purpose was the elimination
of the Kohoutek maneuver that was scheduled for this morning.
In its place an ATM pass has been scheduled, and possibly
a little later in the morning an atmospheric operation of
S063. That atmospheric operation too, depends on inhibit
momentum dump which may, over the long period of time, present
SL-IV MC964/2
TIME: 08:18 CST, 30:14:18 GMT
12/15/73
some additional stresses to the control moment gyros. So

that's still under consideration at this time. About 34 minutes
before our next acquisition of signal, this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC965/I
Time: 09:16 CST, 30:15:16 GMT
12/15/73

now north of Hawaii about to come in acquisition of signal
at the tracking antenna there. We're 50 seconds away. Space-
craft communicator is Hank Hartsfield. The pass will last
about 6 minutes.
CC One quick thing, Ed, this is for the PLT.
Then I'ii let Bill talk to you. We're not going to do the
momentum dump inhibit for his ops coming up here shortly.
The rates will be under the maximum for S063 so you can press
on. But we won't be doing the dump the dump inhibit.
SPT Roger. It'll be easy then. Also, you
might tell the S063 people I don't have an illuminated reticle.
I've changed the battery again. I don't know if I went from
a - I had originally installed one on day 328. Anyway, I
don't have a light and I've tried both filaments.
MCC Copied. Okay, - okay Ed. Beginning here
on the ATM conference for today, today's plan we scheduled a
JOP 17A at your request and the main reason we did that was
to give you a recommended 82A and B exposures. We really
intend for that to be essentially observing time for you. Should
you decide that that emerging flux region is worth doing, press
on as you see fit. If you decide that itts not worth doing,
do anything else if something else looks more important to you.
It's really totally your option as to what you do with that
time in the orbit. The - we have
SPT Okay, Bill. Yeah, let me say I sure appreciate
the opportunity to work in that mode and thanks for the - thanks
(garble). I think we're going (garble) that region. And as
of last night, I have not had a chance to work the ATM panel
this morning. But as of last night, that region was still
fairly bright in XUV and I could see the chromospheric network
breaking around about 3 to 4 cells. So it looked as though
something was happening but I guess the NOAA people are saying
there is no sunspot. I could not see any last night either.
I would appreciate some words from them as to whether they
feel this thing's going to become a good active region or
relatively small like my ops.
CC They really don't know, to tell you the
truth on that. They have not assigned it an active region
number for fear of applying the kiss of death to it there.
They're carrying it as an emerging flux region and they're going
to wait and see if it stays around or not. Right now, they
don't have a good guess. Part of our thinking that went into
this is we found that on SL-III, the good bright point Beta that
we got_ we got our very best data when Owen was doing it on
his own. We didn't do nearly so well when we tried to schedule
SL-IV MC965/2
Time: 09:16 CST, 30:15:16 GMT
12/15/73
it because invariabily they wouldn't pan out to be as well

as we had hoped. So on this respect, really, you'll be
giving us our best crack at getting good data here.
SPT Yeah, I think we do have a real advantage
up here being able to look at the XUV monitor and compare
it with the picture all the time. Because when bright points
appear, especially like that one, they really stand out.
CC Okay. Good. And just finishing up the
plan here for today. The JOP 26 and at the 25 Alphas, the
maxiraster really is the real JOP 26 where we're taking the
opportunity to extend the 55 rasters over that new active
region active area there - out to where the 52 occulting
disk leaves off so we can get continuous coverage there. I
wanted to mention that because the maxirasters might not have
been evident as to what we were doing there. Similarly, as
we explained, we'll be doing a four-limb coalign with zero
roll a different roll, trying to get at what's going on.
On the Sun as we see it this morning, we've got 2 moderately
new regions. We're calling active region 99, the one that's
right on the west limb, 270, bearing at about 0.95. It has
a spot that we can see so far but not really any activity.
Active region 00, a (garble) number if I ever heard one, is at
260, right on the limb, one point right on the distance. It
has no spots but it's had a fair amount of activity. Quite
a few surges and brightenings, thing of this nature. It's
possible this might be the old active region 84. But right
now, NOAA does not believe that's the case. What we have
seen is that the things that occur in active region 00, 00
seems to act as the source and 99 seems to act as the sync.
So that the things that are surged or blown out of 00, many
of them splash back in the area of 99. To that extent, there
ought to be quite a few coronal loops evident between the
two. We definitely do feel that they are connected and talking
to one another. Double zero is in the same location as P-55.
We're not too sure what the status of P-55 is so most of the
work we schedule on it today involves what if!s in case it's
not there. On the orbit that Bill is doing now, we're recom-
mending ii, 12 and 13 on P-55. In the event he finds P-55
can't be found, we recommend the next 3 shopping list items in
order - 21, 3 and 4 on the active region 00 essentially in
the same area. And we're 50 seconds here from LOS. Next is
Vanguard in 23 minutes. Let me give you a chance to squeeze
in some words in here. Over.
SPT Okay. Thank you, Bill for that rundown.
Looks like we got something coming around the corner. It's
not quite the (garble) longitude I guess yet, but the (garble)
longitude, I guess is there and they both look pretty good.
I noticed a lot of surging out there yesterday and did get some
SL-IV MC965/3
Time: 09:16 CST, 30:15:16 GMT
12/15/73
shopping list items down on the surging. And I have recorded

the methods that I've been using to make those observations
and I'd like feedback as to whether those methods are the
ways in which they feel they're going to get the optimum data.
That is, shopping list items are invented in there but some-
times bookkeeping might be a little bit hard. But I think
I operated the experiment in the optimum mode.
MCC Okay. We talk we talked about that
this morning, Ed. And our feeling is that the shopping list
items are up there for your guidance. Anytime you feel you
can get more out of the experiments in any other mode, you're
really the boss up there. We need to take advantage of you
being there and your real-time decisions. So to that extent,
we stand behind you i00 percent.
SPT Okay and recognizing the film limitations
on each experiment and also what's been a little different
here is the 82B with the desire to use their - their cells a
little more freely but still useful. So that had to be - I've
always tried to get that and I think they've got good back-
grounds spectram on some of these also. And I'd like some
feedback on that. Today, they recommended a background spectra
that was 15 arc seconds distance from where we take the other
observations. And I'm wondering whether that 15 arc seconds
is an eyeball number or whether they really want just 15 arc
seconds. I found yesterday, I had to move out somewhere around
30 or so to get the spectra count down to where it was close
to ambient.
MCC Okay. My feeling there is that it
is just an eyeball figure. Do what you need to do. But we'll
get back with you on that. And we'll talk to you tomorrow, Ed.
Greenwich mean time. We're now 21 minutes from acquisition
at Vanguard. During this pass over Hawaii, there was a daily
ATM conference with Bill Lenoir to Science Pilot Ed Gibson
about operations of the solar telescopes and about present
conditions on the Sun. This is Skylab Control at 24 minutes
and 17 seconds after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-966/I
Time: 09:44 CST, 30:15:44 GMT
12/15/73

Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station now west of the
coast of Chili, is 53 seconds from acquisition of signal
through the tracking ship Vanguard. Pass through Vanguard
should last about i0 minutes. The spacecraft communicator
Hank Hartsfield.
CC Skylab, Houston through Vanguard for
i0 minutes. And we'll be dumping the voice/data recorder
here.
SPT Okay, Hank.
CC PLT, Houston. Whenever it's convenient
to answer, just so we can have all the facts in regard to
the reticle, let us try to recoop here. You did try another
battery, and you tried both reticle positions in the brightness
control, all was no result?
PLT That's affirmative.
CC Okay. Thank you.
CC PLT, Houston. We don't have any further
suggestions for you. You'll just have to do the best you can
with the tracking without the reticles to aid you. The only
other thing that we could try is, try another batter. But
I don't think that would do any good.
PLT There are not any more. What I plan to
do is - try to get the darkened reticle but with a background
of airglow and use a slight bias in my tracking in order
to enable me to see the reticle in the airglow.
CC Roger. We copy.
PLT That'd be up/down as you're looking at
the hor _on left/right. And I think that that'll give them
just about the same information.
CC Okay. We copy.
SPT Houston, SPT.
CC Go ahead.
SPT Say, Hank. Wetve got an essentially
good view of the Falkland current again in the plankton blooms
along the coast of South America. We were unable to look
at the fjords over by Chili, however; it was all the clouded
in. But I think we got some excellent data on visual
observations, which we've put on tape. And we'll put some more
on the Faulkland current and resulting plankton bloom. Also
we saw an island wake about i0 minutes or so on those last
orbit off the coast of South America, and we're looking for
it again, which went on for a good 150 miles or so. It was
very pronounced, and we described that on tape, also.
CC Okay. We copy, Ed. Thank you.
PLT Incidentally, Hank, Jer and I had a chance
to see that coloration, which appears to be upwelling to
the east of New Zealand. And it's just to the north and east
SL-IV MC-966/2
Time: 09:44 CST, 30:15:44 GMT
12/15/73
of the Chatham Islands. I'd say about on the order of maybe

30 or 50 miles.
CC We copy, Bill.
LOS. Next contact at Tananarive at 09. That's about 15
minutes from now.
36 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station out of
range of Vanguard. About 14 minutes before we have
acquisition at Tananarive. During this last pass, some
discussion with Bill Pogue, who'll be operating the SO63
camera for atmospheric operations photographing the air-glow.
He was originally scheduled earlier this morning for comet opera-
tions with S063, but the maneuver for the comet was cancelled
because of a variation in the rate of the second control moment
gyro. That control moment gyro had a glitch that's very
similar to previous anomalies. That change about
1/2 percent reduction in the speed of the wheel. And a
slight increase in the current that corresponds to that rate
reduction. This again, occurring at the lower temperature cycle
for the bearing. And it'll take several hours for that bearing to
come back up to temperatures where that doesn't happen. They
did not want to stress the bearing and to put stress on the
second control moment gyro. So for that reason, they cancelled
the maneuver which would increase the stress on the attitude
control system. And they are also not going to do an
inhibit momentum dump, which is a (garble) of putting
stress on the control system. But for S063 air-glow opera-
tion, today, it is not necessary to do that momentum dump inhibit.
The attitude control is within the approved limits for SO63
atmospheric operations. This will be one of two SO63
atmospheric ops scheduled for today. The other one is later,
and Science Pilot Ed Gibson is scheduled to do that. During
this last pass, Bill Pogue indicated that the SO63 batteries
are not giving proper power to the reticle and he was having
trouble viewing with it. But he did suggest a technique he'd
be able to use to gather data on the airglow that he thought
would be satisfactory. The corollary officer here in Mission
Control agreed with that. Said it looked like it would be
quite good to him. Also, a report, briefly, on the good
view of the Falkland current by Science Pilot Ed Gibson.
And he also reported an island wake running about 150 miles
in length off the South American Coast. Bill Pogue said that
he and Jerry Carr, both, saw a northeast - 30 to 50 miles
northeast to the Chatham Islands, a noticeable color difference
that's believed, due to upwelling of water from beneath the
ocean. We're about 11-1/2 minutes from acquisition of signal.
This is Skylab Control at 58 minutes after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-967/I
Time: 10:08 CST 30:16:08 GMT
12/15/73

37 seconds Greenwich mean time. We're now about 55 seconds
from acquisition of signal through the voice relay station
at Tananarive in the Malagasy Republic. This pass through
Tananarive should last a little less than 6 minutes. I have
the line up live for air-to-ground during the pass.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're through Tananarive
we have about 4 minutes left.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're about i minute
from LOS Hawaii at 52 and that's 38 minutes from now.
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now passed
beyond the range of the Tananarive antenna. 36 minutes to
our next acquisition of signal at Hawaii. This is Skylab
Control at 16 minutes after the hour.
15 seconds Greenwich mean time. We're 55 seconds from Hawaii
and we now have heard an AOS call here in Mission Control.
The Hawaii pass will last about i0 minutes and we're live
for air-to-ground.
CC Skylab, Houston. Through Hawaii for
i0 minutes.
PLT Rog, Hank. And, I've just finished
35-millimeter magazine Bravo Victor 44 and I'd like to load
another one for Ed's operation this afternoon. Would you
give me a new magazine?
CC Okay, we'll get it for you.
PLT 35-millimeter.
CC PLT, Houston. We're planning to use
IR film for that pass this afternoon and we'll be sending
you up a pad a little later to tell you how to set up for it.
PLT Okay, Hank. And, also the timer didn't
work. I'm going to - I had to take them all manually. I will
check out and see if the other timer works and get it ready
for Ed. We just put a new timer in that - a new battery in
the timer.
CC Roger; we copy. And, the only thing we
could tell you about the batteries and I'm sure you've already
done it, is to maybe look for corrosion down in the contacts
or on the batteries themselves.
PLT Houston, Skylab, PLT.
CC Go ahead.
PLT BV44 stowed and kept 37 and Nikon 2 is
now empty.
SL-IV MC-967/2
Time: 10:08 CST 30:16:08 GMT
12/15/73
CC Roger; we copy.
PLT Also, I tried the other timer and on
Nikon 2 and_ with no film in it, and I think it should
work that way and although the remote cable works and every-
thing the that is the manual remote, the timer does not
on Nikon 2.
CC Roger; we copy.
CC CDR, Houston. No need to acknowledge,
but at Vanguard, as soon as you get through with the photos
there, just prior to LOS, we'd like to get you to throw a
switch up in the command module. We're just giving you a
little warning here. What's happened is the pressure is
built up in the quad B ox manifold, because we closed the
PSM isol valve, and we want to get you up there, over the
site and open up quad B's propellant valve, while we can
look at it.
from LOS. We'll be coming up on Vanguard at 23 and we plan
to dump the recorder there.
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station has passed out
of range of the tracking antenna on the Hawaiian Islands.
Beginning of this pass telemetry indicated that the heater
has now come on for the command control momentum gyro
bearings. That temperature had dropped to its low level
before the bearing began to heat up and we had had some
indication of a slight reduction in wheel speed and a slight
increase in current. That's an anomaly that has occured pre-
viously in the mission and is no concern at the present
time, however, in order to reduce stress on the control
momentum gyro, it was determined that we should postpone
the comet operations of S063 today and in its place solar observation
and airglow activity with the S063 were scheduled. The crew
also reported some problem with a timer for the Nikon camera
number 2 and they'll be doing some more work on that. They
have had problems with the Nikon number 2 timer before and
it has been solved in the past. Also, at the very end of the
pass, Hank Hartsfield, the spacecraft communicator told
Commander Jerry Carr that they may be asked to open the
quad B propellant valves over Vanguard, which is the next
pass. Pressure has been building up in that system since
the closing of the propellant storage module valve yesterday.
That PSM valve was closed yesterday to prevent possible
leakage in the event that valve downstream at one of the
engines for the 4 quads on the service module should begin
to leak. There is a very slight leak that has been observed
in the isolation valve for the quad B fuel tank. We're now
19 minutes from acquisition of signal. This is Skylab Control
at 4-1/2 minutes after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC968/I
TIME: 11:23 CST, 30:17:23 GMT
12/15/73

now west of Chili about to be acquired through the Vanguard
tracking ship. The pass through Vanguard should last approximately
9 minutes. The spacecraft communicator is Hank Hartsfield.
8 minutes. And as a reminder we're dumping the recorder here.
SPT Hello, Hank, how's the CMG looking?
CC Okay, it's still looking good to us, Ed.
CDR Good to hear, thank you.
CC CDR, Houston; we're about 3 minutes from LOS
now. Would it be convenient now for you to run up to the
command module and get that switch for us?
CDR Okay, Hank, I'm on my way.
CDR Okay, Hank, I'm in the command module.
CC Okay, on panel 2 there, Jerry, what we want
is the service module RCS quad propellent Bravo to open and
verify the primary secondary propellent talkbacks are gray.
CDR Okay, that's done and they're both gray.
CC Okay, thank you a lot, Jer.
CC Skylab, Houston; we're about to go LOS
now. We got a long LOS coming up. We'll see you again at
Vanguard in an hour and 28 minutes at 19:01.
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station now over the South
Atlantic has passed out of range of the tracking ship Vanguard.
It'll be almost an hour and a half before they come back in
range of signal; it'll again be at Vanguard tracking ship.
The last pass they did open the quad B propellent valves.
That step was taken to help allow pressure in the - in the
propellent lines which are expected that pressure is expected
to build up during the coming days as the Beta angle or the
Sun angle changes on the space station. Beta angle is increasing
at this time which means that the space station will be in
the Sun for longer periods of time. That will cause a increased
heating of the propellent and would cause it to fill an
accumulator along the line. As it turns out that accumulator
is probably capable of compensating entirely for the increased
volume of propellent. But in the as a special precaution
to make sure that the accumulator itself does not have any
problems the valve has been open so that the propellent can
flow back into the tanks. All of this problem began, of
course, when a slight leak in the isolation valve which
isolates the lines from the tanks themselves began to - began
to crop up. That didn't cause any leakage overboard or any
loss of propellent, but it did cause some concern that if
SL-IV MC968/2
TIME: 11:23 CST, 30:17:23 CST
12/15/73
one of the downstream lines were to fail on any of the quads

