Unusual discussions in the Apollo transcripts

I've found a few interesting chats between the astronauts and control during the Apollo moon landing missions.

I plan to keep updating this as there's quite a few, but here's a couple to start.
I'm not saying it's a conspiracy, it's probably not .. I just find it interesting.

Btw, if anyone can find that actual recordings that would be great.

from Apollo 17:

>>LMP The problem with looking at the Earth (laughter) particularly Antarctica_ is it's too bright.
CC Understand.>LMP Gordy, in the continuing saga of looking at the Earth through rose-colored glasses, I tried a blue-colored glass, and it - as you might expect,
completely masks out the continent. The land areas are Just not visible through the blue. Otherwise, the ocean and clouds - or the contrasting ocean
and clouds remain about the same.>O0 12 52 38 CC Roger, Al, copy. You see Australia coming up
.) over the - over by the edge?
O0 12 52 46 LMP I sort of do. It's difficult to tell, unless the ground is - has a pretty good contrast to the - to the water.

And I can see some red over there, and I'm not really sure whether that's Australia or exactly what it is. Makes you wish you had studied your geology harder in school, or something- geography. that is..>>

source: www.jsc.nasa.gov... (page 84)

I would hope our astronauts could identify Australia considering they are travelling to another world.

more to come ..


[edit on 27-4-2010 by ppk55]

reply to post by ppk55

And I can see some red over there, and I'm not really sure whether that's Australia or exactly what it is. Makes you wish you had studied your geology harder in school, or something- geography. that is..>>

I went to look at page 84.

Why did you not copy/paste the comments just before the discussion of Australia?

That Earth view is really going to be something
weird coming back, Houston, when you only got
about a - Just a little bitty sliver of the Earth,
because, like I said earlier, you Just can't see
anything in the black. And when we had that
eclipse at about 5 hours, I guess the Earth's
going to completely disappear.
O0 12 52 38 CC Roger, Al, copy.

Here is a view of the (mostly) gibbous Earth, when viewed from ~250,000 MILES away (as in, from the Moon!):



Let's play "Spot The Continents", all together now.

Then, try to picture the Earth as illuminated to only a "sliver", as mentioned. Think of how our Moon looks, from Earth, as we see IT changing phases.

IF nothing else, your reading of these transcripts MUST very, very strongly show the reality of Apollo missions, and landings, and EVAs being ON the Moon. Nobody could make up all of that chatter.



[edit on 27 April 2010 by weedwhacker]

Wouldn't they know the exact orientation of eartth ? or would it be a guessing game ?

reply to post by ppk55


Also:

also...

>>LMP Wise Marines - wise Marines end up in Antarctica.

This is one of the most fragmented threads I have seen.

Finish one thought before moving on: Is this about AS17 Or AS16?

Antartica or Marines?

Seriously what are you getting at?

[edit on 27-4-2010 by theability]

[edit on 27-4-2010 by theability]

I don’t care how fragmented it seems, I’m going to continue to post what I find to be bizarre conversations on all the Apollo missions as I find them. And there will be quite a few. If you don't like it go away.

Think of it as an organic process. If it goes nowhere, so be it. At least I have my outlet.

Personally, the amount of laughter present on many of the missions is incomprehensible. You only need to watch the live NASA TV feeds of present day mission to realise; they take things very, very, very seriously.

I'm not saying there is not the occasional bit of laughter or a joke shared, but it is miniscule compared to the Apollo missions.

This was the most serious of serious missions. Life threatening at every step, yet the transcripts convey something else, and that is what I'm going to be posting.


reply to post by theability

There were 677 instances of laughter in the Apollo 17 transmissions.
For a life or death mission this seems just a little jovial don't you think ?

source: www.jsc.nasa.gov... (a 55mb download PDF)

Also ... this from Apollo 17.

There was this device they had called a 'tone booster'. Basically it was a photsensitive device that could be hooked up to monitor / view the 'master alarm' light. When the light came on .. it was supposed to have provided a tone ... very useful in case the crew were asleep.

Here's the discussion about it.

if you'd clarify Just exactly why Ron didn't hear our crewalert
MASTER ALARM. You know exactly why?
02 14 30 22 CMP Well, it's not the Seconal. As much as I hate to admit it, the POWER AUDIO/TONE was OFF (chuckle) in m_ headset.
CC Okay. We kind of suspected that - that one.
CMP Okay; that lets you rest a little bit easier.
And Just to prevent something like that from
happening again - or if it should happen again -
what we'll do, we'll hook up the tone booster,
which we didn't have hooked up last night.
CC Okay. We concur. Sounds good.

What's weird about this is the comment ... 'which we didn't have hooked up last night'.

So these guys were asleep on the moon. They had a device that could alert them to a major problem. ie. The master alarm. But 'we didn't have hooked up last night'.

What's worse is, their primary alarm system was also off.

