You are on page 1of 188

SL-IV MCI500/I

Time: 15:31 CST 44:21:31 GMT


12/29/73

CC Okay, we're going LOS here. We'll see you


over Texas about half an hour at 21:59.
CDR (Static)
PAO This is Skylab Control. Loss of signal from
Honeysuckle Creek, Australia tracking station. At acquisition
Carnarvon at Greenwich mean time 21:18, the telemetry on the
ground showed that the airlock module had been repressurized
and the EVA ended. In all likelihood, the hatch had been
closed several minutes prior to AOS at Carnarvon and the
pressure brought up to 5 pounds per square inch. Sometime
during loss of signal at Madrid and AOS Carnarvon. Next
station in 26 minutes is Texas. Change-of-shift briefing
estimated to start at quarter of 4 in the Houston news-
room with the off-going Flight Director, Milt Windier and
the $201 Principal Investigator, Dr. Thornton Page. Skylab
air-to-ground conversation taking place during this change-
of-shift briefing will be recorded for delayed playback at the
conclusion of the press conference. At 21:34 Greenwich mean
time returning at the end of the change-of-shift briefing,
this is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MCISOI/I
Time: 15:43 CST 44:21:43 GMT
12/29/73

PAO This is Skylab Control at 21:43 Greenwich


mean time. Flight Director, Milt Windler has been delayed
in leaving the control center, handing over now to Phil
Shaffer and his purple team of flight controllers. The team
is purple not the flight controllers. Dr. Thornton Page,
the $201 Frincipal Investigator is now in the Houston
newsroom ready to discuss today's activities with his
experiment during the EVA. And we'll follow with the
Flight Director, Milt Windler when he breaks and comes to
the newsroom. All air-to-ground from Skylab will be delayed
on tape for playback after the two briefings. Skylab Control
at 21:44.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1502/I
TIME: 16:37 CST, 44:22:37 GMT
12/29/73

PAO This is Skylab Control at 23:37 Greenwich


mean time. 5 minutes away from acquisition at Tananarive,
during the stateside pass and the Madrid pass that took place
during the change-of-shift briefing and the $201 briefing,
the crew _eported that the elapsed time of EVA was 3 hours
and 28 minutes until repressurizing the airlock module.
Also the spacecraft communicator Story Musgrave passed up
instructiens to the crew on doing closeups of sketches of
the Comet Kohoutek, this will be downlinked hopefully at
Goldstone at 5:35 central standard time this afternoon,
assuming that a line can be called up from Goldstone. We
have no confirmation yet from network that they've secured
a line. Some 8 minutes and 50 seconds of air-to-ground
tape were accumulated during the two briefings which we'll
play back at this time and then play catchup across Tananarive.
Roll the t:ape.
CC Skylab, AOS stateside for 16 minutes.
PLT Roger, Story.
CC And Bill did you ever inhibit the TACS
switches.
PLT Negative I did not.
CC Okay, we're just looking at the ATMDC
firings and wanted to be sure that that's a correct tally.
PLT Okay_ when I got back to attitude after
ingress, ]i got back to solar inertial, I did the nominal
H-cage, wait the 5 minutes and put it back to CMG ATT,
excuse me, CMG control, I stopped right there.
CC Okay, nowhere during the EVA did you
inhibit TACS switches, though?
PLT That's affirmative, I did not.
CC Okay. And have you got the elapsed time
on the EVA, what time did we close the hatch.
PLT l've got it written down up there Story.
3:28 was the total elapsed time.
CC Okay.
CC Is everybody eating now.
PLT PLT, and the CDR are eating right now but
the SPT is up in the ATM panel_ I think.
CC Okay.
SPT Yeah, I'm up here looking at 18. What's up
Story you need some work up here.
CC Since you're looking at 18, I've got a
change for you.
SPT Stand by.
CC And Bill we need the experiment recorder's
off_
PLT Okay, stand by.
SL-IV MC1502/2
TIME: 16:37 CST, 44:22:37 GMT
12/29/73

SPT Okay, Story go ahead.


CC Okay, that's the final attitude to expect
let me know when you've got that and all we're going to do
is reverse the sign here, we'll have it go the other way.
SPT Roger, copy.
CC Okay, XF, plus 2.29 degrees, YF, plus 7.28
degrees and ZF, plus .21 degrees.
SPT Plus 2.29, plus 7.28 and plus plus .21.
CC Yes sir and now we're real interested in
getting some TV down here of your sketches of the comet. You
suppose you and Jer could have some 4-inch sketches by -
for real-time TV at around 23:35, that's about a hour and
a half from now.
SPT Yeah, I think we could do that Story, we'd
have to delay some of the post EVA however.
CC Okay, you've got an extra you'll have to
delay that but you've got an extra block of time in there
on your summary on your flight plan between post EVA and eating.
SPT Okay, I'm wondering ifASCO could give
me a reading of - when we did the JOP 18C's yesterday with the
ROLL of minus 480 when we looked at our display, what
direction was the Sun, relative to, say, straight up? In
other words, how many degrees from zero being straight up on our
display as it was the Sun?
CC Okay, try to get you an answer there.
SPT Thank you.
CC And Ed on that TV of your sketches of the comet
about a 4_inch sketch is the optimum. In the TV ops Book
on page 84 it'll give you a setup for closeup pictures that might
save you some time in terms of setting up the lighting, camera
position settings, that sort of thing. That's page 84.
SPT Thank you.
CC One other thing Ed, did you see any -

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1503/I
Time: 16:42 CST 44:22:42 GMT
12/29/73

CC that might save you some time in terms of set-


ting up lighting camera position settings that sort of thing,
that's page 84.
SPT Thank you.
CC One other thing, Ed. Did you see any on the
$230 any scratches or - or defamation of the collector foil?
CDR That's negative, Story. We didn't see any
at all.
CC Okay.
CDR I specifically looked for that. Didn't notice
any.
CC Thank you. Ed, in answer to your question.
The Sun was 160 degrees clockwise - about - make it 63 degrees
right of up.
SPT Just a minute. It was 60 degrees - 63 degrees
from the straight up?
CC Story - Story's changing again. Make it
163 degrees to the right.
SPT Okay, that's pretty much what I thought it
would be. Thank you.
CDR And Story, did you ever find out what that
star was or planet that we saw earlier. We're guessing that
maybe it was Mercury.
CC Stand by one.
CDR This was the star or planet that we pointed
out that was preceding the Sun during Sunrise. Ed estimated
15 degrees lead and I estimate about 5.
CC We had a discussion. We still don't have an
answer yet.
CC Skylab, we're about 30 seconds from LOS.
5 minutes to Madrid at 22:20. Be dumping the data/voice at
Madrid. Bill, your phone call's at Ascension at 03:20. It's
a left to right and we'll remind you the pass before.
SPT Thank you.
CC And for now, Mercury's our best guess.
PLT All right, thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston, hello from the purple gang.
We got you at Madrid for 8-1/2 minutes. And we're going
to be dumping the data/voice recorder here.
SPT Hello, Dick and purple gang.
CC Hello, Ed. Sounds like y'all had a lot of
fun today.
SPT Yeah, we sure did, Dick. It's the most enjoy-
able part of being up here I think. I wish we had an EVA every
other day.
CC Roger. Phil says the ground couldn't stand
it.
SL-IV MC1503/2
Time: 16:42 CST 44:22:42 GMT
12/29/73

CDR Just think, we could have an EVA every


other day, and then in-between, we could have EVA preps and
post.
CC There you go. That - that'd make the
schedules good. Hey, I got a piece of technical information
for you that I guess the CDR's going to win a little bet on
this. Mercury is rising about 4 to 5 degrees before the Sun.
CDR Okay, thank you.
CC Roger.
CDR That'll cost you a can of butter cookies,
Ed.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're 1 minute from LOS
Madrid. Tananarive at 22:43. See you there.
CDR Roger, Dick. Where did you want to get this
TV thing? Is that going to be over Goldstone or Texas or
MILA?
CC Roger, it's 23:35, Jerry, at Goldstone.
CDR Roger.
CC And Jerry, I'ii remind you again the last
pass before then and update you.
CDR Okay, I think our - our picture is big enough
so that we're not going to need a close-up lens for the TV.
I think we can just do it with the normal lens.
CC Okay.
CC Skylab, Houston, hello at Tananarive for
7 minutes.
SPT Rog. Hello, Dick.
CDR Ready to power down the command module any
time now. Do you folks want to watch it for awhile, or is
it okay to get started?
CC Hang on. CDR, Houston, it's perfectly okay
with us for you to go ahead and secure it.
CDR Okay.
CC Roger.
PAO Skylab Control. That completes play-back of
the tape. We're now live over Tananarive.
CC Skylab, Houston, it's possible we may have
an early LOS here at Tananarive. We should have you for 2-1/2
minutes or longer, but if we don't, Honeysuckle comes up at
23:07.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Voice relay station
Tananarive sinks slowly in the west (garble). As space station
Skylab goes over the horizon. Next station in 16 minutes will
be Honeysuckle Creek. Over the Tananarive station, the crew
is given a GO to power down the command module. The network
controller reports that the line from Goldstone for real time
television is confirmed and leased for that time period starting
at 5:35 for show and tell of sketches made by the crew of the
SL-IV MC1503/3
Time: 16:42 CST 44:22:42 GMT
12/29/73

appearance of the comet as they see it from their vantage


point. We'll return in 15 minutes for the Honeysuckle pass
on revolution 3311. Total EVA elapse time again was 3 hours
28 minutes from depressurization to repressurization. At
22:51 - 22:52 GMT, this is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1504/I
Time: 17:136 CST 44:23:06 GMT
12/29/73

PAO This is Skylab Control, 23:06 Greenwich


mean time. Honeysuckle Creek, Australia tracking station
should acquire the space station in about 40 seconds for
another brief pass of about 2-1/2 minutes. Next station
after that will be Goldstone, in which is scheduled the show
and tell of the sketches of the comet on llve television
downlinked to Goldstone and relayed by land line to Houston
in real time. That will be starting at about 5:35 central
standard time. Acquisition at Honeysuckle, any second now.
CC Skylab, Houston, hello at Honeysuckle
for 2-1/2 minutes.
CDR Hello, Dick.
CC Hi Jer. And if Bill is - has a moment
I have a - something I'd like to talk to him about.
CDR Okay, he's listening.
CC I don't know how well you guys have looked
at tomorrow's flight plan or not. But we're - had to shorten up
on PT, or at least on the summary schedule, we had to shorten up
on PT for both the CDR and PLT tomorrow because of conflicts
with the JOP 18 Delta data take. And what we'd like to open
up that conflict both for tomorrow if we can, and any other
time by allowing somebody to run on the treadmill during that
data take. We have a feeling that that will not upset the
vehicle so much that ruins the 18 Delta data. And Bill you
have a PT period that's scheduled on our flight plan at 23:45.
l_m not sure exactly how you're doing on your time line, but
what we were going to suggest is - is that - is that if you
could schedule - if it's convenient for you to do the treadmill
portion of that during one of our AOS periods with the exception
of Tananarive. We'_d like to look at the vehicle response with
you running on the treadmill. And our suggestion for a time is
Canary at 23:58. However as I say any of these passes that we
have data_ it might help us out and I think in the end it'd help
you guys out too.
CDR Yeah, Bill says that he can do that.
CC Okay, one more piece of information for
you there. The LOS at Goldstone is 23:45 which is right at
t_e start o4 your PT. I don't know if you're going to be ahead
or not but either one of those places will be just fine for us,
and we only need to see you a couple of minutes. We're getting
close to lOS here at Honeysuckle, Goldstone comes up at 23:35,
and t_at's w_ere we plan to be set up to copy the TV of the
drawings c f the comet.
CDR Okay_ Dick we'll be ready to go. And
another item r the thought just crossed us a few minutes ago.
We're wondering how Fred Haise is doing. We haven't heard much
about h_m in some time and wonder if you might give us a status
SL-IV MC1504/2
Time: 17:06 CST 44:23:06 GMT
12/29/73

report.
CC Well, in a word I can tell you he's doing
great. But I'll - I'll able find out that a little later
this evening.
CDR Okay, thank you, Just whenever you
get a little slower pace.
CC Rog, he's getting meaner and meaner
everyday.
CDR Good he's being himself, then.
CC Rog.
CC And Skylab, Houston, as we go over the
hill. You might want to get the VTR plugged in properly
so we have some kind of backup for this live downlink
at Goldstone if you have a chance before then.
CDR Roger.
CC Thank you.
PAO - - Honeysuckle, 22 minutes to Goldstone
tracking station in the Mojave Desert. Inquiry about the
condition of fellow Astronaut Fred Haise was made by
Skylab IV crew. Haise had a crackup in an airplane modified
BTL# near Galveston's Scholes Field several weeks ago. And
was burned in getting out of the wreckage and has had to have
considerable amount of skin grafting and burn repairs done.
CAP COMM, Dick Truly said he's doing fine, getting meaner and
meaner everyday. But he'll get additional information to pass
up to the crew later on this evening. Back in 21 minutes for
Goldstone. At 23:14 Greenwich mean time, Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1505/I
TIME: 17:34 CST, 44:23:34 GMT
12/29/73

PAO This is Skylab Control, 23:34 Greenwich


mean time, a minute and - a minute and i0 seconds or so away
from acquisition Goldstone and should be getting a television
downlink through Goldstone as the space station comes over the
southwestern horizon. Almost directly over the Goldstone
station 82 degrees maximum elevation. A pass lasting about
9 minutes and 43 seconds. Standing by for AOS, Goldstone.
CC Skylab, Houston we're AOS Goldstone
for about ii minutes and we're looking at TV.
CDR Roger, Dick we got the VTR coming on now.
CC Roger, Jerry very good.
CC Who's that guy standing beside you two
guys with the big white suit on?
CDR That's Frosty the Snowman.
CC Roger.
CDR Okay, as you can see things aren't very
tidy right now as we are finishing up our EVA and getting
the post done and Bill'll be down in just a minute as soon
as he gets finished getting the VTR on. But what we did
is we took a - a piece of the JOP summary sheet, the corona
(garble) and we've done some sketching on it and I guess it's
about What ii deep, it's a double 8 by i0, I'm going to
turn the mike over to Ed now and we'll fire up the close up
camera and get over there and start showing you what we saw.
CC Okay, Jerry great.
SPT Okay, Dick_ how does it look to you down
there.
CC It's a good picture Ed and we see we're
centered on your right hand level drawing and we can see it.
SPT Okay, the one on the right is the way
we've been seeing it primarily for the past 4 or 5 days when
we've been looking at it in the white light coronagraph.
Except for yesterday in which we could see a few more features.
When we went out today, we got a much better picture of it
and that's the one we here on the left.
CC Okay.
SPT Jerry will move that over now.
SPT Okay, what we're showing you here are
primarily three features. First the nucleus or the coma
rather which is the bright region surrounding the nucleus.
The tail which again is the amplification of the one which we
previously saw and is the brightest feature othe_ than the coma.
And it fans out and again about a half angle here\of 20 degrees
or so maybe 15 degrees.
CC Roger.
SPT It's very bright close to the coma itself.
Primarily a yellow one appeared maybe a little gold, Jerry
SL-IV MC1505/2
TIME: 17:34 CST, 44:23:34 GMT
12/29/73

claims that it tends towards orange even in one location. So


that's the primary tail which is coming off which we like to
think of behind it or away from the Sun although in this in-
stance it's not completely. The feature which we picked up
on the white light coronagraph display last night, is a sunward
spike. Going primarily towards the Sun and we can see it out
about as far as we can see the other tail; it's a little fainter
but it's very sharp. We also see just some very - hint of light
features over here. Yesterday we said that there was a small,
a very small series of spikes or single spike if you will over
here. Today when we looked at it, it appeared to be just
a series of uniform but very straight streamers or feathers.
In looking at the geometry we felt this is primarily towards
sun center, this is as we see it now, the direction in which
the comet is moving from right to left and up a little bit.
Showing that the tail is not completely oriented away from
the Sun. It still is got a little catching up to do. It
(garble) swing around essentially as it went by the Sun. So
this represents that little lag that we saw and this 160 degrees
or so which we quoted outside and ASCO verified today that we're
really looking at about 163 was the direction to the Sun and
that just about corresponds with what we estimated. There
is that definite lag between diagonal between the spike towards
the Sun and the tail at the other side. Now we did not
see any double tail. That's one picture we didn't -

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1506/I
Time: 17:40 CST 44:23:40 GMT
12/29/73

SPT - just about corresponds with what we estima-


ted - we estimated. There is a definite line between - angle
between the - slight towards the Sun and the tail at the other
sise. Now we did not see any double tail. That's one picture we
did look for. We saw only what we would interpret as a dust
tail, because of its yellow relatively yellow appearance.
There is a little bright - very bright white light down in
here which Jerry thinks that he maybe saw a little blue in
there also. That's hard to say, but predominantly it's - it's
a yellow cast to it.
CC Ed, let me ask you Ed. let me ask you
a couple of questions while you're looking at the picture
there. First of all, what is - what's your estimation of the
angular distance that you were able to see the tail in the
sunward spike and also one that I have. I'm not sure I under-
stood you. In the material to the on the right hand quadrant of
your picture, is that material appear to be in rays or is it
uniformly distributed between the sunward spike yes, there.
SPT That's fairly uniformly distributed. But
because it's so faint, we cannot see any fine detail in it. It
may very well be a series of very small rays or feathers, if you
will - or streamers - very small. But because it's so very faint,
your eye can just distinguish that something's there, but you can't
see the details. As far as the size, we've estimated - and
th_s again is a very rough estimate, 4 to 5 degrees. And
this, of course, is greatly dependent upon how dark adapted you
are or just essentially how faint the feature that you can see
really is. We know that this tail certainly goes out quite a
bit beyond what we've drawn here, When I was dark adapted and
looked at it the first time, was probably the best view I had
of it, I saw it quite extensively, as I've pictured it here.
The second time, I was not very well dark adapted and could not
shield my eyes from the bright airglow and I only saw something
like this with just a very hint of a spike. So a lot is very
much dependent on the dark adaptation you have when you see
it. l_m certain that the instruments we had out there with us
today, thoughp gave a very revealing picture when we bring
it back.
CC Roger, Ed. Let me ask you another question
here, It looks like you've shown a sort of a necking down
e_fect, but - just behind the com- coma as it goes out into
the ta%l. Is _ is that - and on the right hand view, I - I
can't see that° Is - is that artist's license, or did it
a_ct_ally appear to neck down a little bit?
CDK I think that's just artist's license, Dick.
_W_ got_the sketch in there and we probably should have shown it.
Let me reiterate here that what you see on this side over
SL-IV MC1506/2
Time: 17:40 CST 44:23:40 GMT
12/29/73

here, the small one is what you see at first glance. And
then after your eyes began to accommodate to the light and
you begin to pick up the details, then you begin to pick up
this faint part of the tail back here and then you begin to
pick up this and then very last, but not least, you begin to
get this little sort of a cloud area over here. But this is
certainly what you see first. And this is like Ed was
saying - tlhis is like what we're used to seeing. But when
you really got a chance to look at it, then you can really see
that spike and the faint part of the tail here. The source
of our measurement here of 4 to 5 degrees with me holding my
index finger in my glove out and it - it covered, I think about
from here down to here on the comet. And so we figure it's about
4 to 5 degrees.
CC Okay, thank you, Jer. Let me see if there
are any other questions here and then if you've got anything else
you'd like to add, go ahead.
CDR The next thing is, is this coma here looks
pretty much the same size - maybe slightly larger now than
Mercury, and it's nice and sort of a a white. And I - I
claim a kind of a blue-white, but it's good and white. But
it's - this tail moving out behind it really starts turning
yellow and it does it very quickly.
CC Roger.
PLT Dick, a sort of a quantitative gauge is that
during the last orbit when I took the hat, I could see the spike
down into the airglow. And then through the nucleus of the coma,
and actually going into the airglow. I lost it shortly after
that, but that must be a pretty bright spike to be able to see it
in the background of the airglow.
CC Roger, Bill, understand.
CDR And, Dick, we've got a little bad news to
go along with the good news. And that is that the - the
(static) with us is jammed and doesn't look like we got a
single frame.
CC Oh no.
CDR ¥eah, it looks like the - the plug is pulled
the sprocket holder to pieces. You got anything else, Dick?
CC We're about 30 seconds to LOS, and we'll
I_ii tell you what. During the LOS period, I'ii poll the
folks and see if we have any other questions. But it is
certainly a fascinating discussion and we got real good TV
picture. We sure appreciate it from you guys.
CDR Okay, and I guess you got the same thing
on the VTR for reference D if you want to look at it again.
CC Okay. And we're just going to drop out
for a minute and a half or 2 minutes, and I'ii call you
Bermuda,
SL-IV MC1506/3
Time: 17:40 CST 44:23:40 GMT
12/29/73

CDR Okay, we're going to kill the VTR now.


CC Okay, Jer.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're AOS Bermuda for about
5 minutes. And I have one question that we're interested in.
You mentioned the color in the tail very close to the coma.
Was there any noticeable color in the sunward spike?
PLT Dick, we don't believe so. Not the first
appearance, it was primarily white. We could not see any
yellow cast or blue.
CC Okay. I have an evening question here that
has to do with EVA, as long as it's fresh on your mind, I
thought I would get it out of the way from, it's from corollary,
and it has to do with the SO20 orientation during the second
daylight pass of the $201 ops. The - the question is, how
was S020 criented referenced to $201 during the 201 ops?
And what portion, if any, of the S020 canister was sunlit
during the $201 ops? Over.
PLT It was sunlit. Essentially what was done
was to point it away from the Sun in the up direction. By
up, I mean the - well, I'ii have to give you some reference
to the canister which I could do in a few moments. But it
was pointed about 20 degrees off Sun center.
CC Okay, and so the Sun-

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1507/I
Time: 17:50 CST 44:20:50 GMT
12/29/73

CC Okay, and so the Sun - so then whatever


Sunlite, whatever that angle caused - would just cause that
portion of the canister to be Sunlite, is that right.
CDR That's affirmative. But remember there's
a lot of backlight from the Earth and the spacecraft, so
as far as we could see the canister - the S020 canister
was fully lite on all sides. But it was from it's it's
regularly pointed position which from solar inertial we
just pitched it up about 15 or 20 degrees, so that it was
looking at black sky.
CC Okay, and one other question on the
same subject. We'd like to have any comments on any
differences in the S020 alignment betweens EVA's 2 and 3 if
you recall them. Incidentally the reason that these questions
have been generated is, is that the temperature that you
reported was a little bit higher than we had expected and
we just wanted to - to make sure that that was due to Sunlight
possibly rather than some kind of hardware problem.
CDR Dick, I don't think we pointed it any
differently between the two. I did not get to see the
pointing on the EVA-2, I did see it on EVA-3. But in
both cases this large circle was inside the square and I
remember Bill saying on EVA-2 that it was slightly out in
X and right on in Y. And with S-pointing it was slightly
out in both, but in both cases well within the square. And
in both cases the canister was out in full sunlight for the
whole time.
CC Okay, thank you very much appreciate
that. Next time somebody goes up toward the STS section
we want you to do a good bit of the preps, but one one
portion of them that we couldn't verify that would make
us feel warmer. If you could confirm sometime is on
panel 200 the 02/N2 GAS FILL PRIMARY and SECONDARY circuit
breakers, two of them we'd like to confirm that they're
closed.
CDR Okay, 02/N2 FILL, PRIMARY and SECONDARY
breakers.
CC That's right.
CDR Okay, Bill's on the treadmill now. Is
this the pass that you wanted.
CC Yep. We're looking at our data now.
CDR Okay. Here's some things on the treadmill,
Dick. I think the walking and the toe lifts will probably
be no problem. But I can guarantee that the springs are
going to do it to you, because when we do springs in here
on the treadmill it makes the condensate holding tank
SL-IV MC1507/2
Time: 17:50 CST 44:20:50 GMT
12/29/73

wiggle on its shockmounts.


CC Roger.
CDR But, when you're ready, let us know and
we'll have Bill do some springs, so you can see what sort of
magnitudes we're talking about.
CC Roger, Skylab. We're about 30 seconds
from LOS here at Bermuda. We're going to drop out for just
about 5 minutes, and I'll give you a call at 23:58 at Canary
and maybe we can get our data there.
CDR That's okay, Bill's been walking so far about
4 minutes.
CC Okay, fine.
SPT The answer to the S020 question is that it was
pointed 20 degrees off Sun-center so that the side called top
or what you normally call top when it was pu - was to be put
in the (garble) was receiving Sunlight.
CC Okay, Ed, thank you.
PAO Skylab Control. Loss of signal at
Bermuda. 3 minutes to reacquisition through the Madrid
and Canary Island European stations. Pilot Bill Pogue walking
on the treadmill aboard the space station as part of his even-
ing physical training. But as a secondary fallout, the people
on the ground will get an inkling of what such activity is
physical training and particularly the treadmill exercise has
on the vehicle attitude disturbances to the vehicle attitude
and how it might affect the ATM joint observation program 18D.
Stability of the space station during observations requiring
absolutely stable attitude. The telementry of vehicle
attitude and rates of roll pitch and yaw being watched
closely during the time that Pogue is walking on the tread-
mill to nowhere. Acquisition in a minute and 40 through
Canary. Standing by 23:56, Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1508/I
TIME: 17:56 CST, 44:23:56 GMT
12/29/73

CC Skylab, Houston we're AOS Canary for


8-1/2 minutes and we're letting our data get locked up
now, and I'll tell you when we've got it good.
CDR Roger, here's the way we'd like to do
it. Bill's still walking now, when you get your walking
data, would you give him a mark and he'll give you 1 minute
of toe rises and then you give him another mark and he'll
give you 1 minute of springs.
CC That sounds like a good approach. I'll
let you know when we can tell you to start.
CDR Okay.
CC Okay we got good data now, Jerry, so
I'm assuming we're looking at the walking data and I'll
give you s mark when we're satisfied with it.
CDR Okay_ you got the helm.
CC Okay, Skylab Bill you're go to do some
toe rises.
CDR Gee, Dick you ought to give him a little
Jack LaLane exercise music or something to go with it.
CC I guess I could hum.
CDR Is the world ready to hear you hum.
CC I don't think so.
CC PLT, Houston we're satisfied with that,
show us some springs.
CC Skylab, Houston while Bill is doing
his springs we got a couple of other things. One is we'd
like to know what the CDR and SPD - SPT have been doing
during this same period. And also if possible Bill after
you get through with the springs we were wondering if you
could just: stop for i minute and let us look at just some
still data,
SPT We've both been relatively quiet Dick, we've
not been moving around, I guess moved from the film vault over
to the SIA, over by the Minus-Z SAL. Jerry's been working on
the suit. Both are relatively quiet.
CC Okay.
SPT Okay, Bill quiet now.
CC Okay real fine, let us look at this
for about a minute and we'll be satisfied. Skylab, Houston
we really appreciate it and you guys can go back to doing
as you please now. We have our data and as soon as we've
looked at it enough to let you know how it came out, I'll do
that.
SPT Okay, Dick thank you.
CC Roger.
CC Skylab, Houston we're a minute from LOS
Canary_ Tananarive at 00:18.
SL-IV MC1508/2
TIME: 17:56 CST, 44:23:56 GMT
12/29/73

PAO This is Skylab Control. Loss of signal


through the Canary Island and Madrid stations. 9 minutes to
voice relay station at Tananarive. Pilot Bill Pogue on
the treadmill, first did walking exercises, and then toe rises
and so-called springs, bounding up and down on the treadmill.
All of this was watched in real time on the telemetry display
here in the control center that shows a continuous plot of
the three axes of the space station X, Y, and Z. The
plot points diverged away from normal or nominal lines
moderately for both the walking and toe rises but widened
out considerably for the springs. As Pogue bounded up and
down on the treadmill, when he stopped moving and stood still
on the treadmill, the other two crewmen also remaining still,
the plot tended to follow a more or less straight line along the
central axis of each of the three co0ordinate axes of the
space station. Again this was an exercise to determine
how much if any the crew physical training activity affects
the space station attitude for experiments that require accurate
pointing with no perturbations, such as the ATM joint observation
program 18D. 18D is the Kohoutek observation using the solar
telescopes and the Apollo telescope mount. 7 minutes to
the voice relay station Tananarive for the final Tananarive
pass for several hours. At i0 minutes passed midnight
Greenwich mean time, Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1509/I
TIME: 18:17 CST, 45:00:17 GMT
12/29/73

! PAO This is Skylab Control. 00:17 Greenwich


mean time. Voice relay station at Tananarive should pick up
the spacecraft hopefully in about 40 seconds and we'll stand
by.
CC Skylab, Houston Tananarive for 6 minutes.
CDR Roger, Dick.
CC Skylab, Houston we have about a minute
and a half left at Tananarive, just in case we get a early
LOS, Honeysuckle comes up at 00:43 and we're going to dump
the data/voice recorder at Honeysuckle.
CDR Roger, Dick and the MDA locker number 143
is really too full to be putting the meteroid shield in. I've
stowed it in MI41 and I'll put it on the evening status report
on a stowage shift.
CC Thank you Jerry.
CDR And this SEVA sail sample looks as good as
the day it: was put out there.
CC Great.
PAO This is Skylab Control. LOS through
Tananarive voice relay station. Next station in 13 minutes
will be Honeysuckle Creek, Australia and we'll retnrn at
that time. It's now 29 minutes past midnight, Greenwich mean
time, this is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MCI510/I
TIME: 18:44 CST, 45:00:41 GMT
12/29/73

PAO This is Skylab Control. 41 minutes past


midnight CMT. Acquisition at Honeysuckle Creek, Australia
in about 48 seconds. Evening meal scheduled for the commander
and the science pilot. Pilot Bill Pogue should still be in
the physical training period and then follow up with a -
after building up an appetite, he'll follow up with his
evening meal.
CC Skylab, Houston Honeysuckle for 9 minutes.
CC SPT, Houston during the time today that
we had the command module platform up we got a good look at -
a good determination of what nuZ is, and it has changed enough
to cause us to have to change the assinged maneuver and the
final attitude you should expect on your JOP 18 Delta pad.
So sometime when you - shortly here when you can get that 18
Delta pad and it's convenient prior to the 18 Delta coming
up, I'd like to read you the numbers.
SPT Okay, Dick do we have a pass in about
another 20 minutes?
CC Yeah as a matter of fact 17 minutes from
now we have a pass at Hawaii and that'll be plenty enough
time.
SPT Okay, let's get it then, thank you Dick.
CC Right.
CC Skylab, Houston we're 45 seconds from LOS,
Hawaii comes up at 01:03.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Loss of signal
through Honeysuckle. 9 minutes until acquisition again
through Hawaii. Phil Shaffer and the duty team of flight
controllers, the purple team, going over tomorrow's Plight
Plan. The draft teleprinter loads that are stored in the
system are being reviewed on the TV monitors before being put
in the so-called pool for uplinking during the night to the space
station to be ready for the crew to use tomorrow. Punctuation,
spelling, technical accuracy is all mulled over and changed
as necessary on these draft teleprinter loads. We'll return
in 8 minutes for Hawaii. At 00:53, 00:54 now, GMT, this is
Skylab Control.
MCC That's - -

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MCI511/I
TIME: 19:02 CST, 45:01:02 GMT
12/29/73

PAO This is Skylab Control. 01:01 Greenwich


mean time. 50 seconds away from acquisition at tracking
station Hawaii, brief gap from Hawaii loss of signal until
Goldstone picks up space station Skylab. We'll stay up for
Hawaii stateside and European station passes all the way
through Ascension loss of signal. A total pass with brief
dropouts of about 48 minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston AOS, Hawaii for 9 minutes.
SPT Roger, Dick. Yeah, Dick I'm standing by
to copy the changes on the fine maneuver.
CC Okay, here they are, I'ii read you the
new numbers. X 50222, and that's 1.46 degrees plus, excuse
me plus 1.46, Y 51106 minus point 66 degrees, Z 50112 plus
0.74 degrees. Now I'ii read you the correct final attitude
that you should expect Ed. X plus 3.46, Y plus 6.31, Z plus
0.71, over.
SPT Okay, Dick the fine maneuvers X, 50222, Y,
51106 Z, 50112 and I'd expect a plus 3.46, plus 6.31, plus 03.71
and they correspond to 1.40, minus 0.66 and a plus 0.74.
CC Roger, one correction Ed, the X number
corresponds to 1.46 not 1.40. One other minor change that's
happened and I can explain it to you. Just after the EVA
we loaded new biases and did an H-cage and the momentum has
been tracking since then just like it should have so that's
going to allow us to delete the nominal cage, it's listed
there in your procedure in step 5, over.
SPT Okay_ that's the one on 126, very good,
thank you.
CC That's correct thank you much.
CC Skylab, Houston we're about 45 seconds
from LOS. Goldstone comes up about 3 minutes from now, I'ii
give you a holler there.
CDR Roger, Dick.
CC Roger, and incidentally a note no answer
requ±red for the CDR and PLT, in going through the dump tape,
the corollary folks noticed that you reported a dent in one
of the specimens for MI61 correction M561 preps the other
day. They appreciate your taking a look and would like for
you to continue to inspect those before each op.
CDR We'll do it.
CC Roger.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1512/I
Time: 19:14 CST 45:01:14 GMT
12/29/73

CC Skylab, Houston, I don't think I ever gave


you an AOS call here at Goldstone about a minute or so ago.
We still have about 4 minutes left in this pass.
!
PLT Roger, Dick.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're 30 seconds from
LOS Goldstone. We're going to have about a 5-minute drop-
out and I'ii call you at Bermuda.
CC Skylab, Houston, Bermuda for 8 minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston, i minute to LOS. Canary
at 01:35. Out.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1513/I
Time: 19:34 CST 45:01:34 GMT
12/29/73

CC Skylab, Houston, we have a nice long


pass between Canary Islands and Ascension for 16 minutes.
CDR Roger, Dick.
CC And, Jerry, I was going to ask you way
long time ago to confirm those two gas filled circuit breakers
and you never got back to me. Did you confirm that they
were closed?
CDR Yeah, that's right, they were closed.
CC Okay, thank you.
CDR Hey, Dick, we never did get chapter 1
of the Shaffer/Truly Lonely Hearts Book, when you going to
send it?
CC Well, we're working on the book, but I'm
going to get back to you this evening on a couple of things
and then - then we're going to block out some time tomorrow
evening several passes in a row and talk to you about it.
CDR Okay.
CC SPT, Houston.
SPT Go ahead, Dick.
CC Ed, we've discovered another thing that
may or may not be obvious to you in the JOP 18 Delta procedure
today which is caused by the fact that the star trackerts
belly up and if you look at step 36 in the JOP 18 Delta, I'll
show it to you.
SPT Okay, Dick, go ahead.
CC Okay, we're about to have a handover here,
Ed. Let me wait 30 seconds and then - so I won't drop out.
Hang on.
CC SPT, Houston, through Ascension. The
change we want to make today is to delete the first four
DAS entries in step 36 for obvious reasons. If the star
tracker is not working, then we do not wane the updates enabled.
We will be getting a checklist change up to you to permanently
delete those steps.
SPT Okay, Dick. We'll do it. Thank you.
CC Thank you.
CC CDR, Houston, a reminder for you. On
your summary Flight Plan for today at a time of 00:30_ there's
listed an entry there - M563 ops, and we don't see 563 running
yet.
CDR I'm headed up that way now.
CC Okay, Jerry. Thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston, 30 seconds from LOS.
Carnarvon at 02:18.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Loss of signal
through Ascension Island. 25 minutes to Carnarvon, Australia.
Fairly continuous coverage from Hawaii all the way across
SL-IV MC1513/2
Time: 19:34 CST 45:01:34 GMT
12/29/73

the States. Canary and Ascension for better than 40 minutes.