we might have some flow occurring out - outside the space
station. So to prevent that from happening the PSMs, or
propellent storage modules_ were isolated themselves, they
were shutoff, that prevents fuel from flowing from one quad
into any of the other quads. So the stuff today taken just
to allow that pressure to bleed off into the main tank rather
than to build up and to fill the accumulator in the line.
No problem, of course, for that, but thatts an additional
safety precaution taken by Mission Control. This is Skylab
Control almost an hour and 25 minutes now to the next acquisition
of signal. It's 35 minutes and 45 seconds after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC969/I
Time: 13:00 CST, 30:19:00 GMT
12/15/73
PAO Skylab Control at 19 hours Greenwich mean

time. We're now about 57 seconds from acquisition of signal
through the Vanguard tracking ship. The pass through Vanguard
should last approximately 10-1/2 minutes. The spacecraft
communicator is Hank Hartsfield and wetll come up live now
for air-to-ground through Vanguard.
10-1/2 minutes.
CDR Roger, Hank.
CC And PLT, while you're eating here, got
a couple of things I'ii run by you. In regard to the timer
thing, the only suggestion we got is get a new battery out
of F509 and try them - try it in either timer and we suggest
that you if you do that, get a chance to do it, to verify
your timer select switch is off before installing the batteries
and also remember to turn it off afterwards so we don't run
it down.
PLT Roger, and I'ii try it in an empty camera too
just to make sure the thing's functioning properly.
CC Okay and we've done some checking here
and it should operate normally on a - an empty camera. I
don_t think you have to have a magazine on there.
PLT Okay°
CC SPT, Houston. On the TV there on panel
130, we need to get the XUV slit white light display.
SPT Thank you, Hank.
CC Thank you, sir.
CC SPT, when you get a break at the console then,
give me a call and I got your film load for you for your S063
ops this evening.
SPT Okay Hank. Go ahead. Ready to copy.
CC Okay. They used up the film we had up there
today as you know, and so we want you to load IRI4 and that's in
F-36 and put that in Nikon 02, which is empty now. A good
time to do that might be at the end of your PT at 23 - approximately
23:15.
SPT Okay. Thank you, Hank.
CC And Ed, that operation does require that
timer so if you don't get that checked out, you or Bill, one,
you'll probably have to run in manual like he did.
SPT Roger Hank. I've been through that once
already.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're about i minute
from LOS. We'll see you at Ascension at 15 and we plan to
dump the voice and data recorder there.
SL-IV MC969/2
Time: 13:00 CST, 30:19:00 GMT
12/15/73
26 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station has

passed out of range of the tracking ship Vanguard. We're about
2 minutes from acquisition of signal at Ascension. During
this last pass, the conversation was rather limited. Here
in Mission Control, the environmental officer is discussing
with the Flight Director a possibility of posponing the
inspection of the control anddisplay panel coolant loop for
the ATM instruments. That coolant loop has occasionally
shown some drop in pressure and occasionally had stopped -
a complete stop in the flow of coolant through the loop which
is used to keep touch temperatures low on the ATM panel and
also to keep the EREP tape recorder - Earth resources tape
recorders cool. Right now, they're considering possible
problems with doing any sort of inspection and they'd like
to postpone that possibly up to a day to consider ways of
performing a more effective inspection and repair job on it
if that proves to be feasable. The ATM control and display
panel is not essential to the mission although it is important
in use - using the television monitors for the ATM instruments
that's primarily necessary for some pointing control. At the
present time_ it looks as if we'll do a troubleshooting proce-
dure mainly involving removal of the filters and also then
possibly cleaning the filters and perhaps replacing them or
on the other hand, using a liquid gas separator to clean them -
clean the line completely if there is contamination in it.
We're approaching acquisition of signal now at Ascension. The
pass through Ascension will last about 10-1/2 minutes. We'll
bring the line up live for air-to-ground.
CC Skylab, Houston through Ascension for
i0 minutes.
SPT Houston, Skylab.
CC Go ahead.
SPT Say Hank, l'm looking at a beautiful surge
in H-alfa. There's three - two large segments to it and it's
moving off pretty fast. I was able to get some mirror line
scans truncated down to line 13 on it and thatts about all before
we got below 400-K.
CC Roger. We copy.
SPT Looks like it's moving about 1 arc a
minute for - in 2 minutes or so which I think is whistling
right along.
CC Roger. We copied Ed. We just got the
report in from NOAA.
SPT Okay. We got a little mirror auto raster data
on it and I suspect the next orbit we ought to go Sun center
and see what's happening there.
CC SPT, on next pass - I guess it'd actually
be the CDR, we'd like to start right off with a building
SL-IV MC969/3
Time: 13:00 CST, 30:19:00 GMT
12/15/73
block 32 and at the end of that_ look at the WLC and if you
do see a coronal transient, you might run that program. And
if you don't, we'd like to return to the original Flight Plan.
schedule.
SPT Okay, Hank. Thank you. Sure was a lot
of material moving off there in a hurry.
CC And Skylab, we're 1 minute from LOS. We'll
see you Guam at 59. Thatts 35 minutes from now.
SPT Okay, Hank. This was not the usual surge
which we've seen out there before which usually appears as
just a spike moving up and then gradually fading away. Here
there was two large pieces of material which was evident
H-alfa maybe about a third of an arc minute or so across. Just
moving out completely with no material underneath reaching up
to them. Looks as though it was just two large pieces of
material just blowing right off.
CC Roger, We copied. Sounds interesting.
SPT I think we got something good coming around
the corner.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-970/I
Time: 13:25 CST 30:19:25 GMT
12/15/73

Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now crossing
the coast of Africa, out of range of the Ascension Island
tracking station. 33 minutes for our next acquisition of
signal at Guam. During this last pass Science Pilot Ed Gibson
who's been at work at the control panel for the solar telescope,
indicated that he had observed a surge of material from the
Sun's eastern limb or the right edge of the solar disk. That
surge was described as being two large pieces of material
leaving the solar surface and moving out into space. According
to his indication the speed is about 1 are minute per 2 minutes
which would indicate a speed of in the neighborhood of 800,000
miles per hour. An extremely large amount of material from
his discription. He said two large pieces of material and
he said it sure was a lot of material moving out in a hurry.
And, he indicated it was not just a spike as many surges are
but in fact a large mass of material which actually moved
away from the surface rather than merely going out and then
returning to the surface. Same information was reported by
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration just
a few moments ago. Their observatories, of course, are active
at the present time. Gibson suggested for the next pass we
might want to use Sun centered mode, which would of course be
suitable for the white light corenagraph that looks at the
outer atmosphere of the Sun. And, the indication is that
Commander Carr, who will be working at the solar telescopes at that
time_ may be doing some white light coronagraph work if there
is an indication of transient events in the outer solar
atmosphere. Generally, when a flare or a surge of this type
occurs, throwing material out through the atmosphere of the
Sun, it's frequently the case that major transients occur
or large scale changes in the magnetic field and material
around the solar astomosphere out to several i00,000 miles
can be observed on the white light coronagraph. That, of
course, will give the crew an excellent opportunity to get some
additional data. Ed Gibson said that he did have an opportunity
to do some scanning of that area so, undoubtedly the solar
scientists will be quite pleased with the information they
got on that surge that just occurred now on the edge of the
Sun. As Gibson pointed out a number of active regions now
returning to view, moving around the eastern limb of the Sun.
Those active regions which have been out of sight now for a
couple of weeks are expected to be coming back into view in
the next few days. One of them, active region 84, is now on
the edge of the Sun, and active region 87, which was a producer
of major flares in the last mission, the last part of the mis-
sion, may be coming back into view in the next couple of days.
This is Skylab Control. Half an hour to our next acquisition
of signal at Guam. It's now 29 minutes after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC971/I
TIME: 13:58 CST, 30:19:58 GMT
12/15/73

just 53 seconds from acquisition of signal at Guam. The pass
through Guam will last about 9 minutes. Spacecraft communicator
is Hank Hartsfield, and the flight director at the present
time is Charles Lewis. On the screen here at Mission Control
we have a mummichog minnow in an astronaut maneuvering unit.
That's the symbol for the flight team of Charles Lewis, and
of course, as you know the crew will be using the astronaut
maneuvering unit this afternoon. We're live now for
air-to-ground at Guam.
CC Skylab, Houston; through Guam for 8-1/2
minutes.
SPT Houston, we have an announcement.
CC Go ahead.
SPT We are pleased to announce the birth of
our first moth. The attending physicians, Carr, Gibson, and
Pogue, described the status of the babies as alive, moving,
but somewhat hairy. Their weights are zero, and their masses
are very small. The first day first one was born on day
348, sometime in the middle of the afternoon. The physicians
were caught off guard and didn't have boiled water or news-
papers on hand. At this time there are five babies crawling
over their potential brother. The cover is not being removed
since they are all of the wild breed. The physicians have
delivered successfully several times but not being suitably
adapted to moth mothering are ill-prepared to feed the little
fellows. Houston; request advice.
CC I think Bob is looking for an answer,now.
CC Ed, I'm not sure how I'm going to break
this to you, but we really don't have any plans to to feed
them.
SPT Don't we even have any old spider food
left over?
CC At this point we're not sure whether you
owe us cigars or we owe you cigars.
PLT And, Hank, a new battery in the
remote timer has fixed the problem on SO63 as far as the remote
timer is concerned.
CC Roger, Bill. Thank you, that's good news.
PLT Yeah, a footnote to that; it's sort of hard
to understand because both of those timers were off and we just
- well I put a new battery in one quite some time ago, but
we put a new battery in the second timer only about 3 days
ago.
SL-IV MC971/2
TIME: 13:58 CST, 30:19:58 GMT
12/15/73
CC You would think it would last a little

longer than that. If the switch is in OFF at the completion of
each run, I can't imagine what's running them down.
PLT The position of both of them was in OFF,
because I pulled them both out new, you know, when I configured
for the first time and then I got the second one out to trouble-
shoot; both of them were in OFF. And I was wondering if
they have any advice as to whether or not to remove the
batteries after each use.
CC That might be a good suggestion, Bill. Let
us talk about that one a bit.
PLT Or it may have just been a fluke.
SPT Hey, Hank, we show no evidence of the
transient in the WLC. Me did get the building block 32,
however, and looking at it again in your H-alpha 1 out there we
do see some surging still pressing on the limb, but nothing
like we saw at the present - at the last orbit, So welre
going to go ahead and Jerry's going to press on with what's
called for in the - on the pad. And if there's time left
over we'll give you another quickie building block at the
end.
CC Okay, we copy, Ed.
CC Skylab, Houston; for your information,
the quality of the TV47 yesterday was very good, and the
quality also of the voice and ATM TV prior to and after
the TV47 was good.
CC Skylab, Houston; we're i minute from LOS.
We'll see you at Vanguard at 38, and we plan to dump the
recorder there.
Greenwich mean time. We're now about half an hour from
acquisition of signal at Vanguard. Well, that was a surprise
announcement from Science Pilot Ed Gibson. Skylab crew now
proud parents of five gypsy moth eggs that have hatched. The
gypsy moths were not expected to hatch this early in the mission.
That's exactly what the principle investigator who had proposed
this experiment had hoped for. The gypsy moths normally would
remain in a - stage egg stage for many months, up to 6 months
and some people believe up to 9 months. The eggs were the wild
ones; 500 of them aboard, 500 laboratory reared eggs. The wild
eggs were layed in late August and some hatching had been
hoped for perhaps as early as January, this is about a month
earlier than that. More eggs were expected to hatch perhaps
in February but perhaps not until after the Skylab crew
had returned. So, the possibility of taking eggs into space
SL-IV MC971/3
TIME: 13:58 CST, 30:19:58 GMT
12/15/73
is a technique for raising large numbers of moths for a

purpose of sterlization and for the eventual elimination
of a very serious insect pest now appears to be much more
feasible than it had been thought. So, that's certainly
a piece of good news, and we should be able to get some
more information on that later in the day. Five gypsy moth
eggs have hatched aboard the Skylab space station out of
a total of a thousand and that's a breakthrough for the
Skylab crew. 28 minutes to our next acquisition of signal,
this is Skyleb Control at 10-1/2 minutes after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-972/I
Time: 14:38 CST, 30:20:38 GMT
12/15/73

Greenwich mean time. We're coming up on acquisition of signal
at the Vanguard tracking ship. The pass will last about
ii minutes and we're live for air-to-ground.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're through Vanguard
for ii minutes. And we'll be dumping the recorder.
CDR Roger, Hank. We had - got a ATM
coolant low delta-P light. And the pump started moaning
and lasted for about 2 minutes and then everything went back
to normal.
CC Roger. We copy.
CDR Actually, Hank, the sequence of events
was: The pump started moaning first, and I heard it. I
checked it, and then came back and checked the light. And
the light came on, oh I suppose, about 20 seconds after it
started moaning. Then the frequency of the pump noise, or
the loudness of the pump noise went way down. And then it
all came back up after 2 minutes.
CC Reg. We copy, Jer. Thank you.
CC PLT, Houston. Our telemetry seems to indicate
that the right legband is reading quite a bit high. So when
you go to breaking it down, we would appreciate you taking a
look there at the insulation and see if you can find the problem
with it.
PLT Will you say again on that, Hank?
CC Roger. It looks to us down here like
the reading from the right legband is a little higher - a
good bit higher than it should be. So, when you are closing
out the experiment today, we'd appreciate you taking a look
and see if you can see any problem with it.
PLT Okay. And that's on the right legband.
Thank you.
CC And we're about a minute from LOS. We'll
see you at Ascension at 56.
PAO Skylab Control itts now 20 hours 50 minutes
Greenwich mean time. The Skylab space station has passed out
of range of the tracking antenna at Ascension. Wetre about
5-1/2 minutes from our next acquisition there. We'll have
the pass then, from Ascension going all the way through
Canary Island and Madrid. This is Skylab Control. It's
now 50 minutes and 26 seconds after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-973/I
Time: 14:54 CST 30:20:54 GMT
12/15/73

54 minutes Greenwich mean time. About 59 seconds away from
acquisition at Ascension. Standing by for the air-to-ground.
CC Skylab, Houston. Through Ascension,
Canary, Madrid for 14 minutes.
CDR Roger, Hank.
CC And, CDR, Houston. A little while back
Bill sug _sted that we might remove the battery from the
Nikon timer after every use to insure there isn't something
in there that's dragging the batteries down. I guess we
think that's a pretty good idea, so if you want to do that
we_d appreciate it and you might tape the battery to the timer
every time when you get through with it, just keep up with it.
CDR Okay, fine, Hank. We'll do it.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're 1 minute from LOS.
We'll see you at Guam at 37 and for the SPT, the S063 pad for
the pass coming up is on board and that's got your data in
there for your prep.
PAO Well this was a very quiet trip over the
West Coast of Africa_the Mediterranean, and on into eastern
Europe, principally because the science pilot was doing a
medical experiment and he was being observed by the pilot
while the commander was at the Apollo telescope mount viewing
the Sun. At 21 hours ii minutes Greenwich mean time, this
is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC974/I
Time: 15:35 CST 30:21:35 GMT
12/15/73
PAO Skylab Control here in Houston, Texas at

21 hours 35 minutes Greenwich mean time. About 50 seconds
away from acquisition of the space station through the Guam
tracking site. Standing by for the air-to-ground.
CC Skylab, Houston, through Guam for 7 min-
utes.
CDR Roger, Hank, and do I have a family call
tonight?
CC Roger, you sure do, at Carnarvon/Honey-
suckle 00:52.
CDR Roger, 00:52.
CC And you should start on left antenna and
switch to the right.
CDR Okay.
CC PLT, Houston. If it's convenient, did you
find anything wrong with that right legband?
PLT Negative, Hank, I did not. I looked at
it and I put it on tape, but I saw no problem with it. And every-
thing else appeared to be nominal.
CC Okay, we copy°
LOS, Honeysuckle at 50.
PA0 And we've lost all meaningful data through
the Guam tracking site. We'll reacquire at - in about 4-1/2
minutes through the Honeysuckle site on a very low elevation
pass. So, we'll just keep the line up for about 4 more min-
tues for that very short pass through Honeysuckle. At 21 hours
46 minutes Greenwich mean time, this is Skylab Control. And
we're standing by.
PAO This is Skylab Control at 21 hours 47 min-
utes Greenwich mean time with an announcement that we're an-
ticipating at this particular time a 4:30 p.m. central standard
time change-of-shift briefing with Flight Director, Charles
Lewis, that's the off-going Flight Director, Charles Lewis.
Appearing with him will be Dr. Dennis Morrison, who is the -
who is one of the Gypsy Moth experimenters. Again, the
change-of-shift briefing will take place in Building number i
news center 3 number 135, 4:30 p.m. central standard time.
We're standing by for reacquisition in about 2 minutes through
Honeysuckle.
CC Skylab, Houston, through Honeysuckle for
2-1/2 minutes. And we noticed that the - we've got both ex-
periment i and experiment 2 recorders running and we'd like
to get you to stop the experiment recorder 2 at panel 542.
PLT Okay, that was done per checklist, M509.
Do you still want it off?
CC That's affirm. We're looking at page 7-5
there step 6. It says experiment I to record. Which page
SL-IV MC974/2
Time: 15:35 CST 30:21:35 GMT
12/15/73
did you find that - putting both of them on?

