Apollo 14

This is Apollo Control at 144 hours 46 minutes. In about 7 and a half minutes we'll loose contact with the spacecraft as they go behind the Moon on the 32nd revolution. For about the next hour or so all three crewmen will be busily involved in getting a number of items cleaned andready for transport to the CSM where they'll be stowed. Such items as the cameras, rock boxes helment and gloves, and a number of items in the interim stowage assembly. They also be bringing back the clothes line tether arrangement used to haul items in and out of the LM on the lunar surface, and will also stow the probe assembly in the Command Module. This probe assembly normally would be stowed in the LM prior to LM Jettison, but it will be brought back so that engineers here on the ground will get a chance to look at it and see what the problem was in those early docking attempts following translunar injection. The LM jettison is scheduled to occur at about 146 hours 24 minutes, about 4 minutes later the CSM will perform a small separation maneuver, and at 147 hours 53 minutes the Lunar Module deorbit burn will be performed. This burn will be initiated by remote control from a command sent from the guidance oficers console here in the control center. Prior to leaving the LM Shepard and Mitchell will verify that it's set up in the proper configuration to maintain the desired attitudes so that we can communicate with it to get those commands into its guidance system, and they'll also punch in the targeted burn information, which will be prepared by the Flight Dynamics Officer and read up to them. We're now about 5 minutes, 45 seconds from loss of signal and Flight Director Milton Windler is reviewing status of both spacecraft with his flight controllers before we loose contact. Astronaut Pete Conrad, Apollo 12 commander will meet with newsmen in the large auditorium in the MSC news center at 3:30 PM today to discuss lunar surface operations on Apollo 14. At 144 hours 50 minutes this is Apollo Control, Houston.

This is Apollo Control. We've had loss of signal now from both vehicles and we'll be reacquiring at 145 hours 40 minutes and at that time the spacecraft, Kitty Hawk will be on its 33rd revolution of the Moon. At 144 hours 55 minutes, this is Apollo Control, Houston.

This is Apollo Control. Astronaut Charles A. Conrad is scheduled to meet with newsmen at this time in the main auditorium at the Manned Spacecraft Center News Center. We'll take down the release line at this time and record any conversations with the spacecraft when we reacquire in about 38 minutes if that's necessary. At 145 hours, 3 minutes this is Apollo Control.

This is Apollo Control with 145 hours 41 minutes. We're standing by now for acquisition of the LM and CSM. On this revolution, the two vehicles docked. The crew aboard Antares, Al Shepard and Ed Mitchell will be verifying the jettison attitude, the same as the LM is configured to maintain the proper attitude after jettison so that controllers here on the ground can input the proper information to the LM guidance system to initiate the maneuver with - the Lunar Module that will cause it to impact the lunar surface. They're also scheduled to get out of their suits and transfer into the CSM. We'll stand by now for any conversation with the spacecraft as soon as we get good communications - at the moment are quite noisy as we wait for antennas to get into get in the proper attitudes so that we get a good solid lock on.

Roosa now arming the pyrotechnics that'll be used in separating Antares from Kitty Hawk for the final time.

That was Stu Roosa confirming plans to jettison the LM Antares at 146 hours, 25 minutes. We don't have a precise time for the crew transfer to the Command Module, however, Mitchell reported at 146 hours that they were ready for the transfer into the Command Module and at 146 hours, 4 minutes, we gave them a go to close out the LM. Following the Jettison of the LM, which will give the two vehicles the separation rate of about a foot per second the CSM will perform a small 4 tenths of a foot per second separation maneuver to increase the separation distance.

And we confirm final Sep here on the ground.

Our LM control officer reports that the LM came away nice and clean. It's holding altitudes well. The LM deorbit burn is scheduled to occur at 147 hours 54 minutes 19 seconds. That'll be a 75 second RCS burn imparting a total change in velocity of about lB6 feet per second and leading to a lunar impact of the LM ascent stage at about 148 hours 23 minutes that we'll get an update on that after some initial tracking. The preliminary target point is latitude 3.5 degrees south and longitude 19.27 degrees west.