Very little conversation, but plenty of coverage. We'll
return in 24 minutes for Carnarvon and Honeysuckle. And at
01:53 GMT_. this is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1514/I
TIME: 20:17 CST, 45:02:17 GMT
12/29/73

PAO This is Skylab Control. Acquisition


in 50 seconds at Carnarvon, Australia with overlapping
coverage to the Honeysuckle Creek Australia station for a
total of about 9 minutes. Standing by for acquisition
Carnarvon.
CC Skylab, Houston AOS Carnarvon and Honeysuckle
for 8-1/2 minutes and PLT, Houston if you've got a moment
any time during this pass, l've got a couple of evening
questions I'd like to ask you.
PLT Fire away, Dick.
CC Okay, the first one has to do with the
fire warning light that was reported during the EVA today. It
turns out that we got an indication of a fire from one of the
subunits but not both, as should have been the case and also
we did not get an indication of a warning indication. The
question is which fire light was it that came on and did you
get a warning and or a klaxon with it.
PLT Okay, Dick it was one of the aft airlock
warning lights and those - both of those are inhibited as the
part of the pre-EVA Checklist for the PLT. So I did not get
any klaxo_ or warning, siren, rather.
CC Okay, Bill let me ask you another one
on a different subject and if EGIL has any more back
on that f_re light I'ii get back to you shortly here. This
one is on the M518 ops. We're interested in having an
approximate time that it takes the chamber to get down to
vacuum, specifically is it taking more than l0 minutes to
get it to vacuum, we need to know for our scheduling
purposes.
PLT About 45 minutes at least, and maybe a
hour and a half, I don't go up and watch it but it's well
over i0 minutes and after the first time I sort of just
checked it every time I went by and it does take a considerable
length of time to get down to this pressure that's specified
in the checklist.
CC Okay, Bill thank you very much.
PLT That's the - that's the reason we end up
being late on those things.
CC Yeah, I understand.
PLT And by the way Dick, I do appreciate
the calls and the details to do steps such and such through
such and such and no more and that sort of thing. That is
very helpful.
CC Okay, Bill thank you we'll - we're just
trying to get just as much data as we can so we can sort
of improve the efficiency of these details and Flight Plans
and so folth.
SL-IV MC1514/2
TIME: 20:17 CST, 45:02:17 GMT
12/29/73

PLT And since that is sort of indefinite - that


pressure thing, I'll try to make a special effort tonight
when Jet cranks this up if he can't watch it, Itll try to
go by there and check and just see when we get down
to that pressure.
CC Okay, we would appreciate that but it's
even this information helps us a lot because it's obviously
taking a whole lot more than we were thinking.
PLT Yeah, I thought it was broken, I mean I
thought there was something wrong I kept checking it the
first time through and then I finally just left it alone and
went by there after oh, it was - it was over an hour and io
and behold it was down there.
CC Roger.
CDR I don't know if it's outgassing from inside
or what.
CC Say again Bill. SPT, Houston absolutely
no hurry on this but when you get a moment I'd like to tell
you something it'll take about a minute or so concerning the
messages coming up in the teleprinter now.
CDR Okay, Dick he's pretty busy right now.
CC No hurry at all.
CDR Okay.
CC Skylab, Houston 30 seconds from LOS,
Hawaii comes up at 02:41 and we're going to dump the data/voice
recorder at Hawaii and also I'll be standing by for the
evening status report.
PAO This is Skylab Control, loss of signal
through Honeysuckle Creek, Australia. Returning in 12 minutes
for Hawaii and what will probably be the finai stateside pass
before the crew beds down for tonight. At 02:29 Greenwich
mean time, be back in 12 minutes, this is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1515/I
Time: 20:40 CST 45:02:40 GMT
12/29/73

PAO This is Skylab Control, 02:40 Greenwich


mean time, 50 seconds from acquisition at Hawaii. During
the Hawaii pass the evening status report from the crew of
Skylab IV is scheduled. There will be about a 5 minute
dropout after Hawaii, loss of signal until the stateside
pass begins. The final station at stateside pass Bermuda
will be turned over to the crew physician for the medical
conference. And in all likelihood the Ascension pass
following will be the final conversation of the evening
with the Skylab IV crew.
CC - -For 8 minutes.
CDR Houston, CDR, ready for the
evening status.
CC Yes sir, sure sure am Jerry, go ahead.
CDR Okay, I'm going to give you everything
but the photo log right now, we're still sorting that one
ont.
CC Okay.
CDR Okay, Sleep: CDR, 7.0, 6.5 heavy,
0.5 light; SPT, 7.0, 6.0 heavy, 1 light; PLT, 7.0, 6.0 heavy,
1.0 light. Volume: CDR, 1900; 2050; 1950. Water gun
readings_ 7918; 3538; 9757. Body mass: CDR, 6.316,
6.321, 6.318; SPT, 6.351, 6.361, 6.354; PLT, 6.238,
6.239, 6.242. Exercise: CDR, none; SPT, none; PLT, no
change to standard. Medication: None; None; and Tinactin
as directed, Clothing: None; SPT, was shorts and socks;
PLT, shorts and socks. Food log: CDR, 3.5 salt, plus
one tuna spread, minus 1 coffee with sugar, minus 1 lemon-
ade, rehydration water 1 - plus 1.0; SPT, salt 1.5, zero
deviations, zero water; PLT, zero salt, zero deviations,
zero water, Flight plan deviation, none. Shopping list,
none. Inoperable equipment: Transporter 08 and 02 have
both broken film. We used our last Mike Tango takeup
reel on transporter 08. And we have no empty transporters.
SPT One more.
CDR Stand by.
CC Okay,
CDR Okay, we have one more Mike Tango.
We used our next to last on 08, we have one more left.
Unscheduled stowage: Airlock module meteoroid shield
samples to MI41 vice M143.
CC Okay.
CDR And we'll have a few amplifying remarks
on the photo pad to - or the photo log on that report.
CC Okay, Jerry.
CDR Okay, Dick. We got time for a photo
status?
SL-IV MC1515/2
Time: 20:40 CST 45:02:40 GMT
12/29/73

CC Sure do Jerry, we're about a minute


away from ]LOS. And Ho Goldstone comes up 5 minutes from
now, shoot.
CDR Okay, 16-millimeter Transporter 02,
We had film breakage on that and that was Charlie India 75,
68, Charlie India 73. Which means we got no film shot.
Transporter 08, MI51 EVA prep and post, Charlie India 77, 15,
Mike Tango 09. Nikon 01, no change; 2 Bravo Echo 05, 01;
3, 4, and 5 no change. 70-millimeter, Charlie X-ray 52.
And the frame count is 059, ETC no change. EREP no change.
Drawer A configuration: Alfa i, transporter 02, Charlie
India 75, 158, no takeup reel; Alfa 2, 3 in the back no
ehange_ Alfa 4, 08, Charlie India 77, 15, Mike Tango 09.
CC Okay, thank you sir.
CDR All right. I'll give you the remarks
when we gel: over the next - station.
CC Okay, I'll be standing by for them at
AOS, and I'll give you a call.
CC Okay.
CDR Is Bill on next or his call at the next
station?
CC LetTs see, Bill_s call comes up not at
the next station, but at Ascension at 03:20. And I'll
remind him there.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1516/I
TIME: 20:50 CST, 45:02:50 GMT
12/29/73

CC Skylab, Houston we're AOS Goldstone for


5 minutes and, Jerry, standing by for your remarks on the
evening status report.
CDR Okay, stand by.
CC Okay.
CDR Okay, let me go over it carefully.
Transporter 08 was used this morning for MI51, EVA prep
and post. We had film breakage on that before we even got
started, so Charlie India 171 which was a takeup reel was
stowed and replaced with Mike Tango 09 and we've got all of
the Ml51 EVA prep imposed on that. Transporter 02, film
breakage we reported that to you earlier, which means we lost
all that EVA documentary. That was Charlie India 173 which
is stowed and at the moment we have no takeup reel installed
and we have one takeup reel left and somebody probably better
start thinking about some other reels to use for takeup reels.
And it looks to me like we got ourselves a real problem here
with transporters and I wonder if the film folks would like
to think it out again and try to see if we can find the
different procedure. But there's been an awful large, long
rash of the feed (garble) just tearing the perporations right
out of the film and I can assure that all three of us are
strictly adhering to the procedures that were sent up here,
the special procedures for initiating camera usage and it just
doesn't seem to be working, CDR out.
CC Okay, Jerry we copy and we will rethink
that one.
CDR Okay.
SPT Houston, SPT.
CC Go ahead, Ed.
aPT On step 33 here they specify a roll, I assume
that's an experiment roll of minus 5400.
CC That's affirm Ed.
SPT Thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston we're about a minute from
LOS, we'll pick you up at MILA, 4 minutes from now. And
we'll - when we hand over from MILA to Bermuda during that
pass that'll be the med conference.
CC Skylab, Houston we're AOS MILA and Bermuda
for about i0 minutes and about 4 minutes from now we're going
to hand you over to Bermuda and the Doctor.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1517/I
Time: 21:02 CST 45:03:02 GMT
12/29/73

CC SPT, Houston.
SPT Go ahead, Dick.
CC Ed, we've seen canister pressure a little bit
higher than normal. It's - that's not too abnormal for a post
EVA situation, but we think the better part of valor on the
SO56 X-REA HIGH VOLTAGE POWER ALUMINUM and BERYLLIUM switches
to OFF would be a good idea.
SPT You got them?
CC Okay, and we're about to have a Keyhold here
at MILA and I'll give you a call when we're out of Keyhole.
SPT Okay.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're out of keyhole here.
And SPT, Houston, one other short note for you if you've got
about 30 seconds to listen.
SPT Yeah, it's kind of quiet time now, Dick,
go ahead.
CC Okay, awhile ago, we uplinked a message in
the teleprinter. The name of it in its -called general message
ATM note. What it is it's a long series of proposed things
that you and Bill Lenoir are going to get to talk about tomorrow
on the ATM conference that may or may not depend on your
discussion end up as checklist changes on S054 in the JOP
summary sheet. There are two things I want to mention to you now.
Number one, you might take a look at these prior to the ATM
conference, that might help you out, and number two, whatever
you do, do not put them in the JOP summary sheets until a
regular JOP summary sheet checklist change shows up.
SPT Okay, very good, Dick. I'ii take a look
at them tonight. Thank you.
CC Okay, real fine, Ed. And we're about 30
seconds from handover and for the med conference. The next
station is Ascension at 03:20 and that's the PLT's phone call.
And that's antennas left to right.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Loss of signal as
it were as the circuit is handed over to the crew physican,
Dr. Jerry Hordinsky for the evening medical status report or
medical conference with the crew. The physican will take the
remainder of the Bermuda pass about the next 6-1/2 mintues.
And CAP COMM will get the circuit back for Ascension in
13 minutes at which time, we shall return. At 03:06 Green-
which mean time, this is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1518/I
TIME: 21:19 CST, 45:03:19 GMT
12/29/73

PAO This is Skylab Control, 03:18 Greenwich


mean time. Ascension Island station for the final time
tonight coming up in about 50 seconds. Pilot Bill Pogue at
this station is scheduled to have a phone call to his family
on a separate VHF downlink. Spacecraft Communicator
Dick Truly has some other business with the other two crewmen.
And we'll stand by for the Ascension pass.
CC Skylab, Houston AOS Ascension for
9-1/2 minutes and like an ATM frame count, when somebody can
give it to me please.
CDR Okay, 14940, 5407, 183, 500, 5440, 4948.
CC Okay, Jerry and if you and Ed, I'm sorry -
I've got several things I wanted to talk to you guys about,
sorry Bill is on his phone call but I thought I'd - I thought
I would cover them for you hear at Ascension and we could save
the Carnarvon pass later on for the news.
SPT Okay, sounds good go ahead.
CDR _eah, wetre available.
CC Okay, hang on just 1 second I think there
are some ATM close out things that we want to read up to you
and then I'll get to this other stuff.
CC Okay, Phil's going to get me that list so
I'll go ahead. One thing before - before we go to bed this
evening we'd like for you to hook up the VTR again, we
need to be dumping that so we can get the TV dump that's on
there. And Jerry.
CDR Okay, we'll string our cable.
CC Okay, that's great. Jerry let me get to
you and Ed a little bit on the conversation that you read
down to Phil and me, there's just one specific question that
I wanted to answer tonight and then I wanted to tell you a
little bit about what we were going to talk about tomorrow
night and sort of what that plan was. First of all and the
question I wanted to address here this evening was a comment
that you made concerning your willingness to talk about mission
planning and so forth on a private comm. We think that there's
absolutely nothing that requires private comm and as a matter
of fact I'm delighted that you chose Phil and me to talk to
you about this stuff because it's kind of fun to work on. As
a matter of fact I think exactly the opposite is true and
Phil agrees with me. I think when either something happens
that where some mistake or something is caused, causes a problem
in the flight plan or when you think that we've made some kind
of bonner on one of the pads or generally in flight planning I
think the place to talk about that is on the air-to-ground.
Even the voice record sort of puts a barrier between your
immediate problems and the right people to solve it. We think.
SL-IV MC1518/2
TIME: 21:19 CST, 45:03:19 GMT
12/29/73

So that's something you might take into consideration. The


reason for that is that just the mechanics of getting the
voice transcripts transcribed involves some time delay and
also naturally there's a few mistakes built in and one thing
that we certainly miss is emphasis that you get from just
talking to each other. So and another problem there is the
time involved in getting the transcrips transcribbed, i8
usually the people that get the job of answering your
question is usually a different team than the quest than
that one that either caused the problem or knows the straight
answer. So we in summary, no private comm required and we'll
talk about: the whole thing tomorrow night. Now what we are
planning on doing in a combination of a status message and
also several air-to-ground stations is we're planning on
putting together if we can a status of accomplishments and
so forth as of the mid point of the mission. We're also going
to look especially hard at areas where we think possibly that
you can help us or look for ways on orbit that in particular
areas that you may not be aware of where it will help us in
scheduling in and finally try to point out to you there
are some special areas that give us particular fits because
of the constraints in the flight planning and I think there's
two or three of those that are worth pointing out to you in
a littIe bit of detail, I think it'll help you understand
our problems a little bit better. So after this shift is
over Phil and Pleddie Baker our FAO and I are going to
sit down for awhile and try to decide which of these things
are worth putting in a message and which are worth talking
about and for your planning purposes we've blocked off a set
of passes tomorrow evening between starting about 02:15 and
going to 02:45 or 3 o'clock to talk about all this junk and
if that isn't sufficient we'll schedule whatever time is
necessary.
CDR Okay, that sounds fine Dick.
CC Okay, while Phil is getting together the
other stuff with the AT - as a matter of fact he's got it
right here. Here's a couple of things on the ATM we'd like
to make sure that you can close out for us.
CDR Okay, go ahead.
CC Okay, S056 aluminum door close, I'm
sorry, I'm sorry, S056 airlock door close, H-alpha TVs
and monitors secured, S055 optical reference and mirror
line scan, and turn off the C&D loop.
SPT Say, Dick I have never gotten the chance to go
on up there and put it into the unattended configuration after
the med conference and I had planned to do that, that's
why it was in the - that configuration.
SL-IV MC1518/3
TIME: 21:19 CST, 45:03:19 GMT
12/29/73

CC Okay, we won't worry about it then. Why


don't you do that when we go LOS and - There's a couple of
more things I'd like to talk to you here and we still got about
4 minutes. We used a bunch of TACS today during the EVA and
what I thought I'd do was explain it to you guys when Bill
gets off the phone if you would explain it to him, then if
you have any questions at Carnarvon we can talk about them.
But what we think we did was in the in one of the messages
that we passed up mainly for Bill to use - we looked at
the data and the problem occurred during the tweak maneuvers
and also during LOS, the attitude built up to the numbers
that are about like this whose minus 3 degrees in X plus
7 degrees in Y and plus i0 degrees in Z so when Bill
inhibited CMG control, we were way outside the TACS deadband
which result in about (garble) full on to the thrusters and
ended up spending - well the total expenditure for the day
was about 3900 pounds-seconds. What we should have told you
to do was if you exceeded the half of degree air limit by a
bunch we should have had you reselect attitude hold CMG at
that point to recenter the deadbands before inhibiting CMG
control and then make a maneuver back to the nominal attitude.
So in essence when Bill did notice that the outside of the
number of half a degree -

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1519/I
TIME: 21:26 CST, 45:03:26 GMT
12/29/73

CC - nominal attitude. So in essence when


Bill did notice that he was outside of the dead - outside of
the number of half a degree, he was way outside of it
he did exactly what the message said he should have done
and it just cost us a bunch of TACS.
CDR Roger, understand that and we'll pass it
on to him.
CC Okay. One more note and we got about
a minute and a half and then I'II call you at Carnarvon and
this one is just something that Phil and I thought you might
be interested in and it has to do with the affect of the loss
of the star tracker. It turns out that we can update nuZ
during your sleep periods, when you're all very still to
an accuracy of about 0.2 to 0.3 degrees because the momentum
dumps begin to take nuZ corrected down to about that level,
however during the day, the Z-axis drift degrades such that
when wetre doing the SAL work in solar inertial we will add
a reference star and the difference between our prediction
of rotation and your observed angle will allow us to update
nuZ and will also allow you to update the rotation. Obviously
the star tracker worked for JOP 18 Delta and JOP 13 can be
done and essentially there's nothing more that we can do now
to update Gamma RR as we have been before. The impact of these
things real briefly on the science is as follows: The JOP 13
we can't point S055, the JOP 18 Delta doesn't really matter
because as long as you can see the comet. The effect on the
EREP we think is fairly insignificant we think that the effect
of corollary is fairly insignificant because as long as we can
get you a reference star and finally on the general ATM ops,
the main problem is a post flight one of reconstructing Gamma
RR, so that kind of sums it up as to what effect the star
tracker loss has on a mission.
CDR Okay, thanks a lot and that's good to
know and we can try to think up, do whatever we can to help
the situation.
SPT Dick, have they looked into how the
ATM side of the house is trying to use visual features on the
solar surface to get some sort of a roll alignment from
time to time.
CC Ed, let me get back to you with that one
on Carnarvon.
SPT Thank you.
PAO This is Skylab Control, loss of signal
through Ascension Island for the final time tonight.
Space station Skylab on the first leg of the 3,314th revolution,
will be acquired in 20 minutes at the Carnarvon, Australia
station which should be the final pass of the evening. 03:31
Greenwich mean time, this is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1520/I
Time: 21:51 CST 45:03:51 GMT
12/29/73

PAO This is Skylab Control 03:51 Greenwich


mean time_ 50 seconds away from acquisition at Carnarvon
Australia. While we're waiting for AOS, we have the crew
physician's daily report on crew health, which reads as
follows. The EVA was successfully completed without any
medical problems. There are no significant medical problems
at this time. Ranking more as persistent nuisances are
such phenomena as skin dryness, rare head fullness sensations
and every third day, high density meals that subjectively
make one feel slightly hungry, although containing adequate
nutrients by objective tabulation. That's the end of the
summary by Dr. Jerry Hordinsky, the Skylab-IV crew surgeon.
Standing by for acquisition at Carnarvon.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're AOS Carnarvon for
ii minutes and believe it or not I don't have any mission
notes to read up to you except for the news. Unless you
have some.
CDR Press on with the news.
CC Okay. Travelers with New Year's travel
plans will probably find themselves involved in the great
gasoline hunt. One survey showed at least 75 percent of
the service stations in most areas plan to close both
Saturday and Tuesday for the holidays. Some stations have
closed already because they have run out of gas. Here's
an interesting one, down in Nogales, Arizona, the U.S.
Border Patrol set up electronic devices along the Mexican
border to scan for illegal entries. The equipment is
designed to emit a beeping sound when persons cross certain
areas. But the unit was silent Wednesday night. Not one
peep. Turned out an investigation disclo - disclosed that
it was stolen. General Motors says its indefinite layoff
of 38,000 workers should result in a total production cut
of 530,000 passenger cars by next fall. The layoffs and
production cuts are hitting plants which turn out the larger
gas-guzzling cars. Output of the nation's largest auto maker
is expected to be from 8 to 12 percent _elow this year's
level. President Nixon signed a bill today naming the U.S.
Courthouse and Federal Building now under construction in
New Orleans for the late Representative Hale Boggs. The
Israeli team quarters in the Olympic Vil_age in Munich,
Germany, scene of a Palestinian attack that cost the lives
of ii Israeli athletes, has been purchased by the games'
organizer as a memorial guest house. The two-story building
will be donated to the Max Planck Institute for use as a
memorial residence and meeting house for foreign scientists
and delegations. The National Safety Council's estimate of
SL-IV MC1520/2
Time: 21:51 CST 45:03:51 GMT
12/29/73

between 470 and 570 persons who may be killed during the
102-hour New Year's holiday weekend, takes into account the
gasoline shortage. During last year's three-day holiday
weekend, 438 persons died on the nation's roads. An aval
an avalanche tumbled down a little-used ski slope in Park
City West, Utah, today, killing one ski instructor and
slightly injuring another. Scene of the avalanche was a
back portion of the resort and not one of the regular runs.
It had been snowing heavily out there for four days. In
Tel Aviv, Premier Golda Meir's Labor Party campaigned for
Monday's crucial election on the issues of security against
the Arab enemy and peace in the Middle East. Opinion polls
showed her party which has dominated Israeli politics for
years, was running only a fraction ahead of the newly united
right-wing opposition. President Nixen signed into law a
$375 million measure designed to encourage the formation of
health maintenance organizations or group health plans. The
bill requires employers of 25 or more persons to offer the
option of such health plans in addition to private insurance
in negotiating health benefits with employees. Here's a
few football scores for bowl games today. The Sun Bowl,
Missouri 34, Auburn 17. Here in Houston at the Bluebonnet
Bowl, the University of Houston 47, Tulane 7. At the East/
West shrine game, East 35, West 7. And at the Gator Bowl
in the thrid quarter Texas Tech 21, Tennessee 13.
SPT Sounds like the University of Houston
did it to them.
CC They really did Ed. Hey Ed, Phil says
you get an A minus tonight on closing out the ATM. We
need the MPC roll to inhibit.
SPT I plan to get that tomorrow morning,
Dick.
CC (Chuckle) Okay, well we'd appreciate
it tonight.
CDR Dick, I've got power to the VTR now. You
might check it have them check it quickly and see if it
is the way you need it.
CC Good show, we'll do that. Thank you.
CC We like it, Jerry.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1521/I
TIME: 21:57 CST, 45:03:57 GMT
12/29/73

CC Skylab, Houston when you check that


MPC also we need to get ATM C&D loop off.
CC Skylab, Houston one final note. When we
did the test awhile ago with Bill walking and then doing the
jumps and also the toe lifts on the treadmill, we concluded -
well first of all there was a dramatic difference between
doing nothing and doing anything, that was really the biggest
difference of all. However we do feel like since we do have
five JOP 18 Deltas scheduled tomorrow, we do feel like that if
you, if Jerry, you and Bill would like to during the
Open housekeeping that's next to the JOP 18 Delta data takes,
if you want to utilize that for the treadmill exercise as
long as you do either the walking or the toe lifts but not
the jumps we think that's okay with us and if you have a
choice there do the walking.
CDR Okay, what do you think about Mark I, why
don't we run a little test on that one of these times
soon.
CC Jerry we believe we've already seen data
on that and we think it's worse than the walking and the
toe lifts that we were talking about a minute ago.
CDR Okay, that's hard to believe really,
because it's sort of an isometric. All you're doing is pulling
a rope around a pulley.
CC Well, I tell you what, maybe your suggestion
of taking another look at it is a good one and we'll - we'll think
about that one.
CDR Okay.
CC Incidentally we're about to go to LOS and
I haven't checked the wakeup time for in the morning so maybe
you s_ould set your clocks just in case it's not real close
to 12 o_clock but I'ii give you a call as early - as close to
12 as possible.
CDR Okay, Dick thank you.
CDR Goodnight Dick.
PLT Goodnight, Dick.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Space station
now in acquisition by the Guam station, however judging from
the Carnarvon conversation the crew and Spacecraft communicator
Dick Truly will have no further conversation tonight. There
were the usual goodnight Dick comments from the crew, therefore
we_ll shut down the circuit until 6 a.m. central standard
time Sunday morning at 04:07 Greenwich mean time, Skylab
Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1522/I
TIME: 07::02 CST, 45:13:02 GMT
12/30/73

PAO Skylab Control at 13 hours 2 minutes


and 52 seeonds Greenwich mean time. The Skylab space station
is now 52 seconds from acquisition of signal at the Vanguard
tracking ship. The pass through Vanguard will be the first
one of the morning. The crew was expected to have awaken at
6 o'clock central standard time this morning at 12:00 Greenwich
mean time. But at that time they were out of range of signal
as they were passing over the South Atlantic. The present time
the Flight Director is Donald Puddy and the spacecraft communicator
is Bob Crippen.
CC (Music : "On Top of the World" by the
Carpenters)
CC Good morning, Skylah. You guys still on
top of the world today?
CDR Good morning, Crip. Yeah, we're still
around.
CC Very good. The song was dedicated to you
from your daughter, Jet.
CDR Roger. That's great.
CC And for the PLT. Bill you got a GO to
turn on 56is aluminum beryllium high voltage box.
PLT Thank you.
CC (Music)
CC The CDR. Jet, is this a convenient time
to talk to you a little bit about the high temperatures I
told you the other day you might be able to expect?
CDR I'd better do it next pass, I'm about
ready to get even with Ed on the MII0 here.
CC Okayp have at it.
PAO Commander Cart indicating he's going to
get even 'with Ed for his blood sampling this morning.
CC PLT, Houston. Bill, we copied those
282A exposures in building block IA, taken at a roll of 5400,
and we_d like you to repeat those at anytime you're convenient
tkrough this stateside pass at a roll of zero if you would,
please.
PLT Okay, sorry about that.
CC Oh_ we got plenty of time to get them
again.
CDR Hey, Crip, the deed is done. How much
t_me we got?
CC Oh_ Jet, we got about a minute left here
before we go LOS; probably be worthwhile to save it. I was
just going to give you an idea of what kind of temperatures
we could expect and what turning off lights would do for
you. And we can catch that either next pass or a little
bit later in the day, no big rush on it. I assumed the SPT
survived the - the operation?
SL-IV MC1522/2
TIME: 07:02 CST, 45:13:02 GMT
12/30/73

CDR Oh, he's sniffling a little bit but he'll


be all right.
CC Okeydoke. What might be worthwhile and
best the next pass. And if he's got time in discussing
a few of the JOP 18D first one that we've got coming up, there's
a couple of little little items that bare some discussion.
So if he has a chance prior to Ascension, which is about 3
minutes from now, to grab that pad and I can - would like
to run over a couple of steps on it with him.
SPT Crip, can you hold off? I'm in the middle
of Ii0.
CC Roger. Don't believe I'm going to have
another pass after this to do it, but you can probably just
listen to them. That's about 3 minutes from now. We're going
to go LOS in about i0 seconds. And I'Ii see you at Ascension
in 3 minutes. You really don't need the pad, I can tell you
about then.
CDR Okay, Crip.
CC See you there.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1523/I
Time: 07::15 CST 45:13:15 GMT
12/30/73

PAO Skylab Control at 13 hours 15 minutes


and 8 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylah space station is
now over the South Atlantic. It's passed out of range of the
Vanguard tracking ship, and we're about 1 minute and 55 sec-
onds from our next acquisition at Ascension. Pass over
Ascension will last about 10-1/2 minutes. Spacecraft com-
municator is Bob Crippen. This morning the crew awakened
on their own at about 6 a.m. by means of an alarm. They
were not awakened by the ground until just now. Of course
they had been awake for about an hour at that time. Song
used to alert them to the fact that ground has contact with
them was a song by the Carpenters, "On Top of The World,"
and that's of course exactly where the Skylab crew is. Look-
ing down on creation. And Jerry Carr said that he was too
busy to talk to the ground. He said "I'm about ready to get
even with Ed on ii0" " That's the medical experiment which in-
volves drawing blood and processing it, and Ed Gibson samples
the other two crew members and then Jerry Carr gets a chance
to get his revenge. 1 minute to acquisition of signal at
Ascension. This is Skylab Control.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're AOS at Ascension
for i0_i/2 minutes. And Ed, it's kind of your conven-
ience here, I was going to discuss these items on 18D before
you started entering them in your pad so you'd understand them.
l_m goin_ to see you again at Guam at about 14 - 14:01, 14:02,
and I can discuss them with you there. But if it's really
inconvenient or I can just talk to them and you can kind of
listen here.
SPT All right, Crip. We're getting the pad
now.
CC Okay. Skylabp Houston. We are doing a
data/voice recorder dump through Ascension here.
SPT Okay_ Crip. Go ahead.
CC Okayp Ed. First thing is that on steps
12 _ on step 12 we have you go to a roll of minus 1900. And
then before you ever take any data on step 17 we have you
going to minus 6900, and that was done down here because of
calculations of _ of the maneuver that ASCO required due
to the coning involved in the in the canister at different
roll positions. And we knew where it was at minus 1900 and
we didn't at the other, so just didn't - wanted you to
understand that that was done purposely.
SPT Okay, Crip. I - I guess I can set up the
over ladle to the ladder positon initially. Is that correct?
CC Rog. It should be set up with - with a
minus 1900 for the initial values that we gave you on
step 14, or _ and with 300 bias. That's minus 1600. Hey,
if y_u just go down the the steps like we've got them
SL-IV MC-]523/2
Time: 07:15 CST 45:13:15 GMT
12/30/73

written I don't believe it'll bother yon at all. All I'm


saying is that if you go through it, it appears as an extra
roll there the really wasn't required, and the reason was
for our ground calculations.
SPT Okay. What I was thinking, though, is
that I put the overlay at tilt so it's minus 6900 and I - I
should have no problem. Okay. Go ahead.
CC Don't do that until after you have put
in the correct roll. On step 12, where you roll to minus 1900,
that's fine, and then when you acquire the comet (?) - and if
you, on step 14, where you mentioned that we're supposed to be
and it's on the overlay of minus 70-X plus 70-Y, that assumes
the overlay is set at a roll of minus 1600. Following all that
you'll go ahead and roll the canister again to the - to the
new position of minus 6900 and then change your overlay,
and then do your repointing.
SPT Okay. I got you, Crip. The only reason
l'm a little hesitant there is that overlay position it just
takes a whale of a lot of time to get it back there as pos-
sible. But I can see a way I can use both monitors.
Go ahead.
CC Okay, fine. Actually that - that overlay
is just so you know where it comes out right to. It
really is not going to end up being pertinent to - to your
data take. The other - the other item was on in step 25 we -
on 54 we had you do a little bit different change from what
building block calls for. We had you do a 54 long. You've
done a few of those, and Bill Lenoir's going to talk to you
a little bit later in the day about perhaps making that
change and[ a bunch of - a permanent change in a bunch of
your JOPsj and the only item I wanted to do is just call it
to you so you could remember the procedures, since we didn't
give you the proceedure here.
SPT Is that what was sent up once on the
general message?
CC Okay, on the general message we sent
last night_ which is _ was only meant to be a discussion
_te_ for the ATM conference today, that is what they're
talking a_out. Yes.
SPT Yes; okay. On that one, Crip, that thing
came up la r late last night_ and I was up till 5 doing other
things and never had a chance to look at it, and I'm
also (garble) till 4 this morning, so we're going to have to
delay that for a day, Then, I don't mind then putting (garble) -
54s and as we go along here but I'd like to delay our discussion
a day.
SL-IV MC-1523/3
Time: 07:15 CST 45:13:15 GMT
12/30/73

CC Understand you want to delay the dis-


cussion on 54, but you can - you can still go ahead and do
that 54 long exposure for us in this building block. Is
that correct?
SPT Yep, Sure can. We'll deliver what they
what they wanted to go along here, but I'm just going to have
to delay that discussion.
CC Copy that. The other item was on step 26.
We have worded it such that what we're after is the point to
a particular place in the tail. Since we didn't think the
tail was going to be very visible on your monitor, we oppose (?)
at a place the neeale (?) is at an offset position in the
maneuver, and I just wanted to call that to your attention to
make sure you understood that. And of course, when you get
to that offset pesitionp since the offset position itself is
behind the disk_ you will not be able to see the nucleus.
SPT Okay, Crip, (garble)
CC Okay. Very good. That was all I had.
I_ii have turned over this position probably the time you get
back to _ to call. Was setting in with the Silver Team today,
but I_Ii _ I_II be around in case there are any problems on
it. That_ll be before you initiate it.
SPT Okay. Thank you very much.
CC Okay. Thank you. We still got about
3_i/2 minutes kere, and if CDR_s available I can discuss
those temperature items that I was mentioning earlier.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-] 524/I
Time: 07:24 CST 45:13:24 GMT
12/30/73

SPT Okay, Crip. You got it.


CC Okay, very good. That was all I had
I'll have turned over this position probably by the time you
get back to Carl whose sitting in with the silver team today,
but I'll be around in case there are any problems on it and
it'll be before you initiate it.
SPT Okay, thank you very much.
CC Okay, thank you. We still got about
3-1/2 minutes here and if CDR's available, I can discuss
those temperature items that I was mentioning earlier.
CDR Okay, go ahead.
CC Rog, Jer. We, in discussing it down
here, and talking about means of lowering the temperature,
the prime one is apparently the lights and if we can either
give you some direction of how to do it here or can more or
less just turn it over to you and I was going to try to give
you an idea of what the predicted temps were going to be and
what effect turning - turning off lights were and let you
make the decision on that. On mission day 56, which is day
of year 10, we anticipate about a 71 degree average temperature,
and on mission day 64, we anticipate about an 83-degree average
temperature. Right now_ it's running about 75 in the workshop
and all oi! these temperatures I'm giving you are for the
workshop. If you turn off about 50 percent of the OWS lights
during your wake period, we predict that will decrease the
temperature approximately 4 day 4 degrees in about 5 to 6
days. If you turn off 50 percent of the lights ahead of time
for that day 64, correction, yeah, on day 64, it'll bring
that max temperature down to about a 79-degree average.
CC Agaom. that was just one other item we
had that we could bring it down another degree, and that is we
could turn on the secondary RS loop.
CDR Okay, well I tell you on the light
situation_, why don't you put it on the pad as a reminder to
power down for high Beta and or power down the lights or
something like that and we'll go ahead and just start powering
down early as far as the lights are concerned and get ourselves
preped for it. I don't think we need any special callups
from you ether than just a reminder that now is the day that
you ought to start going with half your lights in the work-
shop.
CC Okay, well, I guess, the problem is if
you go right now with half your lights, you're going to cause
on mission day 56, you're going to drop what is now going to
be a 71-degree average down to around 68 or so, or 67, which
might be a little bit chilly. So, you might want to hold up
SL-IV MC-]524/2
Time: 07:24 CST 45:13:24 GMT
12/30/73

on that and get them after that period so we can correct for
the max Beta condition.
CDR Yeah, that's what I mean.
CC Okay.
CDR Send us a note on the pad then and
we'll start doing that.
CC Okay, that's fine. Okay, we'll - that'll
minimize the delta excursion between those two and we'll send
you a reminder of that so that you can turn it off about start
turning off about 5 or 6 days prior to that max. And,
CDR Sounds good.
CC Okay, very good. We're about 15 seconds
from LOS. Next station contact is over Guam in 34 minutes and
we'll say good morning here.
CDR Roger.
SPT So long, Crip.
CC Bye, bye.
PAO Skylab Control at 13 hours 28 minutes and
47 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now
across the coast of Africa. 33 minutes from now our next
acquisition signal at Guam. For lengthy periods both this
morning and this afternoon Skylab chief scientist Ed Gibson
will point the space station solar telescope at the comet
Kohoutek. The comet now about 15,000,000 miles from the Sun
is following a looping course that will bring it within
75,000_000 miles of the Earth by mid-January. The present
time it's a little over i00,000,000 miles from the planet.
After yesterday's 3-1/2 hour spacewalk, the crew sketched
the comet and showed their drawings to scientists in the
mission control center by way of television. All together
a dozen scientific instruments have been used by the astronauts
in their attempt to expand man's knowledge of the tiny visitor
believed to kave come from 5,000,000,000,000 miles out in space.
Medical experiments today include blood sampling from all three
crew memberap done this morning, and that will be processed a
little later in the day and also a test of Pilot Bill Pogue's
cardiovascular system, that's M092 experiment and M093, which
is vect_rcardiogram. Also a number of passes on the ATM,
the total time at the solar instruments today will be about
6 and a half hours, Also scheduled for operation today is
S019, one of the star_looking experiments and a number of
handkeld pkoto assignments, several of them officially scheduled
in tke Flight Plan. Those photo assignments include major
geological areas of North America. Skylab crew has its next
daF off sckeduled for Thursday. They'd previsouly had
a da_ sch6duled a little earlier, but they decided to delay
that, They have an early Earth resources pass on New Year's
Dayj th6y'_ll be getting up at 5 a.m. according to the present
SL-IV MC-1524/3
Time: 07:24 CST 45:13:24 GMT
12/30/73

plan, on New Year's Day. This is Skylab Control, we're about


a half hour from acquisition at Guam. It's now 30 minutes
and 45 seconds after the hour.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1525/I
TIME: 08:00 CST, 45:14:00 GMT
12/30/73

PAO Skylab Control at 14 hours i minute Greenwich


mean time.. Skylab space station is about 55 seconds from
acquisition of signal at the Guam tracking antenna, where wee'll
have a 9-minute pass at tThis time change of shift is taking
place here in Mission Control with Don Puddy, the flight
director, going off duty, and Neil Hutchinson about to come
on. The spacecraft communicator Bob Crippen is handing over
now to the oncoming communicator, Carl Henize. Dr. Henize
will be making a callup here in about 30 seconds and we'll
bring the line up for air-to-ground.
CC Skylab, this is Houston; standing by for
the next 9 minutes.
CDR Roger, and good morning, Carl.
CC Good morning, looks like you got a lot of
fun with the comet today.
CDR Affirmative.
PAO Skylab Control at 14 hours Ii minutes and
45 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station has
now passed out of range of the tracking antenna at Guam. We're
about 30 minutes from our next acquisition of signal at
Vanguard. This is Skylab Control at 12 minutes after the hour.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1526/I
Time: 08:40 CST 45:14:40 GMT
12/30/73

PAO Skylab Control at 14 hours 40 minutes


Greenwich mean time. We're now 56 seconds from acquisition
of signal through the Vanguard tracking ship. Pass through
Vanguard will last about ii minutes and then we'll bring the
line up live for Carl Henize, the spacecraft communicator.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Van-
guard for the next ii minutes.
CDR Roger, Houston.
SPT Houston, SPT.
CC (Garble)
SPT Carl, we've got a white talkback on 82B.
Otherwise the experiment is operating nominally. I'm going
ahead with the exposures. Maybe you want to take a look at
it.
CC Okay. We copy. And, Jerry, we'd like
to send up a reminder on the S19 prep to use canister
=umber 3 and to reset the focus on tooth (?) i.
CDR Okay, Carl.
CC Ed, concerning your 82B glitch, we'd like
to have you turn on the white light display for the XUV SLIT
and see w_Lat you see on the monitor there. The indication
we get down here is that that door might be half open, half
closed.
SPT Carl, I see a completely blank white
screen except for on the left, where there is a dark bar
of a 1/4 inch_ and then about another 1/2 inch, where
it goes off the screen, of a lighter gray. If I were to guess
that I was looking at the edge of the door, I'd say we've got
almost the full field of view.
CC Roger, Ed. It's not as though you said
it' was mostly blank that makes us think that it's mostly
mostly closed. Would you repeat that again?
SPT Okay. Should I be able to see the pro-
fiducial nlarks without the sunlit background?
CC That's a good question. We're not sure.
SPT Okay. I see a display which is almost
all white except on the left, about 1 inch in from the left,
is black. The first part coming from right to left is a
very dark bar of 1/4 inch and then a lighter bar continuing
off t_e screen.
CC Okay, Ed. Thanks. I think that's clear.
Ed, we're going to try to cycle that door from down here.
SPT Okay,
CC Ed, we weren't able to recycle that door
since you were working with the DAS. We'd like to try it at
Ascens±on if you'll give us the DAS at AOS.
SPT Okay. Sorry_ Carl.
SL-IV MC-1526/2
Time: 08:40 CST 45:14:40 GMT
12/30/73