CDR Stand by, Hank, maybe I did that by mis-
take. Okay, it's just supposed to be one, you're right.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're about i minute from
LOS. We'll see you at Vanguard at 17.
PAO The Skylab space station has moved out
of range of Honeysuckle. Next acquisition will be in about
23 minutes. A very short pass through Vanguard, incidentally,
the last pass of the day through Vanguard. At 21 hours
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC975/I
Time: 16:16 CST 30:22:16 GMT
12/15/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at 16 hours,

oh correction, 22 hours 16 minutes Greenwich mean time.
Space station is approximately half minute away from
acquisition at Vanguard. This time according to the
flight plan the crew should be engaged in the M509
astronaut maneuvering unit exercise with Jerry Carr flying
that little old bird, and the pilot, Bill Pogue observing.
Science Pilot is in his PT and PH which means physical
training and personal hygiene exercise. Standing by in
ii seconds for the air-to-ground.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through the
Vanguard for 6-1/2 minutes. Out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston one minute till
LOS. Next station contact in 13-1/2 minutes through the
Canary Islands at 22:37. Out.
PAO The voice of the spacecraft commander
that you - spacecraft communicator that you just heard was
that of Bruce McCandless. Who is a member of the silver
team. That is the team under Neil Hutchinson. They are
now on duty, having replaced the team headed by Charles
Lewis. Who at this time is either in the news center or
about to enter the news center on his change of shift
briefing which is scheduled for approximately 4:30 p.m..
We'll take the line down, and transcribe any - any other
air-to-ground that comes up through the Canary station
the Canary tracking station. We'll be in acquisition
through Canary in about ii minutes. So, at 22 hours
24 minutes Greenwich mean time, standing by for the change
of shift briefing this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC976/I
Time: 16:57 CST 30:22:57 GMT
12/15/73

58 minutes Greenwich mean time. Space station is
approaching the subcontinent of India at this particular
time having gone through the Canary Island and Madrid
tracking stations. And at that time we acquired approxi-
mately 90 seconds or rather a minute and half of air-to-
ground. We're prepared to play that to you at this time.
Island and Madrid for 13-1/2 minutes, data/voice tape
recorder dump scheduled at Madrid. Out.
SPT Hello Bruce. I'd like to make a
request on our family comm.
CC Request away.
SPT Okay, for the next two sessions Bill
and I would like to switch. That is Bill would go Sunday,
myself Monday, Jer would remain unchanged Tuesday I would -
Bill would go again Wednesday and myself Thursday, Jerry,
Friday, and then we can pick up as usual with Jerry, myself
and Bill in that order. It amounts to Bill and I changing
twice.
CC Okay, I think we can work that in.
SPT Thank you very much Bruce.
CC Skylab, this is Houston 2 minutes until
LOS. Next station contact in 35 minutes through Honeysuckle
Creek at 23:24. Out.
PAO Well, that concludes the air-to-ground
that we acquired during the two passes through Canaries and
Madrid. We will reacquire the spacecraft again in about
24 minutes. Very little communication in as much as the
commander and the pilot were involved in the M509 nstronaut
maneuvering exercise while Science Pilot Ed Gibson was
doing physical training and personal hygiene. At 23 hours
Greenwich mean time, this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC977/I
Time: 17:23 CST 30:23:23 GMT
12/15/73

acquisition at the Honeysuckle tracking station. The crew
is still in the M509 exercise and the science pilot is PTing
and PHing, which means physical training and personal
hygiening. We'll stand by for the air-to-ground.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Honey-
suckle for 8 minutes. Out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston. We've got about
6-1/2 minutes left in this pass. If you're tied up, we don't
want to interrupt, but if somebody could get over to the squawk
box before the end of the pass, we'd appreciate a status
report on how 509 is going and we notice the VTR is not
running and the TV switch is in ATM 1 instead of PORTABLE.
Out.
PLT Roger, Bruce. We're running a little
late on this first run and we have a question about priority
scheduling. We're just wondering if you wanted to scrub
anything? Looks like we're running into the S063. Can either
terminate this early or we're going to run into S063 time.
CC PLT, this is Houston. In assessing our
options here, the position that we're working around to is
deleting S063 if required and then eating back into this
discretionary maneuvers. However, to assist us, I wonder
if you could give us some status of what you've completed so
far, we can get a better hack on things, llke the maneuvers
you've done. Over.
PLT Just doing some preliminary checkouts.
Just undocked.
CC Oh, roger, thank you, Bill.
PLT Starting single axis cal now.
CC Roger.
CC Skylab, this is Houston. A minute and
a half until LOS. Next station contact in 37 minutes through
Bermuda at the time of 00:08. Scrub S063A op and we rec-
ommend that the SPT pick up the PLT's $233 which is scheduled
for approximately 00:30 to give you a little more flexibility.
And we'll be talking to you at Bermuda. Over.
PLT Thank you very much, Bruce. Sounds like
a good way to go.
CC And - And for the SPT, if you can do it,
our preference on the TV coverage is to be sure and get the
HHMU operations. We're not too concerned about the cal
maneuver coverage on the TV. Over.
PAO The report from the spacecraft is that
the crew is about an hour and 15 mintues behind in its
SL-IV MC977/2
Time: 17:23 CST 30:23:23 GM
12/15/73
activities on the M509 astronaut maneuvering unit, exercise.

And in that respect, the decision has been made here on the
ground to commit the Science Pilot, Ed Gibson, to undertake
the task of Kohoutek comet photography which is scheduled for
roughly 24:30, or 30 minutes into the new day, or approximately
an hour from now. To also do some television showing the
operation of the handheld maneuvering unit rather than some of
the calibration TV that was planned for earlier. At 23 hours
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC978/I
Time: 18:06 CST 31:00:06 GMT
12/15/73
PA0 This is Skylab Control at 6 minutes

54 seconds Greenwich mean time. Space station is approxi-
mently 3/4 - 3/4 of a minute away from acquisition at
Bermuda. And when we acquire at Bermuda we expect to
pass up some new instructions to the crew in connection
with the M509 astronaut maneuvering unit experiment,
which in effect will reduce some of the exercises and
permit them hopefully to get back onto the time line.
About 15 seconds away from acquiring and we'll stand by
for the call from CAP COMM, Bruce McCandless.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Bermuda
for the PLT. Over.
PLT Go, Bruce.
CC Roger, if you've got your Maneuvering Unit
Experiment Checklist out on page 8_i, we got a little
time line, wonder if you could tell us where you are. And
we got some changes to it to economize on time a little.
Over.
PLT Stand by just i.
CC And for the CDR we've slipped your
family phone call this evening to Merritt Island at
01:40 Zuln, and we_ll call you again later on this so
you don't miss it. Out.
PLT It's real nice of you Bruce, and where we
are, we're on the baseline rate gyro, right now. Headed for
position 2 right now.
CC Okay, Bill what we want to do then
is we want to delete the discretionary maneuvers and you -
if you've already changed the battery out, that's fine.
Delete HHMU checkout and cal delete HHMU transfer
and do about 5 minutes of HHMU frame work after yon
finish up the baseline rate gyro. And our objective is
to be completely stowed by 01:00 Zulu. So we would llke
you to be docked and starting stowage by 00:15. Over.
PLT Okay_ we'll have to move pretty fast
then. Thank you very much.
CC Roger, out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston 1 minute till
LOS. Next station contact in 4_i/2 minutes through Madrid,
at 00:19. Out.
PAO The opinions are pretty general here in
the control center that one of the reasons for the slip
in the M509 astronaut man - maneuvering experiment is the
fact that this is the first time that this new crew has
undertaken to do this task. They're roughly an hour
behind in their time line, as far as the M509 run is concerned.
SL-IV MC978/2
Time: 18:06 CST 31:00:06 GMT
12/15/73
In order to make up the lost time there has been some deletion
of M509 run - run activities. Those previously were mentioned
on the air,to-ground. Reference was made to HHMU, which of
course means handheld maneuvering u - unit. We expect to
reacquire the crew in about 2 minutes through the tracking
station at Madrid. So we_ll keep the line up for the
communication with the crew. The commander is set for a
family conversation tonight at about 1 hour 40 minutes
Greenwich mean time. Oh, roughly about about an hour and
i0 minutes from now when the space station comes around
the next time over MILA, Merritt Island station in Flordia.
StandlnK by for communication with Skylab IV.
CC Skylab, this is Houston throuEh Madrid
for 8 minutes. Out.
CDR Houston, CDR.
CC Go ahead, Jer.
CDR Okay, we're finished with 509. Tell
the guys in Denver, they've got a great simulator. It
flies just llke the simulator.
CC Okay, we'll do that. Thank you.
CDR Essentially Bruce we made a mistake or
two, had to replow some ground which is expected I think on
the first run through.
CC Okay, we copy. Is there anything we
can do to help out or you think that having been through it
once you got it.
CDR Oh, yeah, I think we_ve got it now.
It's _ this is just the old learning curve again. I did
not get to do any HHMU work because we need to get started
stowing. But the bird flies real well and I think it
well be a real pleasure to work on from now on, and we'll
get the kinks worked out of the procedures.
CC Okay, we copy, then that basically you got
the transfers on all 3 mode baselines and the cals and
we_ll work on the future operations.
CDR That'S affirmative. We_ll put a
full debriefing on tape.
CC Roger. Out.
CC Skylab, this is Houston a minute and
20 seconds to LOS. Next station contact in 26 minutes
through Carnarvon at 00:52. And as I mentioned earlier
we_ve slipped the CDH phone call to Merritt Island at 01:40.
Out .
CDR Rog, we copy that Bruce. Thank you.
CC And if youtre all still listening we also
slipped the med conference from Bermuda at 03:21 to Madrid
SL-IV MC978/3
Time: 18:06 CST 31:00:06 GMT
12/15/73
at 03:34 in order to get better site coverage. The problem

there was Bermuda and the evening status report at Corpus
Christi were conflicting with each other, Out,
CDR Houston, CDR.
CC Go ahead, we've got about 2 seconds,
CDR Okay, we could not find a bracelet
today for the wrist checklist, we had to Jury-rig
one. Would you check and see if you can find out from
Bean-o where he might have put it?
CC Will do that.
CDR It was not in the protective helmet kit.
PAO Loss of signal at Madrid. Next
acquisition is 24 minutes through Carnarvon. At 28 minutes
39 seconds into the new day that is day 350 in the year
1973. This is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL IV MC-979/I
Time: 18:51 CST 31:00:51 GMT
12/15/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at 51 minutes, 43

seconds Greenwich mean time. The space station is approaching
the Carnarvon tracking site in Australia, and we expect the
crew is nearly finished with the stowage of the M509 astronaut
maneuvering unit equipment and should be about ready, if they're
not doing so now, to start their evening meal. Following that
there will be an hour or so of Apollo telescope mount viewing
by the science pilot, and then off to bed. About 12 seconds
from acquisition, standing by.
and Honeysuckle for 15 minutes. Out. And we'll be dumping
your data/voice tape recorder here at Carnarvon.
CC Skylab, this is Houston. One minute to
LOS. Next station contact in 32 minutes through Corpus Christi
at 01:39. Out.
PAO And the space station has moved out of
range of Honeysuckle on this the 3110th revolution, reacquire
at in about 30 minutes through the tracking station at Merrltt
Island, Florida. At i hour and 9 minutes Greenwich mean time,
END OF TAPE
SL IV MC-980/I
Time: 19:38 CST 31:01:38 GMT
12/15/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at i hour 38 minutes

Greenwich mean time. About a minute away from acquisition at -
through the MILA - Merritt Island, Florida tracking site.
We'll stand by for communications with the crew of Skylab IV
through the Florida site.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Corpus
Christi, Merritt Island and Bermuda for 14 minutes. Out.
CC For the CDR, coming up on his private
comm here at Merritt Island_ antenna sequence will be right
to left and then left after the handever to Bermuda. Out.
CDR Thank you Bruce.
CDR Hello Houston. Skylab loud and clear.
CC You're coming through on S-band, Jer.
CDR Skylab -
CC Skylab, this is Houston. We just heard
you through the handover there. Go ahead.
CC Skylab, Skylab. This is Houston. Were
you calling? Over.
CC Skylab, Skylab. This is Houston. Radio
check. Over.
CC Skylab, Skylab, Skylab. This is Houston
in the blind. We believe you're out of configuration on
the comm. Nothing pressing, we'll pick you up again - we
still have you for 6 minutes through Bermuda if you're reading
us. And we'll pick you up at Madrid at 01:58.
CC Hello Skylab. This is Houston on S-band.
How do you read?
SPT Hello Bruce. How do you read? i, 2, 3,
4, 5.
CC Okay. Loud and clear Ed. The ground was
out of configuration. Had a button not punched in on the console.
They're hooking you onto GOSS i. Were you calling during
the handover? Over.
SPT Yeah, that's affirm, Bruce. On the displays
BUS i on the ATM, we're not able to get the displays. I
understand there's a circuit breaker we can cycle in order to
get those back. Do you have the procedure available down
there?
CC Stand by.
CC SPT, Houston. The breaker you want to
cycle is down there in the console power distribution. It's
the MAIN INVERTER i LCA breaker. Over.
SPT MAIN LCA I. Thank you.
CC Roger.
CC SPT, Houston. Did that solve your problem?
SPT No it did not, Bruce. I took the four
displays 2 off, and cycled the breaker and left it out
for about 5 seconds, pushed it back in, did not get displays
SL IV MC-980/2
Time: 19:38 CST 31:01:38 GMT
12/15/73
on BUS i. Tried it the second time, with all eight switches

OFF on the console power distribution and displays OFF,
cycled the breaker out for about 5 seconds, back in, and
still did not have displays on US i.
CC Okay. Let us work on it. We got about
a minute and a half to LOS. Next station contact in 5-1/2
minutes through Madrid at 01:57.
SPT Okay. Talk to you then. Thank you, Bruce.
CC Is the inverter A - 1 AC circuit breaker
in? Over.
CC The one right below it -
SPT That's affirm, Bruce. All circuit
breakers on console power distribution are in.
CC Okay. Thank you.
_ CC Okay, we're working on that one, Ed, and
at Madrid when we come up it'll be a data/voice tape recorder
dump. We'll talk to you there. Out.
PAO We'll reacquire through Madrid tracking
site in 3 minutes. And we'll keep the line up for the
air-to-ground there.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC981/I
Time: 19:54 CST 31:01:54 GMT
12/15/73
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Madrid.