This is Apollo Control at 146 hours 53 minutes. As you've probably surmised from the amount of noise on the communications circuits during the latter part of that pass, we were having some problems getting a good lock with the spacecraft. Stu Roosa reported at 1 point that every time we would try to uplink voice communications trim, then it would fade out in signal strength almost simultaneously with that. We don't have an explanation at this time, but toward the end of the pass, just before LOS the signal strength apparently improved somewhat and the guidance officer was able to uplink some command into the Lunar Module and hopefully was able to get a new reference matrix, which is used in preparation for the Trans-Earth Injection maneuver uplink to the CSM. On the next revolution, revolution 34, we'll be completing the uplink of commands into the Lunar Module to initiate the preparation for initating the deorbit maneuver, which will cause the LM to impact on the lunar surface at about 148 hours 23 minutes. At the end of the 34 revolution, and at the beginning of REV 35, the Trans-Earth Injection maneuver is scheduled. The Flight Dynamics Officer at the present time is computing the ignition time and burn duration and other information needed by the crew to perform that maneuver. And that will also be passed up at the beginning of the next revolution. We're now 59 minutes 18 seconds away from the ignition for the LM deorbit maneuver. And we'll be reacquiring the Command Module, Kitty Hawk in about 43 minutes. At 146 hours 55 minutes this is Apollo Control, Houston.

This is Apollo Control, 147 hours, 36 minutes, Ground Elapsed Time. Some 1 minute, 40 seconds away from acquisition of Apollo 14. Coming around on the 34th lunar revolution for the Command Module. And counting down toward the LM RCS burn, which will cause the spacecraft deorbit and inpact the lunar surface. That countdown clock now showing slightly over 17 minutes. The lunar impact is now predicted to take place at 148 hours, 22 minutes, 19 seconds Ground Elapsed Time. At latitude 3.527 south, by 19.152 west longitude the impact will be at approximately 5, 506 feet per second. The spacecraft weighing at that time about 5, 270 pounds. The flight path will be a minus 4 degrees to the local horizontal or the surface of the Moon as it impacts, which should scratch quite a gouge across the surface at such a flat angle. At the time of the Lunar Module impact, Dr. David Dudley Strangway of the Manned Spacecraft Center Lunar and Earth Sciences Division will provide a commentary on the experiment for the real time data from the Moon. This will be in the small briefing auditorium in the building one news center. Dr. John R. Freeman of Rice University also will be present to report on the detection of the LM ascent stage engine exhaust by the superthermal ion detector at the Apollo 12 ALSEP, which is somewhat to the west of the present location. Here comes 14 over the hill.

This is Apollo Control about 17 minutes away from Lunar Module impact. Again a reminder to newsmen in the Houston News Center, Dr. David W. Strangway in the MSC Lunar and Earth Science Divison will be in the small briefing room in the news room, the news center accompanied by Dr. John R. Freeman of Rice University who will also be there to report on the detection of Apollo 14 Lunar Module ascent stage engine exhaust by the suprathermal ion detector way over the Apollo 12 landing site. Apollo Control at 14806.

This is Apollo Control, about 3 minutes away from Lunar Module impact, which now is less than 10 miles above the lunar surface. Present velocity 5,415 feet per second.

Antares now about 2 miles above the surface continuing to come in at 5,490 feet per second. Less than a minute to impact.

Loss of signal from the Lunar Module Antares.

This is Apollo Control. We have had Loss Of Signal as Apollo 14 went behind the Moon on its final revolution of the Moon. With its successful TEI burn, Trans-Earth Injection, the spacecraft should come out on the eastern edge of the Moon at 149:26:49 Ground Elapsed Time. At the present time in the Houston News Center, the Maroon team of flight directors, Milton Windler, accompanied by ALSEP's Senior Engineer, Paul Nering, will hold a Change of Shift Press Conference. At this time the circuit will be taken down and come up again just prior to acquisition of signal as Apollo 14 comes around on its beginning of its trans-Earth coast path. At 148:51 this is Apollo Control.