CC That's, oohh, that's righto. And we


have a little over 1 minute to LOS. We'll see you over
Ascension at 14: - oop: back up on that. 14:58 is Ascension.
PAO Skylab Control at 14 hours 53 minutes
and 6 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is
passed out: of range of the tracking antenna on the ship
Vanguard. It's presently over the coast of Brazil and
approximately 4 minutes and 55 seconds from acquisition of
signal at Ascension. This pass through Ascension is one of
first of three overlapping passes; Ascension, Canary Islands,
and Madrid. The total length of those passes should be
about 16 minutes, Today the crew got up this morning on
their own before we had acquisition of signal, and we did
not talk t:o them until after 7 o'clock central standard time
this morning, at which time they were played "On Top of The
World," by the Carpenters. Jerry Carr was about ready to get
his revenge during that pass on Ed Gibson, who had already com-
pleted his blood sampling. Gibson is completing the fifth
blood sampling of the mission. All three crew members had
their blood sampled this morning and that test will be com-
pleted later today when necessary procedures are completed
for storing and returning that to Earth. Crew is also
advised that temperatures are going to be increasing there.
51 - 71 de_grees are - will be the estimated temperature on
the iQth of January, and then the temperature will start
rising, It could reach a peak of 83 degrees on the 18th
of January. However, the crew has been advised if they'll
reduce their lighting by about 50 percent they can cool
temperatures down by about 4 or 5 degrees. So they will be
starting to reduce their temperatures by turning off lights
after December i0, or after January i0, and will attempt to
bring that maximum level down to about 79 degrees to keep
f_om overheating. Crew members have indicated they've had
problems with dry skin due to the very low humidity on the
S kylab space station, and high temperature tends to accent
that. Today there are two major maneuvers scheduled for
JOP 18D, that's the joint observing program for observing
the comet Kohoutek, which is now approximately 50 million
miles from the Sun. The estimated TACS use for today is
about 9 mibs, or approximtely 45 pound-seconds of TACS. A
vary, very small amount to use for each of the joint observ-
ing programs. Approximately five estimated for desaturating
tee attitude control system gyroscopes. That's to reset
them so theF can control attitude properly during the rest
of the time. So only about 45 pound-seconds expected for
use today compare with a rather extensive use over the last
two space walks. Currently the temperature on Skylab is
SL-IV MC-1526/3
Time: 08:40 CST 45:14:40 GMT
12/30/73

about 75 degrees. And we won't have any problems with


temperature until about mid-January when the Sun angle on
the space station reaches its maximum levels. About 2 minutes
to acquisition at Ascension. Present time the Flight Director
is Neil Hutchinson and the spacecraft communicator is Dr.
Carl Henize. We'll bring the line up live now for air-to-
ground through Ascension, Canary Island, and Madrid, a
pass lasting approximately 15 minutes.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-]_527/I
Time: 08:56 CST 45:14:56 GMT
12/30/73

CC Skylab, this is Houston standing by for


14 minutes through Ascension and Canary.
SPT Roger, Carl. Let me make one more com-
pensation maneuver and the DAS is yours. Take about 20
seconds here.
CC Okay. Let us know when you're free.
SPT You got it.
CC Thank you.
SPT Carl, could you please tell me when
you're through with the DAS? We have a reaequisition maneu-
ver coming up here very shortly.
CC Okay. We will.
CC Okay. The DAS is yours, and our indications
down here is that we now have the door open.
SPT Sorry, Carl. I don't understand you.
You do or do not have the door open?
CC We do have the door open now.
SPT Oh, okay. Very good. Yes, we've got
an indication up here. We got a gray.
CC Great.
SPT (garble)
CC Say again.
SPT Say again.
CC We enabled We tried the other motor, Ed 9
and it worked.
CC Oh
SPT That's good.
CC I'll take that back, Ed. We enabled
primary and turned it on and it worked. It was the same one
we were on.
SPT The white light display has not changed
appearance, Carl.
CC Okay. That's good information for future
reference. Incidentally, we will be dumping tape recorders
over Ascension starting just about now. That's over the
Canaries. Pardon me.
CC Ed, I'd like to check the gratin_ setting
on S055. It should be at 575. We see it at 574.
CC Ed, could we doublecheck that the MPC
ROLL is inhibited?
CC Thank you. I guess we"d like to have that
locked at improved stability.
CC Ed, our indication down here is that
g2B isn't running. Could you doublecheck that it's on?
SPT Carl, I had it running. Apparently when
you closed or reset the door it stopped.
CG Okay, that's just about the problem.
Thanks a lot.
CC Skylab, Houston. We have 1 minute to LOS.
We_ll see you over Guam at 15:39.
SL-IV MC-1527/2
Time: 08::56 CST 45:14:56 GMT
12/30/73

PAO Skylab Control at 15 hours 14 minutes


and 35 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station
is now about to pass out of range of the tracking antenna
at Madrid,, Our next acquisition in 24-1/2 minutes away at
Guam. This is Skylab Control at 14 minutes and 48 seconds
after the hour.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1528/I
TIME: 09:38 CST, 45:15:38 GMT
12/30/73

PAO Skylab Control at 15 hours 38 minutes


and 15 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station
has now just passed off the coast of China. 52 seconds from
acquisition of signal through the Guam tracking antenna. The
pass through Guam will last a little more than 7 minutes. The
spacecraft communicator is Carl Henize.
CC Skylab, this is Houston, through Guam for
about 7 minutes. We have our - have our ATM conference coming
up, but like to let you know that we expect you'll be off the
DAS and we'll be - we'll be turning the heaters on for the
CMGs' normal operation.
CDR Roger, Carl. We got one question before
we start the conference, and that is the film threading pad
this morning. It appears they ignored all of our comments
that we gave them last night on our problems with transporters
8 and 2. Wonder if you might try to find out if they intend to
update the thread pads in the near future or what.
CC We note that and we'll let you know.
MCC Okay, Ed, I'm ready here with the ATM
conference whenever you are.
SPT Good morning, Bill; go ahead.
MCC Okay_ Ed, and incidentally, we realize
you're busy here at the night pass, Anything that you need
to interrupt our talk here to do, just let me know and we'll
stop talking for a while. The Sun, obviously you're not looking
at much right now, and we've got more of the same coming.
There's just not much expected on the east limb for quite a
while. Tomorrow's oparations_ we'll be looking at four passes
of solar activity. And we're tentatively looking at synoptics
1 Delta and a 4 Alfa on the west limb prominences. And in
addition to the four solar passes, there will be three JOP 18D
comet passes. And that's really about the size of today's
Sun and tomorrow's plans from our point of view. We're interested
in any inputs you've got to tomorrow's planning.
SPT Well, Bill, to tell you the truth, I'm
having enough trouble keeping up with today right now with
the _ I won't go into the details, but things did get a little
tight here. We did get the first one, building block 30,
carried off pretty well. One thing though, when I did go on
out to reacquire I found myself a little bit further off than
I expected when I made the maneuver back out. I'm going to
try and take a look at it again. I'll try and put the infor-
mation on tape which is what I had just started to do. We did
get a look at the comet out the window. It turns out we
can see it now through the open part in the structure on
the solar panel. And the (garble) spike is not as near - nearly
SL-IV MC1528/2
TIME: 09:38 CST, 45:15:38 GMT
12/30/73

as pronounced as the tail. I think the angle between the


tail and the spike remains about the same. The tail itself
is, I think, larger than I was able to see it yesterday,
although i[ was looking at it through binoculars tonight, or
in this last day pass. It's exceptionally bright nucleus
and it is almost orange in appearance now; yellow and very
orange, a little bit more so than I think as I saw it yesterday.
MCC Okay, Ed, thanks for the observations here.
And information, the DAS is yours now. Let me divert here
for a minute_ a couple of thoughts on the S054. We'll be
hopefully discussing the procedure changes tomorrow if you're
ready, if not we'll just do it the following day. We're more
interested in doing it right than doing it fast. So if you're
not ready tomorrow, just let us know again. We're hoping that
you'll get a chance to talk it over a little bit with Jerry
and Bill. And we can talk about it and see what changes, if
any, we need to do. One thing I'd like you to think about is
the MODE switch on 54 that we don't want to touch. You might
give some thought to how we might go about safing that. We've
talked about taping it; we've talked about getting an Allen
Wrenc_ and removing the knob itself. We didn't like that for
fear that _t would be very easy to click it one position and
then we're really back in trouble again. You might give some
thought to what safing, if any, we might want to do to that
switch.
SPT Bill, we got that thing taped down on either
side and there's no way you can move that switch unless you
deliberately take the tape off which none of us will do. I
tb_ink it_,s adequately safed.
MCC Okay, good. I had a feeling you guys had
probably already solved that problem. We were just worrying
about it n_edlessly down here. And obviously from now on
$054 cares more about the roll than they used to. The message
that we sent up was intended to, the tail end of it, be a
cue card :Lf you desired, to agument some information in the
ATM Experiment Reference Book where we never really worried
about the film axis and the grating axis. That's for information.
We'll worry about scheduling rolls and things, but I thought
_ou"d want: to know how things are oriented with respect to
e_eryhody else, And in response to a question you asked me
two days ago, during synoptic-type observations when you're
doing orbit_long ohs on the Sun of your own choosing, S054
does prefer the MSOS64 as opposed to the previous 256,
now_ on a once=an-orbit basis or whatever fits in. And that's
about all I have for today. We'll be here ready to talk to you
tomorrow, And you can talk as much as you want now for a
SL-IV MC1528/3
TIME: 09:38 CST, 45:15:38 GMT
12/30/73

minute and a half. Honeysuckle is next in 8 minutes. Over.


SPT Okay, and thank you very much, Bill. I
- I think I'd better get cracked down on a few things here
or I'm going to be further behind. Thank you very much, and
I'll try and look at that 54 stuff for tomorrow.
MCC Okay, no problem. And we'll talk to you
tomorrow.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1529/I
Time: 09:45 CST 45:15:45 GMT
12/30/73

PAO Skylab Control at 15 hours 48-1/2 minutes


Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station now passing over
New Guinea is out of range of the tracking antenna on Guam,
and 4-1/2 minutes from acquisition at Honeysuckle. Present
time Ed Gibson is in the midst of his operations on joint
observing program 18D. Gibson is the operator for 4-1/2
hour joint observing program this morning. This particular
experiment, JOP 18D is aimed at investigating several aspects
of the comet Kohoutek, including its structure, temperature,
and composition of its head and tail, and also the interaction
of the tail and the solar wind. Today's observe - observations,
made two days after the comet passed closest to the Sun, devotes
five revoltuions of the orbiting space station to the study of the
comet. The comet has now moved about one and a half million
miles fur1_her (sic) from the Sun than at perihelion, which was
December 28 at 4:24 a.m. central standard time, when the
comet passed just thirteen and a quarter million miles from
the surface of the Sun. At present, the comet speed has
slowed slightly from perihelion. It's estimated to be about
225,000 miles per hour, approximately 25,000 miles an hour
slower than it was at perihelion. Currently Kohoutek is about
one hundred million miles from the Earth. Four instruments are
being used by Gibson today. The S082B, extreme ultraviolet
spectrograph, this device records spectra in 2 invisible
wavelengths on film. Optics for the instrument consist solely
of a white light telescope and the spectrograph. Gibson will
be able to see what the instrument is recording through the use
of the integrated TV monitor. This particular camera has
high resolution and, although normally used for solar observations,
is equally suited to look at the comet. Principal investigator
for S082B is Dr. Richard Tousey of the Naval Research Laboratory
in Washington D.C.. The S056, X-ray telescope, which records
extremely short wavelengths on 35-millimeter film, is another
of the J0P 18D instruments. Principal investigator for this
experiment is James E Milligan, of the Marshall Space Flight
Center. Another X-ray instrument, the S054 X-ray spectrographic
telescope, will also be used. This camera records high resolution
images of X-rays. Yesterday all three astronauts saw the comet
clearly as Gibson and Skylab Commander Jerry Carr completed a
3_i/2 hour spacewalk to photograph the speeding body. Although
the comet _s solid center is estimated to be only about 25 miles
across, the dust and gases blowing away by the energy radiating
from the Sun produce a huge atmosphere of glowing material.
Gibson said yesterday that he could see both a broad tail
streaming behind the comet and a thin spike pointing directly
at the Sun. Solar physicists estimated the total length of
the spike and tail at about 8 million miles. That's 9 times
the apparent width of the Sun. Earthbound observers will have
SL-IV MC-]_529/2
Time: 09:45 CST 45:15:45 GMT
12/30/73

to wait until late this week to see the comet, which should
be visible just after sunset in the southwestern sky. The
white light coronagraph is also being used for today's obser-
vation, that's the fourth of the four instruments on JOP 18D.
That's used to record the total visible light from the comet,
and this is one of the instruments which has followed the comet
since it came close to the Sun. Gibson will follow images
being recorded by this device on his TV monitor on the ATM
console. That's of course been broadcast to ground before,
and that may again happen. There is time set aside for
recording white light coronagraph imagery today on the TV
monitor. We're approximately 1 minute from acquisition of
signal at Honeysuckle. We'll keep the line open now for
spacecraft: communicator Carl Henize.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Honey-
suckle for 2 minutes.
CDR Roger, Carl.
SPT Houston, SPT.
CC Say again.
SPT Carl, I1ve got a request for the folks
who are planning the 18Ds.
CC Okay, go ahead.
SPT If they could put the initial pointing
or initial location of the comet somewhere other than on a
line, which is horizontal and the same width as the spot in
the white light coronagraph display. Turns out we have a
black bar which runs across the display, and the comet, this
morning, was positioned underneath that black bar. I think
if they worked to try to put it in the lower right-hand
quadrant, that would probably be better and easier to work
with.
CC Okay, we - we copy that. And, we're
going to have LOS in about 30 seconds. We'll be seeing you
over Vanguard at 16:19.
SPT Thank you, Carl.
CC Sure thing.
PAO Skylab Control at 15 hours 57-1/2 minutes
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station, now passing just
north of New Zealand, has passed out of range of the Honey-
suckle Creek, Australia tracking station. 22 minutes to our
next acquisition of signal at Vanguard. This is Skylab Control
at 58 minutes after the hour.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1530/I
Time: 10:18 CST 45:16:18 GMT
12/30/73

PA0 Skylab Control at 16 hours 18 minutes


and 53 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station now
55 seconds from acquisition of signal through the tracking
ship Vanguard. Carl Henize is spacecraft communicator. This
pass through Vanguard will last approximately 6 minutes.
We'll bring the line up live now for air-to-ground there.
CC Skylab, Houston through Vanguard for the
next 6 minutes. Ed, a quick note on that black bar business
on the comet. No need to acknowledge. We are sorry that
we got the comet under there and we are - we're working on
the problem. We'll try to do better this afternoon.
SPT Okay, Carl. No problem. It's bright
enough now to be able to see it. It'll also help if
you could move it a little hit further out so you get a
radius of maybe i00 or ii0. And as it gets a little dimmer it's
going to be harder to see it, and I won't he able to locate it,
I think if it bends (?) close to it was this morning. Second
plane is a little drift information. At the - At 15:19 the
position of the overlay of the comet before we - just (garble)
stopped the (garble) the exposures, the 32 Bravo building block,
30 Bravo building block, was minus 120 in X and 0 in Y. At
15:59 it was minus 114 in X and plus i0 in Y. And what it
shell _ tells me is we're making a drift correction in the right
direction but not in the right magnitude. It looks like every
i0 minutes we ought to make an entry of of 0001 in X and every
4 minutes of 50001 in Y.
CC Okay, Ed. We copy that. Thank you for
the information. Incidentally, I do understand that you were
able to see the comet even though it was under the black bar
today.
SPT Yes, that's affirm, Crip. I knew roughly
where you were trying to put it, so I could just barely see
it under there when I looked hard, and then we made a maneuver
and brought it out from underneath it.
CC And Ed, could we have the DAS for a
minute?
SPT Sure can.
CC Ed, we have a a S082B not operating on our -
readouts down here. Like to have you check that, and also,
like to get the HIGH VOLATAGE i on S055.
SPT Hey, Carl. I did show that S055 HIGH
VOLTAGE i was on. The switch was UP. I did not have a SCAN
SPECT LOON[ light. I cycled it, however, and 82B I did
have running and somewhere we must have a transient because
l_m positive I had that running around, starting ii minutes
ago,
SL-IV MC-1530/2
Time: 10:18 CST 45:16:18 GMT
12/30/73

CC 0 Okay, we understand that. And the


DAS is yours again. Skylab, we have 1 minute to LOS. We'll
see you over the Canaries at 16:39.
PAO Skylab Control at 16 hours 27-1/2 minutes
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station now over the cen-
tral part of Brazil is out of range of the Vanguard tracking
ship. Our next acquisition is 11-1/2 minutes away at Canary
Island. Present time there appears to be some slight dif-
ficulty of operations of the S082B instrument, and we'll be
doing some review of the data on that. Most of that data is
recorded and will be dumped at a tracking station. It will
take a while to get it back in to Mission Control so it can
be looked over and we can determine what the problem is with
the 82B solar instrument. That's one of the instruments u
being used today on the observations of the comet Kohoutek.
This is Skylab Control at 28 minutes and 13 seconds after
the hour.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-]_531/I
Time: 10:38 CST 45:16:38 GMT
12/30/73

PAO Skylab Control at 16 hours 38 minutes


Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station now over the North
Atlantic is about to be acquired through the Canary Island
tracking antenna. Pass through Canary Island then Madrid
an overlapping pass, will last about 15 minutes. We'll bring
the line up live now for Carl Henize, the Spacecraft Com-
municator. Flight Director on duty now is Neil Hutchinson.
CC Skylab, Houston is with you for the next
13 minutes through the Canaries and Madrid.
CDR Houston, CDR.
CC Go ahead, CDR.
CDR Karl, yesterday evening in a chat with
Truly_ they discussed the possiblity - no, I guess it was
yesterday morning, anyway. Some time yesterday with either
Crippen or Truly, we talked about NuZ updates and what we
were going to do in order to keep our NuZ squared away. One
of the things that were going to be done were to take a look
at some reference stars of the minus Sun, the antisolar airlock.
I noticed today we have three S019 outbreak pads and no men-
tion made of reference stars in these pads. It would seem
to me a good idea that maybe we should consider taking
a look at a reference star, or is our NuZ in good enough
shape that we don't need to today.
CC Roger, Jerry, and the word we have down
here is that we are able to keep track of NuZ as long as
they're very careful about it. We are able to keep track of
NuZ to the required accuracy for S19. We also have a compli-
cation is that we are confined to using the 003 canister
now, which doesn't have a reticle.
CDR That's right. We forgot about that. Is
there anything we can do about swapping reticle or the lights
or anything from 3 to 2 to 3?
CC There's two possiblities here. If the
system just wanted a NuZ update we could always put the 002
canister on and simply use that eyepiece. As for - for the
use of S19, though, there is some possiblity, if we wanted to
put a bright star over there on the left cross, but the ques-
tion is, do you feel without a reticle you know where that
position is fairly well now just by sighting in there with-
out a reticle?
CDR We probably do, but what's the possibilty
of swapping reticles?
CC It was. - was that - The problem is swapping
abattery there. That's something that could be looked into.
Yes.
CDR Okay.
SL-IV MC-1531/2
Time: 10:38 CST 45:16:38 GMT
12/30/73

CC Jerry, the people down here feel quite


confident that we can hang on to our NuZ corrections fairly
carefully as long as we keep a close eye. A - After a night's
momentum stabilization we know what NuZ is, then we integrate
angles through the day and we feel that as long as we
keep doing this carefully that we're fairly confident.
CDR Okay; fine, Carl.
CC Incidentally, Jerry, concerning the film
thread pad_ the pad we sent up to you is simply a status
report. We do realize that you!ve got number 2 and number 8
not functioning, and they're not required today, and one of
our problems is we need a couple of new reels, takeup
reels, for those and we're going to have to un unreel some
of the Skylab II film to get them, and that's something that
we expect to get done tomorrow.
CDR Roger. Copy.
CC Ed, concerning the 82B problem with it
cutting off, we've been chewing (?) on that and the only thing
that we can possibly see to cause that is - is the possibility
that you've got the event timer running, in which case about
once every hour it'll automatically turn 82B off. Is it
possible that the event timer is running?
SPT Yes, I had it running at that time and
that may have happened. I had it timed for something else.
CC Okay. Fine. That might solve that
problem. Was the SLIT ENABLED?
SPT Affirm.
CC Roger. Okay. Ed, we'd be pleased to
have you _o to to INHIBIT on the SLIT.
SPT Okay. I don't have it running now, Carl.
I've got it set up for the first exposure next orbit, so we're
okay.
CC Okay; fine.
CC Skylab, Houston. We have i minute to
LOS. We'll see you over Honeysuckle at 17:26.
PAO Skylab Control at 16 hours 54 minutes
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station now over eastern
Europe has passed out of range of the tracking antenna at
Madrid. Our next acquisition is 32 minutes and 40 seconds
away at Honeysuckle. This is Skylab Control at 54 minutes
after the hour.

END OF TAFE
SL-IV MC-1532/I
Time: 11:25 CST 45:17:25 GMT
12/30/73

PAO Skylab Control at 17 hours 25 minutes


and 40 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station
is now over northern Australia, about 52 seconds from
acquisition of signal through the Honeysuckle Creek,
Australia tracking station, just outside Canberra. This pass
should last approximately 8 minutes through Honeysuckle.
Spacecraft communicator is Karl Henize.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through
Honeysuckle for about 7 minutes. And, we'd like to have
the DAS for about 30 seconds.
SPT Rog. You got it, Karl.
CC Thank you.
SPT Could you could you please go over
again what was the situation with the 82B door this morning?
CC Stand by.
CDR (Garble) 90-second exposure on the last
field. I can get it in there, if I do it before the 30-second
exposure.
CC Say again, please.
CDR Skip it, it's too late.
CC The DAS is yours.
SPT Thank you, Karl.
CC Okay, Karl, what I was trying to get to you
on was the last star field in S019 here. I didn't have enough
time to get 270 and then a 30 and then a 90. I could have just
about gotten a 90 in, if I'd skipped the 2 the 30-second one.
But, I went ahead and played it straight, since I really didn't
give any time to think about it.
CC Okay, that's fair enough, Jerry.
CC And, we didn't respond there because we
missed the first few words. We had some sort of site drop-
out there.
CDR Okay.
CC But, I think you did good.
CDR I guess for that 90-second exposure
we got about 40 seconds of it.
CC Great, thank you.
CC Ed, Concerning the S082B doers. What
we can see down here, it indicates that on your first ATM
operation:, this morning, that was back on rev 680, when you
or the co_puter closed that door it didn't close all the way.
And, in that state it would refuse to answer the open command
when you flicked it on for the 80
MCC Motor had timed out.
CC - - because the motor had timed out.
And, that seems to be the origin of most of our problems.
SPT Okay, I did cycle it though. I went to
SL-IV MC-1532/2
Time: 11::25 CST 45:17:25 GMT
12/30/73

closed and did get a white talk-back on wavelength. And,


door remained white and then I (garble) it open again.
CC Ed, they say that when that motor is
timed out in that mode, that the only way to get it running
again is to first of all, inhibit it and go back through
that cycle.
SPT Okay, I remember that, now. Thank you.
CC That seems to be the first time we've
run into this glitch; let's hope that it doesn't happen
again. At least on this door, yeah.
SPT Okay, are you using a primary motor and
procedure with me to inhibit the motor and turn it back on?
CC Affirmative.
SPT Thank you.
CC And, Bill, I have a message here that
says that TO53, that's the handheld 170, has been scrubbed
because of weather.
PLT Thanks, Karl.
CDR Houston, CDR.
CC Go ahead, CDR.
CDR Karl, I've took another look at the
reticle in this camera carrousel, and it probably is definitely
the battery, because probably is definitely, beautiful -
anyway, I turned on the reticle switch and I got the reticle
for about 3 seconds and then it died out. So, it looks like
it's probably our battery.
CC Okay, thanks thanks for that information.
And, we have LOS in 30 seconds. We'll be seeing you over
Bermuda at 18:09. About a half hour from now.
CDR Roger.
PAO Skylab Control at 17 hours 35 minutes and
42 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is over
the south island of New Zealand and it's passed out of range
of the tracking antenna at Honeysuckle Creek. 34 minutes and
a half before our next acquisition of signal at Bermuda. During
this last pass Spacecraft Communicator Karl Henize informed the
crew that T053 operations were cancelled for today. That's
handheld 170. T053 experiment is an attempt to use laser
beams that are sent from the Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, Maryland, just north of Washington, D.C., for
observation by the Skylab crew. It's expected to eventually
become an artificial navigational device for space vehicles
and has other possible applications, including the possibility
of giving evidence of changes in the atmosphere. That T053
observation, the observation of the laser has been cancelled
for today. It was scheduled for 21:15 Greenwich mean time,
a little less than 4 hours from now. This is Skylab Control.
33 minutes to our next acquisition of signal. It's now 36
minutes and 46 seconds after the hour.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1533/I
TIME: 12:09 CST, 45:18:09 GMT
12/30/73

PAO Skylab Control at 18 hours 9 minutes and


23 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now
coming within range of the tracking antenna on Bermuda. This
pass through Bermuda will last about 8-1/2 minutes, and there
will then be a brief interruption before we're picked up at
Canary Island and Madrid. We'll leave the line up llve now
for alr_to-ground through Bermuda lasting 8 minutes. Karl
Henize the spacecraft communicator, Neil Hutchinson the flight
director on duty.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Bermuda
for 7 minutes.
SPT Roger, Houston.
CC Jerry_ Houston. We're sending up our
humble apologies concerning that film thread pad. We've just
been discovering what you were complaining about, the fact
that we had numbers for the takeup reel on the 02 and the 08
transporter. We've got updated on that, and we relize that
the 02 transporter has no takeup reel as we understand it.
The 08 transporter has MT09 after you repaired both of them.
Thank you
CDR Roger, Karl.
CC Some how or another we - -
CDR We are concerned about future instances
of this. We're wondering if the photo guys feel there's any
other possible changes we can make procedurally that might
help insure that we tear less of this film.
CC Negative. We discovered your detailed
explanation of this in last night's tapes, and we don't understand
how it happened. We're sorry.
CDR Okay.
CDR The procedures I was talking about, Karl,
are the procedures for threading. I'm wondering if they want
to modify the thread procedures in any way to help us.
CC Okay, thanks for the suggestion, and we'll
think about that.
CDR Okay.
CC I'm told that there is concern and thinking
going on already. And we think that that film is rather
brittle after being in orbit for so long, and that we're thinking
about what might be done.
CDR Roger. Another thing too, Karl, while we're
talking film, and that's in the documentary photo area. Today's
pad was a little bit hazey in some areas as to who ought to be
the subject and who ought to be the observer. I think it would
be helpful to us anyway if the folks down there would very clearly
specify w_o's to be the subject and who's the observer.
SL-IV MC1533/2
TIME: 12:09 CST, 45:18:09 GMT
12/30/73

CC Okay, we copy.
CC Ed, in closing up from the JOP 18
Ed, in closing up on the JOP 18D we noticed that the - the
SO82B door is not completely closed again, but this is some-
thing tha1: we'll handle from down here. And we have i minute
to LOS. And we'll be seeing you - we'll be seeing you over
the Canaries at 18:20, a couple of minutes.
SPT Okay, Karl. I'm wondering if then someone
could explain to me a little bit about what the pointing was
this morning. Apparently it was to look at the plasma tail
and that, as I can tell from what I saw up here, you were
thinking was not anywhere near the dust tail.
CC That's an interesting comment, and we'll
check up on that.
PAO Skylab Control at 18 hours 18 minutes and
52 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station has
passed out of range at Bermuda. We're about 1 minute and
40 seconds from acquisition at Canary Island. There will be
a pass through Canary Island and Madrid with a brief interruption
between them. And the total length of the two passes should
be about 10 minutes. We'll bring the line up live now for
air-to-ground. Carl Henize at the spacecraft communicator's
console.
CC Skylab, Houston; standing by for 9 minutes.
We're talking through Canary and Madrid. And when we reach
Madrid, that's about 18:21, we'll be dumping the tapes. And
Ed, your your surmise concerning the plasma tail was correct,
we were aiming out there to get the plasma tail today on that
18D.
SPT Okay, I'd be kind of interested in knowing
how the people on the ground know where the plasma tail is.
CC I guess there's a question. Do you have
any visual indication?
SPT Not on the plasma tail I certainly don't.
CC Right.
SPT We're not putting that tail anywhere near
the slit or the center of the display. And I'm wondering how
they know at what angle the plasma tail is coming off from the
nucleus.
CC Roger, we're - we're trying to get the rational
on that.
SPT Hey, Karl, I can give you some more drift
information. Over the last nightside at 16:55 the position
on the overlay after I had done the roll on both the canister
and the overlay, was a minus 123 and a plus 26. At 17:32,
over the nightside with no drift compensation it ended up at
SL-IV MC1533/3
TIME: 12:09 CST, 45:18:09 GMT
12/30/73

minus 117 and plus 36. So that's over 36 minutes it went


plus 4 and plus i0. Previous estimate during 40 minutes
gave me plus 4 and plus i0 also. So that's consistent but
it's not consistent with the drift we are putting in. During
this last part of the maneuver where I could actually monitor
when 55 was not operating, let me give you some more coordinates.
This is where drift compensations were made. 17:46, minus 64,
plus 60; 17:54, minus 63, plus 63; 18:02, minus 62, plus 65;
18:07, minus 62, plus 66;18:09, minus 62, plus 66. So you see,
our drift compensation didn't hold it in there.
CC Okay, Ed, thanks a lot.

END OF TAPE
SL-1V MC-1534/I
Time: 12:23 CST 45:18:23 GMT
12/30/73

SPT minus 62, plus 65; 18:07, minus 62, plus


66; 18:09, minus 62, plus 66. (Garble) good compensation (?)
then hold it in there.
CC Okay, Ed. Thanks a lot. Ed, we're anxious
to get the ATM closed out so we that can start the dump.
SPT Karl, can you explain that little momen-
tary glitch there after I had (garble) strapped on and
gone to SI? We went off attitude and are coming back now.
CC Stand by. Ed, we saw that, too, and we
don't have a good explanation at the moment.
SPT Thank you. Hey, Karl, would the S055
people like me to assume the mechanical - condition (?) on dif-
ference between mechanical and optical on(?) 104? So I really
ought to be setting it up on mechanical 114?
CC Ed_ the - the data we get back on that
is that wetd like to have you on 102 mechanical.
SPT Okay. May pad is telling me they want
(garble) MLS set up on optical reference of 0010, and I can't
get any optical reference pulse right now and the only way
I can - if I have to work it off mechanical. Do they want
still that delta of i0 in there above the optical
REF which would make it 112 then, or do they want 102?
CC Stand by. Ed, the word we get down here
is we don't understand the delta of i0 instead of delta of 2
and for clarification we do want mechanical setting 104 at the
present time.
SPT Okay. 1'11 give you 104. As you look
on the pad, step 33 says power down unattended roll, 055
MLS, grating 0010, and that's what I was speaking of
as far as the delta above REF: 0010.
CC Okay, and we're going to be LOS in about
20 seconds and we'll see you over Carnarvon at 18:55.
PAO Skylab Control at 18 hours 31 minutes
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station has passed out of
range of Madrid. Our next acquisition is 31 minutes and
30 seconds away. Present time, during this last couple of
passes, maneuver _ Kohoutek maneuver completing 18D observa-
tions is under way and seems to be working well. And the
S082B, which had given some problems earlier today, again has
a door that's hung up that's not closing properly. That's going
to be looked at during this next 30 minutes or so and
some decision made as to what will be done on pre - on future
nighttime passes, space station having moved into nighttime
now for about 33-minute period. S082B earlier also had a
little problem with the timer_ which was left enabled, that is
to say left on but not set. It automatically recycled to
99 minutes and shut itself off a couple of times earlier this
morning when Ed Gibson was working at the ATM panel. He was
SL-IV MC-1534/2
Time: 12:23 CST 45:18:23 GMT
12/30/73

told to inhibit the timer which, of course, takes,


it off line and keeps it from shutting off the equipment.
That was a rather minor problem but that was solved earlier.
And the door hangup which did occur once this morning was
solved by recycling the engine - the motor that's used to
close it. It's closed and opened successfully earlier today.
Right now it's open rather then being closed. This normally
is the prooeedure to protect it from contamination during
the nighttime part of the orbit. This is Skylab Control.
22-i/2 minutes to our next acquisition at Carnarvon. It's
now 32 minutes and 35 seconds after the hour.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1535/I
Time: 12:54 CST 45:18:54 GMT
12/30/73

PAO Skylab Control at 18 hours 54 minutes and


13 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now
coming within range of the Carnarvon, Australia tracking
antenna, where we'll have a 50 second - from now, we'll have
a pass. That pass will last about i0 minutes and 40 seconds.
We're live now for air-to-ground at Carnarvon and Honeysuckle.
CC Skylab. This is Houston, through Carnarvon
and Honeysuckle for the next 15 minutes.
CDR Hello, Karl.
CC Hi. How are things, up there?
CDR Oh, pretty good. Little peaceful.
CC Great.
CC Ed, if you've got a spare minute, while
you're eating there. We'd like to make a small change in
your detail plan and that's starting the 18D maneuver, we
have it 21:58 in your detail plan. We'd like to change that
to 22:01.
SPT Okay, 22:01 it is. Thank you.
CC Righto.
CC Ed, we're still trying to find out the
theory of why we pointed so far ahead of the comet. I think
that's what happened to us this morning, and we'll tell you
more about the details of that when we can run down Teller
who's the expert who decided to go ahead that far. I take
it we were completely off the visible tail. Is that true?
SPT That's true.
CC How many of the how many degrees would
you estimate?
SPT Stand by.
SPT Well, let's just say at that last one,
we were at a position of minus 60 or so in X and minus 7
or plus 70 in Y. The tail was running straight up - if you
have an overlay there, I think you can picture it. The tail
was running straight up and down and I had a roll minus 1600
for the overlay, that is minus 1600 was right at the top, so
we were out in front of it and, well, to the left of it, if
you're looking at it coming at you.
CC Okay, thank you.
SPT I see we have a similar thing lined up
for this afternoon. Maybe we can get it straightened out
before then, just what people really want and if nothing else
you might be able to work it by eyeball and give them a
better job than what we were doing this morning.
CC Roger. Flight's keen on getting it
solved before the next one, so we'll do our best.
SPT Okay, and I hope they're working on that
drift also_ because if you're - want to look at a nucleus,
which I think we can do, if we get fairly close to it, we're
SL-IV MC-1535/2
Time: 12:54 CST 45:18:54 GMT
12/30/73

not going to come out with very good long time exposures, with
the drifts; that we're working with.
CC Right, I'm (garble) discussion of that
problem right now. And, we'll be coming up with something
improved, pretty soon, I hope.
SPT Thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston. 1 minute to LOS. We'll
see you over Texas, 19:41, 30 minutes from now.
SPT Rog, Karl. So long.
CC So long.
PAO Skylab Control at 19 hours Ii minutes and
41 seconds. We've now lost signal at Honeysuckle Creek. Our
next acquisition half an hour away will be at Texas. Every-
thing seems to be moving along fairly smoothly now on today's
activities, which focus primarily on the comet Kohoutek. That
was described earlier this morning during a conference with
Bill Lenoir on the ATM experiments. The ATM is being used
now while the comet is within close range of the Sun. Will
continue to be used that way for the next several days. Later
on, of course, the corollary experiment, which are used out
of the scientific airlock will be brought into play again.
This is Skylab Control at 12 minutes and 20 seconds after the
hour.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1536/I
Time: 13:40 CST 45:19:40 GMT
12/30/73

PA0 Skylab Control at 19 hours 41 minutes


Greenwich mean time. The Skylab space station is now about
to be acquired in the next 53 seconds through the tracking
antenna at: Corpus Christi, Texas. This pass, which will run
through Corpus Christi, Merritt Island, Florida, and Bermuda,
is an extended one lasting approximately 15 minutes. Bring
the line up live now for air-to-ground and Karl Henize, the
spacecraft communicator.
CC Skylab, Houston, standing by over the
U.S.A. for about the next 14 minutes.
SPT Hello, Karl. I'd like to ask a question
if I could.
CC Go ahead.
SPT Houston, SPT. Do you read?
CC Go ahead, SPT. We're listening.
SPT Okay. It's - Were the 82 folks trying
to put the slit in what we have visually sighted as the
dust tail?
CC We don't Ed, we haven't got the com-
plete confirmation from the guy who decided where to point,
but it was beginning to look as though we did want to point
somewhere in your visible dust tail.
SPT Okay. I think it'd be possible for us
to positicn the comet out on the very edge of the field of
view. We can then tell the direction of the tail in that maneuver
so that the tail is or the nucleus is a certain distance
from the Sun and (garble) along that same radial line. So all
we really need to know, though, is what distance they want
it from the nucleus in terms of octal units. That would be useful.
CC Would you repeat the last couple of sen-
tences? It didn't come through clearly.
SPT Okay. In order for us to point to the
(garble) position of the tail, we could do that visually by
moving the nucleus out to the very edge of the field of view
where the (garble) is not very strong for the white light
coronagraph. We can then see the tail, at least in the direction
it's going. The next step would be to find out how far they
want the slit from the nucleus in terms of octal units, say
i00 units or 50 or whatever it takes, then we just move the
nucleus in towards the center with the tail of course goin_
through the center, along that same radial line. I think we
could do that pretty much by just sighting off the display.
CC 0 Okay. We'll kick that one around,
and it depends on finding out for sure whether or not we were
off or not on our pointing this morning.
SPT Okay. Thank you.
SL-IV MC-]536/2
Time: 13:40 CST 45:19:40 GMT
12/30/73

CC And could you doublecheck clear us up


please on the problem this morning with the initial pointing
on the comet being on the black line. One - One of our
problems on the next path - we're going to want to take data
with the comet just about on the black line. I understand
that you can still see the comet. Is that correct?
SPT Yes, that's correct, Karl. There's no
problem today when we were operating with 52 in that position.
One question I do have, though, is it looks as though we're
still operating relatively close to the Sun center where
they've been getting (garble) rather strong. Would they
not want to be further out, or are they trying to get the
details of the tail which would be further out?
CC Ed, we can confirm that the reason we're
keeping the nucleus in close there is because we're in-
terested in the outer tail there that'll be up near the edge
of the field.
SPT Okay. Thank you.
CC Ed, one last question about that that
black line there. There's some controversy down here. Does
the comet image actually appear fainter when it's on the
black line?
SPT Yes it does, Karl.
CC Okay. Thanks.
CC Ed, we've got some information on the
82B door and a plan of attack for it. We'd - we're planning
to open the 82B and the XUV monitor doors and then disable
the power and leave them open from now on. We're afraid that
one of the doors is sticking and we don't want it to get
stuck sort of in the halfway position, and the main impact
on you is going to be the loss of the READY/OPERATE light up
there.
SPT ()kay. Will we lose the OPERATE light as
well, or just the READY light?
CC It'll just be the READY light that you'll
lose.
SPT Okay. Thank you.
CC These are the outer doors, of course.
You'll have to hit the DOOR OPEN switch to get the inner
doors.
SPT Okay. It'll just be like 82A, and like
a number of the other experiments, it _s getting to be the norm.
CC Affirmative.
CC Skylab, Houston. We have 1 minute to LOS.
We'll pick you up over Madrid at about 4 minutes.