Data/voice tape recorder dump. For the SPT, we'd like to
know the position of your lighting numeric and lighting integrval
switches please. Over.
SPT They are both off, Bruce.
CC Okay. We want them in fixed, please. And -
SPT Okay, they're in FIXED.
CC Okay. And now you can go ahead and cycle
the breaker again and see if you get lights. And we under-
stand your original complaint that you were getting no res-
ponse to any of the four displays which is - that's the bunch with
DAS, ORB phase, power system and all that. Over.
SPT That's affirm, Bruce. And apparently
having those two switches in fixed did the Job because now
we have it in Bus i. Thank you.
CC Roger, out.
SPT Bruce, you could probably give me a couple
sentences explanation of why it works when the switches in FIXED.
CC Okay_ with those two switches in OFF, the
power to the numeric and the integrval lighting busses is just
non-existent there. That is, the experiment - the BUS 1 posi-
tion of the console power distribution switches is wired up
to those two numeric integral busses which in turn wired up
to the _ the arm of the lighting numeric and lighting integr-
als switches and in the FIXED position. Why, it's just a
straight shot into the regulator output.
CDR Okay, thank you.
CC And SPT, this is Houston. We show the
XUV MON power switch off at present time. We'd like to get
it back on.
CDR Houston, CDR.
CC Go ahead, CDR.
CDR Bruce, we have a DAC - DAC number i down
here that's Jammed up. It's the camera itself that's jammed
and we haven't blown the fuse yet. I got a hunch that the
malf the procedures that they sent me up in general message
008 miBht apply here. I wonder if you would please tele-
printer us up another copy of permanent general message
008.
CC Okay, we can certainly do that. We'll also
look into the applicability.
SPT Houston, the XUV MONITOR switch is in the
ON position and so is MON i and MON 2, and I'm not getting
a display there.
CC Okay, we're talking on the lower right
hand r corner of the C&D panel. XUV MON power switch to on.
Is that correct. And MON i and MON 2?
SPT That's affirm. All in the TV block lower top
SL-IV MC981/2
Time: 19:54 CST 31:01:54 GMT
12/15/73
of the lower - of the upper panel, right across - above the moni-
tor. XUV MON power switch is right next to the XUV HON doors.
CC Roger.
PLT Ed, would you give me a frame?
CC SPT, this is Houston. We'd like you to
cycle XUV MON power switch OFF then back ON. And same with
MON 1 and MON 2 switches.
SPT That's accomplished.
CC Skylab, this is Houston. 30 seconds to
LOS. Next station contact in 26 minutes through Carnarvon
at 02:31. During this LOS period, we want you to hold your
configuration on the XUV MON, the TV MON switches even if
it means sacrificing part of a pass. Over.
SPT Roger, Houston. Will do.
CC Roger, out.
PAO At 2 hours 6 minutes Greenwich mean time,
END OF TAPE
SL IV MC-982/I
Time: 20:30 CST 31:02:30 GMT
12/15/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at 2 hours 30 minutes

Greenwich mean time. We'll acquire the space station in about
40 seconds through Carnarvon, standing by.
for 6 minutes for the SPT. Over.
SPT Go ahead, Houston.
CC Okay, Ed, I think we've got out story
pieced together here for you, but before we start into it, the
whole rationale hinges on one item. When we were trying to
get the lighting back, did you cycle the E-Alpha switch on
the console power distributionp that's H-Alpha switch 1 of 8.
Over.
SPT H-Alpha power, yes on that one, that I
put OFF and then back ON again.
CC Okay_ here's the situation, last mission
we had a fairly hard short on TV BUS 2 and the even though an
O-meter check is shown to be - at least on the surface okay,
we don't want to power that up. Consequently we taped the
sync generator switch in the center off position. Nowp through
a - a very interesting chain of circumstance, the power to
the sync generator switch comes from the H-Alpha switch on
console power distribution from the C&D buses. And when you
turn the H-Alpha switch back ON, the sync generator switch is
cunningly rigged to a series of pulsars, therefore, you pulse
both TV buses 1 and 2 to the OFF position since the sync
generator switch is in center off, so to recover from this
position what you need to do is via DAS command - DAS 10131,
that's 10131 DAS TV BUS 1 back on and you should he back in
commission. Y'all might want to make a mental note that
cycling that H-Alpha switch to OFF and then back ON does this
to you. Over.
SPT Okay, Bruce I understand what you're saying.
That switch had been cycled previously, however, with now -
without that affect. That does surprise me that we have run
into that now rather than previously. I'll go ahead and give
it a give it a go, though, 10131.
CC Roger.
SPT How's the XUV MON look to you down there?
CC Okay_ we see TV BUS i up now, and it looks
good to us.
SPT Okay in the process_ however, Bruce I
can manage to pick up a computer reject the first time I made
that entry - what was fed back to me was a 11131 and I cleared
it and then put in a 10131 and still has got a computer reject
for me.
SL IV MC-982/2
Time: 20:30 CST 31:02:30 GMT
12/15/73
CC Understand you got a computer reject the

second time, too?
SPT Not the second time. The second time it
went in all right, but right now I'm still having the computer
reject looking at me and a 52040 one will not clear.
CC Okay, we got copy.
SPT 52040 gives me 5 and four 7's.
CC I understand 52040 give you what?
SPT 57777.
CC Okay, we copy.
SPT Okay, we got i minute to LOS. Next station
contact in 7.1/2 minutes through Honeysuckle Creek. No
command capability at Honeysuckle. It's a short pass, we'll
see you there. And actually we've got a little more than
that with you here through Carnarvon. It's a keyhole: we'll
be back up.
CC SPT, this is Houston. You still read us?
Over.
SPT Sure do Bruce, go ahead.
CC Okay, on telemetry we're showing an
interrupt failure in status word 4. Something that we're
going to have to look at here but we'd like for you to stay off
the DAS until we get it psyched out.
SPT Okay, Bruce will do.
CC Roger, thank you.
SPT And, Bruce, would you please recite the
conditions under which you cannot turn the H-Alpha i or H-Alpha
2 power switches OFF?
CC Okay, we're not talking about the H-Alpha
i and 2 power switches. We're talking about the H-Alpha power
switch under console power distribution that second switch
in from the left in the group of eight over there and that's
the one which, where you turn it off and then hack on causes
the problem, although I understand in the past if you're very,
very swift and you go from BUS i to BUS 2 you can get by
without causing that glitch, but we don't want you to operate
that except under our direction.
SPT Bruce, that is a switch which I did not
throw. I misunderstood your previous question, I thought you
meant the power switch down under TV which I didn't (garble)
CC See you over Honeysuckle. We're going down.
END OF TAPE
REVISED: CORRECTED VERSION
SL-IV MC-982/2
Time; 20_30 CST 31:02:30 GMT
12/15/73
CC Understand you got a computer reject

the second time, too?
SPT Not the second time. The second time
it went in all right. But right now I'm still having the com-
puter reject looking at me and a 52040 one will not clear it.
CC Okay, we copy.
SPT 52040 give{,_e 5 and four 7's.
CC Understand 52040 gives you what?
SPT 57777.
CC Okay_ we copy.
CC Okay. We got i minute to LOS. Next station
contact in 7-1/2 minutes through Honeysuckle Creek. No command
capability at Honeysuckle. It's a short pass. We'll see you
there.
CC And actually we got a little more then that
with you here through Carnarvon. It's a keyhole and we'll be
back up.
CC SPT, this is Houston. Do you still read
us? Over.
SPT Sure do, Bruce. Go ahead.
CC Okay. On telemetry we're showing an inter-
rupt failure in status word 4, It's something we're going
to have to look at here, but we'd like you to stay off the
DAS until we get it psyched out.
SPT Okay, Bruce. Will do.
CC Roger; thank you.
SPT And Bruce, would you please recite the
conditions under which you cannot turn the H-Alpha i or
H_Alpha 2 POWER switches OFF?
CC Okay. We're not talking about the H-alpha
i and 2 POWER switches. We're talking about the H-alpha
power switch under console power distribution, that second
switch in from the left in the group of eight over there,
and that's the one which where we turn it off and then back on,
causes the problem although I understand in the past if you're
very, very swift and you go from BUS i to BUS 2 you get by
without causing that glitch. But we don't want you to operate
that except under under our direction.
SPT Bruce, that is a - a switch which I did
not throw. I misunderstood your previous question. I thought
you meant the power switch down under TV, which I did not
(garble).
CC See you over Honeysuckle. We're going
down.
END OF TAPE
REVISED: CORRECTED VERSION
SL-IV MC-982/I
Time: 20:30 CST 31:02:30 GMT
12/15/73

m_nutes Greenwich mean time. We_ll acquire the space station
in about 40 seconds through Carnarvon. Standing by.
for 6 minute_ for the SPT. Over.
SPT Go ahead_ Houston.
CC Okayp Ed. I think we've got a story
pieced together here for you_ but before we start into it
the whole rat±onale hinges on one item. When we were trying
to get the lighting back, did you cycle the H-alpha switch
on the console power distribution? That's H-alpha switch i
of 8. Over.
SPT H_ALPHA POWER, yes, ON that one, then
I put OFF and then back ON again.
CC Okay. Here's the situation. Last mission
we had a fairly hard short on TV bus 2 and even though an
0_meter check is shown it to be at least on the surface okay,
we dontt want to power that up. Consequently we taped the
SYNC GENERATOR switch in the center OFF position. Now, through
a _ a very interesting chain of circumstance, the power to
the SYNC GENERATOR switch comes from the H-alpha bus, and
the K_alpha bus power is derived through the H-alpha switch
on console power distribution from the C&D buses. And when
you turn the H_alpha switch OFF, nothing happens. When you
turn the H-alpha switch back ON, the SYNC GENERATOR switch
is cunningly rigged to a series of pulsars. Therefore, you
pulse both TV buses i and 2 to the OFF position since the
SYNC GENERATOR switch is in center OFF. So to recover from
this position what you need to do is via DAS command - DAS
10131, that's 10131 DAS TV BUS i back on, and you should be
back in commission. You_ll might want to make a mental note
that cycling that H_alpha switch to OFF and then back to ON
does this to you. Over.
SPT Okay, Bruce. I understand what you're
saying, Tkat switch has been cycled previously, however,
without _ without that effect. That - that does surprise me
that we have run into that now rather than previously. I'll
go ahead and give it a go, though. 10131.
CC Roger.
SPT How's the XUV MON look to you down there?
CC Okay. We see TV bus 1 up now and it
looks _ looks good to us.
SPT Okay. In the proeessp however, Bruce, I
can manage to pick up a computer reject. The first time I
made that entry what was fed back to me was a 11131, and I
cleared it and then put in a 10131 and it still has got a
computer reject for me.
SL-IV MC983/I
Time: 20:40 CST 31:02:40 GMT
12/15/73
CC Skylab, this is Houston through

Honeysuckle Creek for i minute and 30 seconds, 29-1/2 minutes
until next station contact Corpus Christi at 03:14 with
the evening status report. Break, break for the SPT.
Looking into things further here on the TV bus situation
did you cycle either the main C&D 1 circuit breaker, that's
the leftmost one in the upper row of circuit breakers, or
the C&D experiment i circuit breaker; that's the third one
in from the left in the bottom row. Over.
SPT That's negative Bruce. And also in
response to your previous question about cycling H-alpha.
I did not cycle the H-alpha switch under console power
distribution. I cycled H-alpha 2 on and off or off and
the on again.
CC Roger, we copied that. I couldn't respond
to you there because we were going down in the noise pretty
fast, but we got that transmission.
PAO The discussion during the last pass
over the Honeysuckle and Carnarvon sites has to do with
the digital address system which is a part of the Apollo
telescope mount system. Relating further to a series of
switch positionings to in order to activate certain of
the ATM displays. The problem as such, although it's a
minor one, has not yet been solved. Apparently the
consensus here is that it is related to proper switch
positionings. And what the flight controllers are doing
at this particular time now that we are out of control
with the - or out of acquisition with the space station
is that they are replaying the previous pass and attempting
to sort out the exact series of switch positionings, and
to come up with a fix for the science pilot when we next
acquire him in approximately 24 minutes. We expect to
have a solution to the digital address system problem
within 20 or so minutes during acquisition through the
Texas site. At 2 hours 49 minutes Greenwich mean time
END OF TAPE
SL-IV Mc9g4/I
Time: 21:13 CST 31:03:13 GMT
12/15/73
PAO This is Skylab Control about i0 seconds

before acquiring through Texas. This particular time, the
crew is attempting to reconstruct this switch-throwing sequence.
We'll stand by for the air-to-ground.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Chorpus
Christi, Merritt Island_ and Bermuda for 16-1/2 minutes
for the CDR, over.
PLT Be right here, Bruce.
CC Roger, postpone the evening status report
please. Cancel the med conference and we'd like to talk to
the SPT. Over.
SPT Go ahead, Bruce.
CC Okay, Ed, we'd like you to start back
when you reported you were having difficulty getting the -
the lighting on the ATM DC panel and try to walk us through
in sequence, every switch, circuit breaker operation that
you performed. Over.
CDR He's on his way up there, Bruce.
CC Roger, thank you. And for the CDR, just
to bring you up to date on the situation as we see it right
now through a combination of events which we're still trying
to completely nail down, but we think we have a pretty good
handle on it. You all are locked out of the computer from
the DAS, that is, nothing that you're putting into the DAS
is getting into the computer because it thinks that there is
an inordinate amount of DAS activity and, therefore, it's lock-
ing the DAS out. Over.
SPT Roger, Bruce, we have something we can do
about it?
CC We're working on that. We've got a couple
of theories going around down here. And the first thing that we
need to do to make sure that we head off in the proper direc-
tion is to make sure that we understand the exact sequence of
events that got us into this situation.
CDR Okay.
SPT Okay, Bruce, let's go back to where I
requested that we - where I stated we wanted to get the
displays on the BUS i.
CC Okay, we're with you.
SPT Say again, Bruce.
CC Go ahead, we're with you.
SPT Okay, as best I recall, I asked you for
the circuit breakers to cycle or the circuit breaker. And
you then came back with the INVERTER LCA number i. At that
point_ I cycled it and we got no results. I turned off the -
okay, that's one point where I did cycle the H-alpha. I
SL-IV MC984/2
Time: 21:13 CST 31:03:13 GMT
12/15/73
turned off the - first of all, the four displays and cycled
it and -
CC Wait, wait, wait, slowly - slowly, now.
Now, okay.
SPT Hold - hold on, I took the four switches
under display, and cycled - put those to off.
CC Okay, that's - -
SPT - circuit breaker again.
CC Wait a minute, wa - wait, wa - wa - wa -
okay, that's the four displays which is like DAS ORB phase.
And you turned - turned the four of them to OFF.
SPT That's correct.
CC Okay, then you did -
SPT Okay, then is when I turned off the
8 switches under console power distribution. Then cycled
the circuit breaker at that point.
CC Okay, and the circuit breaker that you
cycled still is INVERTER LCA i.
SPT That's affirm.
CC Okay, you're - you're making - okay,
you're making sense, keep going.
SPT Okay, and then we came back with - you
folks came back with the instructions to put the integral
and _garble) to FIXED. Okay, at that point, I did put
integral and (garble) to FIXED, cycled the circuit breaker
and we've got MON 1 and MON 2 back and XUV MON.
CC Wait, okay, wait a minute - wait a minute.
The circuit breaker that you cycled again is the INVERTER
LCA 1 breaker. Right?
SPT That's affirm, Bruce. That's the only
circuit breaker I have cycled.
CC Okay, and without any further action,
you've got MON 1 and MON 2?
SPT That's affirm.
CC We had the DAS on TV BUS i, didn't - -
SPT Oh, excuse me, I'm sorry. Excuse me,
I left out the 10131.
CC Okay, now, you've told us that - or at
this stage of the game we've got the four display switches
off and we've got the eight console power distribution switches
off. When did they go back on?
SPT Okay, the four displays remained off,
and the eight console power distributions came back on after I had
cycled the circuit breaker and had no - no results.
CC Okay, when did you get the four displays
circuit breakers on?
SPT I don't recall that exactly, Bruce, it
SL-IV MC984/3
Time: 21:13 CST 31:03:13 GMT
12/15/73
was probably - Well, let's see, I'm pretty sure I must have
turned those on before we went through the DAS actions, be-
cause we didn't do the DAS until we got well into - well into
the ATM orbit. I'm sure I had the displays up for that.
CC Okay, at any time, do you recall cycling
the - the DAS orbital phase switch up under displays very
rapidly from ON to OFF, and from BUS 1 to off to back to BUS i,
or rapidly through the center position. What we're looking for
is an actuation that would interrupt power for less than 1 sec-
ond.
SPT I don't recall having a specific reason
to do that, or remembering to do that, Bruce, but every once
in a while when you hit those switches, you've - if it's in
the up position for example, and you go to OFF, you can go
right through the center position. I don't recall doing it,
but I couldn't say that it wasn't done.
CC Okay, we copy.
SPT Okay, then we went to put the entry into
the DAS, and I put in the 10131 with the DAS BUS i.
CC Okay, now we - -
SPT BUS i.
CC When you say you put it in, you keyed -
you keyed 10131 then what?
SPT I keyed - I keyed and I did not get that
display back. I got something which I do not recall exactly.
I think it was a ii - was not a _0131. It was ii something,
and I cannot recall what it was. I cleared, tried it once
again, got that same result, cleared, and on the third time, I
got the 10131 looking up at me. I entered that and we got the
displays back and then I noticed a computer reject. At
that point, I tried a 52040 and it locked me out. I got 5
and four 7's.
CC Okay, we're copying all that. The first
time you entered though was when you got a 10131 shown back
at you, right?
SPT That's affirmative, Bruce.
CC Okay, I'm not trying to - to bug you
here, we just need to get the sequence down exactly. We
got the people up from the (garble) standing by and we're trying
to psych it out. The anomaly, if you will, with respect to TV
BUS i, I think we can say is completely explained now by
taking that H-alpha switch in the back of 8 to OFF, and back on,
so what we're working on it right now is the DAS problem
with respect to the ATM DC. And we'll keep you posted here.
Let me sign off a minute and see what's going on.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC985/I
Time: 21:21 CST 31:03:21 GMT
12/15/73
CC CDR, this is Houston. If you're prepared

here while we're working the problem we can copy the evening
status report from you. Over.
CDR Okay, Bruce here it comes. CDR for sleep:
7.0, 6/heavy, 1/light; SPT, 7.0, 5/heavy, 2/light; PLT, 6.5,
6/heavy, half light. Volume: CDR, 2100; SPT, 1600; PLT,
2300. Water gun: CDR, 7400; SPT, 2758; PLT, 8862. Body
mass: CDR, 6.304, 6.303, 6.301; SPT, 6.367, 6.366, 6,368;
PLT, 6.235, 6.236, 6.240. Exercise: CDR, Method Alfa
minus 3 minutes, Method Charlie, add a new position to the
standard, his position Echo 2 minutes_ 10 repetitions. We'll
add that on to the standard format for the CDR; SPT, no change;
PLT, no change. CDR, Stand by.
CDR For the SPT, no Alfa - no Method Alfa
was done today. Let's see, medication: CDR, none; SPT,
none; PLT, Afrin drops last evening and 3 times today.
Clothing disposed of: CDR, 1 pair of shorts, 1 T-shirt,
1 pair of socks; SPT, none; PLT, none. Food log: CDR, 8.5
salt. Are you still with me Houston?
CC Yes, but hold for a second please.
CC Okay, Jerry go ahead, we just went
through handover. I got 8.5 salt.
CDR Okay. Plus 1 apple drink, plus i cherry
drink, plus 2.0 water; SPT, zero salt, zero deviations, zero water;
PLT, 2.0 salt, 2 coffees, i butter cookies, zero rehydration
water. Okay, Flight Plan Deviation: S063 deletion.
Shopping List items: none. Inoperable equipment: DAC number
i is Jammed up, and when I get that permanent general message 08.
We'll see what we can do with it. We (garble) that we
have blown the fuse yet. We don't want to mess with it
until we got what we need. And unscheduled stowage is none.
CC Okay, we're still with you.
CDR Okay, Photo Log; 16-millimeters:
Transporter, 05, M509 which is 151 plus ops; Charlie India
93, 12, Michael Tango 06, and the next one is M509 ops; Charlie
India 72, 40, Charlie India 85. I might advise that when
removed DAC 01 we replaced it with DAC 09 for the dome
position. Nikon 01, Charlfe X-ray 36, 22, 02 India Romeo
14, 41. Bravo Victor 44 was removed and was stowed in
Foxtrot 37. Number 3, Charlie India, 110, 60. Number
4_ Bravo Echo 08, 18. Number 5 Bravo'Hotel 05,00, roll Bravo
Hotel 04 was removed and stowed in the (garble) bag. EREP: no
change. 70-milimeter: Charlie X-ray 17, 105, ETC is Bravo
Whisky 03, 042. Drawer A Configuration: Alfa i, 02,
no change_ Alfa 2, 05, Charlie India 93, 12, Mike Tango 06;
Alfa 3, 06, no change; Alfa 4, 03, no change; DAC 07, Charlle
India 2, 40, Charlie India 185. That's it,
SL IV MC-985/2
Time: 21:21 CST 31:03:21 GMT
12/15/73
CC Okay. We copy all that, Jer. One thing

that comes to mind is you were asked to make a note of the
percent remalnln_ on the supplies pool at the completion
of MI51 ops for 509 to separate MI51 from 509. Do you have
that figure on hand?
CDR Okay. It's on the decal. We did not
put it in the log. Stand by. We can get it.
CC Okay. We'd appreciate for management
purposes. Thank you.
CC One minute to LOS. Next station contact
in 5-1/2 minutes through Madrid at 03:35. This will be a
normal station pass.
SPT Hey Bruce. Let me real quickly give you
the ATM frame count.
CC Okay. Fire when ready, Ed.
SPT 09714, 02957, 00108, 00803, 04626, and
03072.
CC Okay, we've got those. Thank you.
CDR Okay Bruce. At the end of 151, the frame
was 52.
CC Roger. Thank you, Jer.
END OF TAPE
SL IV MC-986/I
Time: 21:33 CST 31:03:33 GMT
12115173
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Madrid

for 6-1/2 minutes. Next station contact after Madrid is
Tananarive in 22-1/2 minutes. That'll be the last pass of
the evening. In case you want us for anything, the one after
that is Honeysuckle Creek at 04:21. We see the S055 high
voltage switches ON. We'd like to get all seven of them
OFF. And we'd also like you to do a standard ATM VC powerdown
for unattended configuration on the C&D panel, including
ATM C&D pump Charlie OFF at the completion of panel powerdown.
Over.
PLT We copy that, Bruce. Thank you.
CC You got the S055 and the powerdown?
PLT It works.
CC Okay, and as the mission goes on here
this evening, we're going to be executing ground commands
to try to clear up the situation and square things away. We
anticipate you all going to bed about on schedule here, and
we'll call you if we need anything, but the status right now
is that it seems like you're locked out of the computer
with the DAS. Over.
PLT Understand Bruce. Thank you.
CC Okay. I'm going to turn you over for the
medical conference now and you got a little over 5 minutes
remaining. We'll talk to you at Tananarive.
PAO We've had loss of signal through the
Madrid station. And we'll be back up talking to the crew at
Honeysuckle in about 36 minutes. At 3 hours 45 minutes
Greenwich mean time, this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL IV MC-987/1
TIME: 21:57 CST 31:03:57 GMT
12/15/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at 3 hours 57 minutes

Greenwich mean time. And we're approaching the station at
Tananarive which earlier was down and out of the loop but is
now up. We were able to bring the station back up, and we
will have air-to-ground for -
CC (Garble) 4 21 and I've got the evening
questions for you.
CDR Go ahead, Bruce.
CDR Roger Houston, go ahead.
CC Stand by.
CC And CDR, for your information, our plan
of attack is forming up here over Honeysuckle. We are going
to try to establish the ground interface with the ATM DC to
verify that we have access to it or can gain access to it,
and we'll - consequently we'll be commanding there. And
there's no real need for you all to stay up. We'll give you
a full update on the situation in the morning. Over.
CDR Okay Bruce. That'll be fine.
CC Okay. The first item that has to do with
the gypsy moths. It's really not a question. The control
group personnel of the Department of Agriculture and Research
Labs at Beltsville, Maryland have reported no hatchings as of
yesterday. There is normally a statistical set of early
worms or larva approximately equal to i percent during the
6 month diapause. Additional hatching in the next few days
of your onboard moths will be highly significant and has
already created much interest down here. With respect to
the M509 checklist bracelet called out on page 7-2 of the
checklist. Our records down here show at the end of
the SL-III mission, it was located in W-744. W-744 along
with the pressure suit bracelet. You might want to get that
in sync with your checklist, and when you run across some-
thing like this as you do in the prep yesterday, if you
give us a yell, and give us a little more lead-time to get
roiling on finding the thing. On the dump tapes covering
the period of the S192 alignment check, prior to yesterday's
EREP pass, we didn't find any alignment check report. Can
you - probably on tape would be the way to do it - give us
the final left and right meter readings for the visible align-
ment, and the rate meter, and the X and Z michrometer settings
for the thermal. Over.
PLT Okay Bruce. I did that and I followed
the checklist and it said if there was no change since the
last time not to do anything, and I didn't. It was the same
on visible and thermal.
CC Okay. We copy. No chnage. Beautiful.
And -
PLT And I'ii put it on tape next time.
SL IV MC-987/2
Time: 21:57 CST 31:03:57 GMT
12/15/73
CC Okay. And the name of the star that you

inquired about in the tail of the comet earlier today is
Sigma Libre, or Sigma of the constellation Libra. It's
magnitude is about 3 to 3.5. And did you all work $233 in
this evening? Over.
SPT That's affirmative, Bruce. We got it.
CC Very good Ed, thank you.
PLT You got the evening news?
CC Yeah, we've got the news right here. I
understand that the frame count that you read down on the
Nikon doesn't reflect the $233 ops. Okay. President Nixon
signed into law today a bill that will temporarily place the
U.S. on daylight savings time, starting January 6. I think that's
for a period of about 2 years. He said the action could save
the equivalent of 150,000 barrels of oil per day. Egypt said
today that the Mideast peace conference scheduled to begin
on Tuesday in Geneva has been delayed for 3 days. The report
came after Secretary of State Kissinger talked for six hours
in Damascus with a grim-faced President Kafez Assad of Syria.
He then flew to Amman_for a meeting witah King R_ssein of Jordan.
Protesting truckers kept their rigs off the road again today
after threatening to extend a violence-marked shutdown until
Monday to make their complaints heard by Washington and
consumers. The protesting drivers, most of them independents
who own their own trucks, are angry over higher diesel fuel
prices and low speed limits brought on by the energy crisis.
Secretary of Labor Peter J. Brennan says his department is
studying the possibility of a nationwide 4 day work week
because of the energy situation. Aboat 30 Communist troops
ambushed and killed an unarmed American officer and wounded
four other U.S. soldiers today as their helicopters landed
to search for the remains of a GI 12 miles south of Saigon.
Vice President Gerald R. Ford and Presidemt Nixon's principal
economic advisors met at the White House with Senate and House
Republicans to discuss proposals in the economic field that
the administration will unveil next year. Trans World Airlines
may be back in operation in time to vote Tuesday to accept a
contract agreement reached by negotiators. The airline has
been grounded since November 4 by strikes. J. Paul Getty, III
w_s found alive today, five months after disappearing from
Rome, Italy. His mother said that his release cost $2.7 billion -
$2.7 million in ransom. The 17-year-old grandson of American
oil billionaire J. Paul Getty was in good health despite a
missing ear. In Skylab news, the wire services have your stories
about the gypsy moth eggs. And Ed, the stories quoted your
birth announcement in full. Also mentioned was the CMG glitch
and the cancelled comet photography. Sports: the Miami Dolphins
SL IV MC-987/3
Time: 21:57 CST 31:03:57 GMT
12/15/73
defeated the Detroit Lions 34 to 17. The Pittsburg Steelers

took the San Francisco 49ers 37 to 14. On the college
basketball front, UCLA beat North Carolina State by a score
of 84 to 66, and that's 30 for this evening. Over.
CDR Okay Bruce. Thanks a lot. And those
bracelets are not in W-744.
CC Okay. Thanks a lot, Jer.
CDR Yeah, we looked there right after we
looked in the protective kit and it wasn't in either place.
CC Okay. I guess the bad news is that's
all the good news for tonight. Let us work on it.
CDR Okay. We did okay with a rubber band
today. We can get along that way if you can't find it.
CC Okay. We copy. We'll work on it.
PAO We've had loss of signal through Tananarive.
It's our intention to put the crew to bed here. Wakeup is
6:00 a.m. tomorrow. At - at 4 hours 5 minutes Greenwich
mean time, this is Skylab Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV Mcgg8/I
Time: 22:19 CST 31:04:19 GMT
12/15/73
PAO This is Skylab Control at 4 hours 19 min-

utes Greenwich mean time. We've just received the misin -
mission surgeon's report on the crew health, and I'd like
to pass that on. And I quote, "The crew remains in good
health. A deconchest - a decongestant was utilized by the
pilot to alleviate mild symptoms of stuffiness in the ear."
And that is signed Jerry Hordinsky, Dr. Jerry Hordinsky,
for Dr. Hawkins. We'll stand by during this pass over
Carnarvon in the event that there is any air-to-ground with
the crew.
PAO We've passed out of range at Honeysuckle.
Next acquisition is Goldstone in 26 minutes. We'll shut
down for the night. A 4 hours 25 minutes Greenwich mean time,
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-989/I
Time: 05:50 CST 31:11:50 GMT
12/16/73
CC Skylab, Houston. Good morning. We're

at Vanguard. We still have about 6 minutes left in this
pass and I'm waking you up about i0 minutes early this morn-
ing.
PLT Good morning, Dick.
CC Hi, Bill. Good morning.
CC Skylab, Houston. We still have about
3 minutes left in this pass. I thought I'd give you a quick
summation of where we are on the DAS, and I need to ask Ed
one question prior to going LOS here so we can - you're
going to have an hour's LOS so we_d llke to think about it
prior to getting to Goldstone. I_iI tell you why in a second.
Essentially, we have reeanbled the BIT in the DAS which allows
us to command from the ground through our normal primary
DAS pass, and we have commanded several items during the
night and it's working perfectly okay. We hope to do a short
troubleshooting procedure with Ed on the ATM console Just
prior to his first ATM pass at the Goldstone AOS at 12:59
to verify that the DAS does work and we do request that no
DAS work be done prior to that time. We still have about 2
minutes here and if Ed's available I would like to ask him
one question about the activities last evening.
SPT Okay_ Dick. Go ahead.
CC Okay_ Ed. Last night Bruce asked you
about one of the switches as to whether or not you'd ever
threw it. l_d like to ask you about another one, and I'm
referring to the DAS POWER switch that's on the - and that
one is on the lower portion of the console Just to the right
of the DAS entry keys itself. And the question is, at any
time during the procedure did you ever cycle this switch
and if you did was it cycled rapidly? I did go through all
the transcripts and you never reported it but we need to ask
this question Just to clear up our minds about it.
SPT Yes, Dick; that was cycled. I believe it
was OFF at the very beginning and I started the entry and noticed
that it was off and then turned it - turned it on. I don't recall
recycling it rapidly, however.
CC Okay. Understand it was OFF at the start
and you put it on, and the switch l'm referring to is the
DAS POWER switch down there on the bottom right next to the
entry keys.
SPT That's affirmative, Dick.
CC Okay. Ed, if you'll be on the console
at the time when your detail pass, whick is 12:59, that's
just about AOS Goldstone, I_ll give you a call there and I'll
have the troubleshooting procedure for you there. We're about
30 seconds from LOS here. One item that I might tell you
SL-IV MC-989/2
Time: 05:50 CST 31:11:50 GMT
12/16/73
about. About an hour ago we had a M-3 flare in active re-

gion 00 which is the largest flare that we've observed on
the Sun since you launched, and so things look like they're
picking up.
SPT Very good. Thank you, Dick.
CC Roger. And Skylab_ if you're listening,
like to correct one thing I said. The procedure we're not -
we're going to use is really not a troubleshooting on the
DAS. It's going to be Just a little demonstration that you
do have adequate DAS control. Out.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-990/I
Time: 06:58 CST 31:12:58 GMT
12/16/73

and 34 seconds Greenwich mean time. We're now about 55
seconds from acquisition of the Goldstone tracking antenna.
Pass through Goldstone and Texas should last about 13 minutes.
During the night the flight controllers have been working
on the computer system that controls the giant space station's
attitude. Late last niKht the keyboard that's used by the
astronauts to give instructions to the computer shut down
automatically when an improper signal was received. Backup
control was maintained overnight by the ground, but the
reason for the skutdo%rn of the DAS, or digital address sys_
tem, is not yet well understood. Crew is going to be attempt-
ing here at Goldstone to reactivate the digital address sys-
tem, which is the keyboard used to control the computer by
the crewmen, and we_ll get an idea of whether or not that's
working again. This is Skylab Control. We're alive now for
alr_tomground at Goldstone. Dick Truly is the the spacecraft
communicator.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're AOS stateside
for 13 minutes, and Ed, if you're around the ATM C&D we can
go ahead and get on with this DAS demo.
SPT Standing by, Dick. Go ahead.
CC Okay, Ed. Let me explain to you what
we're going to do very quickly and then we'll step right
through it. What we're going to have you do is enter three
commands using the DAS, the first two will be a function and
data command to enter the TAL for your first maneuver today
and then assuming those work okay we're going to have you
enter the command that you were entering yesterday when we
had the problem. That's 10131. Now, what l_d like to do
is read the numbers to you and have - and like to give you
a GO prior to a _ after entering the number and prior to
hittin_ the ENTER and then a GO for the next one. And the
first one is 52030.
SPT Okay. How's that look?
CC Roger, Ed. Looks good to us. You're GO
to ENTER that.
SPT ENTER, cleared.
CC Okay. How about a 50027.
SPT That's keyed.
CC Okay, Ed. You're GO to ENTER that. Looks
good to us.
SPT ENTER, cleared.
CC Okay. The next one is the switch selector
command you entered yesterday. 10131.
SPT That's keyed.
CC Roger. You're clear to enter that.
SL-IV MC-990/2
Time: 06:58 CST 31:12:58 GMT
12/16/73
SPT ENTER and cleared.