END O_ TAPE
SL-IV MC1537/I
TIME: 13:40 CST, 45:19:40 GMT
12/30/73

CC Skylah, Houston; we have i minute to LOS.


We'll pick you up over Madrid in about 4 minutes.
PAO Skylab Control at 19 hours 57 minutes
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station in now over the
North Atlantic out of range of the tracking antenna at Bermuda.
About 2-1/2 minutes to acquisition through Madrid. The
pass over Madrid will last just a little less than 8 minutes.
Skylab crew today are spending a good part of their time
photographing the comet Kohoutek using the ATM instruments.
Four of Skylab's solar instruments being pointed during JOP 18D,
that's the joint observing program, for focusing on the comet
when it's a short distance away from the Sun. That includes
studying the X-ray range, the white light range, or visible
light area, and also in the ultraviolet. A few - next few
days we'll have a number of passes to observe the comet.
Earlier today the crew reported that the tail appears to be
growing a little bit longer. That's about what the ground
would expect as its appearence now seems to be very similar
to that of! Arend-Roland, which was a comet in 1957, that's
been used as a model for predicting the peak brightness of this
comet. Arend_Roland, like the comet Kohoutek, provided an anti-
solar tail and a solar directed spike, a thin tail pointed
that appears to be pointed directly to the Sun. We're about
a minute and a half from acquisition at Madrid. We'll bring
the llne up live for air-to-ground there.
CC Skylab, Houston; standing by over Madrid
for the next 7 minutes.
CC Ed, one further effect of our opening
those doors and turning off the power means that you won't
have a _ your talkback on the UV MONITOR DOOR; ittll stay
white from now on.
SPT Roger, Karl.
SPT Karl, I just got another good look at the
comet and it's pretty much as we had looked at it before. The
sunward spike is greatly diminished in intensity relative
to the following tail and almost nearly aligned and maybe a
little bit more than yesterday with a - (garble) is pretty much
along the same axis only still slightly out. The color
is orange, a very bright orange, a yellowish orange. And
T do not see any of the material which we noticed yesterday
tkat -between the spike and the following tail.
CC Okay, did I understand that the color
of the spike was orange?
SPT I hate to guess on that., lit was just
barely visible right now even with a pair of glasses. The
coma itself is very bright, and I hate to give you a color
SL-IV MC1537/2
TIME: 13:40 CST, 45:19:40 GMT
12/30/73

on that. I think it's more white than orange. But the tail
itself is a yellowish orange.
CC Right. Incidentally, I'm personally interested
in the direction of that spike. You indicated it's not directly
pointed at the Sun, or can you tell very well?
SPT I'ii have to try and get a better look at
it again. Yesterday it had the appearence that it was pointed
at the Sun. I'ii go ahead and try and get another look. The
problem is you try to dark get yourself dark adapted and then
you so you don't look where the Sun is, and then you start
looking as soon as Sun's gone down. But 1111 try and get an
answer the next couple of passes.
CC Right. I'm not trying to get you to spend
any time that should be spent otherwise. But yesterday in
our discussions I guess people have told you that that's probably
the old tail that curves back behind the Sun. And if it's
really the old tail it should sort of aim a little - a little
bit north of the Sun probably. But that's - some theories say
that.
SPT Okay, Karl, I'ii try and get a little better
estimate for you. Yesterday it looked like it was pointed
right at the Sun.
CC Okay, good. Glad to have that confirmed.
CC Incidentally, you are seeing this through
one of the STS windows in solar inertial attitude? Is that
correct?
SPT That's affirmative, Karl. Apparently the
people who us gave the estimates of what we could see forgot
that there was part of the panel cut out at the bottom and a
few sections of that panel missing except for the support
structure.
CC That's great, because these eyeball observations
you're making are very important to us down here.
SPT From the white light coronagraph pictures
which we've sent down, there was one day there, maybe two days
ago or so, where that one spike did show up quite prominently,
at least it did on our display up here and I was able to photo-
graph it with the Polariod. l_m wondering if you had done the
same down there - been able to correlate the roll and see whether
that spike gets pointed directly at the Sun.
CC Roger, Ed. We're not sure that we recorded
that on t]_e TV down herep but we're double checking on that.
SPT Okay_ we sent it down on a couple of occasions
when we were doing an 18C, I believe it was.
CC Okay, fine. We'll check to see whether we
got any data down here.
CC We've got i minute to LOS. We'll see you over
SL-IV MC1537/3
TIME: 13::40 CST, 45:19:40 GMT
12/30/73

Carnarvon coming up about 20:34.


PAO Skylab Control at 20 hours 8 minutes and
46 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station now
over Eastern Europe, has passed out of range of the tracking
antenna at Madrid. 25 minutes and i0 seconds to our next
acquisition at Carnarvon, Australia. Although most of today's
activities include a medical experiment on Pilot Bill Pogue
using the M092 lower body negative pressure device, and a
series of observations of the comet Konoutek on five revolutions
about the Earth, observations which used the solar instruments.
At 17:00 Greenwich mean time Commander Jerry Carr was the
operator for the SO19, ultraviolet stellar astronomy experiment.
The experiment will be run two later times also; at 21:32 for
a 28-minute period, and again at 22:56 for 56 minutes. This
experiment: aims at gathering data from so-called early stars,
which are amoung the youngest and hottest of all the stars.
These stars are radient large quantities of ultraviolet energy,
and the S019 will record these short wavelengths from the upper
visible range to the - which is faintly faintly violet to
the far ultraviolet wavelengths at the lower end of the spectrum.
These ultraviolet wavelengths do not, for the most part, penetrate
the atmosphere of the Earth. The experiment observations
will provide a survey of a significant fraction of the Milky
Way, the galaxy we call home. The SO19

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1538/I
Time: 14:10 CST 45:20:10 GMT
12130173

PAO - - violet to the far ultraviolet wave-


lengths at the lower end of the spectrum. These ultraviolet
wavelengths do not for the most part penetrate the atmosphere
of the Earth. The experiment observations will provide a
survey of a significant fraction of the Milky Way_ the
galaxy we call home. The S019 has been used six times before
on this mission to photograph the galaxy and seven times to
photograph the comet Kohoutek. By splashdown the data brought
back by the third crew, in addition to data from the previous
two missions, will yield an impressive view of the Milky Way.
More than 16 percent of the material near the galaxy's plane
will be recorded in the near and far ultraviolet range. This
survey will enable principal investigator Dr. Karl Henize,
the scientist astronaut, who's now working here in Mission
Control as the spacecraft communicator, and his team of -
scientists to study the spectral energy distribution of young
stars, or stars that are on their way to the middle age already
obtained by our own star. Over 80 percent of the energy radiate
by these young stars, which are anywhere from 1 million to a
billion years old, is in the ultraviolet range. As the stars
grow older, they cool off and more and more of their energy
becomes visible as the stars radiate less of the invisible
shortwave lengths and more of the visible longwave lengths.
Our own star, the Sun_ is 5 billion years old and radiates
principally in the visible and infrared region. The advantage
of the S019 space photos over Earth based observations is in
capturing the 80 percent of the energy from these distance
young stars, which the Earth's atmosphere blocks out. An
added aspect of this experiment is in the possible discovery
of additional double star systems and pulsars by examinin_
Earth based star field photographs and comparing the visible
light stars, or older starsp with the ultraviolet star pictures
taken by the S019. Any coincidence between the visible
light stars seen on Earth and the ultraviolet young stars
seen in the S019 instrument would imply a double star system
consisting of an older and a younger star. Such double systems
with one of the stars revolving about the other generally
fits the characteristics of pulsars. Also, any older star
which should show up brightly in the S019 photographs would
also be a suspect for double star system. Scientists look
for the data from this experiment from comparisons with
previou_ Earth based photography to give them a greater
understanding of the dynamics of change over the history of
stars since their birth. The instrument itself used is an
articulated mirror system, with rotation and tilt controls.
The optical system consists of an objective and primary
SL-IV MC-1538/2
Time: 14:10 CST 45:20:10 GMT
12/30/73

and secondary mirrors, which act to fold the light path,


enabling the instrument to be more compact. The articulating
front surface mirror allows 15 degrees of tilt and 360 degrees
of rotation, either clockwise or counterclockwise. Exposure
times of between 30 and 270 seconds are required for the
photography, depending on the brightness of the star field.
S019 observations of the stars are occupying three periods
during today's activity. This is Skylab Control. 21 minutes
to our next acquisition of signal. It's now just a little bit
more than 13 minutes after the hour.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1539/I
Time: 14:33 CST 45:20:33 GMT
12/30/73

PAO This is Skylab Control. 20:33 Greenwich


mean time. Acquisition Carnarvon upcoming in 50 seconds.
Revolution 3324 for space station Skylab. Carnarvon with
overlapping coverage into Honeysuckle Creek. Actually there's
a gap of perhaps 5 minutes between the two stations. Standing
by for our Carnarvon and Honeysuckle.
CC Skylab, Hous - - Skylab, Houston through
Carnarvon for the next 5 minutes.
CDR (garble) Roger, Karl. Wonder if you'd
take a quick look at the grating and assure me that it's at
0000 optical.
CC We'll double check that. Jerry, we like
it the way it is. It looks good. And - -
CDR Hey, I'm showing 103 up here mechanical,
so I just wanted to make sure.
CC Righto. Taht's good. Our readout down
here shows it where we'd like for it to be.
CDR Very good.
CC And we'd like to read up a correction to
the JOP 18D pad, basically for Ed. But we know that Jerry's
there at the console at the moment. We'd like to take the
Drift rates indicated by Ed this morning and we'd like to
change X every i0 minutes and Y every 4 minutes.
SPT I got you, Karl.
CC Right, and I - trust you know where that
is. If you want to know I'ii tell you.
SPT No, I got it. Thank you.
SPT Yes it is, Jerry. They opened them both up,
and turned the POWER off.
CDR Okay. (garble)
SPT That's right. I don't think you have to do
anything XUV MON. Just 82A and B.
CC We're reading you loud and clear, Ed.
CC Skylab, Houston. i minute to LOS. Pick
you up over Honeysuckle in 6 minutes.
CDR Roger.
PAO Skylab Control. Loss of signal at Car-
narvon. 4 minutes until reacquisition at Honeysuckle Creek.
Standing by for space station Skylab to come over the horizon
at Honeysuckle.
CC Skylab, Houston through Honeysuckle for
the next ].-1/2 minutes.
CDR Roger, Karl.
CC Skylab, Houston. 30 seconds to LOS.
We'll pick you up over Texas in about a half hour. We will
be dumping tapes over Texas.
SL-IV MC-1539/2
Time: 14:33 CST 45:20:33 GMT
12/20/73

CDR Okay.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Loss of siKnal
through Honeysuckle Creek. TrackinK station Texas coming up
in 27 minutes. 10-1/2 minute pass over Texas inasmuch as
the space station will go almost directly over that station
in Corpus Christi. 86.8 degrees elevation angle. We'll
return in 26 minutes. This is Skylab Control at 20:49 Green-
wich mean time.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1540/I
TIME: 15::15 CST, 45:21:15 GMT
12/30/73

PAO This is Skylab Control; 21:15 Greenwich


mean time. Acquisition in 50 seconds at Texas followed
by Merritt Island Launch Area and Bermuda tracking stations.
During the dropout between Bermuda and the Madrid station
a period of about 5 minutes, we'll leave the circuit open.
15 seconds to AOS Texas.
CC Skylab, Houston; over Texas for the next
15 minutes. And we'd like to have the DAS if possible, please.
CDR You have it.
CC And, Ed, we found an explanation to that
excursion we had at the end of the JOP 18D this morning.
SPT Okay, Karl, what was it?
CC Seems as though the outer gimbal drive
logic called for outer gimbal drive to reposition itself
in an orbit more optimum position and this gave us something
of an attitude excursion, but that was more or less a normal
operation.
SPT All right, as soon as I hit the SI switch
it cut this outer gimbal logic back on.
CC What'd you say again? We had a background
squeal.
SPT Karl, I was just remarking that when I
hit the SI switch that's when we activated the outer gimbal
drive logic for a minute.
CC Okay, fine.
CC Ed, we weren't exactly sure when that
glitch would have taken place, but it would have taken place
sometime within - within 60 seconds of when you hit the solar
inertial switch.
SPT Yeah, that's exactly why I noticed it,
Karl. Right after I hit the SI switch I started checking
things and! that's when I noticed it.
CC Okay.
SPT Hello, Houston.
CC Go ahead, Houston listening.
CC Skylab, Houston.
SPT We're right here copying the comm, just
saying hello,
CC Righto.
CC Ed, we've got a note on the door problem.
We're worried about - we're worried about the XUV monitor
having thermal problems. And we're going to close the door
from down here for the course of the JOP 18D.
SPT Karlp you cut out on that. Would you
repeat the whole thing, please?
CC Roger. Concerning our door problem on the
SL-IV MC1540/2
TIME: 15:15 CST, 45:21:15 GMT
12/30/73

XUV monitor we're concerned with thermal problems on it.


And for the next JOP 18D we're going to keep the - control
that from down here and keep it closed for you.
SPT Okay, Karl, that's fine. I really hadn't
found anything on it anyway even if it - -
CC Okay.
SPT Hey, Karl, the weather folks might be
interested, I just saw some good overshooting clouds tops
right in the panhandle of Florida. There was three large
cells (garble) left and overshooting cloud tops. There were
three - two towards the east which did not.
CC Okay, thanks for the observations.
CC And we've findly figured out that you
buzzed Houston as you went by. Sorry you didn't get a little
lower.
SPT I'm glad we're right where we are.
CDR FAA wouldn't let us get away with that.
CC No, that wouldn't like that at all, neither
would FLIGHT_ he says he's happy where you are.
CC I have some updates for the J0P 18D
maneuveT, can somebody copy down a few numbers?
CDR Go ahead.
CC Right. They - the new fine maneuver for JOP
18D; X equals 50072 (that's 0.58 degrees; Y equals 50025 (0.21
degrees; Z equals 50311 (2.01 degrees; the new final attitudes;
X equals 4,58; Y equals 8.07; Z equals 2.02.
CDR Okay, here comes the readback, fine
maneuver: 50072 plus 0.58_ 50025 plus 0.21; 50311 plus 0.201;
final attitude: 4.58, 8.07, 2.02.
CC The readback's okay except for the degree
the degree amount on the - on the Z maneuver and that is
2.01.
CDR Okay, that's 50311, 2.01.
CC That's correct.
CC And just one point ofclearification on
the last data that I sent up, that was step 7 in the JOP 18
pad, that's the maneuver end. And for Bill Pogue, I need to
make a small change in your pilot details and that is that
we begin the JOP 18D monitor time at 22:01 not at 21:58.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1541/I
Time: 15:29 CST 45:21:29 GMT
12/30/73

CC and just one point of clarification


on the last data that I sent up, that was - is step 7, in the
JOP 18 pad, that's the maneuver end.
CC And, for Bill Pogue. I need to make a
small change in your pilot details. And that is that we
begin the JOP 18D monitor time at 22:01, not at 21:58.
PLT Roger.
CC Skylab, Houston, we have 1 minute to
LOS. We'll see you in - in Madrid in about 5 minutes.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Space station
Skylab crossing now over the north Atlantic and the gap be-
tween Bermuda tracking station and acquisition through the
Madrid tracking station. The ground track earlier in this
stateside pass came almost directly over Houston. Commander
Jerry Carr called down on the radio flying right over you
and wanted to say hello. Later on in that pass, they com-
mented on some extremely high cumulonimbus or thunder storms
which could be seen at extremely high altitude over the
Florida panhandle which was somewhat to the south of their
ground track. 2-1/2 minutes now away from reacquisition
through tracking station Madrid and standing by.
CC Skylab, Houston, through Madrid for the
next 6 minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston, through Madrid for the
next 6 minutes.
CC Ed, we've got
SPT Roger, Karl.
CC Right. We've got a pad change on the
JOF 18D, if you've got a pencil handy.
SPT No, I don't Karl, could you hold
on for a few minutes, please? Jerry's de - Jerry's debriefing
and Bill's tied up with S019, and I'Ii be with you in a min-
ute.
CC Okay.
SPT Kkay, Carl, go ahead.
CC Roger. First of all, the JOP 18D p.m. pad.
And step 18
SPT Okay.
CC - At step 18. We - in order to get to
that position t 1.25 degrees out in the antisolar direction,
we would like these values of X and Y. For X, minus 100
minus i00, for Y, minus 153.
SPT Minus i00 and minus 153. Thank you.
CC Roger. And step number 28.
SPT Go ahead.
CC In order to get in this case 5 arc min-
utes out in the antisolar direction, we would like this
SL-IV MC1541/2
Time: 15:29 CST 45:21:29 GMT
12/30/73

position. X, minus 4, Y, minus 7.


SPT Thank you, Karl.
CC And if you need to make slight adjustments
visually to hit these positions in the antisolar direction,
you're welcome to do so.
SPT Okay, thanks very much. Did you confirm
that we somehow had a transformation wrong somewhere along
the way or
CC We goofed this morning and your visual
observations were indeed correct that we were in the wrong
position.
SPT All right, Karl what about the drifts? Were
you able to confirm that those would be the proper ones?
CC We haven't understood why your drift
differs from ours, but we've accepted your drift and given
that to you for this for this next JOP 18.
SPT Okay, thank you, Karl. I'ii try and
check it again if possible.
CC We also - we also have one more update.
That's the the JOP 18 a.m. pad. And that's at step 7 where
you're monitoring vehicle rates, the Z rate value. The value
for Z is plus.
SPT Cut, cut. Did you say the a.m. pad?
CC The JOP 18D a.m. pad, step 7.
SPT a.m.? Is that tomorrow's?
CC Roger, you - your - I'm sorry, you were
on the p.m. pad and the Z rate, step 7.
SPT Okay.
CC Is plus .006.
SPT Plus 006 for Z. Thank you.
CC That - that's it, thank you.
CC Ed, we're not - we're not sure that another
correction got up on the p.m. pad, and that's under step number
25, could you double check that?

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1542/I
TIME: 151:45 CST, 45:21:45 GMT
12130173

CC that.
SPT Is that the drift, Karl?
CC Right, lines 14 and 15, we changed the
drift - we've changed the drift every 10 minutes in X and
every 4 minutes in Y.
SPT Got it.
CC And that's imperically adjusted to suit
what you gave us this morning.
SPT Thank you.
CC And we've got 30 seconds to LOS and we'll
pick you up over Tananarive in about i0 minutes.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Loss of signal
through tracking station Madrid. Next station upcoming will
be the voice relay station at Tananarive on the island of
Madagascar, more properly the Malagasy Republic. That's
13 minutes from now, at 21:46, this is Skylab Control.
PAO This is Skylab Control at 21:59 Greenwich
mean time. Space station Skylab coming up in 50 seconds
across the voice relay station at Tananarive. Standing
by now for resumption of conversation between Spacecraft
Communicator Karl Henize and the crew of Skylab IV.
CC Skylab, Houston through Tananarive for
4 to 5 minutes, we'll drop out early because of the antenna
problems at Tananarive probably.
SPT Roger, Karl.
CC Skylab, Houston we expect LOS sometime
in the next 1 to 3 minutes we'll see you over
PAO This is Skylab Control. The voice relay
station at Tananarive on the island of Madagascar is having
technical difficulties with the antenna at that station.
There were several dropouts of the downlink between space
station Skylab and Tananarive. Next station in 15 minutes
will be Honeysuckle Creek, Australia, we'll return at that
time. And at 22:07 Greenwich mean time, this is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1543/I
Time: 15:43 CST 45:22:22 GMT
12130173

PAO This is Skylab Control, 22:22 Greenwich


mean time. Acquisition through Honeysuckle Creek, Australia
in about 50 seconds. Midway through Skylab space station's
3325th Earth orbit. Change-of_shift briefing with the Flight
Director _ off,going Flight Director Neil Hutchinson, and
Spacecraft: Communicator Dr. Karl Henize, who also is
the principal investigator on the S019 experiment will take
place at about 5:00 p.m. in the Houston newsroom. Dr.
Henize will be able to discuss at length the Kohoutek Comet
observations. The visual observations as well as some of
the data gathering that the various Kohoutek instruments
have been doing. We should be in acquisition at Honeysuckle
Creek at this time.
CC Skylab, Houston, hello from the purple
gang_ we're back with you at Honeysuckle for 2 minutes.
CDR Hello purples, welcome aboard.
CC Thank you sir, we're glad to be here.
I bet you're wondering where our little message I promised
you from Phil and me is, huh?
CDR I've been looking all day for my Ann
Landers column, and I never got it.
CC Well, I tell you what Jerry, right now
it is _ the message is approved and itls setting here, we're
looking at: it on the tubes. We are taking a computer check-
point right now, so we are unable to uplink it - unable to
get it into the teleprinter load table and can't uplink it here
at Honeysuckle. But as soon as we get AOS stateside, it'll
be coming up in the teleprinter. And then about 02:10 this
evening for about three passes in a row we've blocked off to
to talk about it, so that ought to give all three of you
guys some time to read it over once or twice.
CDR Okay, that sounds fine Dick.
CC And Skylab, Houston, we'd like the DAS,
please.
SPT You got it Dick.
CC Okay_ we're going to command the heaters
real quick, I'ii let you know when we're going. We're about
30 seconds; from LOS and Goldstone comes up at 22:52.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're through commanding,
the DAS is yours.
SPT Thank you.
PAO Skylab Control, rather brief pass
through Honeysuckle Creek, Australia. Goldstone in 25 minutes.
The change-of-shift briefing with Flight Director Neil
Hutchinson and Dr. Karl Henize will start at about 5:00 p.m.
central time. Air-to-ground communications with Skylab
space station taking place during those that briefing will
SL-IV MC-1543/2
Time: 15:43 CST 45:22:22 GMT
12/30/73

be taped for a delayed playback at the conclusion of the


briefing. 24 minutes to Goldstone, at 22:27 Greenwich mean
time this is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1544/I
TIME: 16::52 CST, 45:22:52 GMT
12/30/73

PAO This is Skylab Control, 22:52 Greenwich


mean time. Goldstone tracking station is now in acquisition
with the space station Skylab° However - because of conflict
with the scheduled change-of-shift briefing at 5 o'clock with
Flight Director Neil Hutchinson and Dr. Karl Henize, this
stateside pass and the succeeding Bermuda - or as you were
Madrid and Canary Island passes will be taped for delayed
playback after the briefing is over. 22:53 Greenwich mean
time, returning after the change-of-shift briefing, this is
Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1545/I
Time: 17=50 CST 45:23:50 GMT
12130173

PAO This is Skylab Control, 23:50 Greenwich


mean time_ Acquisition at Honeysuckle Creek in about 8 minutes.
We have approximately 7-112 minutes of accumulated compressed
tape recorded during the change-of-shlft brelfing across the
recent stateside pass, Canary and Madrid, and voice relay
station at Tananarlve. We'll listen to that tape now and Join
the Honeysuckle Creek station llve.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're AOS stateside for
the next iI minutes, and we're up - going to upllnk two copies
of the general message I was talking about while ago starting
here at tile states. One item for you guys is when you read
the_ we have deleted the page headers for the - the thing is
4 or 5 pages long, but we have taken the page - page headers
out just so it'll be a little easier to read.
SPT Okay Dick, thank you.
CC And one other note you might be interested
in knowing final score the Vikings 24, the Cowboys i0, and
in the third quarter the Dolphins 17, the Raiders 3.
SPT Thank you Dick.
SPT Say Dick, the numbers you gave me this
time to put on the overlay look pretty good. And I think
we"re actually getting some good data on the tail now. One
thing 1 would request though, and that is when you give
the initial pointing try to place the comet somewhere outside
of a radius of ii0 on the octal. I had to make a maneuver
of around 80 degrees along Y in order to actually see the
comet, I saw it come in and then it disappeared somewhere
around a hundred out and I had to maneuver it back out again in
order to get a pickup on it.
CC Okay Ed, we got the input and we'll certainly
try to do that.
SPT Thanks Dick.
SPT Dick, I got a question on $052. They seem
to truncate at 6, I presume that that's 6 minutes time remaining
in the orbit.
CC Stand by.
CC SPT, Houston_ negative. The intention
there was on the SO52 1 exposure - we want to take i exposure
and we want to truncate at 6 minutes into the building block.
SPT Okay Dick. I assume that for tracking
the locat_on of this that they really wanted to follow it
all the way. Thank you.
CC Okay.
CC SPT, Houston_ request since 82A is not
participating in this JOP 18 Delta, we suggest that we close
the 82A door and also on your next - on the remaining 18 Delta,
your next sunset prep, don't open it during that prep. Over.
SL-IV MC-1545/2
Time: 17:50 CST 45:23:50 GMT
12/30/73

SPT Roger Dick, good point, thank you.


SPT Dick, and there's a pretty good shadow
of the occulting disc in the 52 display. It's a little displaced
from center, however. And the edges of the shadow which are
very pronounced are in X plus 118 minus 150 and Y plus 104
and minus 150, that's in the octal readout.
CC Okay Ed, thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're about a minute from
LOS, we're going to drop out in just a couple of minutes and
I'ii call you at Bermuda.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're AOS Bermuda for about
5 minutes_, and i copy of the message is on board, the other
onets on the way.
SPT Roger Dick.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're 30 seconds from
LOS, Madrid comes up at 23:6, correction 23:15.
SPT Roger Dick. Say Dick, you can see a pretty
good sunset on the white light coronagraph display, it's not very
intense at: all. I'm wondering whether they'd like a couple of
shots of it.
CC That's affirm Ed, and we got some - a little
bit of time on the VTR, we'd appreciate it.
SPT Okay, would they like anything on film?
Some i second exposures or longer?
CC Either i or 2 seconds Ed, and they would.
And incidentally the next pass is Canary, we'll dump the data
recorder there, not Madrid.
CDR How much time you got Dick?
CC We're just going over the hill, Jerry.
CDR Okay, I owe you some comet comments_ I
was out there watching it for sunset and I'ii give them to
you at the next pass.
CC Okay_ I_ii be standing by, good.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're AOS Canary for 8
minutes, we're going to dump the data/voice recorder, and
Jerry I'm standing by for you comments.
CDR Roger Dick, how do you read now.
CC Loud and clear Jer, go ahead.
CDR Okay, I heard what sounded like a handover
going on there. Okay, on the comet today or just a few minutes
ago, it - to the unaided eye it appears to me that we can now
see 4 maybe 5 times as much tail as we could yesterday. What
l'm referring to now is, do you remember the little quick look
picture of the comet we showed you with a very stubby tail?
CC Yes sir, I sure do.
CDR Okay, using that as a basis you can extend
that by 4 to 5 times now and say okay that's what you can see
SL-IV MC-]545/3
Time: 17:50 CST 45:23:50 GMT
12/30/73

now, quick look. And then as your eyes begin accommodate more and
more you can see more and more of the tail. And the coma
rather than being a big bright dot llke llke was in our
sketch yesterdayp I see it as a brighter dot but smaller and
with more of the tail billowing out behind it. And with
binoculars you can very definitely see the sunward spike,
and it's pointed right directly at the Sun, and it's also
quite orange. And I could not see this the sunward spike
with the unaided eye, only with binoculars_ and with binoculars
the tail Just about doubled in length from what I could see
quick look. And it's - the tail is essentially yellow and
orange_ there's not much white left_ and the coma is more of
a white_yellow.
CC How about the material that you saw
yesterday between the tail and the sunward spike, can you still
detect that in the binocs.
CDR That's affirmative. I can see a brightening
on that one side but not on the other side.
PLT And Dick, real quick PLT. Do you have the
recorders?
CC Jerry, one question concerning your estimate
as 4 to 5 times as much tail as you'd described yesterday.
You gave the estimate yesterday as I recall

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1546/I
Time: 17:58 CST 45:23:58 GMT
12/30/73

CDR - on that one side, but not on the other


side.
PLT Dick, real quick, PLT. Do you have the
recorders?
CC Jerry, one question concerning your es-
timate as 4 to 5 times as much tail as you described yester-
day. You gave the estimate yesterday, as I recall that the
total distance between what you could see from the end of the
tail to the point of the sunward spike was llke 4 to 5 degrees.
Is it - is it 4 to 5 times that distance of what I think I
remember as 4 to 5 degrees?
CDR Oh, no, Dick, no - What I'm re - what I'm
conveying to was that little stubby thing we were looking at.
CC Yeah.
CDR I would probably guess that's probably
only about a degree or less.
CC Okay, good.
CDR That's with a quick look.
CC Sure, yes, I okay, I just - we had a
question there and I wanted to get that cleared up. As long
as we're talking about the comet, I've got a mission note
here that that gives some data about a - in case you get
another chance to see it - getting some handheld photography
of it. I wonder if I could read that up to you and let you
Jot it down.
CDR Ready to copy.
CC Okay, if you get a chance, you can use the
last frame in Nikon 02 and then load it with Bravo Victor 22.
We'd like you to use the visible lens FI.2 and exposures be-
tween 1 and i0 seconds, focused at infinity.
CDR Okay, Dick, we've already used that last
frame. Bill used a 300-millimeter lens on it and - and used
that last frame on the one that's there. So we will load it
with this new film and try to get some pictures as specified.
CC Okay, Jerry. And, can you stand by just a
second please. I got one more piece of information to give
to you. Hang on.
CDR Okay.
CC And one more piece of information that
Bravo Victor 22 the location in the film vault is Foxtrot 31.
CDR Copy. Foxtrot 31.
CC Roger.
CC Skylab, Houston, i minute to LOS. Tanan-
arive at 23:34.
CDR Roger, Dick.
CC See you there.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're AOS Tananariye for
7 minutes.
SL-IV MC1546/2
Time: 17:58 CST 45:23:58 GMT
12130173

CC And, Skylab, Houston, I have some informa-


tion here for you on the momentum state I'd like to pass up.
It appears that we've been firing more TACS than we anticipated
very recently and the Z-axis momentum is higher than we ex-
pected. There is some potential of an auto reset occurring
and if it should happen while we're LOS or - or AOS either,
we prefer that you do not take any action, just let it happen.
Over.
SPT Dick, could you give me those last two
sentences again, please. I was coming through the airlock and
couldn't hear you.
CC Okay, I'm sorry. We're using a little
more TACS and the Z-axis momentum is higher than expected and
there's some likelihood that we may get an auto reset and if
we do, just let it happen, we need it.
SPT Okay.
CC - - er.
CC And Skylab, Houston, looks like it'll be
Miami and Minnesota in the Super Bowl, Miami 27, Oakland 10,
the final score.
SPT Thank you Dick.
CC Roger.
CDR Hey, Dick, say again the Vikings/Cowboy
score, please.
CC Okay, I read it up wrong I think. It
was 24 for the Vikings and 10 for the Cowboys, same score
both games. I'm sorry, 20 - 27 to 10 Vikings over the Cow-
boys is the same score both games.
CDR Roger.
CC CDR, Houston. If you got a second, lid
like to make a change to the med conference time that's on
your details pad.
CDR Okay, Dick.
CC Okay, wetre going to slip it one site,
Jerry. It's presently scheduled for Guam, at 03:23, and you
might Jot down these other A0S times for the ops _ conference
when we - that we can talk. Goldstone, AOS is 02:09, and
incidentally on that one, you're going to be at the tail end
of a ATM pass. We've scheduled it to end just about at AOS,
so we'll give you 5 minutes or whatever it takes to get
squared away prior to talking. But at any rate, the AOS
at Goldstone is 02:0 - 09. Following that is an Ascension
pass at 02:36, and a Carnarvon pass at 03:09. And whenever
you and Phil and I - you guys and Phil and I get through
shooting the bull, we'll pick up the next pass to get the
evening status report. It's presently scheduled on your
details at Ascension 02:36, but it's kind of flexible, so
SL-IV MC1546/3
Time: 17::58 CST 45:23:58 GMT
12/30/73

we'll just: kind of - kind of play that one by ear. I'm not
sure whether anybody reminded you or not about the family
comm, but it's set up for you this evening at Goldstone at
03:48.
CDR Okay, 03:48 on the family comm and give
me that med conference again.
CC Okay, Guam at 03:23.
CDR Okay.
CC And we've still got about 3 minutes here.
I'm standing by.
CC Skylab, Houston, in case we have an early
LOS, Honeysuckle comes up at 23:59. We show still a minute
and a half here. So I'ii see you at Honeysuckle.
CDR Roger.
CC Skylab, Houston, hello at Honeysuckle for
9-1/2 minutes.
CDR Hello, Dick, we're doing our show biz
right now, documentary photos.
CC Okay, Jer, have at it.
SPT Houston, SPT.
CC Go, Ed.
SPT Tell the S052 folks that the ready light
has mysteriously reappeared again.
CC Okay, I will.
SPT Say, Dick, that CMG reset looks eminent
what's it look like down there?
CC Stand by. Ed, G&S thinks now that
the gimbal angles are looking okay, we'll probably get a
couple of desat firings, but we do not expect an auto reset
in the immediate future.
SPT Okay, very good. I was looking at HC and
that has been climbing all the way along here. Thank yen.
CC Roger, well the momentum is off nominal,
but the gimbal angles are looking in good shape.
SPT Good to hear, thank you.
CC SPT, Houston. We notice you're in mirror
auto raster which is okay with us. We would like to remind
you to get us some - a couple of grating scans before 00:36.
SPT Okay. Dick, I'm afraid I shouldn't have
said anything. My ready light has disappeared again, on WLC.
CC Just as mysteriously, I presume?
SPT That's right.
CC Okay, I'ii tell them that also.
CC Skylab, Houston, i minute to LOS. Hawaii
at 00:19, and we're going to dump the data/voice recorder
at Hawaii.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1547/I
TIME: 18:09 CST, 46:00:09 GMT
12/30/73

PAO This is Skylab Control. That competes -


completes playback of the stateside, Canary, Madrid and
Tananarive delayed tapes and the Honeysuckle, Australia
pass. 8 minutes and 50 seconds to acquisition at Hawaii
at which time we shall return. At i0 minutes past midnight
Greenwich mean time, day of year 365, in Greenwich time that
is, this is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1548/I
TIME: 18:18 CST, 46:00:18 GMT
12/30/73

PAO This is Skylab Control. 18 minutes


past midnight Greenwich mean time. Tracking station Hawaii
will acquire space station Skylab with its antennas in
40 seconds. With brief gaps between Hawaii and Goldstone
between Bermuda and Canary Island we'll be up live for about
the next 45 minutes, with almost continuous coverage until
Ascension LOS in 48 minutes from now. Standing by for
AOS, Hawaii.
CC Skylab, Houston hello at Hawaii for
i0 minutes we're going to be dumping the data/voice recorder
here at Hawaii and we're also taking a VTR so it'll be in
its dump cycle.
CC Skylab, Houston we're about 30 seconds
from LOS, Hawaii Goldstone comes up in 3 minutes, I'ii call
you there.
CC Skylab, Houston, hello at Goldstone for
7 minutes.
CDR Hello, hello. You want to hear a real
heartbreaker Dick.
CC Yes, Jerry go ahead.
CDR Okay. One of the big spirit breakers
up here is when you're busy just pouring your heart out to
the tape recorder and you got your face right down to
the mike and you get through loud and clear and you know
you're doing a good job and you finish and you look up and
the green light's out because the ground stole it from you.
CC Roger, are you speaking here or back
at Hawaii.
CDR Back at Hawaii.
CC Roger, I guess another heartbreaker
from down here is when I warn you about it, but the guy
I need to warn is - is listening to the voice record
channel.
CDR Right.
MCC Sorry about that.
CDR I was illuminating the whole world on the
San Andreasl Fault and I didn't get anywhere.
MCC Okay, sorry.
CC Skylab, Houston back to our conversation
yesterday about testing these various PT modes and seeing what
kind of vehicle motion that they called, Jerry you mentioned
the mark I and I claimed that we had tested it before, I notice
Bill is coming up on his PT period and if it's convenient we
have an AOS at Canary at 00:52 and any time during that long AOS
period if Bill would like tell us and give us a mark 1 we'd be
glad to look it right.
CDR I'ii do it Dick.
SL-IV MC1548/2
TIME: 18:18 CST, 46:00:18 GMT
12/30/73

CC Great.
CDR 52 you say.
CC That's right 00:52 and I'ii give you
warning there and that pass is it's a Canary, Ascension
pass so it's a pretty long one shouldn't be any problem.
CDR Okay.
CC Skylab, Houston i minute to LOS, Bermuda
at 00:43.
CDR Roger, Dick.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1549/I
Time: 18:38 CST 46:00:18 GMT
12/30/73

CC Skylab, Houston, Bermuda for 7 minutes.


SPT Rog, hello Dick.
CC Hi there Ed. Hey Ed, can I ask you a
question that has to do with ops on the ATM C&D panel?
SPT Sure can, go ahead.
CC Okay, our ILCA temp indicates that main
inverter ILCA number i has shut itself off and we're wondering
if you've had the switch to BUS 2 to continue ATM C&D panel
operations lately.
SPT No I haven't Bill Dick. Yesterday, or
maybe it was early this morning, I did have to cycle that
breaker in order to get the displays back however. I think
it was first thing this morning after Bill operated.
CC Okay, I guess we'll have to look at our
data a little more. That was the next part of the call that
in the event that you were on BUS 2 1 was going to remind
you that you can't cycle a breaker but (comm dropout)
SPT Yeah l'm sure that we must have it up and
running now because I got all the displays on BUS i and they're
all working.
CC Okay. Thank you.
SPT Thank you, Dick.
PLT Dick, PLT here.
CC Go Ed.
PLT Rog, I just had a good check on the comet
here in the command module window, a very good look through
the binoculars and I can confirm Ed's suggestion yesterday
after really watching it closely today. In fact, there was
almost a hint that the forward spike actually almost fans back
into the sort of (garble) fuzzy area that he's getting
inbetween the two tails. But the angle he drew is correct
and the length of the tail and so forth, you get a sort of
a suggestion of almost a complete ellipse of the tail rather
than a wide fanning it down out at the extremity. I followed
the comet all the way down into the airglow, The airglow consists
of 3 distinct layers as you're looking here, and a sort of
a lower cloudy layer and 2 upper layers that are rather
distinct to people that have studied it. And I followed the
comet right down into about two_thirds of the way through the
lowest level before I lost site of it in the binoculars.
CC Okay Bill, appreciate that. Incidentally,
we appreciate you guys giving us these verbal descriptions,
it'S amazing the amount we_ve learned and enjoyed by listening
to them, we_d appreciate it as long as you have a good view
of it visually to just keep it up.
SPT I hope there's a good piece of it left
over when you folks finally get to see it. It really is
beautlful,
SL-IV MC-1549/2
Time: 18:38 CST 46:00:18 GMT
12/30/73

CC I'm sure it will be, we're looking forward


to it.
PLT And Jer got 3 pictures of it, one 3 second
exposure and two 5 seconds exposures on that new film mag
you gave us a few minutes ago. And he'll pick up the 2 second
exposures next time.
CC Roger.
PLT And I'll be all ready to go on the mark
i when we come over Ascension and Canary.
CC Okay good.
PLT And Just I'ii be over in the exerciser,
so you just give me the instructions what you want be to do
and don't expect an acknowledgment.
CC Okay.
CC SPT, Houston, we're about 45 seconds from
LOS. We saw a indication of a C&W and also a computer
reject. When you get time we'd appreciate your letting
us know what happened.
SPT Okay, C&W was the SAT, CMG SAT. I think
wetve we've gotten that a couple of times durin_ the day
here throughout as you told us to ought to expect occasionally.
And reject, I'm not sure why we got that, they call it the
SPT activity light. I can clear it with a 5240 and press
down.
CC Okay Ed, thank you. We're going over the
hill, and I'ii give you guys a call at Canary at 00:52.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're AOS Canary for 9
minutes. Bill, what I'm going to ask you to do when we get
our data all locked up good here is to just be still for a
few minutes until it's obvious that we have some sort of a base-
line and then do mark l's until I tell you to quit and - for llke
a minute and we_ll get back wlth you at the end of the results,
so stand by please.
CDR Okay, he heard you.
CC Okay.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MCI550/I
Time: 18:53 CST 46:00:53 GMT
12/30/73

CC Skylab, Houston, we have our d - data


now, if everybody will be still here for just a few seconds,
we can get: a good baseline and then I'll set the PDLT loose on a
mark i.
CC PLT, Houston, we've got enough data here
now, you can go ahead with the mark i.
CC Skylab, Houston, for your information,
no response required. We're going to command open the 82
Bravo and XUV doors. And we'll leave it with the power OFF
and the doors open. You will have a - a white indication on
the talkback, but the doors will be open.
CC PLT, Houston, we're satisfied with the
data we have now. You can go ahead and do the rest of
PT protocol as you like. Thank you very much.
CDR Roger_ Dick.
CC And PLT, Houston, we don't need an answer
right now=. but when you get a chance you might let us know
which of the mark i A through E exercises you were doing during
that period.
PLT Dick, those were combination Alfa Bravo
and you pull it up and then push it up above your head all
in one motion.
CC Okay, thank you very much. Appreciate
the info. We figured that was the case and that was probably
what you were doing. Thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston, for your information,
the XUV doors are all squared away now. No response required.
We still have about 3_I/2 minutes left here at Canary.
CC Skylab_ Houston, we're about a minute from
LOS. We're going to drop out in Just a few seconds and then
I_ll gi_e you a call at Ascension.
CC Skylab, Houston, AOS Ascension for 6 min-
utes.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're about a minute from
LOS at Ascension. Carnarvon comes up at 01:35.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Loss of signal
after a lengthy combination of tracking station passes start-
ing back in Hawaii across the States, Canary, and Ascension
lasting about 48 minutes. Another series of physical training
tests using the exerciser with the - the Pilot Bill Pogue
using the exerciser while the people in Mission Control ob-
served changes in the attitude on a real time plot. Attitude
of the spacecraft tended to vary in very small amounts as the
exercise began, compared to when all three crewmen were -
remained still. Next station upcoming will be Carnarvon in
26 minutes. Carnarvon and Honeysuckle together. We'll re-
turn at that time. It is now 01:i0 Greenwich mean time, Skylab
Control.

END OF TPAE
SL-IV MCI551/I
TIME: 19:35 CST, 46:01:35 GMT
12/30/73

PAO This is Skylab Control, 01:35 Greenwich


mean time. Acquisition at Carnarvon in 50 seconds overlapping
coverage with Honeysuckle Creek. Standing by for resumption
of air-to-ground with the crew of Skylab 4.
CC Skylab_ Houston Honeysuckle for 8 minutes.
CDR Roger, Dick.
CC Skylab, Houston in about 30 seconds or
so itts possible we may have a keyhole that lasts up to a
minute_ I'ii give you a call when we're out of keyhole.
CDR Roger.
CC Skylab, Houston we're out of keyhole,
we still have about 6 minutes left here at Honeysuckle, I'm
standing by.
CC Skylab, Houston we're 45 seconds from
LOS, Hawaii comes up at 01:57_ I'ii call you there.
CHR Roger.
PAO This is Skylab Control in LOS Honeysuckle
Creek, Australia. Final pass over Honeysuckle Creek for probably
the next six or eight hours. Final Hawaii pass coming up in ii
minutes at which time we shall return and at 01:45 Greenwich
mean time, this is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1552/I
TIME: 19=56 CST, 46:01:56 GMT
12/30/73

PAO This is Skylab Control, 1:56 Greenwich


mean time. We're 50 seconds away from the final pass of
the evening over the Hawaii tracking station and standing
by.
CC Skylab, Houston AOS, Hawaii for 9 minutes.
CDR Roger, Dick.
CDR Houston, CDR give me a call when you're
ready for your downlink.
CC Okay, we're ready now Jerry.
CDR Okay, I've got ATM i up right now
and I'm on the limb looking at the prominence and I'ii give you
about 2 minutes of that, then I'll shift you over to ATM on 2
and do some XUV.
CC Okay.
CC Skylab, Houston we're about a minute
from LOS at Hawaii, Goldstone comes up in about 4 minutes
and Jerry we, the Goldstone pass is the first pass we have
that _s set aside for the ops conference and I'm sure at
the start of it, you'll probably be busy with ATM so -
and we do have a good biy of additional information or
amplifying information to give you. So after we get AOS
Goldstone, as soon as you guys are parked around the
speaker box and are ready to listen Just give me a holler,
I'll see you then.
CDR Okay, Dick we'll see you then.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1553/I
TIME: 20:07 CST, 46:02:07 GMT
12/30/73

PAO This is Skylab Control. LOS Hawaii and


less than 2 minutes to acquisition again at Goldstone.
Operations Conference between the crew and Spacecraft
Communicator Dick Truly scheduled to start over this stateside
pass and continue on to Ascension and the following Carnarvon
pass if need he. A five page summary of accomplishments
at the mld-point of the mission has been uplinked on the
teleprinter to the space station. And these five pages of
comments and status statements will be the focal point of
this discussion. One minute away from acquisition of
Goldstone.
CC Skylah, Houston we're AOS Goldstone for
the next 6 minutes. Ready to talk when you are, no hurry.
SPT Okay_ Dick go ahead.
CC Okay, y'all must have been awful
swift on getting squared away on the ATM there but let me
get started here.
CDR Stand by, Dick, I'm not back from the
ATM yet.
CC Oh, okay, fine. I'm ready to talk whenever
you get a chance Jerry so no hurry.
CDR Hey Dick would you have them check the
grating for me?
CC Okay Jerry. We're showing 113, Jerry.
CDR Yeah, that's mechanical, they want
000 optical don't they.
CC That's affirm.
CDR In other words he wants 0010 my pad says i0.
CC The pad's correct Jerry 0 i0, 0010.
CDR Okay now another question is the difference
difference now between optional and mechanical 102, 103, or 104?
CC Stand by. CDR, Houston the difference
we believe is 102.
CDR I was afraid of that.
CC And Skylab, Houston we're about a minute
from LOS, Goldstone. Bermuda comes up in 5 minutes I'll call
you there.
CDR Okay.
CC Skylah, Houston hello at Bermuda for
i0 minutes.
CDR Roger, Dick if you'd llke to start off
with a frame count then we can go ahead.
CC Go ahead.
CDR 14830, 5344, 179, 483, 6067 and 4833.
CC Okay, I got that Jerry anything else
before we get started.
SL-IV MC1553/2
TIME: 20:07 CST, 46:02:07 GMT
12/30/73

CDR No that's it, I've got things powered


down here and ready to go.
CC Okay, I'll tell you what, we have I
guess you've had time to take a look at the message we sent
up there and what - what I suggest that we do I got some
preamble remarks and then I'd like to give you some amplifying
information and most of it comes right at the start so I
guess I'll do a little talking here to start with. First
of all, you addressed your questions personally to Phil and
me and we appreciate that and Phil is here and plugged in
and if I get in trouble in explaining something he can
certainly help me. However, we'd like to make the point that
had you addressed them to another team, Flight Director
and CAP COMM the answer probably would come up worded a little
differently but the essence I'm sure would have been just
the same. One other thing that I'd like to point out is
I'd like you to be assured that the message we sent up there
was _ also speaks for all the teams and Dr. Craft and Deke
are here listening to us so I'd llke you to be sure that this -
even thou@h Phil and I made up the response, it's one that
represents the whole ground team here. A second big point
to make is that we_ve tried not to be very subtle, so we
tried to answer your direct questions directly so if you've
found any areas in our response that seemed confusing, that's
probably our poor English so bring up any questions and we'll
talk them out. Thirdly before I net started I got a bunch
of supporting data here and times ahd so forth to answer any
questions, so if we go through here and something is unclear,
you want to talk about it some more, let's do that. The
major point that we_d like to make comes right here in these
first couple or three paragraphs which lists the accomplishments
and specifically goes down through the paragraph, the second
paragraph below those listed accomplishments that starts off
saying " our pre launch plans for SL-IV and et cetera".
Since the accomplishments listed at the first appear somewhat
low compared to the "pre-mission plan"_ we think there's two
very important points that need to be made about this plan
and I'll be very honest with you, they have not been completely
discovered until the last couple of days, when we took the
trouble to get a bunch of numbers out and I think you'll
be interested in them. First of all, there've been a whole
number of changes between the pre - the "pre mission plan" and
the real world SL-IV mission and I'd like to tick some of
them off for you. After the plan was made we instituted and
intensified Kohoutek program. Our TV requirements are much
heavier, it's turning out in the mission than they were
listed in the plan.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1554/I
Time: 20:22 CST 46:02:22 GMT
12/30/73

CC After the plan was made, we instituted an


intensified Kohoutek program. Our TV requirements are much
heavier, it's turning out, in the mission than they were
listed in the plan. Only in - in a couple of places in
the premission plan did we allow the crew a 30-minute tad tad
review for each 18 Delta run which was simply a mistake. There
were no science demos scheduled, there were no handheld photos and
observations. There was no ATM conference scheduled each
day. The effect of these things is kind of hard to pick out.
It may or may not make any difference in the total hours
planned, but it's quite obvious that the premission plan is
is a poor one to go to any level of detail to compare how
far you guys are here at the midpoint. The second question
that I_d like to address, it has to do with a premission
plan, is an answer directly to one of your questions that
l_d like to quote your question back - back to you. You
told us tile other night_ "we'd all kind of hope before the
mission and everybody had the message that we did not plan
to operate at SL-III pace." I_d like to answer that one
directly, and that is that everybody did not have that word.
Exactly where the communication broke down or the misunder-
standing broke down, I'm not sure, and we're certainly - feel
now that it's not important. But we took the trouble, but -
but since we did base this premission plan somewhat on our
estimate of the SL-III mission_ I think it's necessary that
we tell you some facts about SL-III and - IV missions, and I
think these numbers - although they're - these numbers in
discussion will be interesting to you. Specifically, we
pulled out days 15 through 30 for the SL-III mission and
we pulled out days 15 through 30 for your mission. Now,
your PT, you're getting an hour and a half per man versus an
hour per man that those guys were getting. And it turns
out when you add up the hours committed to science plus the PT
each day for all three guys on tw on two crews, they're
almost identical and IVm talking about days that are science days,
not odd days like days off or EVA preps or anything llke this.
Those numbers turn out to be almost identical during that
period of time. Furthermore, there's another signif signi-
ficant difference that has only just now dawned on us as to
the way the missions were accomplished during those - that
2-week period which was a critical one. During Alts mission,
it%s _ we're essentially were scheduling Flight Plans and
increasing the workload on those guys as they asked for it.
Because we remembered the latter part of SL-III mission_ we
we plan to up your workload to 28 hours after about 2
weeks, And s _ so essentially_ we were scheduling A1 for a
workload that he was accomplishing and then increasing it as
SL-IV MC1554/2
Time: 20:_22 CST 46:02:22 GMT
12/30/73

he asked for it. For you, we were asking for 28 hours and
due to lost events or being late here and there, we were
getting a little bit less than what we were asking for. But,
the two missions essentially, the the total that were get-
ting from each of you was - turned out to be almost exactly the
same. This - the summary of this is that using a great deal
of hindsight, it's apparent to us that our thinking was
biased by the late SL-III results and the scheduling during
this time was too ambitious. At that time, which was about
i0 days or so ago, maybe 2 weeks, we've been scheduling
you for 24 hours of science per day, that does not include
PT _ and incidentally, the numbers that we took out of the
two mlssiens were based on the same kind of tally. We didn't
use different ground rules. And since the last 2 weeks,
you've stayed completely up with our Flight Plans, or ahead
of us, and as far as we're concerned, these last 2 weeks
have been just going smooth as glass, with regard to getting
done what we scheduled and we think it's a lot smarter flight
planning. That's all I have to say here on this first part.
I do have some other things we can talk about as we go through
the details. I thought at this point, guys, we still have
about 2_i/2 minutes at Bermuda, I thought I would turn it
back over to you and see if that portion of the - of the
conversation you asked us about is clear now.
CDR Okay, Dick. Thanks a lot, it makes me
feel a little bit better. I understand now why we went off
at such a fire house pace there. I really thought I'd made it
plain to people that we did not intend to operate at that
kind of pace, because for a mission that was going to be a
extra 28 or so days longer, it seemed to me we had to
go for endurance not for max performance right at the - in the
beginning_ I think one other area that you did not mention
that was not preplanned or not in the mission plan and that
was all these medical tasks that we had, the limb volumes, the -
the girth measurements, and all that stuff, we and the facial
photographs, the stereo photographs, the IR photographs, all
that stuff we received little or no training and had never
seen the stuff before. So - that really turns into a time
user. I might also add, too, that we very definitely felt
the pressure come off about 10 days ago, when you guys shifted
gears down there. And I'ii tell you, it was a very welcome
event .
CC Well, I tell you what, Jerry. There's an
interesting thing there, we even though we started asking -
we started scheduling a few hours less. We're getting the
same output as we were before and that was the point I
was trying to make, which was a difference between you and
Al's crew. That was essentially what we were - the way we
SL-IV MC1554/3
Time: 20:22 CST 46:02:22 GMT
12/30/73

were handling that mission those first few weeks. And so,
that was just an extra burden and we didn't really appreciate
at that time. We're about 45 seconds from LOS. We're
going to go - the next station is Ascension at 02:36. I'll
go ahead and use this 30 seconds to touch on the next subject,
which is the next paragraph or so which talks about the number
of accomplishments which we think is important for the hours
invested. The message is real simple there. I think the
paragraphs say that, and as you guys feel that the prep
or post time for any of these science en - endeavors can be
shortened_ we want you to feel good about them, but if you
find that you have the free time, naturally that - that ends
up allowing us getting us more science per unit time. I think
that's obvious and really doesn't need a whole lot more
explanation. I see we're goin_ LOS here very shortly, so I'll
give you a call at Ascension.
CDR Okay, Dick.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Loss of signal
from tracking station Bermuda. Space station Skylab covering
the gap across the mid Atlantic between the Bermuda limits and
in 5 minutes, we_ll come up on the northwestern horizon from
the lonely rock in the South Atlantic called Ascension Island.
And that antenna will track Skylab for a period of about 10-1/2
minutes, and the resumption of the operations conference be-
tween the crew of Skylab IV and Spacecraft Communicator Dick
Truly. Standing by for Ascension acquisition, Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1555/I
Time: 20:31 CST 46:02:31 GMT
12/30/73

CC Skylab, Houston, through Ascension for


ii minutes, you guys still there?
CDR Roger Dick, let me run back a couple of
things at you real quick that we've had a chance to talk
about and then we'll pickup the pace again.
CC Go ahead.
CDR Okay, number i I wanted to let you know that
since we felt the pressure come off about i0 days ago. We
feel like we're doing a more efficient job up here, we feel
like we're making less mistakes per man hour than we were
when we - or under the gun earlier. And I think that's an
important point. Another thing in your in your (garble)
you talked about EREP prep time biting you pretty badly and
we're kind of surprised about that and I'ii talk about to
you a little about that later on. One thing - two things
preflight that - that came into mind was this hour and a
half exercise thing, that was recommended by the SL III crew,
and I still think it's a darn good idea. Another thing pre-
launch that we lost and I'm very very sorry we lost it and
that was the day 4 day off. When we lost that day off we had
no way, we had no slack left to catch up and the whole mess
started snowballing on us and as you can see it took us nearly
2 weeks to get back up on the step. And so let's go ahead.
CC Okay, the next thing that I was going to -
well first of all Jerry, these next few paragraphs I'd llke to
make just some very brief points, but the points are made in the
message I think. The next one down there, which you mentioned
was the PT and quite frankly Phil and I talked about the
hour and half verses an hour and we really don't think it's our
business to debate that point, we think that's between you and
your feeling of what you need and your medical advice. We
did want to make the point though about the unbroken PT and what
that does to us. Picture if you will building a Plight Plan
starting with nothing in it with the requirement of giving
a guy his - let him eat a meal at a reasonable hour then adding
on at least 1 hour and then adding on another hour and 45 minutes,
and then trying to conflict that hour and 45 minutes against
all the list of things, and mainly vehicle stability and
ergometer conflicts and it just turns out that that is really
hurting us. It - we have talked about this several times
before, I know you guys have been bugged about it because we've
asked you 6 or 7 times and I'm sure youlve wondered if we were
never getting the word. But the simple reason that we've kept
asking you is because it's given us so much trouble.
CDR Okay, Dick, let me cut in on this one. Picture
if you will a guys who's just had a big breakfast and has to
get on a bicycle and dump 5000 or 6000 watts and he's got to
SL-IV MC-1555/2
Time: 20:31 CST 46:02:31 GMT
12/30/73

do it in - in jig time and then he's got no time to clean up


afterwards. So you can see we're in the same kind of box
here. However Dick, I think we can give you relief in
the PT area, and we'll get back to you on that.
CC Okay, the reason we brought it up was you
asked us what our problems were and that's one of them.
CDR Right.
CC And frankly I've - I know I know just
of what you speak about the PT. We did want to mention
though that on the surface it may look like paying the extra 15
or 20 minutes for personal hygiene after PT is - is a bad
thing for us but there are there are believe me there are
days when we'd glad to pay that extra 15 minutes in order to
get some opportunity some corollary opportunity or something
that Just happend to pop up at a particular time. Secondly the -
the next paragraph talks about free time and you specifically
asked about that. I'd like to assure you that nobody down here
has any argument at all with giving you the free time you think
the crew needs to get your heads together, get prepared for
the day that you're getting ready to work or the next day.
I would like to point out to you though which we did in a
message that there are opportunities for specific events that
are correlated - pointing events that are correlated with
the corollaries or ATM or something that occur in pre and post
sleep. And if we could - if there were times, and I'm not
talking about every night, but if there were times that we
could stick a specific one in there, for instance at 8:30
at night of half an hour or 45 minutes duration and pay you
back at another time of day, there are very definitely are some
advantages to the science gain for that. And -
CDR Yeah, we can appreciate that too Dick, and
I think the reason why we started hollering is there was
just getting to be too much of that, almost every night, we
were running almost until bedtime.
CC Okay, well_ again you asked us what some
of

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1556/I
TIME: 20:41 CST, 46:02:41 GMT
12/30/73

CDR - - the reason why we started hollering


is that there was just getting to be too much of that. Almost
every night we were running almost till bedtime.
CC Okay, well again you asked us what some
of our Flight Plan problems are and that has been one of them.
So we thought, you know, we'd give you the opportunity to
consider that again. But I want to reiterate that we have - we
do not have any argument with the amount of free time that
you feel like the crew needs, that's your business and your
call.
CDR Okay.
CC I guess that's about all we had to cover
about these flight planning problems so far. We did want to
bring up however, what we're looking at at the future,
which we've listed there and I'ii Just tick them off real
quick and give you a couple of thoughts on them. Starting
at 59, when you guys are going to be spending, you guys
will have been in space longer than anybody else, obviously
the medical experiments are going to become more important
and we're going to schedule the - change the scheduling
requirements on the major medical, so you'll you'll be
seeing more major medicals and you'll, that's something you
expect. We also have a_ excuse me l_ve got to find myself
_n the message. Okay, the EREP work that's coming up as
Kohoutek work declines is something that is going to cause
us to have some oddball days and in order to get them
accomplished and to push to get as much done in that area,
it's quite obvious that the only people we have to push on
is you. So there are going to be some early wakeups and some
late stayups, I might mention one thing that I think is going
to helpp most of this EREP business though is on the sixth
of January, we're going to be changing the nation is going
to continue to daylight savings time and so the early EREPs
which are most of the problem are not going to be quite so
much problem by one hour there. The one to get the Japanese
or the opportunity over Japan late at night in that one occasion
but that only happens once I think will be worse naturally.
CDR Okay, we got no quarrel whatsoever with
early or late EREPS, we're acquainted with the problems there
and we_ve been ready from day i to play that game.
CC Okay, another place that we think has been
somewhat _neff_cient just by the - by the nature of the way
we_ve had to do the Kohoutek observations is the fact that
we_ve been shuttling - shuttling experiments in and out of
the sclentiflc alrlock like crazy and we think just by the
nature of thatp that that_ll become a little more efficient
and so toward _ toward the tail end here, that will improve
SL-IV MC1556/2
TIME: 20:41 CST, 46:02:41 GMT
12/30/73

somewhat. There's one little paragraph in there that


mentions M509 and T020 being delayed_ I don't think there's
anything else to be said there. One thing that I wanted to
mention to you that's not in the message, however - however
we did just uplink a very short message about it is the
scientific demos. Basically as a pre mission guideline,
we were - we are constrained now to the SPT being the only
crewman that we're allowed to schedule for the science demos.
We have taken a look at each one of them and have uplinked a
recommendation to you to change that slightly in letting the
SPT give way to the CDR, PLT in some of those if you guys
think that's a reasonable thing to do. This is not a -
CDR We concur with that Dick, a hundred per
cent.

CC Okay, I guess you've already looked at


that message then and we'll just take that as a GO to do it
in case we get the opportunity.
CDR Right.
CC I tell you what Jerry if you don't have
any more questions_ we got about 2 minutes left here, IVd
like to summarize real quickly, and I - then I think we're
satisfied if you are.
CDR Okay, got a couple of items to pass
on to youp too. Maybe we can get that the next pass.
So go ahead Dick.
CC Okay, we've done a good bit of thinking
about this lately and we've tried to answer the questions
straight and when you get anymore we'd like to hear them.
I think it's important to know - for you to know that we
realize that these last couple of weeks, the work flow that
we_ve been putting on you is a level that you've very obviously
have handled with no problems, you're ahead of us and that's
the way we want you to stay. The best demonstration of this
to us is that you've been just about completely on time for
all the time critical events and as you mentioned before the
mistakes are way, way down, We naturally would like to
continue to get more (garble) per invested hour as we go and
that depends on you letting us know as the little prep times
and so forth can be shortened if you see fit. Anytime you
see a consistent gap in the flight planning that provides
you a little extra time, believe me it will help us to know
about it and we can do a little better job too. Along this
line again when we go to talking about flight planning like
I mentioned to you yesterday, we think it's a lot better to
talk about it on the airrto-ground than on the voice dump.
CDR Okayp we'll sure do it that way from
now on.
SL-IV MC1556/3
TIME: 20:41 CST, 46:02:41 GMT
12130173

CC Right and at the time and at least on


the day it's bothering you so you'll be talking to the
team that did it to you and you guys can have it out. I
tell you what, we're very close to LOS, about 15 seconds
I'ii give you a call at Carnarvon at 03:09 and maybe we can
get your quick comments there, Jerry and then pick up the
evening status report.
CDR Okay, Dick.
CC Okay, see you there.
CDR Okeydoke.
PAO Skylab Control. LOS Ascension 21 minutes
to Carnarvon. Little bit of soul bearing taking place there
between flight control team in Mission Control and the
crew of Skylab IV sorting out the complicated business of
planning the daily flight activities for the maximum gain
in scientific return. And this likely will continue during
part of the upcoming Carnarvon pass in 20 minutes. Medical
Conference between the crew and the crew physican is
scheduled at Guam in about 34 minutes, Guam being the next
station after Carnarvon. We'll return in 20 minutes for
Carnarvon. And at 2:48 Greenwich mean time, Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1557/I
Time: 21:08 CST 46:03:08 GMT
12/30/73

PAO This is Skylab Control, 03:08 Greenwich


mean time. Acquisition at Carnarvon in 50 seconds. And
probably the windup of the flight planning operations
conference that began back over the States and through the
Ascension station. After Carnarvon is scheduled the medical
conference with the crew surgeon, Dr. Jerry Hordinsky at
the Guam station. Following that, the stateside pass, one
or more of the crewmen have family calls scheduled on VHF
circuit. And it'll be about bedtime for the crew of Skylab
IV at the final station over the States, at the end of this
revolution.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're AOS Carnarvon
for i0 minutes. And CDR, Houston, this originally was the
site for the evening status report, but we'd like to open it
up to you for any comments, more questions, or whatever you'd
like about our previous conversation. I've been told by
several people that I kind of hogged the mike there, so IVd
like to hand it to you for a while.
CDR Okay, mike, it's my turn. Okay, first
of all, I want to just Just philosophize Just for a second
here and then give you some recommendations here. Of course,
it's been my feeling that we really do up here need to work
at the fastest and most efficient pace. It looks to me now
like we're approaching it from the right direction. I think
our problem at the beginning was we started too high. And
what we need to do is just ramp up to it until we get to the
best level and then maintain that. And like I say, I think
we're headed in the right direction now. Also, I think, as
I mentioned in my little note to you that a guy needs time -
some quiet time to just unwind if we're going to keep him
healthy and alert up here. And if you keep him healthy and
alert, you're going to keep him efficient and that's going
to help. I want to also mention that there's two tonics that
really do a lot for us up here for our morale. One of them
is just look - having time to look out the window and seeing
things that you recognize and haven't time to think about it,
write something down about it, or record something about it.
And the other big morale booster that we have up here is our
CAP COMMs, Dick. I want you to pass the word to all the rest
of the CAP COMMs that we're greatly appreciative of the
attitude you guys take and your cheery words and your occasional
bits of music and all that really help make our day. And we
want to just te]l you to keep up the good work. You're doing
a heck of a great Job. Also, I just wanted to say hi to Phil.
Phil and I promised each other before this mission that we
were going to talk straight whenever possible, and I'm sure
SL-IV MC1557/2
Time: 21:08 CST 46:03:08 GMT
12/30/73

happy to see we're doing it. And I think it's going to


benefit the whole mission. Now let's talk about what I think
we can probably do. Number one, I think we can give you
relief in the PT area, I think we can give you relief in the
major medical area, and your preps, and definitely in EREP
preps. In the corollaries 9 I think we can help out by proposing
a shopping list which we'll get to you. In housekeeping, I
think we can probably change our mode of operation in house-
keeping and save you a little work down there, and in PSA,
I think also, I think we can do some modifications in that.
I'd like to promise you now that we will have definite pro-
posals down to you within about 24 hours on how these things
can be done, but I think we better think about them a little
bit and firm them up them up real well for you. But I
think we can give you relief in all those areas. Now as I
see it now, the only small area that we have a couple of
problems in right now is the photo equiPment. This film
breaking thing is about to drive Bill up the wall and I'm
right along with him. It's a real pain to have to have film
breaking on you all the time. Number two, now minor irritant
to us is the tape recorders I think I gave you sort of a
facetious little insight on it about 2-1/2 hours ago when I
told you about how we have more than once lost the recorder while
we're in the middle of a seance with it. If there's any way
that INCO can tell that a recorder's in use, how about asking
him to jig the CAP COMM who in turn can pass the word to the
guy using the recorder that he better get off of it pretty
quick or you're not going to get a dump. And I think maybe
that would help that situation quite a bit. Okay, Dick, that's
all I have and I'm ready with the evening status report unless
you have any other rejoinders.
CC Okay, stand by just a second, Jer.
CC CDR, Houston, what we were talking about
were the voice recorder dumps. Our problem here usually is
that we need to make some decision as to whether to start the
dump in the first minute of the thing and off the top of my
head, I can't think of a quick way other than the way we're
doing it of trying to remember to remind you at the start. But
we'll think about that some more. We sure appreciate your
good words, and I certainly concur with - with the 24 hours
to think about each of these specific pro - proposals, so if
you don't say have anything else right here_ we've got
5 minutes, and l'm ready to copy your numbers. Jerry bef -
before - let me say one thing, that Dr. Kraft and Deke have
been here and listened to all these passes and they're very happy
with the way you're doing business, and I think - and they
think we've made about a million dollars tonight. And with
SL-IV MC1557/3
Time: 21:08 CST 46:03:08 GMT
12/30/73

that_ I'ii shut up add let you read me the evening status
report.
CDR Okay, we'll put that million dollars in
the bank and save it for Shuttle. Evening status report.
Sleep: CDR, 7.0, 6.5 heavy, half light, SPT, 7.0, heavy -
7 heavy, PLT - -

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1558/I
Time: 21:15 CST 46:03:15 GMT
12/30/73

CDR Sleep: CDR. 7.0, 6.5 heavy, and


half light; SPT, 7.0, 7.0 heavy; PLT, 8.0, 8.0 heavy. Volume:
1700, 1200, 1850. Water gun: 9804, 3594, 7949. Body mass:
CDR, 6.320, 6.319, 6.327_ SPT, 6.360, 6.369, 6.357; PLT, 6.248,
6.246, 6.244. Exercise, all three crewmen no change. Medication:
CDR none: SPT none; PLT, Tinaetln as directed. Clothing: CDR,
none_ SPT, shorts, socks and a T-shirt; PLT, none. Food log:
CDR, zero salt, deviations, plus 1 grape drink, plus 1 catsup,
plus 1 lemonade, aid, plus 1 tea, rehydratlon water, zero; SPT, salt
9.0, deviations, plus 1 tea, water deviations, zero; PLT, salt, 0.5
food deviations, plus tuna and plus coffee, water deviations,
none. Okay the Flight Plan deviations, none. Shopping llst
accomplishments, none. Inoperable equipment disposition, the
changeout of the TVIS-642 has been complete per the - the
pad. Unsehedule stowage, none. And the photo log is next.
CC Okay, go ahead. You still got 3minutes,
Jerry.
CDR Okay, I can slow down then. 16 millimeter,
Delta, Papa 5, Alfa, Bravo, and Charlie, 6 and 7, Charlie
India 78, 46, Charlie India 74, Delta, Papa 14 Alfa, Charlie
India 126, 00, Charlle India 125, and I think there was only
about 4 or 5 seconds of film left in it instead of 5 percent, so I
put Delta, PAPA 14 Alfa on the next transporter which was
05, Charlle India 127, 63, Charlie India 93, Delta Papa i0,
Charlle India, 127, 60, Charlie India 93. The Nikons number
i, Charlie X-ray, 37, 44; 2, Bravo Victor 22, 41; Nikons 3. 4,
and 5 no change. 70_milllmeter, Charlie X-ray 52, 086. ETC
no change. EREP no change. Drawer A configuration: Alfa i,
02, Charlle India 75p 68, no takeup; Alfa 2, 05, Charlie India 127,
60, Charlie India, 93_ Alfa 3, 06, no supply, 00, Charlie India,
263 Alfa 4, 08_ Charlie India 77, 15, Mike Tango, 09; BACK, 07,
Charlie India, 78, 46, Charlie India 74.
CC Okay Jerry, got that, and anything else.
CDR No, that about covers it.
CC Okay Jerry, we're about a minute from LOS,
the next station is Guam at 03:23 and that's a medconference,
you'll be talking to the doe there and the next station after
that Jerry is your phone call it's Goldstone at 03:48 and it's
left antenna, 03:48.
CDR Okay, 13:48, left.
CC Jerry, we have about 30 seconds here, I have
cue note on the takeup reels that I've been meaning to read up
to you. We know of two 400-foot takeup reels that are available
at this time, they're Mike Tango, 04, and Mike Tango 08, the
first one's in India 2, and the second one is in F524. Also
we're working on a method of obtaining three more by stripping
SL-IV MC-1558/2
Time: 21:15 CST 46:03:15 GMT
12/30/73

some old film that's bad now because of the radiation off some
SL II reels and we've been working on a procedure that we
hope will help fix that up. So I'ii talk to you guys stateside,
next pass is the doctors.
CDR Okay, that's real good, thank you Dick.
CC Roger.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Loss of signal
through Carnarvon, 2 minutes to reacquisitlon at Guam and
the medical conference between Skylab IV crew and Dr. Jerry
Hordinsky the crew physician. We'll return for the Goldstone
pass in 27 minutes. And as soon as it's available the summary
of the medical con - medical conference. This stateside pass
likely will be the final conversation with the crew tonight
before bedtime ending in about 45 minutes at Bermuda LOS.
At 03:21 Greenwich mean time returning in 27 minutes, this is
Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1559/I
TIME: 21:47 CST, 46:03:47 GMT
12/30/73

PAO This is Skylab Control, 03:47 Greenwich


mean time. 40 seconds away from acquisition Goldstone for
the final stateside pass of the evening. Goldstone, Texas,
MILA, Bermuda for about the next 18 minutes and the final
goodnlght call should be made during the last few minutes of
the stateside pass, outset of revolution 3,329.
CC Skylab, Houston we're AOS stateside, I
understand Jerry phone call is doing okay and for one of you
other guys I got two or three notes and then the news.
SPT Go ahead Dick.
CC Okay, one thing is the teleprinter paper
is a little low, we have enough in there for the scheduled
upllnks this evening but in case the next team has something
that we don't appreciate right now that might have to get
up to you during the evening, we'd sure appreciate it before
you go to bed if you have the time to change the roll for us.
PLT We'll do it.
CC Okay, we also notice ATM C&D loops still
on, also just a reminder there before you go to bed, be sure
to get it off.
PLT Okay.
CC And the last thing, we've been talking
about the tape recorder dumps, this is something that I've
been in a million discussions with from before SL-II, we've
got a proposal, it's completely procedural that we think that
might help to - to help insure that we don't steal the tape
recorder from you when you don't know about it if - and I
thought I'd might bounce it off of you and y'all can talk
with Jerry and if it sounds good to you we'll start doing it.
PLT Okay, Dick very good, let's hear it.
CC Okay, it turns out the first command
the INCO sends to start the dump cycle is a stop - tape
recorder stop command and the first indication that he has
that that tape reeorder's running is that when he stops the
command the recorder doesn't stop. Another - now one of the
features of the system is that normally we get data down here
before we get a good lockup and a go for voice. So generally
by the time that we get AOS and I can give you a call to tell
you that we're going to dump the data/voice recorder, in most
instances, the INCO will already know whether or not the
recorder is running or not. In any event what I -
what we propose to do is in every instance give you the call
that we're going to dump the data/voice recorder if in fact
we see that and if it's not running we're just going
to go ahead and dump it and leave it at that. However if
we if he issues the stop command, we see the recorder's
running, we're going to ask you for - we're going to tell you
SL-IV MC1559/2
TIME: 21:47 CST, 46:03:47 GMT
12/30/73

that we need the recorder there so we can keep up with our


dump schedule. And the only way that - then what we're going
to have to depend on is one of the other guys hitting the call
switch on the box informing the person who's making the
voice recording that we're going to dump and then informing the
ground. Zn other words, we're going to start treating it
Just like the DAS_ over.
SPT Yeah, I think that'll work real well, it
might delay your dump on a couple of occasions a few times and
we're going to make sure that the other two guys who are not
on the air are going to have to he responsive at the time. But
I think that'll work out real well, it'll certainly save everybody
I think a long time a good bit of time in the long run.
PLT Call switch is a good idea because ground
will know what's going on too.
CC Yeah -
SPT Dick_ yeah I think that's a good idea,
I think that will work real well.
CC Okay. I guess the only thing that we need you
to appreciate is is that in most cases we wait, we have
a full dump that takes most of the state - most of the site
pass. So we need some kind of an answer like in the first -
very early in the pass and furthermore with very few exceptions
the answer we need is we can have it because if we don't get
to dump the recorder at a given site, what's going to happen
is not Just an inconvenience. We're going to end up possibly
losing some data, we're going to need it because we're
going to lose data at a succeeding pass for you know some
other kind of data we're going to put on that recorder, but
I think you'll appreciate that.
SPT Okay, I think one of the problems has
been is that the thing starts dumping and then the guys go
on, and he might take an extra 4 or 5 minutes going on
before he re&li_es that the record light has gone out, so even
if you do have to take it, at least wetll have a procedure here
with the other two guys, We'll make sure that the third one
knows that it's being dumped and we won'_t lose so much time.
PLT I_ the call comes up like that we'll know
you're aware that someone's recording right?
CC I_m not sure I understand that one, I'm
going to make the call anyway, however very early it's going
to be apparent to me that you're on the recorder and if
necessary_ I'_ going to make the second call. At any rate
we're not going to dump until we get a response.
PLT Okay, that will work.
CC Okay, I guess the toughest part now is
SL-IV MC1559/3
TIME: 21:47 CST, 46:03:47 GMT
12/30/73

for me to get five CAP COMMS to understand this but I think


I can hack that off, certainly take a hack at it.
SPT Very good, thanks Dick.
PLT Thanks a lot.
CC Okay_ tell you what, I have some news here,
that's all I have except for the news, we're going to have
a little short break here between the handln_ over between
Goldstone and Texas or MILA, I'm not sure which. When we
get locked up - go for voice there I'ii give you a call and
then I'll have some news if you guys would llke to hear it.
PLT Yes, I would
SPT Yeah_ sure do. Appreciate it Dick.
PLT Dick are you still there?
CC Skylab_ Houston I think we're locked up
good, we got about Ii minutes here how do you read?
PLT I read you 5-square, Dick, go with the
news.