CC Okay, Ed. Looks like we've got a working
DAS, so you're GO today for normal ops and using the DAS. Be
advised we've - have done and are going to continue to do a whole
lot of thinking about exactly how we got into this particular
situation, but there's nothing that makes us believe now that
the DAS is not working okay. I might add that the - one of
the prime contenders for setting the bit that caused this is
the cycling of the DAS power swtich, and whether or not that
was the thing that caused it or not, it was certainly inad-
vertent if it was. We thought it'd be a good idea that you
might review that note in - it's in the ATM MALS book on
page i_4 at the top of the page. So each you just might take
a look at that some time when you have a chance.
SPT Okay, Dick. We sure will. I'ii get it
out. If it was entered, it certainly was an inadvertent ac-
tuation. When I entered the 10131 1 got nothing and that
threw the switch on and, that made that entry and (garble)
subsequent to that everything is as I discussed it with Bruce
last night. And it's not a meteorological thing or I haven't
(garble) at all to cycle that switch rapidly. However, if you
you know yourself you can't recall every small thing that you've
done hours before unless you make a special note of it. So I
can't guarantee it didn't happen, but it certainly is not the
standard mode of operation.
CC Okay. No problem there and we just figured
that - that one particular note is one of a million you
that are ferried in the flight data file somewhere so this might
not be a - you know, might be a good time to review it. A
couple other things for you, Ed. The reminder you got the
first NuZ update this morning. It's listed on your ATM sche-
dule pad. And we see the ATM C&D coolant loop up.
SPT That's affirmative, Dick. There was some
question in my mind last night as to whether you wanted us
to put that on the unattended ops, powerdown and powerup
again cue card. Bruce implied that it was supposed to be
on there but we haven't received anything to that effect yet.
CC Well, that's not entirely true, we don't
think, We're still going to take a look at that filter that
we've been holding off putting it on a checklist change
until we think we understand better the situation in the
hardware in the loop. We have been considering putting it
on one of the pads probably your detail pad, to turn it off
the end of the day and and turn it on in the morning until
we do make that checklist change. And also one other quick
question. Could you let us know approximately how long ago
you turned the C&D loop on?
SL_IV MC_890/3
Ti_e: 06:58 CST 31;12:58 GMT
12/16/73
SPT At about 15 minutes ago, Dick. And the

pump low DELTA_P light came up - or went off rather slowly.
I would estimate around 15 seconds or so which is the con-
trast of photo through the bi through the bisectors for
Houston (?).
CC Okay.
CC Roger, Ed. We copy that - your report on
the light. The reason we were interested. The flow does look
a little bit low on the loop this mornin_ but we'll keep a look
at it for you,
SPT Okay, Dick. Thank you. What time was the
flare again which you mentioned earlier this morning?
CC Was ii:00 Zulu, I believe.
SPT Thank you.
CC Ed, ATM corrects me. The time on the flare
was 11:080 I was pretty close, though.
SPT (Garble) ahead of it.
CC Roger. SPT, Houston. Wonder if I could
ask you one more question coneerninK the operation on the
DAS yesterday.
SPT Sure can, Dick. Go ahead.
CC Okay. Here it is. During the time when
you were entering or attempting to enter the 10131 and you
got back the ii or whatever it was, the incorrect DAS entry.
At any time in that period did you enter a DAS code that started
with a 5? Over. We know that you entered one after that,
but in that sequence anywhere did you enter one that started
with a 5?
SPT That's negative, Dick.
CC Okay. Thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston. One request. On the
ATM C&D loop the pressure is still not come up, or the flow
is still not come up to its normal right - We still have about
2-1/2 minutes here. What we'd like to request if you have a
chance is to turn pump Charlie ATM C&D coolant loop pump Charlie
off_ and pump Bravo on, and we'll have a chance to look at that
between now and the upcoming pass at Vanguard and see if we
have the same flow conditions in the loop.
SPT Okay, Dick. You got them. Just as I went
to turn pump Charlie off we got the low DELTA-P light as be-
fore I turned the pump off. And it seemed to go and Just as I
turned the pump off. I_m not sure whether it was the switch
actuation or Just a light coming up above the pressure for the
light to come back on or for the light to go off, and start
pump Bravo on and pump low DELTA-P went out within about 12
seconds.
CC Okay_ Ed. Thank you very much, and before
we go LOS here I'd like to advise you that we configured
PCGs 5 and 6 for operation on the secondary amp hour integrator.
We are going to - and the reason for this is the difference
SL-IV MC-990/4
Time: 06:58 CST 31:12:58 GMT
12/16/73
in status between the secondary and primary amp hour integraters.

We intend to stay in this configuration until the secondary
integrators reach i00 percent or the next EREP pass.
SPT Okay. Thank you. I think on your previous
question about the 5 50,000 entry I can be pretty certain about
that one. (Garble) standard (garble) happened which think (garble)
to I look at the numbers after I key in before I enter, and
there's no reason I'd ever hit a 5. Sp, (garble) reasons l'm
sure that that didn't happen.
CC Roger, Ed. We didn't think it did but
we're just - there's so few things that could cause this.
We're trying to cover all the bets and make sure we understand
this is so we don't have a DAS problem we don't know about.
We're about 25 seconds from LOS. Vanguard comes up at 13:23.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-991/I
Time: 07:12 CST 31:12:12 GMT
12/16/73

Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now passed out
of range of the continental U.S.. Our next acquisition is
i0 minutes away at Vanguard. During this pass Science Pilot
Ed Gibson was given a series of instructions to put into the
digital address system and thereby instruct tke computer.
Those instructions went into the computer successfully and
appeared - that would appear to inform the ground that the
digital address system that's used by the crew to instruct
the computer is working properly now. Late last night the
keyboard that's used, the DAS, shut down automatically when an
improper signal was received by the computer itself. Backup
control was maintained during the overnight by the ground and
that seemed to inform ground people here that the computer
itself was not at fault but only the digital address system.
Digital address system is an important part of the computer
system. It allows the crew to do a couple of things. One of
them is to begin maneuvers - maneuvers would have to be begun
by the ground if the digital address system had failed completely.
Also, the digital address system allows the crew the full use of
the computer. Without it they would he completely dependant
on ground use of the computers. That use of the computer might
be essential for example in the event that a caution and warning
light were to go off. Because one light may inform the crew of
several different problems in the space station without the
digital address system they couldn't determine which was the
problem and would have to wait for ground control to determine
that. The computer may have responded last night to either a
switch on and off of a power - power switch, or it could have
been handling of a light switch that happens to be on another
part of the control panel. At this time it's very difficult
to determine whether either of those things happened or perhaps
Just a mistake in instruction was given the computer. Science
Pilot Ed Gibson did indicate that he may have cycled the power
switch. Tthat can at certain times in the sequence of events
activate the computer's BIT that says you're getting a wrong
instruction. Ground is not certain which of those things may
have taken placej but they are aware that sometimes cycling of
switches that are not related to the computer directly may
have some effect on the computer's operation. However, this
morning, when they did attempt to bring it back up, it came
up successfully after the ground had used its backup control
overnigh_t. That seems to have solved that problem pretty
well. Thez_ll be using the digital address system, the
computer instruction system today as they would normally.
SL-IV MC-991/2
Time: 07:12 CST 31:12:12 GMT
12/16/73
Today's activities include scheduled medical and solar

experiments as well as continuing photography of the Comet
Kohoutek. The largest solar flare of the current Skylab
flight occurred early this morning at 11:08 Greenwich mean
time, just about 2 hours ago. That was an M-3 flare reported
by the ground. Occurred, of course, while the crew was still
asleep. That does indicate they were having an increase in
solar activity again, just before the comet makes its closest
pass to the Sun. At the end of this pass, the ATM control
and display panel_s coolant loop which has been giving some
irregularity in flow, indicated a low flow in the range of
about 170 to 200 pounds per hour. Standard flow for that
coolant loop is about 245/250 pounds per hour. Took about
15 seconds to warm up according to Ed Gibson, who was handling
it. When the ground saw that the coolant flow remained below
its normal level, they asked that the pumps be switched to
determine whether or not pump C might be at fault, rather
than the coolant loop itself. The indication is thatp that's
correct_ pump C was - pump B was then turned on, pump C turned
off and immediately the low pressure or low flow light went
off and the flow came up to its normal level. That helps the
ground a great deal in determining where the problem may be.
It could in fact be a pump problem at this time rather than
merely a problem in the llne. That of course is still going
to be studied for some time and troubleshooting procedures
have been worked out for looking a little more closely at
the coolant loop. That coolant loop serves primarily to keep
the touch temperatures of the control panel below 105 degrees.
It also is used for cooling off the Earth resources tape
recorders. This is Skylab Control. We're now 5-1/2 minutes
from acquisition of signal at Vanguard. It's 17-1/2 minutes
after the hour.
from acquisition of signal through the tracking ship Vanguard.
Pass through Vanguard should last about ii minutes and we're
live now for air,to-ground. Spacecraft Communicator is
Dick Truly.
CC Skylab_ Houston. We're AOS Vanguard for
ii minutes, and we're gonna dump the data/voice recorder here
at Vanguard.
SPT Houston, SPT.
CC Go ahead, Ed.
SPT Say, Dick, active region O0 certainly put
out something. We can see it immineneing XUV monitor as well
SL-IV MC-991/3
Time: 07:12 CST 31:12:12 GMT
12/16/73
as white light coronagraph. In the XUV monitor we can see

that region without the use of the INTEGRATE switch. Certainly
is a brilliance thing on the disk now. And, the white light
coronagraph shows the streamer which is superimposed upon a
smaller one which was there yesterday, a very thin narrow one.
Now superimposed on that one is a fairly thick one at the base
running out in that same position right above active region
00 and it runs out pretty much straight for a radii or so
and then starts to bend up slight towards the north. Exceptionally
strong streamer and a very pronounced change, l do not see any
sign of a transient as short- term transient so I did not
go into any kind of a operation associated with that but I
think we ought to monitor periodically each orbit or so at
least with a building block 32 or so is certainly in order.
CC Roger, Ed. We certainly concur with that
and I think thatts a good idea.
SPT Then youlve got the white light coronagraph
and XUV monitor information on VTR. Any time you want it,
go ahead and take it.
CC Okay, thank you for getting it for us.
And, I need to talk briefly with both the PLT and the CDR,
sometime this pass.
CDR Go ahead, Dick. We're up.
CC Okay, Jerry. For you, I've got a - first
of all on the recommendation you made on DAC 01. What we_d prefer
that you do is to perform page 5=i in the Photo Ops Book sometimes
rather than permanent general message 008, however, if you
do want a copy of 008p we'll be certainly happy to send that
one right up.
CDR Okay, I think its still an active message
and we threw it away.
CC Okay. We'll send you one up today. Couple
of more things for you Jerry. I've got one correction for
your flight your side of the Flight Plan. Over.
CDR Okay.
CC Okay. The time of 24:00, Jerry, where it
says M509 Delta. That's a charge, we_d like to change that
to an M509 Echo, which is a topoff due to the pressure remaining
in the PSS models yesterday.
CDR Okay. Good enough, Dick.
CC Okay, Jerry, let me mention one more thing
to you. Today and you're gonna be getting a permanent general
message on this in a day or so_ but I thought I_d let you know
here on voice for now. On your Flight Plan about 20:45 today,
you have the first of a series of documentary photos that are
SL-IV MC-991/4
Time: 07:12 CST 31:12:12 GMT
12/16/73
referenced in Photo Ops Book, section 9. We have been thinking

about this and we believe that rather than have you methodically
go through every single sequence and camera location and so
forth in that, that we can meet our objectives in this - in
these documentary photos by just having you review the proper
scene, in your case today DP-18 prior to taking any shots and
then just at 24 frames per second take some general photography
of unstaged activities of the reference to see - in other
words we don't want you to just have to go by row through
every one of those sequences, we think it_ll take too long and
you can get the same thing by just gettin_ us some photography.
CDR Okay, Dick. Understand.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC992/I
TIME: 07:29 CST, 31:13:29 GMT
12/16/73
CC SPT, Houston; one more request on that

active region 00. During your observing time during this
daylight cycle we'd appreciate it if you could do a building
block 17 for us. And I have one note here for Bill Pogue,
and then I'll be all through.
SPT Okay, Dick; understand now ! building
block 17.
CC Roger.
CC SPT, Houstonf looks like to us that
SO55 high voltage 1 is off and request it on.
CC Thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston; for the PLT. Yesterday
on the S063 airglow ops that you did yesterday morning in
a hurry-up fashion when we had the problem with the CMG,
we've checked the voice dump tapes and we haven't found any
voi - any comments relative to SO63. We're were wondering
if you did record anything, and if you didn't to be sure and
voice mark the exposures for the S063 ops that are coming
up here this morning. And for Jerry, to - this evening
you'll be receiving another status on the - the permanent
general messages, Jerry, and so you might go through your
onboard Flight Plan and take a look at all of those that
are valid and you might not have a copy of and we'll be
more than happy to send any others up you need.
CDR Okay, Dick; thanks.
CC Yes, sir.
PLT Dick, it's PLT here. You are correct,
I did not voice anything. I was having numerous difficulties
with various and sundry pieces of the hardware. And I just
flat didn't have time to get the headset on prior to exposure
time. I was also trying to troubleshoot it as I was taking
the exposures.
CC Okay, Bill_ no problem. If you_ll get
it this morning, we sure appreciate it.
PLT Do my best.
CC Okay, and Skylab, we're going over the
hill. I'll give you a call at Tananarive at 13;50.
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station now over the
South Atlantic has passed out of range of the tracking ship
Vanguard. We're about 14_i/2 minutes from acquisition at
Tananarive. During this last pass the Science Pilot Ed Gibson
had gone to the ATM panel and is working on the solar instruments.
He indicated that active region 0 to 0 has become much brighter,
and is, in fact, the brightest thing on tke disk. Ke did
indicate he had seen some streamers but no transients. However,
the ATM officer here in Mission Control says that using the
telescopes unattended last night with Ground Control, they
do believe that they got some of the coronal transient that
SL-IV MC992/2
TIME: 07:29 CST, 31:13:29 GMT
12/16/73
followed that major flare, an M-3 flare that started this

mornin_ at 11:08. So, Ed Gibson will now be following up
the coronal transient by getting additional data on that.
He did indicate he's put about 5 minutes on the video tape
recorder. That will be with the white light coronagraph
to show out any of the transient in the outer atmosphere.
He did it did say, however, he saw nothing in the
outer atmosphere. Active re_ion 00 is Just below the equator
on the Sun near the eastern limb of the disk. That is to
say at the left of the disk, and it's certainly a sign that
we'll have increasing activity on the Sun during the next
couple of weeks at the very same time that the comet Kohoutek
is approaching the disk. 13-1/2 minutes to acquisition
of signal, and 36-1/2 minutes after the hour. This is Skylab
Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC993/I
TIME: 07:49 CST, 31:13:49 GMT
12/16/73