CC All righty here we go. Britain tomorrow


begins working a three-day week as part of an austerity
program designed to save electricity. Power is in short
supply because of a coal miners' slowdown and the Arab oll
cutback. Press estimates say that about 15 million of the
country's 25 million strong work force will feel the pinch
directly of the economic crisis. Concern over the -

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1560/I
Time: 20:56 CST 46:03:56 GMT
12/30/73

CC - Arab oil cutback. Press estimates say


about 15 million of the country's 25 million-strong work
force will feel the pinch directly of the economic crisis.
Concern over the potential for disastrous nuclear power plant
accidents is unwarranted accord according to the chairman
of the Atomic Energy Commission. In a television interview,
Dr. Dixy Lee Ray said that the nuclear power plant industry
is more rigidly controlled than any other kind of industry
in this country. In Alaska, the energy crisis is proving
to be a boom for the dog mushing busi - bus_ness. Dog sled-
der Joe Redington says that up until now Alaska's trails -
trails were used mostly for snow machines. Now there's
lots of people using dogs on them too, he reports. "Dogs are
coming back all over the Yukon and everywhere they had
practically disappeared." With i00 dogs of his own, Redington
says he would "chuck his truck" in a minute and use dog sleds
if Alaska were to run out of gas. The Beatles, famous -
biggest rock gr - music group of the 1960s might get together
for one more album. At least John Lennon, has altered his
long-held opposition to a reunion of the group and says that it
is possible. "It's not like it's in the offing or anything,"
he said, "but I just think anything is possible now."
Reunion rumors about the group have persisted since they
broke up in 1970. President Nixon prepared to hold a series of
conferences on foreign affairs - affairs in san Clemente,
California, with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. I
think we're going to handover here, so I'll let the hand-
over go by and then pick up. Skylab, Houston, AOS through
Bermuda. We still have 9 minutes and I'll just continue
here. On the trip out to talk to President Nixon, following
Pres - the President's example, Kissinger and two aides
boarded a regularly scheduled commercial airliner in Washing-
gon today, for the flight to California. Kisslmger is ex-
pected to hold a series of meetings with the President during
the better part of a week. U.S. District Judge John J. Siriea
was named "Man of the Year" today by te - Time Magazine for
his work in trying to get to the bottom of the Watergate
affair. Time said: "One judge stubbornly and doggedly
persuing the truth in his courtroom regardless of its political
implications, forced Watergate into the light of investiga-
tive day." Time began choosing its Man of the Year in 1927.
And that's it for this evening.
SPT Thank you, Dick.
CC Roger.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're about 30 seconds
to LOS. Wakeup call in the morning is about 11:55 at Hawaii,
about 5 minutes early and we'll give you a call at LOS there.
SL-IV MC1560/2
Time: 20:56 CST 46:03:56 GMT
12/30/73

One reminder, we see the ATM C&D loop still on if you'd -


we'd like to get it off prior to sleep. And purple gang's
going off for awhile, so this is the last shift we do for
1973. It's been a fun year, hope you guys have a Happy New
Year and we'll be talking to you then.
CDR Thanks a lot, Dick to all the purple
gang.
CREW (Garble)
CC Roger, good night.
SPT Good night, Dick.
CDR Good night, Dick, and you and Phil, I
do appreciate all your hard work on this little session we
had tonight. I think it did a world of good.
CC I do too, Jerry. I feel real good about
it. Thank you very much.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Loss of signal
through Bermuda. Three crewmen aboard Skylab bedding down
for the night after saying goodnight, Dick to Spacecraft
Communicator Dick Truly, who mentioned that he and the purple
team headed by Phil Shaffer, pulled their final shift for
1973. The following is the crew physican's summary of the
medical conference. It reads as follows, "The crew remains
in good health. The operational conference that took place
tonight must be looked upon as an excellent opportunity for
the crew members and ground personnel to vent their major
areas of concern for result and improvement in efficiency
and well being being the expected outcome." End of summary.
That's by Dr. Jerry Hordinsky, the crew physican. At 4:08
Greenwich mean time, signing off until 6:00 central standard
time Monday, this is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1561/I
Time: 05:53 CST 46:11:53 GMT
12/31/73

CC (Music: "Come Back My Love")


CC Skylab, this is Houston, and we wish you
a very good morning. Crip has been so busy all night working
for you that he asked me to wake you up while he would have a little
nap at h_s console. So it'S time to get up gentlemen and to
enjoy the voice of my favorite singer, Brigette Bardot. She
s_n_s "Come Back My Love" while all the people of France wish
you a very very happy new year.
CC (Music)
CC Vanguard at 12:20.
CDR Roger. Good morning, Crip.
CC Good morning.
PAO Skylab Control at ll hours 57 minutes
and 18 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station
has now passed out of range of the tracking antenna at Hawaii
after an early wakeup call to the crew at 11:52:37 this morning.
Our next acquisition is 23 minutes away. This is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1562/I
Time: 06:].9 CST 46:12:19 GMT
12/31/73

PAO Skylab Control at 12 hours 19 minutes


and 25 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is
now off the coast of Chile about to be acquired through the
tracking ship Vanguard. The pass through Vanguard will last
about 10_i/2 minutes. Spacecraft communicator this morning
is Bob Crippen and the flight director is Don Puddy.
CC Skylab, Houston, AOS Vanguard 10-1/2
minutes. And we'll be doing a data/voice recorder dump here.
CDR Roger, Crip. And we'd appreciate it if
you'd play that wake up song again.
CC You liked that, huh? We'll see if we can
accommodate.
CDR Okay, great. We didin't really hear all
of the dlalogue there in the middle, either. None of us had
gathered up our marbles enough.
CC Got you kind of quick on that one.
cdr Also Crip, would you send up a quick
test teleprinter message?
CC Will do. Having a little more problems
there, Bill?
PLT Rog. I think we had a little problem
there on the seeding and we didn't get any of our pads last
night.
CC Copy you got no pads last night?
PLT You copied correctly.
CC Okay, that got our attention.
CC We've got one coming in now. Is anything -
is your woodpecker tapping at all?
CDR Bill is on his way to check now.
CC Okeydoke.
PLT I don't hear anything, Crip, and I'm checkin_
all circuit breakers here. Give me some help if you will.
CC Okay, we're checking.
CC For your information, everything was looking
good to the INCO here like it was all going in. We're all
takin_ a look at it for you, Bill.
CC Bill, on panel 200 on the middle of the
right-hand side there, you've got one teleprinter circuit
breaker.
PLT It's closed. I'm going to take it out and
put it back in again, I mean the teleprinter head.
CC Okay.
PLT I'ii be turning the command switch off for
about 15 seconds.
CC Copy.
PLT Okay, Crip, try at i0 seconds again.
SL-IV MC-1562/2
Time: 06:19 CST 46:12:19 GMT
12/31/73

CC It's in work.
CC Bill, would you try slewing some of the
paper out for us, please?
CC Bill, would you try slewing some of the
paper out for us, please.
PLT I'm sorry, Crip, yes I did.
PLT It's already been done.
CC Okay.
CC I wonder while I'm pondering this problem
here with the teleprinter if Ed or somebody has got time to
copy down this first ATM pass.
PLT Okay, the woodpecker is working now.
SPT Stand by just a minute on that, Crip, I'll
be right with you.
CC Well_ okay, we may have it solved here.
PLT Some old stuff is coming through, Crip.
I noticed I had a piece of what looks like a JOP 18 Delta here,
but it Just picked up in the middle here and so forth, that's
when I came up here a minute ago. I came up early this morning
and there was nothing but blank paper. And after I told you
about the problem I came up here and there was a piece of a
message in there which I assume you couldn't have sent from the time
I told you about the problem until I got up here. And now some more
stuff is coming out but I don't think it's your test message.
CC Okayp we had a JOP 18D handy and we were
Just using that, Bill.
PLT Okay.
CC Okay. And we had sent a portion of a
message up there between the time you reported it to us and
before you got up there and that was an 18D also.
SPT Okay, and Crip, we do have the ATM schedule
that's 46_i1 AI. We got that last night.
CC Okay. I guess we probably need to understand
what youtve got on board then. Can you give us an idea what
the last thing you got on the teleprinter was. Have any way
of identifying that?
SPT Okay Crip, we've got a 46:33 Charlie, a
46:36 and a 46:37.
CC Okay, we copy that. 333 -
CDR And we all each of us have got our summaries
and details,
CC Rog.
PLT Crip, 46:14 Bravo i is comln_ through good.
CC Okay, that's what we're loading now.
CC Okayp I guess we_ve got it working again,
and we"ll have the INCO busy here trying to get the rest of
SL-IV MC-1562/3
Time: 06:19 CST 46:12:19 GMT
12/31/73

the pads up to you.


CC Bill, can you give us an idea of what changed
or what might have corrected the problem?
PLT Okay Crip, what happened was the paper roll
was put in upside down, and I wasntt sure we were getting it
(garble) or not. It looked llke we did not on all those messages
that came in last night except for the exceptions of the ones
that they've told you about. So the paper roll was inserted upside
down. l_m sure that was the problem.
CC Okay.
PLT 46:14 Bravo i came through loud and clear.
CC Okay. We're with you and we're sending.
CC Skylab, Houston, we're about 30 seconds
from LOS. We're going to see you again in 4 minutes over
Ascension. That's at 12:34.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1563/I
Time: 06:30 CST, 46:12:30 GMT
12/31/73

CDR Roger, Crlp.


CC We even have some music for you then.
CDR Neato.
PAO Skylab Control at 12 hours 32 minutes
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now over the
South Atlantic and is out of range of the tracking ship
Vanguard. Only about 2 minutes before our acquisition at
Ascension where we'll have a pass lasting a little less than
i0 minutes. Problem early this morning with the teleprinter
pad. Last night, the teleprinter was working fine but it - when it
reached paperlow level and the paper had to be replaced,
it was inserted upside down. And as a result, teleprinter
messages that were to have been sent up during the evening,
were not sent up and they're a little bit behind although
there's no problem, They have managed now to get up the
solar observations pad and they'll be sending up film thread
and pads for the comet observations this morning during this
next pass. That should get them well up to date so they
won't have any problem in keeping the crew informed. They
do have onboard already, a number of pads that were sent up
earl_er in the evening before the film - before the paper
low light was observed on the ground. So the paper was in-
serted upside down. It's now been put in properly and it's
working fine. Teleprinter messages going up as planned and
that's a big relief to some people in Mission Control. We're
a little concerned about the operation of that teleprinter
for a moment there. 55 seconds to acquisition of signal.
Bob Crlppen_ the spacecraft communicator. This pass will
last about l0 minutes.
CC (Music:) Skylab, this is Houston and we
wish you a very good morning. Crip has been so busy all
n_ght working for you that he asked me to wake you up while
he would have a little nap at his console. So it's time to
get up gentlemen and to enjoy the voice of my favorite singer.
Brigette Bardot. She sings "Come Back My Love," while all the
people of France, wish you a very, very happy New Year.
CC (Music)
CDR Thank you, Crip. Do you read?
CC Say again.
CDR I said, "What a pleasant way to wake up." We wish
to reciprocate in kind to the people of France.
CC Rog. Understand. That's kind of tough
after 46 days.
CDR You better believe it.
CC You guys got a little song you want to sing
back?
CDR Not over the loop.
CC Great.
SL-IV MC1563/2
Time: 06:30 CST, 46:12:30 GMT
12/31/73

CC And good news, for Edward. Since we haven't


got a med status pad up there for him, I think probably the
significant thing we ought to tell him is that he gets to take
two potassium pills this morning. I'm sure that'll make your
day, Ed.
SPT Crip, you cut off Just as you were telling
me the good news.
CC You shouldn't (laughter), you shouldn't have
told me that. I was telling you the good news was that you
get to take two potassium pills today.
SPT Try that again, Crip.
CC That's what I thought.
SPT Why all the tightness all of a sudden, Crlp?
CC Just trying to help you out, Ed. You know,
you haven't told me anything about my favorite subject in quite
a few days.
SPT Crip, they all must be resting for the big
show coming up. I'm not sure what's happened but they're all
dormant.
CC Old dormant, huh? Oh, well. I guess maybe
they're all resting over the holidays.
CC If the CDR's got an ear open, I can tell
h±m that _ what I hope is some good news. We now have scheduled
your day off as day 48, which is tomorrow, and we did that because
our early EREP for that day went away.
CDR They're going to let us rest after the New
Year_'s Eve celebration. Is that right?
CC No, I'm sorry. I've got you over - I got
my days all mixed up here sitting down here doing Flight Plans.
Day 48 is day after tomorrow.
CDR Rog. Copied.
CC One item in addition to that, we're currently
planning on having a live press conference on your - on your
day off. Setting up a little TV and sending up some questions
from the press for you.
CDR Roger. Understand, Crip.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1564/I
Time: 06:40 CST 46:12:40 GMT
12/31/73

CDR - - right next to the New Year's Eve


celebration, is that right?
CC No, I'm sorry, got you over - I got my
days all mixed up, sitting down here doing Flight Plans.
Day 48 is day after tomorrow.
CDR Roger; Copy.
CC One item in addition to that, we're
currently planning on having a live press conference on
your day off, setting up a little TV and setting up some
questions from the press for you.
CDR Roger. (Garble), Crip.
CC Skylab, Houston. Just so I didn't
confuse the issue. The way we'll be handling that press
conference is that whoever has the pleasure of sitting on
CAP COMM that day will be reading them up - readin_ the
questions to you.
CDR Roger. Understand.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're i minute from
LOS. We'll see yon again at Guam in 37 minutes at 13:20.
For your information we should now have on board both JOPISD
pads for today and the film thread pad.
CDR Roger, Crip.
PAO Skylab Control at 12 hours 45 minutes and
14 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now
crossing the coast of Africa. Itts 35 minutes before we'll
have our next acquisition of communication. That will be
at Guam. Skylab astronauts got up just before 6 a.m. central
standard time, this morning, with the music you just heard
replayed a few minutes ago. They'll be spending a long day
today studying the very quiet surface of the Sun, the speeding
comet Kohoutek, stars that are far out in space, the Earth's
upper atmosphere and their own physical condition after
6-I/2 weeks in space. While the rest of the world
prepares for a night of celebration, the astronauts Jerry Carr,
Ed Gibson and Bill Pogue will be at work until they float into
bed about i0 p.m. They'll be up tomorrow an hour earlier
than usual to scan the Earth with Skylab_s cameras and Earth
scanners. This morning, Ed Gibson will be pointing Skylab
solar telescopes at the comet Kohoutek_ which is being studied
intensively by the crew as it follows a looping course around
the Sun. During the afternoon Gibson will have his cardiovascular
system checked under the watchful eye of Bill Pogue. Also
scheduled today is S183, which is an observation of distant
stars and galaxies and S063, observations of ozone in the
upper atmosphere. This is Skylab Control. It's now 46-1/2
minutes after the hour.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1565/I
Time: 07:19 CST 46:13:19 GMT
12/31/73

PAO Skylab Control at 13 hours 19 minutes and


14 seconds. We have acquisition of signal at Guam for about
7 minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston. AOS Guam, 6-1/2 minutes.
CDR Roger, Crip.
CC All right, sounds like a woodpecker is
really pecking.
CDR (Garble) 30 seconds, now.
CC Rog. Ed, does this I know you're getting
ready to go to work there. But, is it convenient to talk to
you a little bit about a couple of items on your 18D?
SPT Yeah, I'm Just filling in the summary
sheet now. Go ahead.
CC Okay. I think it's obvious, but if you
notice from your summary sheet, we showed you eating in the
one night period there, and we don't see anything wrong with
you leaving the panel and going back and having chow when
you're off in the attitude, pointing at Kohoutek and I -
assuming that you concur with that.
SPT Yeah, that's no problem, Crip.
CC Okay, very good. Also, call your attention
to a note at the end of that pad, where you've only got 2 min-
utes between end of maneuver time and dump, so it's kind of
skosh on getting you strapped down for initalized and select
(garble) and so forth.
SPT So, the absolute time I can add 2 minutes
on the maneuver time and add that on to the time on which the
maneuver began and get the time in which the dump_s gonna
start. That's the thing that would be most useful to me,
Crip, so that I - could really have a good gouge, to make sure
I know when I got to hit that SI switch.
CC Okay, the way we calculate it is, we take
your time it says at hold, to go at hold, add your maneuver
time on to that, and and add go ahead - and add 2 minutes and that'll
be the t_me dump starts.
SPT Okay, that_ll be at 19:19, then. Thank
you, Crip.
CC That's correct. And_ while I've got you
here, Ed. Might mention your phone call_ set up this evening
at 23:16.
SPT Very good, thank you. 23:16.
CC And, Ed_ also regarding that dump commence
at _ if it's getting tight on the time it has to start and
you're attitude error hasn't gone all the way - exactly to
zero, _t_s okay to go akead and inltal_ze the strap down,
with a small[ amount of error in there.
SPT Okay, Crip. That's what I was thinking
SL-IV MC-1565/2
Time: 07:19 CST 46:13:19 GMT
12/31/73

in the back of my mind. Will do.


CC And, if the CDR is available, I'd might -
and also you, Ed, we might talk a little bit about maneuver
monitoring, which I think they brought up yesterday.
CDR Go ahead, Crip.
CC Okay, Jer. No - I think last time night
when I relieved Richard, he was getting a little bit hoarse,
because he talked so much, but one of the items that had been
sent up in the message D kinda buried in there a little bit,
was that we're ready to take you off of the monitoring the Z-LV
maneuvers and the corollary maneuvers to go look at Kohoutek.
And, we're planning on doing that, if you agree with it.
I guess, we'_re confident enough now from the modification we
made in the program where it doesn't go to TACS only auto-
matically when you're maneuvering and the fact that we've
learned a lot about it down here from studyin_ it that we
don't believe it _s really required, if you feel comfortable
with it.

CDR Okay, Crip. I think we're willing to


go along with that, too.
CC Okay. You can probably see that in
tomorrow's Flight Plan, then, where you guys - you and Bill
will be initiating the Z-LVs and so forth.
CDR Okay.
CC One other item there while I got you,
Jer, is we talked a little bit yesterday about turning off
lights and we promised to send you a little note to - as to
when you need to start that to catch the high Beta period.
If, in the meantime you do go ahead and initiate turning off
more lights during the - when you're up, during the day, than
you told us about previously, we would appreciate knowing it.
So it - sort of helps us keep track of what's happening
thermally.
CDR Okay, we sure will.
CC Appreciate it.
CDR Anything for the boys back home.
CC You're so sweet to us.
CDR Well, when you get us up with that nice
French music I guess we got to do something nice for you.
CC We appreciate it. I am informed, although
it's definitely too technically complicated for me to under_
stand_ that you guys are now in Year 1974. And, very shortly
you're going to get to come back into 1973. And, throughout
the day, I guess, you're going to get to go in and out of
New Year about 16 times. So celebrate with everything you
got on board to celebrate with.
CDR We'll never be able to walk home.
CC I didn't think you were doing much walking
SL-IV MC-1565/3
Time: 07:19 CST 46:13:19 GMT
12/31/73

up there. We're about 45 seconds from LOS. Next station


contact is ever Vanguard in 31 minutes, at 13:58 and we'll
be scheduling another data/voice recorder dump there.
CDR Roger.
CC By the way, Happy New Year.
CDR Happy New Year, to you, Crip, and all
the crimson troups.
CC Thank you.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1566/I
Time: 07:27 CST, 46:13:27 GMT
12/31/73

PAO Skylab Control at 13 hours 28 minutes


Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now passed out
of range of the tracking antenna on Guam. 29_i/2 minutes to
our next acquisition at Vanguard. Spacecraft communicator
Bob Crippen wishing the crew a Happy New Year as they pass
over a time zone that happens to be in 1974 all ready. Skylab
crew will be in 1974 for about a 15 minute period. They went
into it about 13:20 Greenwich mean time and they've moved - well
moved back out of it now as they cross the International Date-
line, just a few minutes after their loss of signal at Guam.
They'll be making that cross, as Bob Crlppen pointed out, about
16 times during the day as they move in and out of 1974. This
is the first time Skylab or other space crew from the United
States has ever crossed the New Year's mark in space and gives
an interesting problem to those who llke to calculate the
time zones of the world. Officially, of course, the Skylab
clock is Greenwich mean time clock and that reads 13:29 at
this time. This is Skylab Control.
PAO Skylab Control at 13 hours 56 minutes
and 41 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station,
off the coast of Chile, is about to be acquired through the
traokin_ ship Vanguard. The pass through Vanguard should
last a little more than ii minutes. Spacecraft communicator
now on duty is Karl Henlze as he's taken over from Bob Crlppen
here in Mission Control. Flight Director Nell Hutchinson now
replacing offgoing Flight Director Don Puddy.
CC Skylab, this is Houston through Vanguard
for ii minutes.
SPT Morning, Karl.
CC Good morning and we are dumping tape re-
corders at the moment or during this pass and we'd also llke
to have the DAS.
SPT Okay. You've got the DAS, and Jerry was
doing the TV session with the tape recorder right now. Would
you like him to press on?
CC Yes, press on.
SPT Karl, if you dump the tape recorders right
now, he'll wreck TV 78.
CC I understand.
CDR How much VTR have we got? A full roll?
CC Press ahead and we do have a full roll.
CDR Okay and I'ii call you Just as soon as I'm
through with the recorder.
CC Okay. Thank you.
CC Skylab, you can have the DAS back. That
was a NuZ update. NuZ looks good.
SPT Okay. Thank you, Karl. That must have
SL-IV MC1566/2
Time: 07:27 CST, 46:13:27 GMT
12/31/73

been a very small update. Experiment roll was changed only by


2 arc-minutes.
CC Okay.
CC Skylab, we note that you have a fire
sensor kicked out up there.
CDR Roger. We're checking it out.
PLT It was the one pointed at the trash airlock.
CC Say again.
PLT Rog, Houston. Looks like the spurious alarm.
I switched t:o BUS 2 on the 619 sensor and it's gone away.
CC Okay. Thank you.
PLT Okay, and just for confirmation, I'm going
to switch back to BUS i momentarily and then back to BUS 2.
So you'll probably see the alarm reinitiated.
CC Okay, Bill. Thank you. We got I minute
to LOS.
PLT Back on BUS i and nothing's happening. I
get a - I have an idea that it maybe a good idea to go down
and look in the plenum area. That thing is pointed to trash
airlock. I don't know how XUV could get to that metal but
it's a thought.
CC Okay. We have about 20 seconds to LOS.
We'll see you at Ascension in about 3 minutes. And at Ascen-
sion, we would like to dump the rate - tape recorder if we
can.
SPT Roger, Karl. Jerry's all through with it.
Thank you.
CC Okay.
PLT Roger. And ground, that's 619-1. The previous
pointing I gave you was incorrect.
CC We read that.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1567/I
Time: 08:09 CST 46:14:09 GMT
12/31/73

PAO Skylab Control at 14 hours i0 minutes


Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station now off the coast
of Brazil, has passed out of range of the tracking ship
Vanguard. We're about a minute and a half to our next
acquisition at Ascension. We_ll have a long pass through
Ascension, Canary Island, and Madrid, It_ll last approximately
18 minutes. During this last pass, while Commander Carr was
doing some television out the window of the Falkland Current
of the coast of Argentina, Bill Pogue was checking out a fire
sensor cautlon warning that was going off inside the workshop.
It went off in midpass, the crew has checked it out. Bill
Pogue said that originally that it was one pointing at the trash
airlock, but apparently at the very end of the pass seemed
to be correcting that statement. He said that he changed
over to a second electrical circuit and the caution and
warning went off. He then went back to the original electrical
circult_ again there was no caution and warning, but, he is
making a checkout of the fire sensor to determine whether
there's any problem. We're coming up on acquisition of signal.
We'll bring the line up llve, now.
CC Skylab, Houston, with you over
Ascension, for the next 8 minutes.
PLT Roger, Karl. We have no more indication
there's no indication of any problem at all. We'll keep
looking.
CC Thank you very much for the news.
CC (Garble)
PLT I guess it's the sensor that's pointed over
towards the metabolic analizer, and there's nothing in that area that
looks llke there's any problem.
CC Okay, and the people down here note that
we are in the South Atlantic Anomoly, which might have some-
thing to do with the problem.
CDR Okay, we thought maybe it was just Bill
pedaling too hard.
CC (Laughter)
PLT I stopped pedaling mighty fast, I'll tell
you that.
CC Yep.
CC And we will be dumping tape recorders,
unless you have a conflict up there.
CDR Roger; Karl. No conflict.
CC Thank you.
CDR Houston, CDR.
CC Go ahead, CDR.
CDR Okay, on the tail end of this tape I
was recording is the fire alarm_ if you're interested in
l_stenlng to it. You can hear the CDR become completely
SL-IV MC-1567/2
Time: 08:09 CST 46:14:09 GMT
12/31/73

discombobulated and forget what he was talking about.


CC Okay, that'll be an interesting sequence.
CDR I was busy waxing philosophical about
sun glint and glitter on the ocean and all of a sudden the
alarm went off.
CC We understand your concern. We felt that
way down here too.
CC Is the Humble Current beautiful this morning?
CDR Karl_ for the Earth observation people.
The confluence of the South Equatoral and Falkland Currents
was very weak today. I found sort of a vestige of it and I
hope it's dlscernable on television. But, it was nowhere
as good as the opportunity we had earlier.
CC Righto. Thanks for trying.
CDR And the west coast of South America,
the Chilean coastal islands was completely clouded over so
we missed our opportunity to show the Humble Current.
CC Okay, we copy that.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're going to have a
1-minute dropout_ between Ascension and Canaries. We'll be
with you again in about 1 minute and a half.
CC Skyla5, Houston. With you through
Canaries and Madrid for the next 9 minutes.
CDR Roger.
CC Ed, I hate to interrupt you, but if you've
got a pencil, l've got some Instructions on XUV monitor door,
which we_ll have to have you handle this time around.
SPT All right, Karl, go ahead.
CC Okay. We're not able to handle the door
down here during the JOP 18, so we'll have to have you do the
following. This is at the end of your 13:48 pass. Configure
the one you're in now. Configure the XUV monitor door as
follows: DAS 40005 82B prl primary/monltor.
MCC Thatls what that does.
CC Okay. XUV monitor door closed. Wait
for the barber pole, about i0 seconds, then DAS 40026. This
will INHIBIT the 82B DOOR.
SPT Okay, I guess what we first do is turn
the door on with the 40005_ CLOSE the DOOR and get a barber pole,
and then a 40026, cut the motor off.
CC That's correct.
CC And, be sure this is performed after
40-K so that computer signal does not CLOSE the 82B DOOR.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1568/I
Time: 08:25 CST, 46:14:25 GMT
12/31/73

CC This will inhibit the 82B door.


SPT Okay. I guess what we first do is turn
the DOOR on with a 40005. CLOSE the door and get a barberpole
and then a 40036, cut the motor off.
CC That's correct. And be sure this is
performed after 40-K so that computer signal does not CLOSE
the 82B DOOR.
SPT And you gave me a time of 13:48. What
is that in reference to?

CC This is just at the end of your current


ATM pass - that's the pass you're in right now is the 13:48
pass.
SPT Okay.
CC And just a reminder, of course, the 82B
door and the XUV MONITOR DOOR are operating together and that's
the reason we want you to wait until after the 40-K.
SPT Okay, Karl. Will do.
CC Skylab, Houston. i minute to LOS. We'll
pick you up over Guam at 14_55. •
PAO Skylab Control at 14 hours 31 minmtes
Greenwich mean time. Skylah space station is now over the
Mediterranean, just south of Italy and out of range of the
tracking antenna at Madrid. 24-1/2 minutes remaining before
we'll have acquisition again in Guam. During this last pass,
problem with the fire sensor was apparently solved. There
was no indication that the fire sensor was anything but a
spurious signal, although the crew indicated they were a
little bit upset by it and it certainly was a change in the tone
of Bill Pogue's voice during the Vanguard pass when that signal
went off. Gerald Carr was kidding the ground that they thought
maybe Bill had been pedaling too fast. The general area of
the - in which the sensor was pointed, originally reported
as the trash airlock, was, in fact, the metabolic analyser, which
is associated with the bicycle. However, apparently there
is no indication or any overheating in that area or any - any
high temperatures and also - Gerald Cart who had been
photographing the Falkland Current off the coast of Argentina,
said that he had some difficulty seeing the Falkland-Equitorial
confluence, where two currents go together. But he did attempt
to photograph it. He said it was much weaker than he'd seen it on
previous days, and he said there will be a good opportunity
for people that listen to that tape and hear the change in
his voice as the fire sensor goes off. This is Skylab Control.
23 minutes to our next acquisition of signal. It's now 32
minutes and 26 seconds after the hour.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1569/I
Time: 08:54 CST 46:14:54 GMT
12/31/73

PAO Skylab Control at 14 hours 54 minutes and


35 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station just off
the coast of China is about to be acquired through the track-
ing antenna on Guam. The pass over Guam will last about
9-1/2 minutes. Spacecraft communicator, right now, is Karl
Henize. Here in Mission Control, the Flight Director is
getting a report on tomorrow's Earth resources pass
which is expected to cover from the southern part of South
America across the Atlantic Ocean to North Africa. We'll
bring the line up live for air-to-ground over Guam.
CC Skylab. This is Houston, through Guam
for 9 minutes.
PLT Rog; Karl.
SPT Hello, Karl. I have a question for you
on the JOP 18D pad, step 27.
CC Okay, go ahead.
SPT 52 option A, truncated 13. Yesterday I
made the assumption that 13 meant whether that time was after
the building block began. And, now I interpret that's the
only way it can be. Yesterday, I think I was wrong. Yesterday
the truncate was for GMT, would you tell me explicitly what
that 13 is. It must be after the building block began, but
I'd like to make sure.
CC Okay. Stand by.
CC Ed, the S052 truncate means stop at 13
minutes after you've started it, which was the beginning of
this data take.
SPT Okay, and that's the format that will
always be in from now on, I assume.
CC Okay.
SPT Thank you.
CC How else do I control my volume, on the
one I'm punched up on?
CC Skylab, Houston. 1 minute to LOS. We'll
see you over Vanguard at 15:35, about 30 minutes.
SPT Roger, Karl. So long.
CC So long.
PAO Skylab Control at 15 hours 5 minutes and
50 seconds Greenwich mean time. We've now gone out of range
of the tracking antenna on Guam. Our next acquisition is half
an hour away at Vanguard. The very end of that pass spacecraft
communicator Karl Henize, by accident, punchin_ up on the
air.to.ground loop rather than talking on to one of the people
here in Mission Control about his - some problems with his
volume. This is Skylab Control. It's now 6 minutes and
13 seconds after the hour.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1570/I
Time: 09:34 CST, 46:15:34 GMT
12/31/73

PAO Skylab Control at 15 hours 34 minutes and


52 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now
just off the coast of Chile, about to be acquired through the
ship Vanguard. We're now 50 seconds from acquisition there.
We will have about an 8-1/2 minute pass. Spacecraft communi-
cator is Karl Henize, scientist-astronaut who's also one of
the principle investigators on Skylab astronomical experiment.
Flight Director on duty here in Mission Control now is Nell
Hutchinson. We're live now for air,to,ground through the
Vanguard tracking ship.
CC Skylab, Houston through Vanguard for the
next 8 minutes,
CDR Roger, Karl. And for scheduling purposes
on the JOP 18 Deltas tomorrow, if your detail folks haven't got
too far along, I think Ed and I think that he can probably
drop the maneuver monitor out of JOP 18D as well. That'll
pick up about 3/4 of a man hour.
CC Excellent. Thank you for that news.
CDR Houston, CDR.
CC Go ahead, Jerry.
CDR Okay. I see we also have an EREP coming
up tomorrow and pursuant to our discussion last night, I
think that you could probably drop the EREP prep down to
one hour instead of 1-1/2 hours,
CC Excellent. Thank you again.
CC Skylab, Houston. i minute to LOS. We'll
see you over the Canarys at 15:55.
CDR Roger.
PAO Skylab Control at 15 hours 45 minutes
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station over Brazil has
passed out of range of the tracking ship Vanguard. i0_i/2
minutes to our next acquisition at Canary Islands. At the
present time, here in Mission Control_ a review is being
made of weather conditions for tomorrow's Earth resources
pass, which will begin off the southern coast of Chile and
cross the very tip of South America. It will also cover the
area of the Falkland Current along the coast of Argentina
and will continue across the Atlantic Ocean, to cross a
good part of North Africa. That Earth resources pass will require
the crew to get up early tomorrow morning. At the present,
the Flight Plan calls them to get up at 4:45 a.m. central
standard time. That's an hour and a quarter earlier than
usual. That's bein_ considered right now and there may be
some changes made to that; but it looks like an hour and a
quarter before their usual wakeup'time. If the Earth
resources pass goes as planned tomorrow, that will begin a -
pattern of early wakeups, correction being made for daylight
SL-IV MC1570/2
Time: 09:34 CST, 46:15:34 GMT
12/31/73

savings time, which begins about a week from now. That means
that for the next several days, the crew will be waking up
or have a standard wakeup time of 5 a.m. centeral standard
time rather than the 6 a.m. time they've been waking up so
far. On January 2nd, just a couple days from now, we'll have
a crew day off, and the crew will be allowed to sleep then two
hours later than normal, which will then be 7 o'clock in the
morning. That January 2nd, there will also be a crew press
conference, the the midmission press conference, on the crew
day off, and newsmen who are selecting press questions will
be meeting today at i p.m. in building i in the briefing room.
Agaln_ that's newsmen selecting questions for the press con-
ference to be held on January 2, should be in the building
i briefing room today at i p.m. Those newsmen wishing to make inputs
to the press conference should either call Howard Benedict of
the Associated Press at area code 713_333_3535; that's Howard
Benedict of AP at 333-3535 in the Houston area; or they may
call the News Center here at Johnson Space Center to make
inputs to the press conference on January 2. Newsmen will
be selecting those press questions today at 1 p.m. central
standard time. Again, the early wakeups will begin tomorrow
for the Earth resources pass_ particularly, which will cover
the South American tip and an area of the Falkland Current off
the coast of South America in the Atlantic Ocean and then will
cross the Atlantic and cover areas of north Africa at the
end of the pass, a very extended pass from the tip of South
America to the northern part of north Africa. 8 minutes to
our next acquisition of signal at Canary Islands. 47-1/2
minutes after the hour. This is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1571/I
Time: 09:54 CST 46:15:54 GMT
12/31/73

PAO Skylab Control at 15 hours 54-1/2 minutes


Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now 54 seconds
from acquisition at Canary Island. We'll have a pass through
Canary Island and Madrid that will last approximately 15
minutes. Just as I was talking to you at the end of
the last pass we had a change to a 5 a.m. wake up time tomorrow.
That's the revised time and the permanent time for wake up now
until daylight savings time officially goes into effect in
January. We'll bring the line up llve now for air-to-ground
through Canary Island and Madrid.
CC Skylab, Houston. Standing by over Canaries
and Madrid for the next - for the next 13 minutes. We will
be driv - dumping recorders over Madrid, but this will not
interfere with 183 recording.
PLT Rog, Karl.
CC And, Ed, if we could get the DAS for
about 30 seconds, we'd like to have it.
SPT Roger, Karl. You have it.
CC Thank you.
CC The DAS is yours, Ed.
SPT Thank you, Karl.
CC Ed, we'd llke to have a grating position
of 678 on S055.
SPT Okay, Karl.
SPT Karl, that was not an oversight. They
really had not gotten that much time at 77. Because it took a little
time to get the maneuver at time remaining at 25 squared away
and make sure we were in the right point or (garble) close to
it.
CC Okay, Ed, we understand.
CC Jerry, if you can listen for a moment,
I got a comment on scheduling in the future.
CDR Go ahead, Karl. We're listening.
CC Okay. The first point of logic is that
we have early EREPs on day 47. That's tomorrow_ and day
49, i January and 3 January. Second point of logic is that
daylight savings time is starting down here in the good old
USA, on the 6th of January. And, we do plan that both we
and you will go on daylight savings time. Since we have the
early EREP starting tomorrow, a couple of them in a row,
there. It seems logical to us to start daylight savings time
effective tomorrow, and work on through the schedule that
way for the next week, And, for the rest of the mission
of course, and this would mean that your work day would begin
at ii_00 GMT and end at 03:00 GMT. 1 hour early going to
bed and getting up.
CC You have any - -
CDR That's okay with us, I don't see that it
SL-IV MC-1571/2
Time: 09:54 CST 46:15:54 GMT
12/31/73

makes any difference.


CC Okay, thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston. 1 minute to LOS. We'll
see you next over Honeysuckle in about 35 minutes.
PAO Skylab Control at 16 hours i0 minutes
and 30 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station
is now over eastern Europe and 33 minutes from our next
acquisition of communication, that will be at Honeysuckle
Creek. During this last pass Karl Henize informed the
crew that because of early Earth resources passes on January
1 and January 3, ground forces have decided that it would
be desirable to move into that daylight saving time a little
earlier than January 6, so the crew will be going on day
light savings time, starting tomorrow morning. At which time
they_ll start a schedule that will get them up at ii o'clock
Greenwich mean time and they'll go to bed at 3 o'clock Green-
wich mean time. That's an hour earlier than their present
schedule and of course that means 5 a.m. central standard
time through January 6 and then of course 6 a.m. central
daylight time from then on. Tomorrow's Earth resources pass
that is scheduled to go from the southern tip of South America
to North Africa and includes the Falkland current which was
televised earlier today, or recorded on the video tape
recorder by Commander Carr. He said that the confluence of
that - of the Falkland current and the Equatorial current
was not so obvious as it had been on earlier days, but he
hopes that the TV will show some of that. And, he did that
earlier this morning. There will be a press conference with
the crew on January 2nd. That's the crew day off, day after
tomorrow and crew _ newsmen who were selecting questions for
that will meet today at 1 p.m. in Building I, briefing room.
Anyone who would like to put an input into that should call
Howard Benedict at the AP at 333-3535 or the Johnson Space
Center News Center, here at 483_5111, the area code is 713.
Wake up again tomorrow will be at 5 a.m. central standard
time or ii o"clock Greenwich mean time. That's an hour
earlier than it has been for most of the mission. This is
Skylab Control. We're 31 minutes and 9 seconds from our
next acquisition of signal. It's now 12_i/2 minutes after
the hour.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1572/I
Time: 10:42 CST, 46:16:42 GMT
12/31/73

PAO Skylab Control at 16 hours 42-1/2 minutes


Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now over northern
part of Australia, about 52 seconds from acquisition through
Honeysuckle. The pass through Honeysuckle Creek will last
about 8 minutes. The spacecraft communicator is Karl Henlze
and the Flight Director on duty now is Nell Hutchinson.
MCC Skylab, Houston with the ATM conference
for 8 minutes and we need the DAS here for a couple of seconds.
SPT Good morning, Bill. The DAS is yours.
Go ahead.
MCC Okay, Ed. Got a couple quick things for
you before we talk S054, if you're ready for that. The -
SPT Go ahead.
MCC Okay. The sun that you're looking at,
obviously i_ quiet Sun and will be for quite awhile. Our
forecast for the next 7 days reflects that, where we will
be doing some comet ops - synoptic ops and quiet Sun operations.
Starting day after tomorrow, for 3 consecutive days, we
will take two 82 Bravo limb exposures essentially an entire
orbit long, taking advantange of the fast i01 film that they
have before that is gone. And other than that, will be just
normal quiet: sun operations and the DAS is yours again now.
A word from S055 on comet operations and observations here.
To date, they have seen only Lyman-alpha. They find it on the
order of 3 to i0 times lower than they expected, indicating
that it is not optically thick. They see no indication of
any other lines - that means no counts at all. They do have
slightly increased detector noise to the increased heating
being 5 to ]0 degrees off the Sun. So the message there is
they see only Lyman-alpha, not very much of that and when
they do see that, that's the entire 5-minute by 5-minute field.
And let's see _ that concludes what I had other than S054,
so let me turn it to you for a minute here. Over.
SPT Okay. First, back on 55, were they able
to see in the mirror auto rasters that the source was pretty much
isolated so that they felt we were really looking at the
nucleus from one time to another?
MCC Negative. My understanding is that when
they see the comet, it's in the entire field of view. That's
5 arc minutes by 5 arc minutes and they have to compare 118
Delta with another one in order to see that they do have an
increase as the comet was getting hotter.
SPT Okay. In all of the pointing, which I've
been doing, l've been getting a feeling that the uncertainty
in the pointing towards the nucleus is something like two to three
un±ts in octal. So I would not be suprised if some of the
times they%re really looking at the coma and not the nucleus.
SL-IV MC1572/2
Time: 10:42 CST, 46:16:42 GMT
12/31/73

MCC Okay, and we may never know till the mission's


over and we get to look at the film.
SPT Yeah. The white light coronagraph display
is - will get you close to it but we can't do any real fine
tuning.
MCC Understand.
SPT Okay. Let me talk about 54. I read over
them all and we're all think that they're good ideas as far
as the intent and we're willing to give them all a go. But
there are some things which we ought to think out a little
bit more though and that is first of all, the use of the timer
and a lot of that depends upon what is the accuracy required
in these exposures. If we could use the event timer, we could
get a very good - a high degree of accuracy of course. But a good
part of the time that's tied up with 82A or B. If we end up using
either the egg timer or the wristwatch, writing down the numbers,
then the uncertainty, the accuracy goes way down like a
17-mlnute exposure could come up to be 18, 19 or 16. I think
that's the biggest thing. And the second one, is how do we
make all these building block 30 changes? We have to figure
a streamlined way of doing that or there's going to be a
lot of crew time misused there. The thing about the grating
axis _ I think I need a little further explanation on just what
we really need to be doing in that pointing and I understood
what came up in the way of a photograph or in the way of a
picture, but I'm not quite clear that we need even a picture
rather than Just a double headed arrow indicating the direction
of the grating axis. And also, I noticed that most of the
exposures specify at least 17 minutes and I'm wondering whether
something on the order of i0 minutes if we happen to have a
shot at it -say in a shopping list item like I did this
morning whether it might not be useful to give it to them. I
did not this morning but I certainly could have.
MCC Okay, Ed. Thanks for your comments. Let
me answer a few of them here. On the timer, we realize the
potential problems there. Right now, I don't have a good
answer for whether 16 to 18, 19 minutes is good enough. I
guess I had thought we would probably operate that similar to
the way we would operate the 56 long exposures when 82 Alfa
or Bravo were using the event timer. The technique I used
in training was to write down the start time based in orb
phase timing since I found I kept referring to that time to
see how I was doing and then to compute the time that I needed
to stop it. Write that down and found that I was referring
to that orb phase timing often enough that I didn't miss the
off times very much. That's one thought to think about. Our
thoughts on actually implementing the changes in the building
SL-IV MC1572/3
Time: 10:42 CST, 46:16:42 GMT
12/31/73

block, we tried to construct the little things that are in-


side the stars for you to cut out, to be three lines long
feeling that this was the right length that you could cut
out, take your tape and tape it over on top of the JOP sheet
itself and then wind up with a consistency much like the
corona tape for writing on and erasing after the fact. We
thought we would send up for a given building block, for in-
stance, it might appear on four or five JOP pages, we would send
up four or five of these little cutouts for you to paste on each
page and it would take more time to begin with but once the
changes were implemented, then we felt we would be done with
it forever. Over.
SPT Okay. My thought on that one is we're
running low on tape up here. We only had two rolls to begin
with. I think it'd be useful if you could make that so that
as small as possible and we could cross out the remainder of
what is not covered up and so we could use the smallest amount
of tape as possible. In other words, make it so that one -
the width of the tape will cover the total thing which we
tape up. It's a small point, but it's going to get to us.
MCC Okay. Understand. We'll be working on
that today to see how we can pretty these up. Would you like
us to prepare another preliminary message and send it up for
you to talk about or just to put it into final form and send it
up? Over.
SPT As far as the content of what's being done
here, I think we all agree with it. I don't think you need
to go through another whole long series like that. However, if
you want, you can send up a trial - in other words, just for
one building block, a couple of samples, and - before you go
on off and do a i00 or whatever is required and then we can
talk about that.
MCC Okay, Ed. We'll do that and we're about
l0 seconds from LOS here. Bermuda is next in 36 minutes. Over.
SPT Okay. Thank you, Bill. l've got a corona -
a comet back in the display here and l'm going to get back to
work. Thank you.
MCC Good enough. We'll talk to you tomorrow
and it'll be tomorrow at about 24:00 is the only time we can
work in. See you then.
SPT Thanks Bill. So long.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1573/I
Time: 10:51 CST 46:16:51 GMT
12/31/73

CC - - okay, understand. We'll be working


on that today to see how we can pretty these up. Would you
like us to prepare another preliminary message and send it
up for you to talk about, or Just to put it into final form
and send it up? Over.
SPT As far as the content of what's being
done here, I think we all agree with it. I don't think you
need to go through another whole long series llke that. _ow_
ever, if you want you can send up a trial, in other wordsj
just for one building block, a couple samples. And, before
you go on off and do the I00 or whatever is required and then
we can talk about that.
MCC Okay, Ed. We'll do that and we're about
10 seconds from LOS here. Bermuda is next in 36 minutes.
Over.
SPT Okay, thank you, Bill. I got a craw
a comet back in the display here and I got to get back to
work. Thank you.
MCC Good enough. We'll talk to you tomorrow
and it'll be tomorrow at about 24:00 is the only time we can
work in. See youthen.
SPT Thanks, Bill. So long.
PAO Skylab Control at 16 hours 2-1/2 minutes
Greenwich mean time. During this last pass over Honeysuckle
scientist astronaut Bill Lenolr was here in Mission Control
to discuss the ATM operations, the solar instruments with the
science pilot of the Skylab mission, Ed Gibson. Bill Lenolr
comes in regularly once every day for a science conference
on the ATM instruments and that was - included today a dis_
cussion of a number of things that have been occupying the
minds on the ground and on members of the crew. One of the
thinks mentioned was the performance of the S055 instrument
which is one Skylab device that gives immediate data on the
ground. Information is transmitted by S055 electronically.
It's recorded and then transmitted later by telemetry to
ground and then brought back into Mission Control. Indications
so far on the data from $055 are that the comet is showing
only in the Lyman-alpha range, which indicates that the
only thing visible is one particular energy shift taking place
in hydrogen atoms. And, that level was well below what was
expected in terms of the brightness of the Lyman-alpha shift.
Also increased heating due to the detectors being pointed
away from the Sun, seems to have given a lot more noise to
the instrument. Several days ago when the first data was
coming in on the comet_ some of the scientist here in Mission
Control thought that there might be indications of other
materials being reflected from the comet _s surface. But, as it
SL-IV MC-1573/2
Time: 10:51 CST 46:16:51 GMT
12/31/73

turns out, that was just a higher noise level that's apparently
associated with the higher temperature of the instrument and
the detectors. Gibson says that it could well be that the
data being gathered is in fact data on the coma of the comet,
that is to say the large could of gases that surround the
head of the comet, rather than the nucleus, the small object
that in fact produces all the gases in the tail. The nucleus
itself is only about 25 miles across. The ground team is
unable really to determine what they're looking at all over -
the observation shows an area that's 5 arc minutes on a
side, and that's a very large area, about 130,000 miles
on each side square view and that's part of the raster of
the instrument; and apparently there are no sharp indications
of differences which would indicate that perhaps they're
looking at a larger surface than merely the nucleus.
the Skylah crew is spending a good part of today
looking at the comet. They're also - have been watchln_ the
ground. Last night Commander Gerald Carr took some time
to look at BaJa California in the Los Angeles Basin area.
Commander said on the tape message returned to the ground
early this morning that during the evening he looked at the
Los Angeles Basin because that area is home for him. He was
trying to see the San Andreas Fault at the same time. He
said, "Quite frankly I was like a dog in a butcher shop. I
didn't know which way to turn". And, the pilot was with him.
They had both the Hasselblad and the 300-millimeter telephoto
lens for the Nikon. They took some pictures with both.
They I believe they saw the San Andreas Fault very
very plainly, had no doublt about where it was. And he said,
however he could like to take a couple of more looks at it
to make sure that he wasn't mistaking another fault in that
area. But, he said he wasn't able to see nearly as much in
the Baja California region. They took a number of pictures
of Los Angeles and Orange Country area with the Hasselblad
camera, the 70-millimeter camera. And, also they took some
of the northern end of Baja California. Using a 300-millimeter
lens they should get some very detailed pictures of the Los
Angeles area. The Nikon was used on the Los Angeles Basin
for a couple of shots. And they have on previous days taken
p_ctures of a number of other areas, but, one other thin_
they took yesterday, was of the Grand Canyon area. They took
two p_ctures o2 the Grand Canyon. They attempted to find Phoenix
but didn't have any luck there. They did say they saw the
Meteor Crater. They photographed a couple of nights ago,
the area around Miami, using that same 300-millimeter lens,
w[_Jich g_ves very excellent pictures of using telephoto lenses
that gives a very good close-up of cities. However, that of
course doesn)t compare in resolution quality with the high
SL-IV MC-1573/3
Time: 10:51 CST 46:16:51 GMT
12/31/73

quality Earth resources camera that are carried on Skylab.


Earth resources passes begin again tomorrow with an early
morning Earth resources pass over the southern tip of South
America, the Atlantic Ocean, and North Africa. 30 minutes
to our next acquisition of signal. This is Skylab Control
with 57 minutes and 15 seconds after the hour.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1574/I
Time: 11:26 CST, 46:17:26 GMT
12/31/73

PAO Skylab Control at 17 hours 26 minutes and


25 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now
just off the north coast of South America. About 50 seconds
from acquisition of signal through the Bermuda tracking antenna.
The pass through Bermuda will last about 7 minutes. It's a
rather low-elevation pass so we may have some problem with
communications there. Spacecraft communicator is Karl Henize.
CC Skylab, Houston standing by for the next
6 minutes and we would like to dump tapes at this station.
CC Skylab, Houston. We have 1 minute to LOS.
We pick you up over the Canaries in a minute and a half from
now.

PAO Skylab Control at 17 hours 35 minutes


Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now out of
range of the Bermuda tracking antenna but about 30 seconds
from acquisition of signal through Canary Island. This
pass through Canary Island also goes through Madrid, an
overlapping pass lasting approximately ii minutes. We'll
leave the line up live for air-to-ground and Karl Henize.
CC Skylab, Houston standing by for ii minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston standing by for ii minutes
and we'd like to have the DAS as soon as possible.
CDR You've got it, Karl.
SPT Hey, Karl. I inadvertently just started an
entry forgetting you guys had the DAS. Are you still working
with it?
CC Yes, yes we are, Ed. Hang on a moment if
you can.
SPT Okay. Better give it a 5240.
CC Go ahead and finish your job, Ed.
CC Ed, we're standing by for you to finish
your work up there and then we'll get in again.
SPT Okay. I'm done, Karl. Thank you.
CC Okay. We'll take it over again.
CC The DAS is yours, Ed.
SPT Thank you.
CC Skylab, Houston. 1 minute to LOS. We'll
see you at Carnarvon at 18:12.
SPT Talk to you then, Karl.
PAO Skylab Control at 17 hours 47 minutes and
41 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now
over eastern Europe out of range of the tracking antenna at
Madrid. It's now 24 minutes to our next acquisition at
Carnarvon. Earlier today, the Mission Control Flight Manage-
ment team meeting, indicated that some revision again had
been made to the thrnster attitude control system measurements
of total gas usage. Spacewalk on Christmas day, now rated at
SL-IV MC1574/2
Time: 11:26 CST, 46:17:26 GMT
12/31/73

3869 pound-seconds, 3869 pound-seconds of TACS gas used on


Christmas clay. And on the second space walk, on December 29,
3602 pound-seconds is the revised figure. That's slightly
revised downwards since the last measurement and that will
of course_ continue to be measured as temperature and pressure
stabilize in the thruster attitude control system nitrogen
tanks. Yesterday, a total of 352 pound-seconds were used.
That was substantially above the estimated 45 pound-seconds
due to a miscalculation in the maneuver required. At the
current time, the remaining amount of TACS gas is something
in the neighborhood of 18,642 pound-seconds. That does, of
course, vary from day to day depending on temperature and
pressure considerations. The red light for the mission is
6,000 pound-seconds so that leaves something over 12,000
pound-seconds of gas remaining for future maneuvers. 23
minutes to our next acquisition of signal. This is Skylab
Control at 49 minutes and 9 seconds after the hour.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1575/I
Time: 12:1i CST 46:18:11 GMT
12/31/73

PAO Skylab Control at 18 hours ii minutes


Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now 56 seconds
from acquisition of signal through the Carnarvon, Australia
tracking antenna. This pass through Carnarvon and also
Honeysuckle, with a brief interruption between the two, should
last a total[ of approximately 15 minutes. We'll bring the
line up live now for air-to-ground and Karl Henize, the
spacecraft communicator.
CC Skylab, Houston. Standing by over
Carnarvon for the next 15 minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston. We'd like to have the
DAS, if possible, please.
SPT Roger, Karl. You have it.
CC Roger.
CC The DAS is yours, Ed.
SPT Thank you, Karl.
CC Ed, we've noted a little conflict in
your detail Flight Plan there and we'd llke to point out to
you that item at 19:13 is non-time-critlcal. And that we
certainly don't want to cut into your JOP 18 maneuver. You
can put that off tll 19:17, 19:18, something llke that.
Whatever you need.
SPT Roger, Karl. I've been trying to take
a whack at it already and as soon as I get a recorder I'ii
be going on it.
CC Right.
CC Skylab_ Houston. 1 minute to LOS. We'll
see you over MILA at 19:00 and we will be wanting to dump
voice tapes at that location.
PAO Skylab Control at 18 hours 28 minutes and
46 seconds Greenwich mean time. 30-1/2 minutes to our next
acquisition of signal at Merritt Island, Florida. Very quiet
pass over tile Australian continent during this last 15-minute
period. Skylab crew moving along smoothly today. A wide
variety of activities on their Flight Plan, including M092
lower body negative pressure run on Science Pilot Ed Gibson, who is
this morning occupied at the solar instrument panel. Dr.
Gibson a solar physicist, who is the author of "The Quiet Sun."
Due to solar disk which is virtually free of major storm
centers at this time. Later he used the same solar instruments to
point at the comet Kohoutek and gather additional photography
and data on the comet. During the remainder of the day there're
also atmospheric operations scheduled for S063 on observation
of the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere. And, also a
approximately at this time we have a - should have just about
completed the S183 operations. That's looking at distant
star fields in the ultraviolet light band. That was Pilot
B_II Pogue_s duty today. Half a hour to our next acquisition
of signal. This is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1576/I
Time: 12:58 CST, 46:18:58 GMT
12/31/73

PAO Skylab Control at 18 hours 58-1/2 minutes


Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now about to
cross Central America. Our acquisition is 50 seconds away
at Merrltt Island, Florida, near Kennedy Space Center. The
pass through Merritt Island and Bermuda is going to be a
fairly lengthy one, lasting about 14-1/2 minutes. Flight
Director on duty here in Mission Control is Neil Hutchinson.
About midway through his shift and his spacecraft communicator
today is Karl Henlze.
CC Skylab, Houston through MILA for the next
12 minutes. We will be dumping the recorders here and we'd
like to get the DAS for about 30 seconds before yon start the
maneuver, Ed.
SPT Okay, Karl. You have it.
CC Thank you.
SPT Karl, could you tell me how much time we
had available on the VTR at the last site? I did some recording
on it, and it ran out before I got finished and I wondered how
much I actually got accomplished.
CC We'll figure that one up, Ed.
CC Also, dumping the voice recorders and the
VTR on this pass. And you had 15 minutes of recording on the VTR.
SPT Thank you.
CC The DAS is yours.
SPT Thank you, Karl. And I'm running the 82B
exposure down a little bit further past 30 minutes. I assume
that that is what they would want.
CC Okay.
CC Ed, like to remind you that the timeline is
rather tight at the end of this JOP 18 and that the drop dead
time for starting the maneuver is 19:10. We need to be in solar
inertial on all stabilized by 19:19 if we're going to do the
momentum dump this evening.
SPT Okay. If I terminate it at 19:07 here, I
could get that maneuver going a little quicker. Would that be
okay?
CC We're in no rush, Ed. That was just a re-
minder and we'd rather do it on the tlmellne.
SPT Okay. Will do it.
SPT Karl, could you please tell me when the VTR
will be ready for use again?
CC Okay, Ed. We will.
SPT I kind of wondered. I'm asking _f you could
give me an estimate now so it would help in planning some of the
TV we're going to do today.
CC Okay. I under -
CC Skylab, Houston. We'll get to you with that
SL-IV MC1576/2
Time: 12:58 CST, 46:18:58 GMT
12/31/73

number pretty soon. You sent us down more than we expected,


and we've got to do a little figuring before we're sure how
long it'll take to dump.
SPT Thanks, Karl.
CC Ed, are you free for a couple minutes to - for
a comment on JOP 18D?
SPT Go ahead. I'll be working along here but -
terminating and getting the maneuver going, but go ahead.
CC Go - go ahead, Ed. Weld rather not bother
you right now.
CC Skylab, Houston. I minute to LOS. See
you over Madrid in 4 minutes.
PAO Skylab Control at 19 hours 14 minutes
Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is over the North
Atlantic. It's passed out of range of the tracking antenna
at Bermuda and we're about 3 minutes from acquisition of
signal at Madrid. Beginning of this pass over the Central
American area, when we just came in range of station at Madrid -
or at Merritt Island in Florida, the indication was that the
bicycle ergometer was in use. That would probably be Commander
Jerry Carr doing his physical training - his exercise period.
About an hour and a half set aside each day for exercising
each of the three crew members. However, if that's the case, it
may interfere with the data take on the comet Kohoutek.
Normally, those things are - cannot be done at the same time.
There was no instruction, however, given to Commander Carr not
to use the bicycle during that data take on the comet with the
solar instruments. Also we observe that the television video
tape recorder was filled to the brim - 30 minutes of TV - on a
video tape recorder. That was more than had been planned and
as a result, it may inhibit some later use of it. Apparently
Ed Gibson planning on making extensive use of the video tape
recorder today. He does have some on television 77, which is
extravehicular activity - crew activities inside, scheduled -
preparations scheduled for this afternoon. Normally, we'd
expect only that he would put on some white light coronograph
television of the comet and perhaps of the Sun, using both the
white light coronagraph and the XUV monitor. However, he does
appear to be doing some TV of the crew and crew activities today
as well. Ehat's going to take most of the day, probably, to get
dumped. So it may interfere with the use of the T_ a little
bit later.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1577/I
Time: 13:15 CST 46:19:15 GMT
12/31/73

PAO beginning in approximately 30 minutes


the experiment on Science Pilot Ed Gibson using the M092
lower body negative pressure device, to test his reaction to
stress very similar to that presented by gravity, will be
underway. That's combined today with M093, which is a vector-
cardiogram, heart activity study. 50 seconds to our acqui-
sition of signal at Madrid where we have an 8-minute pass.
We'll bring the line up live now for Karl Henize, the
scientist astronaut, whose acting as spacecraft communicator
today.
CC Skylab, Houston, with you for the next
7 minutes.
CC SPT. Flight sends its congratulations
on a good job getting that DAS work done in time. It looks
like everything is going to be squared away.
SPT Very good. Thank you, Karl.
PAO That was Ed Gibson completing work on
the maneuver for the observation - -
CC Ed, could we double check with you, you
took that last 5-second exposure on 82B.
SPT Yes, I did, Karl. I opened the doors
again on the way back and got it for them.
CC Great, thanks a lot.
CC Ed_ if you got a moment, let's - lets
get back and check up on the - on the 82B entry. Pardon me,
I mean the JOP 18.
SPT Go ahead.
CC This morning we noticed that you missed
a couple of steps in the checklist at step i0. The first
two steps. And, this is required to completely disable the
acquisition sun sensor. I didn't give us any problems this
morning, but it could potentially give us problems in the
future. First 2 steps of step i0.
SPT You mean the 0002?
CC No. The commands are 52014-E and a
50002-E (garble).
SPT Okay. I guess that must be the first
time. That's a surprise. I'ii get it next time. Thank you.
CC Okay. That could pull us back out of the
JOP 18 attitude if a couple of other conditions happen to be
just right.
SPT Karl, a note on the drift compensation,
again. Over this last nightside I used a drift compensation
of every 8 minutes in X and 4 minutes in Y, which is the
same one we had yesterday, and again I ended up by putting it
all in in one lump sum and over 40 minutes. I get no change in
the position of the comet. I also suspect that the one we
were working with previously was wrong when I made some of
those maneuvers at 25-minute time remaining out, and then back,
SL-IV MC-1577/2
Time: 13:15 CST 46:19:15 GMT
12/31/73

and I found myself not really where I thought I should have


been and I - had had I used the drift compensation I just ment-
ioned I think we would have been closer to it. So, for the last
half of, not this orbit, but the previous orbit, I did use that
drift compensation. On the first orbit I did use the one
that was specified. Somewhere between where they calculate
that and what I observe here, there's something else creeping
in, but I thought that slay (?) was the most accurate way
to gage it.
CC Okay, Ed, thanks for the information.
CC Ed, using your own judgment is what we
like there, and this afternoom we'd like you to go ahead
with your own numbers.
SPT Okay, thank you, Karl. I'll pass them
on to Jerry.
CC All right, thank you.
CC We'll scratch our heads down here for
awhile to see why we can't come up with the right numbers.
CC Skylab, Houston. We have 1 minute to
LOS. See you over Carnarvon in about 30 minutes.
CC Skylab. We'd like to get the TVs off
please.
PAO Skylab Control at 19 hours 25 minutes and
26 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station over
eastern Europe has passed out of range of the tracking antenna
at Madrid. Our next acquisition 24-1/2 minutes away is at
Carnarvon. During this last pass Ed Gibson successfully
brought the space station back to its solar inertial attitude
after an extended period of time during which it was pointed
at the comet Kohoutek. The comet is now approximately
17,000,000 miles away from the Sun, and it's moving closer
to Earth now after a long period at roughtly the same distance
from Earth. It hovered around 106,000,000-mile mark, it's
now moved within i00,000,000 miles of the Earth and of course
in about 2 weeks it'll reach its closest approach to the
Earth at a distance of about 75,000,000 miles. Currently
the speed of the comet is about 200,000 miles an hour. That's
about 20 percent slower than it was last Friday when it reached
its closest approach to the Sun and had a speed of about
a quarter of a million miles an hour. After 6-1/2 weeks in
space, Bill Pogue said yesterday he felt better than ever
during the medical experiment that creates a stress on the
cardiovascular system very similar to that provided by gravity.
That M092 run yesterday was a very good one and subjectively
said he felt better than ever. Science Pilot Ed Gibson's
going through a run on the M092 today, and that'll begin in
a short while. Sun today is very quiet, so the autho_ of
"The Quiet Sun," who started out this morning by observing the
SL-IV MC-1577/3
Time: 13:15 CST 46:19:15 GMT
12/31/73

Sun, should be well acquainted with the view he sees in the


solar telescopes. Later, of course, he used the solar instru-
ments to photograph and elec_ronically scan the comet
Kohoutek. During the next couple of weeks the comet will
become visible in the early evening just after sunset to
observers here on Earth. Meanwhile, of course, the Skylab
astronauts will be the main source of information. Tomorrow
is another comet day, so named by the International Astronomical
Union. They've named a couple of days durisg this period. The
28 and 29 were both international or worldwide comet days,
when the scientists all over the world to mahe every attempt
to observe the comet. The comet of course now can be
observed best only by the orbiting space station and satellite
and also high altitude aircraft. However, the next few days,
probably as early as January 2, some scientists believe, it
may be possible to see the comet in the very early period
after sunset. It may be blocked out by twilight , depending
on the brightness of the comet and the atmospheric conditions
in individual areas. Probably the best observing period
should begin about January 5. Yesterday Commander Carr
indicated that the comet had actually become a good deal
brighter after his eyes had adapted to the dark. He said
he could see a good deal more of it than he had see_ in the
past, and apparently that tail is still remaining very bright.
The comet has stayed within very close range of the Sun now
for the last several days and that, naturally, increases the
total amount of energy that radiates gases away from the
small nucleus. Yesterday's recordings on channel B, the
dump tapes on - from the Skylab crew indicate that they'_e been
very busy again with their visual observations visual ob - -

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1578/i
Time: 13:28 CST 46:19:28 GMT
12/31/73

PAO become a good deal brighter after


his eyes have adapted to the darkness said he could see a
good deal more of it than he had seen in the past. And apparently
that tail is still remaining very bright. The comet has stayed
within very close range of the Sun now for the last several
days and that naturally increases the total amount of energy
that radiates gases away from the small nucleus. Yesterday's
recordings on channel B_ the dump tapes from the Skylab crew
indicate that they have been very busy again with their visual
observations. Visual observations, although they take a very
small amount of the crew time are a very important new area
for the Skylab crew. They were trained especially for observing
various Earth features all the way from ocean currents and
meteorology to volcanic areas and geological structures. And
they're making good use of that training even though they take
only i0 or ]5 minutes a day for the most part for scheduled
observations of the Earth, they have taken several hundred
photographs already, and have given extensive descriptions
of a number of Earth's features some of which were very little
known before the crew discussed them. Yesterday the Commander
of the Skylab mission, Jerry Cart indicated that he could see
_o indications of plankton blooming or upwelling in the area
along the coastline of Brazil near the town of Salvador. However
he _ he did say that he was able to see a finger of dark water
very dark compared to the rest of the water in the Sun glint.
And he said that the area was about 4 or 5 miles wide and
about i0 to 14 miles long. That seemed to him to be
an indication of currents slowing down perhaps in that
area. An even more interesting feature observed in that area
by the Commander about 16:50 yesterday Greenwich mean time,
correction, that should be about 16:29 Greenwich mean time s
that's when he described it on the dump tape was something
he_d seen a little while earlier, about 08:55 in the morning
central standard time. The feature was over in the Sahara
Desert in North Africa particularly in the area of Algeria
a very thin sort of veil sharply dimarked from a clear area
near it. Originally he thought it perhaps a cloud, but after
observing it more closely he said it looked very much llke
wind blowing dust or sand from the Sahara Desert. An inter-
esting feature of it is that it was an arc-shaped cloud of
dust or sand that covered an area of several hundred miles
in length and stretched out over the Mediterranean Sea. He
said _t was a huge arc, and I know it was very interesting.
He said he did photograph it with a Hasselblad handheld camera.
And he said that it seemed to be associated with winds that
were blowing from the south and southwest, perhaps the sirocco
winds that blow in the southern part of Europe. He took
SL-IV MC-1578/2
Time: 13:28 CST 46:19:28 GMT
12/31/73

some photographs of that area and also indicated that the


star dunes along that region were aligned for the most part
in a north and south direction. He said to the north and
east of the arc which did cover about a 700-mile span everything
was hazy and he suspected that it was dust and that to the
west of the arc it was extremely clear. He said it should be
very clear on the photograph. Other period of visual observation
again by the Commander at 14:45 Greenwich mean time yesterday
about 8:45 along the inland area of the Gulf of San Matias, and
the Bahia Blanca between Montevideo and Puerto Deseando. He was
watching for the Falkland Current again. That was something he photo-
graphed this morning with the TV camera. He said, "I found
another patch of red." This is what sometimes is what is called
the red tide. And he estimated the area to cover about 15 or
20 miles in width and about 25 to 40 miles in length. He
said that the plankton bloom or the red was well within the
plankton bloom or the green area that characterizes the current.
And he never saw the red adjacent to the blue of the ocean. It seemed
to be absorbed inside the green plankton area. He said the idea
of the red tide thing seems to be that it's a plankton bloom or
decayed plankton, the brighter plankton surrounding it a very
brilliant green. He also did not have a camera handy he said
but he probably should have taken a picture of the fire-blackened
area of the pampas in Argentina. That's an area over more than
one hundred thousand hundred thousands of acres of land have
been burned off during a gigantic brush fire. But he said
at the same time he noticed along that coastal area near
Buenos Aires between Bahia Blanea and Buenos Aires that
wheat area that he'd looked at before has had some changes.
He looked over the wheat patterns with the binoculars and he
said, "I believe I see more light green fields and the overall
general color from just a quick look is the tan and
brown and very dark green occasionally but when you look a
little more closely with the binoculars I feel I can see more
light green coming in, which indicates they've got a crop started
or getting started down there. "He said," I noticed at this
time a scattering of nice brilliant green fields not the very
dark green Indicating older vegetation. This is newer fresher
vegetation. And then also scattered about I could see some areas
where there is so much lighter green where it's just brand new
vegetation coming in. So it appears to me that in the Bahia Blanca
to Buenos Aires area near the coast where the wheat-growing
area is, it looks like they're starting a new crop. This of
course again is a test of the ability of the erewmembers to
observe from space using binoculars, handheld cameras and Just
unaided eyes various features on the ground. They have observed
SL-IV MC-1578/3
Time: 13:28 CST 46:19:28 GMT
12/31/73

a number of agricultural features around the world in the


attempt to both discern new crop growth and also to discern
disease-indlcated stress or dought-indieated stress. 16 minutes
to our next acquisition of signal, 34 minutes after the hour.
This is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1579/I
Time: 13:49 CST, 46:19:49 GMT
12/31/73

PAO Skylab Control at 19 hours 49 minutes


Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now 53 seconds
from acquisition of signal through the Carnarvon, Australia
tracking antenna. Pass through Carnarvon will last 9 minutes,
and then we'll have a couple of minutes of loss of signal
before we're picked up at Honeysuckle. We'll bring the line up
live now for air-to-ground.
CC Skylab, Houston. With you through Carnarvon
for the next - for the next 9 minutes.
SPT Hello, Houston.
CC Hello, Skylab. We're with you through
Carnarvon for another 8 minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston. Concerning your question
on the VTR availability, it looks like it's not going to be avail-
able to you before 23:00, And at that time, we ought to have about
20 minutes' worth available to you.
SPT Okay, Karl. I'ii have to finish up some
of that tomorrow then. Thank you.
CC Righto.
CC Ed, could you tell us - finish up what?
SPT Say again, Karl.
CC Yon talked about finishing up. What was it
you're referring to?
SPT TV 77.
CC Ed, you've got us puzzled down here. The
TV 77 today was a prep and we weren't expecting any TV 77.
Could you give us further clarification?
SPT Yeah, Karl. When we discussed it last
time, as far as performing TV 77, it was my understanding
that we were going to break in a few segments. One was at the
ATM and one down - one was down by the scientific airlock.
You really can't set up both of them simultaneously then do
them both simultaneously the next day. You've got to do them
in segments like that. I have just finished up the ATM portion
today, although I think I lost the last third to a half of it
when the recorder ran out. So I'ii have to either try to pick
that small part up again tomorrow and then pick up the remainder
dump on the scientific airlock.
CC Okay. We understand you were doing TV 77
during the JOP 18 today then.
SPT Yeah, during i long exposure.
CC Righto.
CC Skylab, Houston. Thinking more about
TV 77_ we're glad to see that you're getting ahead of us
down here and for your _ for your information, we will have an
hour for two crewmen operating tomorrow on TV 77. We'll check
over what you've got done for us already and let you know
SL-IV MC1579/2
Time: 13:49 CST, 46:19:49 GMT
12/31/73

where you should cut in tomorrow.


SPT Okay, Karl. Thank you. I'd appreciate
knowing where in the discussion of the X - the ATM instruments
I left off and I could pick that up real quick and then press
on with the work at the SAL (?).
CC Right. We'll let you know.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're going to have a
1-minute dropout between Carnarvon and Honeysuckle. See you
in about a minute.
PAO Skylab Control at 59 minutes and 52 seconds
after the hour. We have a brief dropout as space station is
passing south of the Australian continent. Acquisition at
Honeysuckle is only about 45 seconds away, where we'll have just
a little less than 4-mlnute-long pass. Spacecraft communicator
Karl Henize. During this last pass, Ed Gibson, who put on
video tape recorder - extended part of TV 77, which is a
interior crew activities description, said that he'd moved
along well on that but has ran out of tape in the middle of it.
There was a suprise to the ground. Mission Control personnel
didn't expect that work to go underway until sometime tomorrow.
Flight Director says it looks llke it the end of the crew
being behind schedule.
CC Skylab, Houston. We have - we have to-
getherness for the next 4 minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston. We have 30 seconds to
LOS. We'll pick you up over Texas at 20:32.
SPT So long, Karl.
CC Adios.
PAO Skylab Control at 20 hours 5 minutes and
18 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station has
passed out cf range of Honeysuckle Creek, Australia tracking
antenna. 27-1/2 minutes before we have acquisition at Texas.
During this last pass over Honeysuckle and Carnarvon, Australla_
we did have some discussion of the TV 77. That's internal
activities of the crew. Ed Gibson did photograph did some
photography of himself with the TV video tape recorder while
the _ while he was working on the comet Kohoutek photography. Doing
two th_ngs at once_ he said that there was a long exposure on
JOP 18D _ that's a joint observing program using the solar
instruments to photograph the comet Kohoutek. And during that,
he hooked up the video tape recorder and did some work on TV 77
which was scheduled for tomorrow. And the ground - a little
surprised and also a little elated that the crew seems to be
able to do a lot more than they had put into the Flight Plan today.
So they moved along well but unfortunately, they ran out of
video tape recorder available time. They had 30 minutes on
the video tape recorder and they're now in the process of
dumping that tape at stations over the United States. They
SL-IV MC1579/3
Time: 13:49 CST, 46:19:49 GMT
12/31/73

dumped a very small portion of that at Merrltt Island, Florida


on our lax - last pass. An additional amount will be dumped
now at Texas-Merritt Island pass upcoming. 26 minutes and
20 seconds to our next acquisition of signal at Texas. 6
minutes and 43 seconds after the hour. This is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1580/I
Time: 14:31 CST 46:20:31 GMT
12/31/73

PAO This is Skylab Control. 20:32 Greenwich


mean time. And, 40 seconds away from acquisition through
the Texas tracking station and continued dump of video tape
recorder from space station Skylab.
CC Skylab, Houston with you for the next
16 minutes over the USA.
CDR Roger, Karl.
CC Skylab, Houston. We have 40 seconds to
LOS. We'll see you over Madrid in about 5 minutes.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Skylab space
station over the North Atlantic in a communications gap
between Bermuda and AOS Madrid in about 2-1/2 minutes.
Standing by for reacquisition through Madrid. This particular
orbit does not take in Madrid and Canary. Next revolution hits
both stations as well as Tananarive. 2 minute klaxon going
off here. 2 minutes to Madrid.
CC Skylab, this is Houston_ over Madrid for
the next 6 minutes.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're going to open
the XUV monitor door here and inhibit power.
CDR Okay, Karl. Go ahead.
CC Just noting that we were intending to
close the XUV monitor door and inhibit the power. Pardon
me, we're going to open that door and inhibit the power.
CD_ Okay,
CO Skylab, Houston, We have 1 minute to
LOS. Watll see you over Tenanarive aE 21:17.
CDR ROEeZ, Karl.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Loss of signal
through Madrid. 14 minutes _ voice relay station at
Tananarive. 21:02 Greenwich-mean time, Skylab Control.

End of Tape
SL-IV MC1581/I
Time: 15:16 CST, 46:21:16 GMT
12/31/73

PAO This is Skylab Control at 21:17 Greenwich


mean time. Voice relay station at Tananarive will pick up
space station Skylab in about 20 seconds assuming all the
equipment is working properly at that station. It's been
rather marginal the past several days with technical problems.
Being such a remote station_ it's rather difficult to get
spare parts out to it.
CC Skylah, Houston through Tananarive for
4 minutes.
CDR Roger.
CC Skylab, Houston. We'd like to note that
your description of the comet this morning has got our comet
experts a[Ll excited. There's obviously been quite a change
in its structure, which more or less confirms what we expect.
CC We had a dropout there in the keyhole and
I was saying that the change in structure this morning has
got people very excited, and if you could possibly find time
today to record what you saw in terms of a drawing for future
reference_ we'd very much appreciate it. The sketch you sent
down a couple of days ago was highly useful.
SPT Okay, Karl.
SPT Say Karl, we'd like a clarification on your
statement. Did you state the change which you folks think
we have recorded and (_arble)
PAO This is Skylab Control. Voice relay station
Tananarive locking up on the space station momentarily and then
droppinB it for a rather scratchy bit of conversation between
spacecraft communicator Karl Henlze and the crew. Skylab.
17 minutes to the next station which is _oneysuckle Creek,
Australia. At 21:23 GMT, Skylab Control.