Greenwich mean time. WeVre now less than a minute from
acquisition of signal at Tananarive. The voice relay station
there will be in contact for about 8 minutes. Bring the line
up live now for air-to-ground. Handover beginning here in
Mission Control; Charles Lewis's flight team coming on and
Phil Shaffer's going off duty. A DAS problem that concerned
the Phil Shaffer crew during the overnight has now apparently
been solved. Whatever had gone wrong has now been set right.
And the same instruction that set off the problem last night
apparently has been executed properly this morning. So,
everything seems to be working fine on the digit digital
address system for the ATM computer system. We're alive
now for alrmto-ground through Tananarive.
CC Skylab, Houston; through Tananarive for
7 minutes. And, Ed, when you get a chance I've got one
small update to your AT - ATM ops this pass.
SPT Go ahead, Dick.
CC Roger, Ed, when you get to the building
block 17, if your experiment roll is not approximately 10800,
we_d like you to omit the last 82 Alfa exposure. Over.
SPT Okay, Dick, I was going to ask you about
that one. We did not refer to a JOP when we specified the
17. And it does make a difference with 82. I have not
taken an 82A exposure as yet, the 20 - second one. We did get
one at the beginning of the orbit which I figured would
hold until I could get with you folks on it. Do they want
one? l_m presently now at minus 5400 in order to give
52 the best view of the corona. If I go to 10800 I go
to (garble) putting that on to the pile up. Now I could go to
10800 if we can follow into roll during - 10800 will probably be
pretty good. I can do a roll right now, as a matter of fact,
while I got a couple of experiments between modes. Question
being then, do they want another 20 second exposure at the very
beginning of this period, and then one at the end of the
orbit? Or, we're pretty much coming up at the end right
now, so I would assume they only want one.
CC Roger, Ed. Our recommendation would
be go
ahead and roll to 10800 and take the exposure.
CC That's retake the 20 _ second exposure that
you took earlier.
CC And, SPT, Houston. That was a bad call
I made on the 20-second exposure. The - It's a 40-second
exposure on 82 Alfa.
SPT Okay, we had a change to our JOP summary
sheets, which change was 40 to 20.
SL-IV MC993/2
TIME: 07:49 CST, 31:13:49 GMT
12/16/73
CC Stand by.
CC SPT, Houston. For this exposure, at least,
we'd like a 40-second exposure. And we'll check the checklist
change and make sure on that.
SPT Okay, Dick.
CC Thank you, sir.
CC Skylab, Houston; for your information
ATM coolant loop seems to be running real spiffy on the
new pump. So we're going to leave it like this and just
watch it for a while.
CC Skylab, Houston; we're about a minute from
LOS at Tananarive. Hawaii comes up at 14:34.
Greenwich mean time. We've had a loss of signal at Tananarive
Just before that final call from Spacecraft Communicator
Dick Truly. Our next acquisition of signal is 36 minutes
away at Hawaii. This is Skylab Control at 57-1/2 minutes
after the hour.
Greenwich mean time. We're coming up on acquisition of
signal at Hawaii and we'll bring the line up for a pass lasting
about 6 minutes.
MCC Good morning, Skylab. Welcome to the active
Sun. And we'll be enabling momentum dump here, and then I'm
ready to talk to Ed about ATM.
SPT Good morning, Bill. We're ready; go ahead.
MCC Okay, let me just give you a couple of
quickies here on today's plan. I think you can look at it
and figure out what we're doing here with the (garble) wave JOP
a couple of active region O0 pointings. The synoptic 82B
work on the latitude variation chromo spheric emission.
And the important thing here is to note the change to building
block 35, which is a change for S054. Just to cover yourself,
I'd recommend you do that in pencil if you haven't already
done it, in case after the Christmas repairs we need to change
that. And a question here regarding JOP 8, building block
17, on page S_25 - S-20 - S-26 on the JOP summary sheets.
Noticed this morning you had indicated you had a pen-and-ink
to change the 82 Alfa exposure from 40 to 20 seconds. And
we show it still at 40 and that's where we want to keep it.
SPT Okay, Bill, I'm not up at the panel right
now, unfortunately. Jerry's in there taking a Kohoutek photo.
Is that the first step which is referenced on 8 Alfa, or is
that 8 (garble)?
MCC Negative, it's the actual number that appears
in the building block itself; on BB_I7 for the 82A exposures.
SL-IV MC993/3
TIME: 07:49 CST, 31:13:49 GMT
12/16/73
Should be 40 seconds. And we think may - -

SPT Okay.
MCC We think may
SPT There was one side of the JOP 8 summary
sheet I have 40 remaining, and on the other side I got a change
to 20. And I'm trying to go back now for the paper work
to find that change.
MCC Okay, it's probably not worth (garble)
the details here. We've got another 3_i/2 minutes. Perhaps
when we changed building block 8, we got that confused
somehow and wound up in JOP 8. It's the only thing I can
think of.
SPT Well, I'll look into it a little bit
further, but go ahead.
MCC Okay, obviously the Sun is gettin_ more
active. The active region 00 is a new area. It's about
5 degrees southeast of the old 93. It's growing and it's
apparently unstable. From our vantage point we cannot see
it very well. Any observations that you have during the
day we'd greatly appreciate you passing them on to us. This
is in the area, ineidently, where all of the SL-III inner_
connections from one region to the other were seen, and the
loop structures. So we suspect we'll have considerable
amount of loops in here from this area and over into brighten-
ings around it. The - one problem here is that the region
is almost as bright as a flare, so it's difficult to see
when yon do have a flare. The flares that we had not last
night were accompanied by a radio burst on the order of 20
to 30 solar fluction of delta. Active region 99 is stable,
and that is, inoidently, the old active region 91. And
P-59 is the old filiment 37 coming back to give you an
idea of how long that'll be along. And while I'm talking
about active region 00 and flares here, let me pass on
some words from 82 Alfa on their flare operations. They've
looked again at some flare data, in particular a 15 June
flare on Skylab-II, and they found that their 40-second exposure
short wavelength showed rapidly changing spectra. At the
peak of the flare minus 1 minute, only the very brightest
or the highest temperature lines showed up, in particular
iron 24. They found the other lines were coming in at awa -
a time after the peak. And what they would llke to change
the words to you is that if you catch a flare near the
peak but not necessarily the rise, if you catch it near the
peak they do want to continue into the flare fall in order
to watch these other lines coming in as the material cools
off. Theylre still very interested in the rise, mainly
SL-IV MC993/4
TIME: 07:49 CST, 31:13:49 GMT
12/16/73
for the spaeial and tempo variations here of the very hottest
lines, which really is a misnomer, since the triggering mechanism
here is almost certainly nonthermal. But the point is they
do want to go into flare fall if you catch it even right at
the peak as opposed to forgetting about it. Over.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-994/I
Time: 08:38 CST 31:14:38 GMT
12/16/73
CC - - material cools off. They're still

very interested in the rise_ mainly for the spacial and temporal
variations here of the very hottest lines, which really is a
misnomer, since the triggering mechanism here is almost
certainly nonthermal. But, the point is, they do want to go
into flare fall, if you catch it even right at the peak, as
opposed to forgetting about it. Over.
SPT Okay. I understand that distinction
then from the X-rays, which are concerned primarly with the
initial burst and then the other looks like more of a relaxation
than process. So, they want us - still want to observe it
because there is that type delta. I'll have to try and put
some reminders to that effect on a cue card of Sun machine.
CC Okay, Ed. And, we're 30 seconds from LOS,
here. Vanguard is next in 22 minutes, and go ahead with anything
else you have.
SPT Yeah. The Since the name of the game, I
think, for the next week or two, is to get some good flares, one
problem that came up before when we were working on this, is
the PMEC. That thing is exceptionally sensitive, as you know,
to the South Atlantic anomaly, so that leaves us in the dilemma
If we leave it powered up all the time, we've got the flare alarm
going off in our ears. If we turn it off, then you tend to
forget to turn it back on when you're out of the anomaly.
Then you don't get the warning, so we're kinda caught in the
middle here, and we're trying to figure a way out of it. I
think getting an aluminum count would be helpful.
CC Okay, Ed. We will be working on that and
we appreciate the problem and we're thinking about it ourselves.
And, letO's see, we're over the hill. George Withhroe will be
talking to you tomorrow about S055.
SPT Thank you, Bill.
PAO Skylah Control at 14 hours 40 minutes and
18 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station has now
passed out of the range of the tracking antenna on the Hawaiian
Islands. We're 21 minutes from acquisition at Vanguard. During
this pass Bill Lenoir was talking with Science Pilot Ed Gibson
about the ATM solar observations and indicated that there are
a number of changes going to be taking place as a result of
data gathered on previous missions. One thing to be looked at
is interconnections between one solar flare act - region and
another active region. That's something identified during
the last Skylab mission. And, also, an interest now on the
postflare acti_itles, that's been increased by looking at
SL-IV MC-994/2
Time: 08:38 CST 31:14:38 GMT
12/16/73
some of the Skylab data from the first mission, which showed
rapid changes in spectra immediately following a flare. So,
that would indicate that although before the Skylab activity
beBan, we looked primarly for the rise period of a flare to
gather data on thermal and distance changes in the flare's
growth, we're now interested, too_ in looking at it after
the flares occur to see what's happening in the various spectra.
20 minutes to our next acquisition of signal. It's now
41-1/2 minutes after the hour. This is Skylab Control.
PAO Skylab Control at 15:00 hours Greenwich
mean time. We're now about 56 seconds from acquisition of
signal through the tracking ship Vanguard. The Vanguard pass
should last a little more than i0 minutes. At the present time
the spacecraft communicator is Hank Hartsfield, and we're live
for air,to-ground at Vanguard.
CC Skylab, Houston. Through Vanguard for
i0 minutes.
SPT Good morning, Hank.
CC Good morning. And, as a reminder to you,
we'll be dumping the recorder here at this site. And, also,
for whoeverts free, in order to complete the closeout for
unattended, we need to get the H-alpha i interlock switch to
normal.
SPT Okay, Hank, it's to normal. And, also
at the conclusion of the last orbit, I left the pointing on
Sun center, so that you could look at the corona as the
emphasis was placed on thet_ rather than going to the position
specified in the pad.
CC Okay, we copy, Ed. Thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston. 1 minute to LOS. We'll
see you at Tananarive at 26.
in the South Atlantic anomaly, out of range of the Vanguard
tracking ship. 13 minutes from acquisition of signal at
Tananarive. In this last pass, the Skylab crew was informed
to make sure that everything w/s set up for unattended operations
of the solar instruments. The next pass of daylight will be
handled unattended, that is to say, by the ground, rather
than by a member of the crew. At this time some preprations
for $201 photography with the far ultraviolet electrinographic
camera are under way_ and also Commander Jerry Carr is in the
process of getting hooked up for his lower body negative
pressure run. Today's activities include seven sessions on the
solar instruments and also the operation of several experiments
sL-IV MC-994/3
Time: 08:38 CST 31:14:38 GMT
12/16/73
to collect and photograph - collect data and photograph the

cmet Kohoutek. Commander Cart is the subject and Pogue the
observer in M092/M093 operations thls morning. They began
are scheduled to begin about 8!57 and they'll run through
about 10:42. Infrared photographs will be taken of each
crew member during the day. Gibson will be the first subject
at about 1:30 this afternoon, followed by Pogue. Commander
Cart will be photographed about 5:30 P.M.. The photographs
of course, are taken in minimum clothing, with the purpose
being to gather data on temperature of the crew member's bodies_
which will give some indication of blood flow. Commander
Carr will - and the other two crew members will also be
photographed about 2:8:10 2:18 p.m. this afternoon.
Stereo photography with all three crew members necessary to do
the photo work. They use two Nikon cameras that are held about
36 inches apart. Each crew member taking a picture at the
same time of the third. In the continuin_ study of the
comet Kohoutek, $233 photographic sessions are scheduled
twice again today at 8:28 a.m., this morning and again this
evening at 7:21 P.M.. During the morning, with Gibson
maneuvering Skylab, Bill Pogue will operate the $201 electroni-
graphic camera to take Kohoutek photographles in the far
ultraviolet range. Two sessions are planned with $019p ultras
violet solar astronomy experiment, to study stellar absorption
spectra through the comet's tail. At 3:51 Gibson will perform
the maneuver while Carr operates the experiment and at the second
session is scheduled for 8:31 with Pogue maneuvering and
Carr_ again, operating the experiment. Operations of $063
ultraviolet airglow horizon photography will begin about
7:53 a.m. Those should be completed by Gibson about 8:48,
this morning. The ATM work today includes one session by
Commander Cart, four by Science Pilot Ed Gibson, who isp of course,
the senior scientist on Skylab, and two by Pilot Bill Pogue.
Total data take time is about 5 hours and 17 minutes today.
And, as we reported earlier in the day and M-3 flare was
spotted this morning at 11:08 by ground stations, just before
the crew was awakened. The crew has turned the equipment on
and some data has been gathered on unattended operations of
the solar instruments earlier this morning. Handheld photo
options for today include the Maria Teresa Reef, about
50 feet below the surface of the South Pacific, west of
New Zealand. A great number of mountain peaks beneath the
sea and shoals remain undiscovered, and the surface effect may
allow Skylab to detect these featuresp which are a potential
hazard to ocean travel. Another target will be the coastal
SL-IV MC-994/4
Time: 08:38 CST 31:16:38 GMT
12/16/73
and near coastal regions of the northern territory of

Australia. The Galapagos Islands, 600 nautical miles off
the coast of Ecuador, are another handheld photo target option
for today. Earlier this morning Skylab crew attempted to
activate the digital address system and to command the
computer aboard Skylab. That computer has been now commanded
successfully, using the DAS. The digital address system was
not working properly last night. The problem believed to be
a improper instruction sensed by the computer. That improper
instruction may have been due to a hardware flaw or it may have
been due to some cycling of power switches. At this time
it's still not been determined. Backup control was maintained
during the overnight by the ground, using a secondary command
system; however, the primary system did not operate as the
crew went to bed last night. This morning a set of instructions
were put into the computer. They were received properly after
Ed Gibson entered them and they have been executed. So, that
would indicate the computer now can be commanded by the ground -
by the crew or the ground, which means it's back in it's
normal operating mode with no problems. Some addition research
will be done on that during the next couple of daysto determine
exactly what the problem might have been that caused the
digital address system to lock the crew out last night.
Also, this morning, we had another brief interruption in the
operation of the coolant loop for the ATM control and display
panel. That interruption, only for a very short period of
time, the flow did not come up to normal levels with
pump C. Pump B was activated and it did begin operating
immediately at the proper flow level. That would indicate
that perhaps some contamination may have been blocking pump C;
however, the continuing problem of brief interruptions is not
believed to be associated only with pump C, because pump B
has shown fluctuations during its periods of operation in the
past. Additional troublehooting procedures are still being
discussed for that work. This is Skylab Control at 7 minutes
to our next acquisition of signal. 18-1/2 minutes after the
hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-995/I
Time: 09:24 CST 31:15:24 GMT
12/16/73

from acquisition of signal at Tananarive. We'll bring the
line up llve for acquisition at Tananarive. Hank Hartsfield
is the spacecraft communicator.
CC Skylab_ Houston through Tananarive for
5-1/2 minutes.
SPT Roger, Hank. I got $201 set up and I'm
up here doing some JOP summary sheet changes, and while I'm
at the panel I'm wondering if any folks would want a shopping
llst item (?) (garble) any of your observations.
CC Okay. We'll check it out, and did you
find out anything on that 40_second change there?
SPT No_ I did not, Hank. Let me describe
to you the wav we have it right now. On 8 Alfa, the build-
ing block 17 on that side, that's $25, it's got a 20-second
exposure for _2A. On the reverse side of that JOP summary
sheet, or 8 - corresponding to 8 Bravo, building block 17 has
remained 40. If you'd llke me to go back and - -
CC Okay. On - -
SPT (Garble.) a
CC On the building block 17 there on JOP
8 Alfa that one should remain 40.
SPT Okay. You want all building block 17
at, to be 40. Is that affirm?
CC That's affirmative.
SPT Okay. The change which prompted that
was either number i, number 2, or number 3 on page 332 or
34 or 35 respectively.
CC Okay. We'll check those, l'm looking at
change i now, which made a have change to building block 8 and 9
and dropped 3 Alfa
SPT Okay. Why don't you give that to me_
Hank, just to make sure we've got this straight.
CC Okay. On - on JOP 3 Alfa, building blocks
8 and 9, we changed the 82 Alfa 40-second exposures to 20.
And that occurred in three places in each building block.
SPT Okay. We have that.
CC Would you llke for use to send those
three changes up again, Ed, so you can Just make sure we got
them right?
SPT I think that_d be the best thing to do.
CC Okay. We'll work that out. We'll put
it together then and ship you up those changes again so
we'_ll know weTre straight.
SPT Sounds like one too many changes got in.
SL-IV MC-995/2
Time: 09:24 CST 31:15:24 GMT
12/16/73
CC And Ed, if you have time we could

we'd like a shopping list i, item number i.
SPT Okay. Coming up.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're about 1 minute
from LOS. We'll see you at Hawaii at 09 and thatVs about
37 minutes from now.
Greenwich mean time. Tananarive reports loss of signal.
33 minutes to our next acquisition at _awaii, Few
final instructions there given to the crew on operation of
the ATM. Some modifications have been made in the procedure
list for that and they did uplink those. Hank Hartsfield,
the spacecraft communicator during that last pass, This is
Skylab Control. We're a little over a half an hour from
Hawaii. It's now 36 minutes and 22 seconds after the hour.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-996/I
Time: 10:08 CST 31:16:08 GMT
12/16/73

Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now 55 seconds
from acquisition of signal at Hawaii. Pass through Hawaii will
last a little less than i0 minutes. Spacecraft communicator
right now is Hank Hartsfield.
CC Skylab_ Houston through Hawaii or i0
minutes.
CC SPT, Houston, We_e gone back and looked
at the JOP summary sheet changes and the only one that
changes exposure time is change number i_ and we've got that
in the (garble) now, and we'll be uplinking that to you here.
If we don't get it up in Hawaii we_ll try to get it up to
you at Vanguard, and then that way you can verify your
chan_es. Skylab, Houston. We can hear you downlinkin_ but
we can't read you_ you're very weak. We're tryin_ to
straighten out the situation now.
CT Hawaii COMM TECH, Houston COMM TECH, net
i voice check.
CT Houston COMM TECH, Hawaii, I read you
loud and clear,
CT Houston COMM TECH, Hawaii COMM TECH net i.
CT Houston - Hawaii COMM TECH, Houston COMM
TECH net i.
CT Houston COMM TECH, this is Hawaii COMM TECH.
CT Read you loud and clear.
CT Roger. You're the same.
CC Skylab, Houston. How do you read?
CDR Read you loud and clear, Hank, (garble).
CC Okay. Read you loud and clear now, Jer.
CDR Okay. We Just finished M092 and the right -
the right leg indication meter faked out high again right
after we got started. I suggest we change leg bands before
the next M092 run.
CC Roger; we copy that, Jer, and we'll
probably do that.
CC Skylab, Houston. For your info we will
be commanding the inhibit momentum dump sometime during this
pass.
SPT Houston, SPT.
CC Go ahead.
SPT Hank, looking at the white light corona-
graph display we got more streamers out there on the limb, one
at 230, 240, 270, and 290. The one at 230 is the one most likely
resulting fom the flare that was not there yesterday. It has
faded out a fair amount from what it was this morning. It's not
much of a material at this (?) date. But the central portion
is still fairly strong.
SL-IV MC-996/2
Time: 10:08 CST 31:16:08 GMT
12/16/73
CC Roger. We copy.
CC SkylaB, Houston. We're 1 minute from
LOS. We'll see you at Vanguard at 40 and we plan to dump
the voice and data recorder there and for the CDR, we_ll give
you some more words on that leg band, the situation on the
med status pad either tonight or tomorrow.
CDR Okay. Thank you, Hank.
Greenwich mean time. We're now out of range of the tracking
antenna on the Hawaiian Islands. 20 minutes to acquisition
at Vanguard. Skylab crew was awakened this morning by a
new and violent Sun. The solar region 00 has given four
flares during the overnight period, tThe last being an M-d, the larg
largest flare so far on this mission. While ground controllers
were operating the space station solar telescopes that M-3 flare
erupted on the Sun's eastern edge. Solar flare's the first
indication that the Sun's more active side is once again
rotating into view after 2 weeks of relative quiet. Active
region 00 is still not come into full view on the disk and is
expected to be a very large and active one, and it is at present
an unstable region. Solar activity may Be substantial during
the next several days as a number of unstable regions move across
the disk. Today Commander Gerald Carr and Pilot Bill Pogue will
be usinK two of Skylab's special cameras to photograph the
growin_ comet Kohoutek. It's speeding toward the Sun at
more than 140,000 miles an hour now and constantly accelerating.
Only 12 days remain before Kohoutek whirls around the Sun, which
is still 45 million miles distant. At its closest approach
it'll be about 13-i/2 million miles away. Earlier this
mornin_ the Skylab astronauts regained control of the space
station's main computer, the computer used for attitude con-
trol. The typewriter keyboard that's used for instructing
the computer had been automatically shut down by an improper
signal last night. Ground control was maintained, however,
and the keyboard is now working perfectly again. Durin_ this
last pass had an indication from the crew that the leg Band
used in the lower body negative pressure device runs apparently
is again ac inaccurate today and for that reason there may be a
changeout scheduled for that. They'll get instructions tonight
on a teleprinter pad. This is Skylab Control. 18-1/2
minutes to acquisition at Vanguard. It's now 22 minutes
after the hour.
END OF TAPE.
SL-IV MC-997/I
Time: 10:39 CST 31:16:39 GMT
12/16/73

20 seconds Greenwich mean time. Welre presently about
54 seconds from acquisition of signal through the Vanguard
tracking ship. The pass through Vanguard will last a little
more than 9 minutes, and the spacecraft communicator is Hank
Hartsfield.
CC Skylab, Houston. Through Vanguard for
8-1/2 minutes.
SPT Rog. Hello, Hank. We got some lighter
surgery surging, right in the region that we're working now.
The 82B sllt was (garble) nothing on the X-ray intensity, above
around 400 or so for the PMEC or 10450 (?)
CC Roger. We copy_ Ed.
CC SPT, Houston. I have a small addition to
your Flight Plan, whenever you get a break there to copy.
SPT Go ahead, Hank.
CC Okay, Ed. Last night you read us - there
were some temperatures read up that were taken on the gyro six
pack and they were a little bit over our limits, and what we'd
like to do today in your open housekeeping that you have about
18:00 is have you to repeat those measurements so we can determine
if we want to take any further action and the procedures to do
that with are found on page 16-3 of the Swiss Systems Checklist.
CC What we're gonna do is use the digital
thermeter there to verify the readings that we you got
yesterday evening.
SPT Okay, Hank. I copy.
CC Thank you, Ed.
SPT Hank, are we in the South Atlantic anomaly?
CC That's affirmative.
SPT Thought I had one.
SPT Hank, the difficulty with the readings on
those rate gyro six packs, I have - those crystal thermometers,
you can read them with a wide range of interpretation. I chose to
read them the way of coming down from the top and working from
the upper colors on down and disregarding what is below that.
If you want to work from the other direction you come up with
higher readings. I'll go ahead and put the digital thermometer
on it and see which way is correct. I know last time 1 did
it, it was determined that coming down from the top was the
best way to do it.
CC Okay. We would like to get it verified,
according to that procedure, with the digital thermometer and
if it - they are really up there, we suspect we may have to go
in and do the procedure where we put the grease in around the
transistors there, and we're about 30 seconds - seconds from
LOS. We'll be seeing -
SL-IV MC-997/2
Time: 10:39 CST 31:16:39 GMT
12/16/73
at Hawaii at 50, and that's about an hour from now.

PAO Skylab Control at 16:50 Greenwich mean
time. We're now out of range of the Vanguard tracking ship_
an hour away from acquisition at Hawaii. During this last
pass Science Pilot Ed Gibson asked if the spaceship had
moved into the South Atlantic anomaly, and he was told that
it was and he was a little disappointed at that news. He said,
"I thought I had one". When the space station moves into
the South Atlantic anomaly, which is an area where the
magnetic field of the Earth is distorted and the Van Allen
Belt and radiation go further down into the Earth's atmosphere,
in fact below the level of the Skylab space station_ the
flare alarms on the ATM console are activated. Higher intensity
of radiation in that particular belt of the Earth_ which covers
the area from the Cape of Good Hope to most of South America,
the southern part of South America, the depression there with
higher radiation levels automatically kicks off that flare
alert. A little earlier this morning Science Pilot Ed Gibson
said he hates to leave the flare alarms disenabled so that
he'll miss a flare he's afraid on another pass. But he asked
if they couldn't work up a new method of getting a flare alert
that was a little bit less likely to react on the South Atlantic
anomaly. Nearly an hour before acquisition of signal at
Hawaii, It is now 51-1/2 minutes after t_e hour and this is
Skylah Control.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC998/i
TIME: 11:47 CST, 31:17:47 GMT
12/16/73

40 seconds Greenwich mean time. We're now just about to
come within range of the tracking antenna on Hawaii. We'll
bring the line up live for air-to-ground through Hawaii. The
pass should last between 3 and 5 minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston; through Hawaii for 3-1/2
minutes.
CC And, SPT, Houston; the maneuver time you
got loaded for the next maneuver looks good.
SPT Thank you, Houston.
CC Skylab, Houston; we're i minutes from LOS.
We'll see you at Vanguard at at 18, and we're scheduled to
dump the data/voice recorder there. That's about 25 minutes
from now.
Greenwich mean time. Skylab has passed out of range of the
Hawaiian tracking antenna. Our next acquisition is 24 minutes
away at Vanguard. Present time the maneuver for comet observations
is underway and looks like it's working very well. That was
instructed into the computer earlier today through the DAS
that had not been working properly last night. That indicates
that the digital address system on the spacecraft is working
properly. And we have a good maneuver, no thruster attitude
control system gas used so far. Also the instructions for
the next maneuver today, also for the observation of the
comet, have been put into the digital address system and
apparently the computer has accepted those properly. So that
would indicate a couple of things. One is that we've got a good
maneuver underway, and also that our computer problem which
had been due to a faulty signal sent by the computer last
night, perhaps three sequencial instructions all accepted
by the computer at the same time that caused the digital
address system to shut down last night, but appamently that's
working perfectly today. It had been tested earlier this
morning and appeared to work properly. 23 minutes from
acquisition of signal at Vanguard. 55 minutes after the hour,
PAO Skylab ontrol at 18 hours 17 minutes
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now just west
of the Coast of Chile, about 50 seconds from acquisition of
signal through the Vanguard tracking ship. The pass through
Vanguard will last approximately 10-1/2 minutes. The spacecraft
communicator is Hank Hartsfield.
CC Skylab, Houston; through Vanguard for
10-i/2 minutes.
SL-IV MC99 8/2
TIME: 11:47 CST, 31:17:47 GMT
12/16/73
PLT Hello, Hank; PLT here. Could you tell

me what time my COMM - VNF COMM is scheduled today?
CC Roger, Bill. 00:58 at Bermuda - MILA and
Bermuda, and it's right to left.
PLT Thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston. Is someone free to go up
in - at panel 203 for us?
SPT Go ahead, Hank, I'ii get it.
CC Okay, Ed. What we want to do is check
out ATM C&D coolant pump _arlie. And what we'd like to get
you to do is turn Bravo OFF and bring Charlie ON, and listen
for ay strange noises and watch the low depth B light for
us. It's just for a second there if you would.
SPT Okay, Hank. Let me go listen to the pump
as it is now and then I'ii do the switch.
PAO Skylab Control. A pump switch has been
made and it's coming up to pressure on pump Jnow.
SPT Okay, Hank, the switch is made. The
LOW DELTA-_ light stayed on for about 3 seconds, and it sounds
pretty much exactly the same as the pump Bravo. Both are
(garble).
CC Roger. And I guess we want to leave it
that way, Ed, and watch it. So, you can go back to whatever
you were doing.
CC What we planned to do is, if it runs okay,
is about a rev from now we'll go ahead and go back to pump
Bravo. But we just wanted to run a check on Charlie. It
seems to be doing okay now.
END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-999/I
Time: 12:24 CST 31:18:24 GMT
12/16/73
SPT Hank, how much longer do you have on

this pass? Okay. I can give you those rate gyro temperatures.
I know some folks down there are interested. First in - I'll
read you X, Y, and Z for 5, the crystal first, the digital
second. 96, 93.7, 94, 92.4, 94. 94.6. Do the same for rate
gyro 6. 95, 93.5, 91, 90.5, 96, 97.5. And there's a lot open
to interpretation on those rate gyro crystal kilometers,
if you read from the top down you can get reasonable answers.
If you read from the bottom up you'll come out maybe up to
i0 degrees higher.
CC Roger_ we copy, Ed. Thank you.
from LOS. We'll see you at Ascension at 32.
PAO Skylab Control at 18 kours 29 minutes
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now out of
range of the tracking ship Vanguard, but we're only about
2-1/2 minutes from Ascension Island tracking station. During
this last pass the environmental general instrumentation
and life support systems engineer here in Mission Control
asked that the ATM coolant loop used for the control and
display panel be switched from pump B, where it was working
about very well, to pump C to determine whether or not pump C
itself might be still at fault or still clogged. That switch
was made and pressure came up satisfactorily to about 243
pounds per hour. That's approximately the nominal operating
range for that pump. However, there was a slight increse
in current at the time. That hasn't yet been explained and
there's no - no knowledge at this time whether it's a subject
for concern. The attitude maneuver required for photography
of the comet Kohoutek this morning, that photography completed
just a short while ago by Pilot Pogue and the maneuver now
has been completed and it was executed perfectly. There were
no problems with maneuver at all and no use of nitrogen gas
from the thruster attitude control system. The control
moment gyro number 2, which had a small anomaly yesterday
morning, one of the more significant of the small anomalies
however, has not given up any additional problems although
we have gone through the lower end of the heater cycle again.
It's now at the upper end of that cycle. It reaches the low
point about once every 12 hours. This time - this time there
was no change in wheel speed or currents, so apparently it's
operating very well today. No estimate on whether that's a
problem that's likely to get more serious or not. It is con-
ceivable, however, that later on that may become a problem
with the second control moment gyro attitude control gyroscope.
The present time the crew should be eatin_ their lunch. Later
in the day they have more comet operations scheduled and a
SL-IV MC-999/2
Time: 12:24 CST 31:18:24 GMT
12/16/73
good deal of time left for the ATM solar intruments. This
is Skylab Control. We're live now coming up on the island
of Ascension tracking station. Pass through Ascension will
last about 9-1/2 minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston through Ascension for
9-1/2 minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston. For your information
there's a message we just sent up regarding S082B operations
for the rest of the day, for whoever_'s got the next ATM pad,
PLT Roger, Hank.
from LOS. We'll see you at Guam at 18 and that's about 37
minutes from now.
PLT Rog, Hank.
SPT Okay, Hank, Got a question on the 82B,
number 2. It says to shorten it by one-fourth. If we're
taking a series of three exposures, which one would they
like us to knock off? That one-fourtk is a little uncertain
in my mind.
CC What we mean here is we want the exposure
time shortened by a fourth. Well, this - this film this
special film is four times as sensitive as the regular film.
SPT Oh, okay. I got you. Thank you.
PAO Skylab Control at 18 hours 42-1/2 minutes
Greenwich mean time. The Skylab space station is now crossing
the coast of Africa out of range of the tracking antenna on
Ascension Island. 25 minutes to our next acuqisition at
Guam. Present time the ATM control on display panel coolant
loop is still operating properly with pump C; rate of flow
is 243 pounds per hour which is only slightly lower than
that of pump B and is nominal for that loop. No additional
problems have been seen yet on that. There were no variations
in flow rate observed on pump B during the several hours it
operated this morning. However, this morning when the pump
C was turned on originally at the beginning of the day there
was a reduction in its pressure to about 195 pounds per hour,
which is a an anomaly, and at that time we did shift to
pump B at which time it came up to 250 pounds per hour imme_
diately. Earlier the crew did indicate they heard some whine
and also that the flow rate indicated a low pressure for a
period of about 15 seconds. Light remained on. This is
Skylab Control. It's now 43 minutes and 41 seconds after the
hour.
END OF TAP E

Skylab 4 PAO Mission Commentary 10 of 32

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SL-IV MC-900/I

Time: 05:55 CST 28:11:55 GMT

PAO Skylab Control at ll hours 55 minutes

CDR I think we'll just go back to bed.

PAO - a couple weeks, and because of that

CC Say, Jerry, while I'm talking to you,

CC Okay. Thank you very much for the infor-

CC And Skylab, Houston for CDR and

a study of the inner and outer solar corona over a series

PAO patterns of wheat production on the continent

CDR Go ahead, Crip.

PAO Skylab Control at 14 hours, 8 minutes,

PAO Skylab Control at 14 hours, 29 minutes and

PAO Skylab Control at 15 hours i0 minutes

CC Skylab, Houston. AOS Vanguard ii minutes,

MCC Both. And at this point the brightness isn't

of several cells coming together. We have carbon

SPT Another question is chromospheric network

MCC Yeah, so do we. Incidentally speaking of

Time: 09:39 CST, 28:15:3_ GMT

had a magnitude of minus $.5. Being right at the edge there,

PAO Skylab Control at 15 hours 56 minutes and

now to the northwest of Hawaii, about to be acquired there.

CC PLT, Houston. Bill, we aren't seeing

to be beginning the MI71 experiment, that's the metabolic

PAO Skylab Control, at 18 hours, 18 minutes,

CDR Okay Bob, let us think about it, right

that was performed several days ago. Earlier this morning

PAO - minutes of operation per revolution.

Crippen went up after we had loss of signal through Vanguard,

PAO This is Skylah Control at 20 hours 25

CC Skylab, Houston; AOS Ascension 9 minutes.

- the wavelength problem occurred in the building block i0

PAO This is ISkylab Control at 21 hours

CC Skylab, Houston we're i minute from

PAO This is Skylab Control at 22 hours 4

CC Skylab, this is Houston, i minute to LOS,

PAO This is Skylab Control at 22 hours 24

PAO This is Skylab Control at 23 hours

indicator reads 01 and power back it to off. Over.

PAO This is Skylab Control at 3 minutes

PAO This is Skylab Control at 0 hours 49

CC That's a fair enough request we'll do

PAO This is Skylab Control at 1 hour

CC Skylab this is Houston, through Madrid

PAO This is Skylah Control at 2 hours 18 minutes

at the S082B mirror problem. And you could help us out on

CDR He heard you Bruce.

We may see you at the tail end over Bermuda. Out.

CC_ Skylab Houston, we're back in again.

The testing and analysis thathave been done to date, particular

PAO This is Skylab Control. Bermuda has

CC Skylab, this is Houston, through Madrid

440 pilots by the first quarter of 1974. This is in

generated by an on-the-job accident. When questioned today

PAO This is Skylab Control at 3 hours 58

PAO Skylab Control at 12 hours ii minutes and

PAO Skylab Control at 12 hours 25 minutes

PAO Skylab Control at 13 hours 12 minutes and

PAO Skylab Control at 13 hours 45 minutes

solar inertial pass to use the Earth terrain camera over

PAO - - your thermal pass over Italy on

CDR Doing fine. Just finished looking at