END OF TA_E
SL-IV MC-1582/I
Time: 15:39 CST 46:21:39 GMT
12/31/73

PAO This is Skylah Control at 21:39 Green-


wich mean time. Acquisition at Honeysuckle Creek, Australia,
in 50 seconds. Space station is midway through its 3339th
Earth orbit. We're estimating a change of shift briefing
with offgoing Flight Director Neil Hutchinson at no earlier
then 5:30 p.m. central time. Members of Milt Windler's
Maroon Team are beginning to drift into the Control Room
and preparations for handover. Spacecraft Communicator is
Karl Henize. Until handover Story Musgrave will be the new
CAP COMM.
CC Skylab_ this is Houston through Ca -
through Honeysuckle for about 1-1/2 minutes. We're now
commanding the DAS.
SPT Roger.
CC And Ed 9 you were asking questions about
the comet description. You sent one down this morning that
sounded as though it had changed significantly. We would
expect it to even if you haventt seen it and any sketches
you'd make would most useful for future reference and if
there were any time for sending it down on a TV it would
be very _ very good. The DAS is yours, Skylab.
SPT Ro_er, Karl.
CC Also, any visual estimates relative to
Jupiter would be most useful. The people down here are
wondering how bright it will be. And we have about 15 seconds
to LOS. We_ll see you over Goldstone at 22:09. Silver
Team's leaving you and wishing you a Happy New Year.
CDR Thank you, Karl. Happy New Year to you.
CC Thanks a lot.
PA0 Skylab Control. LOS at Honeysuckle Creek.
25 minutes to Goldstone tracking station and another state-
side pass overlapping, with a brief gap, that is, across to
the Madrid and Canary stations. We_ll return in 25 minutes.
At 21:44_ this is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL 1V MC-1583/I
Time: 16:08 CST 46:22:08 GMT
12/31/73

PAO This is Skylab Control, 22:08 Greenwich


mean time. Stateside pass coming up, Goldstone tracking
station in California should acquire the spacecraft, space
station Skylab in 40 seconds and we're standing by.
CC Skylab, AOS stateside for 16 minutes.
CDR Hello Story, happy New Year.
CC Yes sir, same to you and hope it's a good
one.
SPT Happy New Year Story.
CC Hello Ed, same to you.
SPT Thank you, I guess all you folks are
unlucky; _ou ended up celebrating with us tonight.
CC Oh, there's no better place to be than
right here.
PLT You sound like you really believe that
Story.
CC Hey, I j_st caught a lot of frowns from
saying that.
SPT I bet you there were five teams fighting
to get in the door.
CC In fact if I'm not around next pass you'll
know what happened to me.
CC Well, I got you an answer to your VTR
question. We're unable to dump the VTR at Goldstone like
we planned to, you'll have a total of 15 minutes and Jerry'll
need five of those for your JOP 18D.
CDR Roger.
CDR Looks like a beautiful day in southern
California.
CC It's almost always a beautiful day in
southern California.
CDR You said it Story. I just can barely
see my hometown of Santa Ana.
CDR A lot of snow on the Rockies; I bet there's
some good skiing.
CC I guess you're a better judge of that
than us Jer.
CC Jer, before you get away from the ATM
panel l_ve got an add on to step 14 of your JOP 18D p.m. pad.
CC Skylab, we're a minute to LOS and about
5 minutes to Madrid be dumping the data/voice there. And
as soon as I pick you up over Madrid if you're still at the
ATM l'd like to pass up a couple of changes to your JOP 18D
pad.
CDR Hello Houston, Skylab.
CC Yes sir.
CDR Okay, I've been answering all your calls
do you _av_ that change for me?
SL-IV MC-1583/2
Time: 16:08 CST 46:22:08 GMT
12/31/73

CC We're about to go over the hill here now


Jet, I missed your calls before and we're about 4 minutes to
Madrid.
CDR Okay.
PAO Skylab Control, LOS Bermuda, reaequisition
through Madrid and Canary in 3-1/2 minutes. Standing by
at 22:27 Greenwich mean time.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1584/i
Time: 16:31 CST 46:22:31 GMT
12/31/73

CC Skylab, AOS Madrid for 8 minutes. Be


dumping the data/voice here.
SPT Hello, Story. Jerry's recording right
now.
CC Okay. Press on.
SPT Hey, Story. There is a planet very close
to the tail of comet Kohoutek. Either a planet or a star.
Looks something - looks more like a planet. Could you iden-
tify that for us and tell us how far back it is in angular
degrees?
CC Okay.
SPT Thank you. Houston, CDK I'm ready
to copy those changes.
CC Okay, Jer. and we_ll dump the data/voice
here. That's JOP 18D, p.m., start on Step 7, change to the
fine maneuver.
CDR Ready to copy.
CC X, 50072 for plus .58 degrees: Y, 50101
for plus .65 degrees; Z, 51057 for minus .47 degrees.
CDR Okay. I copy 50072 for plus .58, 50101
for plus .65, 51057 for minus .47.
CC Correct. And here comes the final atti-
tude to expect. X, 6.58; Y, 9.70; Z, 359.60.
CDR Okay. Copy 6.58, 9.70_ 359.60.
CC Okay, and our monitoring vehicle rates
a maneuver to the AH attitude is as follows: X, plus .013;
Y, plus .021; Z, minus .001.
CDR Okay. I copy no change to X and Y and
Z is minus .001.
CC That would have been a better way for
me to read it. And right after Step 14 add 5 minutes VTR
available for comet TV at your convenience.
CDR Okay. Thank you, Story. I got it.
CDR Story, we're guessing that bright planet
behind the comet is Jupiter, but we'd like to get confirma-
tion on that.
CC We're still working that, Jer. And I
guess you and Ed were worried about running out of tape.
Therets a roll and a half of tape in the data card kit that's
in W744. This is left over from the last two missions. That's
W744.
CDR We_ve used that_ too.
CC Okay.
CDR We're big on tape up here. I guess
unwrappin_ all those Christmas presents is waht really used
it up.
CC Okay.
SL-IV MC-1584/2
Time: 16:31 CST 46:22:31 GMT
12/31/73

CC Skylab, we're 30 seconds from LOS and


about i0 minutes to Tananarive. Ed, Houston.
CDR Go ahead, Story. He's listening.
CC Okay. He's got a family call Honey-
suckle at 23:16. The antenna's right. And we think what
you're seeing out there is Venus, about minus 4.2 magnitude
and it's about 15 degrees from the nucleus of the - of the
comet. And Jupiter's out there at about minus 1.5 magnitude
about 18 degrees from the comet in the same direction.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Loss of signal
through the Madrid tracking station. Voice relay station
at Tananarive upcoming in 9-i/2 minutes. Apparently the
Skylab IV crew is getting a fairly good view of the planet
Venus in close conjunction with comet Kohoutek, and also,
the planet Jupiter's within a few degrees of Venus. We'll
return in 8-1/2 minutes for voice relay station Tananarive. At
22:42 Greenwich mean time, Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1585/I
Time: 16:50 CST 46:22:50 GMT
12/31/73

PAO This is Skylab Control, 22:50 Greenwich


mean time. Voice relay station at Tananarive will acquire
space station Skylab in approximately 45 seconds. And we're
standing by.
CC Skylab, AOS Tananarive 6 minutes.
CC Skylab, we're 2 minutes to LOS, the next
one will be Honeysuckle at 23:16, and Ed you family comm is
coming up then, it's antenna right.
SPT Thank you Story.
CC And Ed, also on your TV 77, the last words
we copied on a dump through Bermuda was that you were talking
about the one camera that has a narrow slit i arc minute long
and divides up the UV. You were probably talking about 82B
then.
SPT Yeah that's right, looks as though I got
cut off in the middle of the thing, I'Ii have them pick it up
somewhere around there.
CC Okay, and you got - if you're going to pick
about now, you got i0 minutes left, we got 15 in total, we_ll
need 5 for the JOP 18.
SPT Thank you.
PAO Skylab Control, LOS at Tananarive, 14
minutes to next station, Honeysuckle Creek, Australia. At
23:02 Greenwich mean time, Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1586/I
Time: 17:16 CST 46:23:16 GMT
12/31/73

PAO This is Skylab Control, 23:15 Greenwich


mean time. Acquisition through Honeysuckle Creek, Australia,
tracking station upcoming in about 28 seconds, and Flight
Director Nell Hutchinson will be in the Houston newsroom at
5:30 sharp he promises for a change of shift briefing. The
Hawaii and stateside pass and the further passes during the
press conference will be taped for delayed playback. We
have data from the space station through Honeysuckle at this
time.
CC Skylab, AOS Honeysuckle for 5 minutes.
CDR Roger, Story.
CC And receive recording on the VTR, Jer.
CDR Roger. We're killing it now. We just
moved in to center the comet.
CC Okay. You got about 9 minutes total to
handover Ed if he wants it. And for all of you that 9
more minutes is not till the end of tape. If you exceed
that you'll be recording on top of previously recorded TV
77,
CDR Okay, Story. And the initial position
that the fine maneuver got me to was a minus 120 and a
plus 114.
CC Got it, Jer.
CC Skylab, we're a minute from LOS, about
16 minutes to Hawaii at 23:38.
CDR Roger, Story.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Loss of signal
through Honeysuckle Creek, Australia. 13 minutes to Hawaii
and the subsequent stateside pass. However, the change of
shift briefing with Flight Director Nell Hutchinson will be
underway at that time and those passes will be taped for
delayed playback. Each day the Operation Kohoutek generates
a teletype to all the Kohoutek investigators, and one section
of today's teletype message has an analysis of the Skylab
crew's comet sketch, which was written by Dr. H. U. Keller
of Naval Research Laboratory. Dr. Keller_s analysis reads
as follows_ "The plume and spike in the astronauts' sketch
of the comet are sections Of the tail of dust particles being
continually blown away from the comet nucleus by solar radia-
tion pressure seen in projection. The apparent shape of the
dust tail now is that of a fan lying in the plane of the
comet's orbit tilted away from our line of sight with the
nucleus at the center of the fan. Seen from the Earth, the
spike, which points almost toward the Sun, is the older and
more distant section of the fan, whereas the plume, which
points away from the Sun, is the nearer, more recent section.
The plum is brighter then the spike because it contains an
SL-IV MC-1586/2
Time: 17:16 CST 46:23:16 GMT
12/31/73

increased amount of yet undispersed dust produced during


the recent closest approach to the Sun. The faint feathering
reported on the right hand side as shown in the sketch is
the section of the fan between the plume and the spikel The
spike will fade while the plume will remain bright and growing
in length over the next few days as the comet takes on the
appearance it will have when it becomes visible to ground
observers shortly after sunset in early January. The typical
velocity of the dust particles perpendicular to the plane
of the comet's orbit is that of the thermal velocity of the
gas evaporated from the nucleus, roughly i kilometer per
second. The velocity relative to the nucleus in the orbital
plane can be as much as an order of magnitude larger due to
solar radiation and Coriolis force. The yellowish color of
the plume is due to sunlight scattered by the dust particles.
The faint blue streaks reported are streamers in the gas
plasma tail excited by sunlight." That concludes Dr. Keller's
analysis of the crew's sketch which was downlinked on tele-
vision several nights ago. At 23:27 Greenwich mean time,
signing off until after the press conference, this is Skylab
Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1587/I
Time: 17:59 CST 46:23:59 GMT
12/31/73

PAO This is Skylab Control, 23:59 Greenwich


mean time. Less than a minute to January i, if you are on
Greenwich mean time. During the change-of-shift press con-
ference, we have the Hawaii and about 2/3 of the stateside pass
accumulated on tape, which we_ll play back and then play
catch up and then go live as _ as we can. We're now in
acquisition in Bermuda for the next 6 minutes. But we'll start
back at Hawaii and play catch_up.
CC Skylab, AOS Hawaii for about 8 minutes. And
Bill, we got a couple small addons to your detail.
PLT Rog, Story, go ahead,
CC Bill, at the very end there, you got
a ATM at 02:01 and you got a (garble) optional photo at 00:53,
those are out of order, but those times are correct.
PLT Okay.
CC And you might add at the end at 03:30,
but it's not time critical. Just any time prior to sleep.
M518 bulkhead vent valve to VENT.
PLT Allright that's good.
CC Okay, thatts it. That's fine, Bill.
PLT Thank you.
CC Bill, Houston.
PLT Go ahead, Story.
CC Bill, on your M566 just a friendly re_
mender you'll - you haven't done it this way in the pastp
and if you'll only be setting up. That's going steps one
through ten, you'll not be going to start tonight.
PLT Will not, you say.
CC No, if you just follow the - your details
there, it just says that 00:10 M566 ops_ that's one through
ten. You won't be going on to step eleven tonight.
PLT Thanks alot, Story, appreciate it.
CC Okay.
CC And we're about a minute to LOS, about
4 minutes to Goldstone.
CDR Roger, Story.
CC And Jer, if you're not too busy there.
Otherwise, we'll get it later could you confirm that you
found the comet at minus 120 and plus 114?
CDR That's affirmative. Minus 120 plus 114.
CC Okay, we showed that a little bit off
the overlay.
CDR It was on the hairy edge, all right.
CC Okay, we'll probably give you some
(garble) for the next one.
CDR Houston, CDR. Do I have enough time
when I truncate this Building Block 30 to check and see
SL-IV MC1587/2
Time: 17:59 CST 46:23:59 GMT
12/31/73

where the comet comes out again?


CC Get you an answer_ Jer.
CDR What I mean is - I guess I'd like to
truncate a little bit early and see where it comes out. I
answered my own question, Story. I look at the pad a little
more here and I've got 4 minutes to do that,
CC Okay.
CC Skylah, a minute from LOS, and about 5
minutes to Bermuda.
CDR Roger.
CC Skylab, back with you through Bermuda for
6 minutes. Your maneuver time looks good, Jer.
CDR Houston, CDR.
CC Go ahead, Jer.
CDR Okay, you see we've got ourselves in auto
reset.
CC We're looking at it.
CC Skylab, we're a minute to LOS and about
3 minutes to Canaries. We've got nothing more for you on
the APCS right new. We'll have some answers over Canaries and
your clocks have been updated, you can reset them to 001.
CDR Roger.
CC That's the day count set, Jer.
CDR Copy.
PAO This is Skylab Control. All the tape
was played back and we rejoin the live conversation over
Bermuda just prior to LOS. And it's now January I aboard
Skylab. A minute and I0 seconds away from reacquisition through
Canary Islands I and we'll stand by.
CC Skylab, AOS Canary 8 minutes.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1588/I
Time: 18:09 CST 47:00:09 GMT
12/31/73

SPT Houston, SPT.


CC Go ahead.
SPT Have a question about $063 on the pad.
The remarks say that frames 3 and 4, 5 and 6, and 7 and 8
are to be shot at the same ground target, which I understand.
However, they also change the time or the exposure duration from
2 seconds to 1 second. That requires not only changing the
timer but also the position of the microswitch. Do they
want all that done while you're tracking one target? That's
in addition to changing the filter and recocking the shutter.
Check (garble) because the shutter is electric, but - the
other three functions all have to be done.
CC IVll get you an answer Ed.
SPT Thank you.
CC Skylab, we're a 1-1/2 from LOS, about
15 minutes to Tananarive at 00:31. And Jer, we think your
APCS is looking good. You may possibly get a - a reset at
sunrise when the acquisition Sun sensors take out the Earth.
CDR Okay, Story. Thanks. The attitude looks
good here now.
CC Yes sir. We're quite certain that you're
in SI. Ed, we're going over the hill. Here you do not have
to reset the microswitches on $063. Just change the filter
and reset the timer.
SPT Okay. Thank you, Story.
PAO This is Skylab Control. 00:18 Greenwich
mean time, January i. Loss of signal tkrough Canary Islands.
Final pass hopefully past the voice relay station at Tanana_
rive in 12 minutes, returning at that time. At 19 minutes
past midnight, GMT, Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1589/I
Time: 18:30 CST 47:00:30 GMT
12131173

PAO This is Skylab Control, 30 minutes past


midnight Greenwich mean time. And theoretically we'll have
acquisition through voice relay station Tananarive in 40 seconds.
It's only 3 degrees above the horizon from Tananarive to the
spacecraft. Let's wait and see here as to whether indeed
the station will pick up the voice downlink from Skylab.
We're standing by 20 seconds from predicted acquisition.
CC Skylab, we're AOS through Tananarive for
about a minute and the next station's Honeysuckle in 20 min-
utes at 00:53.
CDR See you then, Story?
CC I'll be here.
CDR They got you chained to the console tonight?
CC No, the console's chained to me. You guys
aren't contemplating any local flying tonight are you?
CDR No. We thought we'd stay in tonight.
SPT Every hour and a half, Story, we get a
2 minute show.
CC We're only getting one every 24 hours
today.
PAO This is Skylab Control. LOS Tananarive
for the final time this evening, for the next several hours
at any rate. 16 minutes to Honeysuckle Creek. Commander
Jerry Carr commented that every hour and a half we get a
2 minute show, probably referring to the comet as the space-
craft crew sees the sunset to the west of them in their orbit.
Returning in 15 minutes for Honeysuckle. This is Skylah
Control at 37 minutes past midnight, Greenwich mean time.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1590/I
Time: 16:52 CST 47:00:52 GMT
12/31/73

PAO This is Skylab Control. 52 minutes past


midnight, Greenwich mean time. 50 seconds from acquisition
at Honeysuckle. Final Honeysuckle Creek pass of the evening.
Next revolution we start picking up Carnarvon, Australia. The
upcoming pass over Hawaii will be the final Hawaii pass for
several revolutions. We're standing by for AOS Honeysuckle
in about 20 seconds.
CC Skylab, AOS Honeysuckle for 8 minutes.
CDR Roger, Story.
CC Skylab, we're a minute from LOS and about 12
minutes to Hawaii at 01:13.
CDR Roger.
PAO Skylab Control. LOS Honeysuckle. ii
minutes to Hawaii. At 01:02 Greenwich mean time, Skylab
Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1591/I
Time: 19:13 CST 47:01:13 GMT
12/31/73

PA0 This is Skylab Control, 01:13 Greenwich


mean time. Acquisition in 50 seconds through Hawaii tracking
station.
CDR Roger Story.
SPT Hello Story, could you tell me what are
the future plans for S063 (garble) in a window?
CC Okay Ed.
CC Ed, you got an ozone pass tomorrow morning
at 13:00 the same as you're running this evening. And we go
back to S073 about 16:45 tomorrow.
SPT Okay, thank you Story. I was unable to
copy all the information you gave on the two planets we were
close to. Would you happen to have any input?
CC Okay, the best we got is that Venus is
about, oh 15 degrees east northeast of the - the comet nucleus
and it's a magnitude of minus 4.2. And Jupiter was about
18 to 20 degrees east northeast of the comet and its magnitude
is minus 1.5.
SPT Okay, thank you Story.
cc Jer, if you got a couple of minntes I got
evening questions on your latest viewing of the comet.
SPT Go ahead.
CC Is the spike centered on the nucleus or
is it slit off to the side of the nucleus?
SPT My on feeling right now that the spike is
so faint that it's just barely discernible and you really have to
get dark adapted, and I don't think we can answer a question
like that with any degree of certainty at all. It's still at
the nucleus but it's not completely detached as for - it's
still coming out of the coma. But whether it's slit off to
one side or not is just too faint to tell.
CC Okay, I guess that answers my next question,
which is how much brighter is the spike than the diffuse
brightness on the right side of the coma.
SPT Okay, that diffuse brightness on the right
side I have not been able to see again. Hold on Bill - Bill
sayshe's talking to you.
SPT Okay9 Bill - Bill apparently on one viewing
was able to look away from the comet itself, the nucleus of the
coma and see that diffuse material and feels that it's
approximately about the same intensity as the spike itself.
CC Okay, and one last one. Are both sides of
the spike equally sharp or is it diffuse on one edge. And I
guess since you're not seeing it that clearly that one may be a
hard ore to answer.
SPT Okay, Bill has the impression that the
spike is really diffuse just almost leans all the way around,
SL-IV MC-1591/2
Time: 19:13 CST 47:01:13 GMT
12/31/73

it's just: a series of sharp - relatively sharp on one side


and then becomes diffuse and the material then is diffuse
all the way around to the the dust tail.
PLT It reminds you of being on a dolphin.
SPT Being on a dolphin I guess is the word
that Bill comes up with but it's very very faint. We're going
to continue trying to get really dark adapted and then look
at it but: you don't have long it (static)

CC Okay, that's it.


SPT One thing we certainly have noticed
though, that the tail appears much longer. The tail has
swung around so that we're getting more of a perpendicular
angle on it then relative to its axis that we were before.
But it certainly is beautiful as the tail gets longer.
CC Okay.
SPT Why don't you ask the TV folks if they
think that there be any possibility of getting handheld TV
out the window and actually see something of that magnitude.
I suspect the answer might be no but it'd be worth asking the
question.
CC Ed, we've pursued that possibility earlier
and the answers we got were that it was next to impossible but
we'll take another look at it.
SPT Okay thank you Story. It's ashamed that
you folks down there can't get to see it. I hate to hog it
all, it's certainly a beautiful site.
CC That's correct, it would be real nice if
we could do that.
CC And we're 30 seconds from LOS, and 3 minutes
to Goldstone at 01:25.
PAO This is Skylab Control, LOS Hawaii, 2 minutes
to acquisition at Goldstone and the series of stateside tracking
stations. We'll stay up all the way across the States through
Canary and Ascension with short breaks between the stations.
Meanwhile the flight controllers here in Mission Control are
sending out to a local pizza house for several pizzas to munch
on while conducting the business of Skylab. Standing by for
AOS Goldstone in a minute and 15 seconds, Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1592/I
Time: 19:24 CST 47:01:24 GMT
12/31/73

CC Skylab, AOS Goldstone 5 minutes.


SPT Rog, Story. Story, I got a comment
for you on my i hour PT.
CC Okay. Go, Ed.
SPT Okay. When I recently dropped back to
i hour I-H was my -, (garble) I made the assumption that if
I cut my PT into about a factor of - by a factor of 2 or so,
especially what happened what I was doing before every other
day, I'd work on the Bike_ and every other day I'd work
the other exercises, that usually the onboard equipment
and procedures we'd be able to monitor any significant change
that took place. I'm told that this was not true and that
therefore I think I better stick with the hour and a half. How-
ever, Jerry will be coming down to you pretty soon with some
guidelines on PT as well as a whole host of other things, and
I think that'll open up the flight planning quite a bit for
you, so me going back to an hour and a half I don't think
would - is going to cause a real problem there, and also, I'd
like to stress that if there's any significant data that would
be lost by me having an hour and a half rather than an hour a
day for - for a given day, (garble) (garble) give me an hour
and I'll either drop some of the PT for that particular day or
find a way of squeezing it in. So I'm just recommending that
I get an hour and a half. I'd like to see that where possible,
but it's not a hard and fast rule.
CC Okay, Ed. Well, thanks very much for
thinking about getting us some more data. We did kick that
around as soon as you came down with it, and looking at you know
the various tolerances on the experiments, and the subtleties
of the experiments and all, we weren't really sure that you
would be getting something new for us so we didn't want you
to press on with that in mind if indeed we couldn't get some
new data.
SPT Okay. Thank you, Story.
CC Skylab, we're a minute to LOS, 5 minutes
to Bermuda, be dumping the data/volce there.
PAO Skylab Control. Loss of signal Goldstone.
Space station's skimming along the U.S./Canadian border above
the reaches of the Texas station. Will be acquired at Ber-
muda and MILA in about 3 minutes or so. Standing by for
remainder of the stateside pass. Canaries and Ascension.
CC Skylab, we're back with you through
Bermuda for i0 minutes. Skylab, we're a minute to LOS and
about 7 minutes to Ascension at 01:52.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1593/I
Time: 19:45 CST 47:01:45 GMT
12/31/73

CC Skylab, AOS Ascension i0 minutes.


CC Skylab, we're 30 seconds from LOS and
about 21 minutes to Carnarvon at 02:25.
CDR Roger, Story.
CC And in the Sugar Bowl being played
tonight it's Alabama 7, Notre Dame 6.
CDR I'll bet that one's going to be a wrestling
match.
CC Yes sir, it sure is. Alabama's been ranked
number 1 and Notre Dame number 3.
PAO Skylab Control. LOS through Ascension
Island. 21 minutes to Carnarvon. Hungry flight controllers
in the Mission Control room here are abandoning their con-
sole as the pizza is brought in and placed on a table down
front. They'll have about 20 minutes to wolf down their pizza be-
fore getting back to business. We'll return in 21 minutes
for the Carnarvon pass. This is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1594/I
Time: 20:24 CST 47:02:24 GMT
12/31/73

PAO This is Skylab Control, 02:24 Greenwich


mean time. Acquisition through Carnarvon in 50 seconds.
Space station Skylab midway through revolution 3342. After
Carnarvon LOS there'll a dropout of about 6 minutes until AOS
Guam. We'll stay up for both of those. Standing by with
20 seconds to go.
CC Skylab, AOS through Carnarvon for 9 min-
utes. Skylab, we see 7-1/2 minutes left on the VTR. If
you're going to use it any more tonight you'll need to use it
prior to Goldstone at 03:05 when we start our nightly dump of
the VTR.
PLT Roger, Story. I put the 3 minutes
on italready for the ATM.
CC Okay, Bill.
SPT Story, it doesn't look as though I'll be
able to get to the conclusion of the ATM. I'Ii have to pick it
up some time tomorrow.
CC Okay, Ed°
CC Skylab, we're a minute to LOS about
5 minutes to Guam, and we_ll be ready to copy the ening
status report over Guam.
PAO Skylab Control. We entered an LO S gap
here between Carnarvon and Guam. Guam in 3 minutes. Evening
status report is scheduled over Guam this pass. Medical
conference will be next Ascension pass at 03:32 Greenwich
mean time.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1595/I
Time: 20:38 CST 47:02:38 GMT
12/31/73

CC Skylab, we got you through Guam for 7


minutes and we are ready when you are.
CDR Okay Story here it comes. Sleep: CDR,
7.0, 6.0 heavy, 1.0 light; SPT, 6.5, 6.5 heavy; PLT, 7.5,
7.5 heavy. Volumes: 1750; 1350; 1500. Water gun: CDR,
7991; 3711; 9865. Body mass: CDR, 6.311, 6.314, 6.315;
SPT, 6.349, 6.350, 6.354; PLT, 6.254, 6.258, 6.253. Exercise:
no change for anyone. Medications: none for anyone.
Clothing: CDR, shorts, socks, and T-shirt; SPT, none; PLT,
none. Food log: CDR, zero salt, minus one lemonade, minus
coffee with sugar, plus 1.5 water; SPT, 11.5 salt, plus one
biscuit which was packed and labeled but not on the menu;
PLT, salt - correction let's go back SPT, no water, no extra
water; PLT, 5.0 salt, plus one biscuit, minus one grape drink,
rehydration water, zero. Flight Plan deviations: none.
Shopping list: none. Inoperable equipment: SPT, urine
collection bag rubber split at the separator inlet, he used
a new bag this morning. Unscheduled stowage: none. Okay
the film log: 16_millimeter, 140 mag, Uniform Alfa 04, 80,
NA. Nikons: i, Charlie X-ray 37, i0; 02 Bravo Victor 22,
27; 3, 4, and 5 no change. 70-millimeter, Charlie X-ray 52,
115. ETC: no change. EREP: no change. Drawer A
configuration: no change. That's it.
CC Okay, thanks. And at the half time it
was Notre Dame 14, Alabama i0.
CDR Sounds like the Irish are up for this
one,

CC Looks like everybody is.


CC And Jer or Ed, on that urine bag split,
was there any loss of urine, and if so have you got any
estimate how much?
SPT Yes, it was already included in the urine
volume Story. And I estimated it to be around i00.
CC Okay, i00 cc's.
SPT Right.
CDR Story, I'm beginning to get worried about
urine collection bags too, just like I was sample bags. I'm
going to, one of these days when I get a few minutes I'm
going to run an inventory, make sure we got enough to finish
the mission. As I understand it, we're still running about
20 samples bags short. And I haven't heard any further words
on it.
CC Stand by i, I think we got an answer here.
CC Skylab, regarding urine collection bags,
l've got two locations if somebody could look in.
CDR Go ahead, I'm available.
CC Okay, D410p and H823.
SL-IV MC-1595/2
Time: 20:38 CST 47:02:38 GMT
12/31/73

CDR Okay, I've already looked in H823,


there's two racks in there now. I've transferred one rack
down from 426, I'Ii go up and look at 410.
CC Okay, and we're getting a general message
up to you on possible places to look for the sample bags_
and a plan of attack on that.
CDR Okay.
CDK Story_ we got collection bags spread
out in about three lockers up there. I think I'ii just go
ahead and make a regular inventory at my on speed rather
thrash around now looking for that stuff. And H823 is the
normal working location on both collection bags and sample
bags.
CC Okay. We're about 30 seconds to LOS,
about 18 minutes to Goldstone, 03:05.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Loss of signal
from Guam tracking station, 15-1/2 minutes to acquisition at
Goldstone and the final stateside pass during the crew wake
period. Medical conference at Ascension on the next revolution
and the final call to the crew over Carnarvon next revolution.
At a few minutes past i0 o_clock central timep we_ll return
for Goldstone at - in 14 minutes. And at 02:50 GMT, Skylab
Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1596/I
Time: 21:04 CST 47:03:04 GMT
12/31/73

PAO Skylab Control 03:04 Greenwich mean time.


Acquisition at Goldstone - as a matter of fact, it appears
we have data already from the space space station, so,
we'll stand by for Story Musgrave to make his call to the
crew.
CC Skylab, we got you staLeside 17 minutes.
PLT Reg, Story. I got the ATM frame count,
if yourre ready to copy.
CC Go, Bill.
PLT 14540, 5250, 175, 460, 5814, 4737.
CC Got it, Bill, and Nikon 01, which has got
CX film in it, we're going to be reloading for S063 tomor-
row. i0 frames isn't enough, so maybe you'd want to shoot up
those i0 frames if you get a chance sometime tonight, it's
your option.
PLT Rog, thank you, Story.
CDR Houston, CDR.
CC Go ahead, Jet.
CDR Story, last night I promised some schedul-
ing proposals from the crew up here. And if you got your
little recorder going, I've got them ready to read out.
CC Okay, go ahead, Jer.
CDR Okay, the first two, I think you already
have. Bill and I have indicated that EREP prep can be dropped
from 1.5 to i hour. And we've agreed today that no monitor
is need - needed for JOP 18D, which is no big deal after
tomorrow I guess. And looks like we can probably get along both
the ground and see how well we can get along without a maneu-
ver monitor. On PT, we'll go along with the split_ but it
looks to us like the only logical split is as follows: A
3/4 hour PT wh - along with a 1/4 hour PH and that would be
the ergometer run because that's the one where we all really
work up the sweat. And then the second part of the PT could
be 3/4 of an hour and what we'll have to do is just try to find
a way to get cleaned up after that. We usually don't work up
as much of a sweat liftin_ the weights, doing the treadmill.
Okay, all I_m saying is it's okay to split_ let's not be plan-
ing on splitting it all the time just as a matter of course.
I thZnk we all still prefer a full session if we can get it.
But we_ll lift the constraint that it'd have to be that.
O_ay, on PSA post and pre-sleep, we would propose that the morn-
ing post_aleep be reduced from 1.5 down to 1 hour, but that
during that one hour that we be left completely alone so that
we can take care of our morning toilet and weight ourselves
and get our breakfast eaten and be ready to go to work 1 hour
after wakeup. In the p.m._ we would recommend that the pre-
sleep be reduced from 2.5 down to 2 hours. We would
suggest that we have dinner around 23:00 Zulu, which is 18:00
CDT. We would figure on working from 7 o'clock CDT 19:00
SL-IV MC1596/2
Time: 21:04 CST 47:03:04 GMT
12/31/73

till 21:00. And then we would like to be left completely


alone at 9:00 o'clock. We could leave the voice loops up
if you want to and we could call you if we need to talk to
you. But we would not - we would suggest that we not be
bothered at all after 9:00 o_clock and then you go ahead and
pull the plug at i0:00. Okay, under housekeeping, we would
suggest that we go kind of a modified SL-III method. We
kind of llke the idea of a separate message listing the house_
keepinE that's due for this day. And we_ll rep - we'll re-
port what was done at the evening status report. So e little
general message would be very good. If that really rubs people
the wron_ way down there_ then I guess we could go ahead and
put it in these summaries in the remarks, But I frankly would
rather see it on a separate message. Okay, in the area of
major medieals, MO92_ 171, we would propose reducing the time
on that from 2:15 to 2 hours. MO92, 93, we would propose
1.5 shifting down to i - i - I beg your pardon i hour
we end up with the medicals impacting us and the rest of
the daily schedule down the line more than anything else.
CC Jer, we - we lost you in the handover
there. Could you pick up again from MO92, 93?
CDR Okay_ MO92, 93, 1:45 we would reduce to
i hour and 30 minutes. We_ll try to get you more time out
of the major medicals, but right now, I think we better go
with that. We have found that since it takes two guys to
run a major medical, if one guy gets hung up somewhere and
can't get there on time, the other guy has to sit and twiddle
his thumbs, and we lose time and it ends up dominoing all the
way down
CC Yeah, we're here.
CDR Okay, next item is film thread. The
PLT would like to get the film thread pad up the evening
before wherever possible. And if he can't get the whole thing_
he_d like at least

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1597/I
Time: 21:11 CST 47:03:11 GMT
12/31/73

CDR - still with me?


CC Yes, we're here.
CDR Okay. Next item is film thread. The
PLT would like to get the film thread pad up the evening
before wherever possible, and if he can't get the whole thing
he'd like at least a partial, and he can get a let up on the
film thread. The shopping list, we would propose that you
put some of the corollaries on the shopping list, like
T002 and some of the others that you can think of. We would
suggest that some documentary photos be put on the shopping
list and some science demos and anything else that you can
think of. I think we ought to boost up the shopping list.
When you sit and look at the shopping list we got up here, it
really doesn't have too much on it. Okay. That - that's
all our suggestions for now. We welcome any comments you
might get on it, and if we can think of any other ways to
cut corners we'll keep feeding them to you.
CC That sounds good, Jet. Thanks.
aC CC Skylab, we're a minute from LOS, and
you're about i0 minutes to the medical conference over Ascension
at 03:32. The score is now Notre Dame 21 to Alabama 17.
CDR Roger. What quarter are they in now?
Third?
CC They're about a minute away from the
fourth quarter.
CDR Man, that sounds like a great game.
CC Yes. The lead's changed hands five times.
PAO This is Skylab Control. Loss of signal
through Bermuda. Ascension Island station in 8 minutes.
However, that's the medical conference. The next live pass
will be Carnarvon, also the final pass of the evening, at
in 38 minutes. Crew physician Dr. Jerry Hordinsky will be
talking with the crew during the upcoming Ascension pass,
and a summary of that conversation will forthcoming. At 03:24,
or 03:25, returning in 38 minutes for Carnarvon. This is
Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC-1598/I
Time: 22:02 CST 47:04:02 GMT
12/31/73

PAO This is Skylab Control, 04:01 Greenwich


mean time, acquisition at Carnarvon in 50 seconds for the
final pass of the evening. Crew surgeon Dr. Jerry Hordinsky
has issued the following medical status summary as follows.
"Excellent health continues. The anti-fungal solution
utilized by the pilot has been discontinued. The crew enters
the New Year with a continuing optimistic outlook for
completing the remaining days of the planned 84-day mission."
That's the end of Dr. Hordinsky's summary, standing by for
AOS Carnarvon.
CC Skylab, AOS through Carnarvon for i0
minutes, this will be our last pass for the night. The
score is now Notre Dame 24, Alabama 23 with about a minute
and half to go.
SPT Story, you don't have to sign off before
the - before the game's over.
CC We were expecting that.
CC Skylab, the final score in the Sugar
Bowl game was Notre Dame 24,_ Alabama 23, the lead changed
hands seven times.
PLT Okay Story, thank you very much.
SPT Sounds like the video tape of that game
is mandatory for our debriefing.
CC Yes sir.
CC Skylab, we're a couple of minutes from
LOS, this will be our last call for the year. If you want
us the next station is Guam 04:16.
CDR Got you Story, good night.
CC Good night, happy New Year.
CDR Same to you, and what time will we hear
from the folks in the morning?
CC Wake up will be at Hawaii at 11:06.
CDR Okay, thank you.
CC Set your timer for 11:00 if you like.
SPT Happy New Year Story.
CC Okay Ed.
(Music)
PAO This is Skylab Control. Loss of signal
through Carnarvon, wakeup will be shortly after 6:00 a.m.
5:00 a.m. central time tomorrow, early wakeup for an EREP
pass, Earth resources experiment package pass. A recording
that's probably older than most of the people in the control
room was played up on the air-to-ground toward the end of the
Carnarvon pass. The Guy Lombardo recording of "Auld Lang
Syne." Signing off until 5:00 a.m. central time New Year's
Day, this is Skylab Control.

END OF TAPE
SL-IV MC1599/I
Time: 05:05 CST, 47:11:05 GMT
1/1/74

PAO Skylab Control at ii hours 5 minutes and


30 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now
55 seconds from acquisition of signal at Hawaii on the first
pass of day i. Skylab crew officially reached their new year
last night before going to bed but they"ll be getting a New
Year's callup from Bob Crippen, the spacecraft communicator
this morning. The pass through Hawaii will last a little
less than 7 minutes and the line is live now for air-to-ground
there.
CC (Music: "Auld Lang Syne")
CC (Music: "Paralyzed" by the Stardust Cowboy)
CC Happy New Year guys.
CDR Happy New Year, Crip.
CC Boy what a wild party we've got going on
down here.
CDR Sounds awful.
CC It%s lots of fun. I figured you guys
kad bern ]having one.
CDR Oh, yeah. We_'ve been up here ripsnorting
around.
CC Terrible way to wake you up on your early
day off.
CC Skylab, Houston. We're 1 minute from LOS.
We_ll see you again over the Vanguard in 25 minutes at 11:37.
We'll be doing a data/voice recorder dump there.
CDR Roger. Play our song again. Will you
Crip?
CC We_ll save it for you for another good
time.
CC Did you like the one better yesterday?
CDR I don't know. The one this morning's got
a pretty zatchy tune.
CC Got a good beat.
CDR Yeah, if you're a rhythm and concussion
man.
CC l'm about to think you been up there too
long_ Jer.
PAO Skylab Control at ii hours 14 minutes and
38 seconds Greenwich mean time. Skylab space station is now
south of Kawaii and out of range of the tracking antenna there.
22 minutes to our next acquisition of signal at Vanguard.
Skylab crew up early this morning preparing for Earth - an
early Earth resources pass. It will cover the southern tip
of South America and the Atlantic Ocean, all the way up across
north Africa. Crew was awakened this morning with Guy Lombardo's
_Auld Layng Syne" followed by the legendary Stardust Cowboy with
"Paralyzed '_ and Bob Crippen on the New Year_s Horn to which
Cart said _t sounds like it's awful down here and it certainly
SL-IV MC1599/2
Time: 05:05 CST, 47:11:05 GMT
1/1/74

did. This is Skylab Control at 15 minutes and 18 seconds


after the hour.

END OF TAPE

You might also like