02 14 30 22 CMP Well, it's not the Seconal. As much as I hate to admit it, the POWER AUDIO/TONE was OFF (chuckle) in m_ headset.

btw. Seconal was supposedly a sleep inducer. So they'd taken sleeping pills, and the primary and secondary alarm systems were switched off.

If I was on the moon, I'd be damn sure all alarm systems were fully active. Still, that's just me.


[edit on 28-4-2010 by ppk55]

reply to post by ppk55

Originally posted by ppk55
So these guys were asleep on the moon. They had a device that could alert them to a major problem. ie. The master alarm. But 'we didn't have hooked up last night'.

As you will see, if you read below (and you would have realized, had you read the transcript you linked properly), they were NOT "on the Moon"! (Yet)....

This is covered in Cernan's biography...Sheesh!

Page 310: (Whilst enroute to the Moon, Apollo 17)--

"The need for sleep must have caught up with us, because it took ten tries by Mission Control to awaken us. They repeatedly tripped warning tones on the instrument console, received no response, then played three loud renditions of 'I'm a Jay, Jay, Jay, Jay, Jayhawk,' --- the fight song of Ron's alma mater, the University of Kansas --- still without effect. I finally noticed a blinking light on the control panel and snapped, 'Hey! We're asleer!'

'That's the understatement of the year,' said Gordon Fullerton, again on CapCom duty. We had overslept by an hour. 'Ron was supposed to be on watch but claims he fell asleep after a big party,' I explained. Actually, Ron had inadvertently kicked an audio connection and disconnected his communications in settling down to rest. It was no big deal, but gave us something to talk about other than the missing scissors, and was the most interesting thing of the day. Funny thing happened on the way to the Moon --- not much. Should have brought some crossword puzzles." *

*Gene Cernan, recounting a bit of his experience aboard Apollo 17, from his biography The Last Man On The Moon.

ISBN 0-312-19906-6
(copyright)
St. Martin's Press, New York, NY. (1999)


It seems a lot of 'flatlanders' just don't understand the psychology, the camaraderie, the humour.

These guys were test pilots, with big egos, wicked senses of humour; impish even at times. Practical jokers extraordinaire.

Yet still, supremely confident (which is a trait of most pilots) and, extremely capable. Knowing when business came first, and relaxing came second.

They even played jokes on each other...(gasp!), For instance, secret little surprises inside their spacesuit cuff checklists, used on the EVAs...Playboy centerfold clippings, and such. Schoolkid-level, perhaps. BUT, good tension breakers.

Nowadays? Of course NASA, for the public scrutiny, wishes public transmissions to sound professional. MOST of the early era did too, Mercury, Gemini, Apollo. AND, even today, some levity breaks through...you just either didn't have occasion to hear it, or it was such an 'inside joke' that it didn't register to you. The level of professionalism exists in military and civil aviation, too. With an occasional break from routine, every now and then.

Some people (laypersons) simply don't understand how it appears to be a 'cavalier' attitude, with some joking around. That masks the true abilities---the attentiveness doesn't waver. Pilots are very good compartmentalizers....we can make a joke, even while monitoring a very routine operation. BUT, if something unexpected happens, we snap immediately to alert awareness.

Human beings are not machines, and cannot be "geared up", or "keyed up" and on alert at all times. Space travel IS a challenging endeavour, but it doesn't require constant, on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense all the time, any more than modern jet airliner flying does.

An old adage, or saying, has been around for many years, to describe the experience, and applies both to flying airplanes, or flying spacecraft (I would imagine):

"Hours and hours of boredom, interruped by occasional moments of stark terror."

(Meant as a JOKE! By the way...)

I guess even long-haul truckers, or railroad engineers could use the same line.....


[edit on 28 April 2010 by weedwhacker]

Ok I'm wrong about them being on the actual moon. However as they were en-route in the spacecraft, wouldn't everything I already mentioned still apply? If they were asleep en-route how could they have both alarm systems shutdown whilst taking sleeping pills ?

Originally posted by weedwhacker
As you will see, if you read below (and you would have realized, had you read the transcript you linked properly), they were NOT "on the Moon"! (Yet)....


[edit on 28-4-2010 by ppk55]

reply to post by ppk55


Perhaps, since my post was so long, you missed this portion of Cernan's recollection, so I will repeat it:

"Actually, Ron had inadvertently kicked an audio connection and disconnected his communications in settling down to rest. It was no big deal, but gave us something to talk about other than the missing scissors, and was the most interesting thing of the day."


Oh, and the "missing scissors"? Earlier, before this sleep period, one of them lost a pair of scissors. The blunt-nosed kind, like kindergarten kids use --- Astronauts used them to open food packets. They each had ONE pair of scissors.

Turns out, they had to share the remaining two pair, rest of the mission.

(Hence, one went to the Moon, one stayed in Lunar orbit).

We take so much for granted, today. Even a freeze-dried, or otherwise sealed plasticized food pouch, today, has a nick cut in it, for easier opening. Maybe THAT is yet one more lesson learned, in the trial and error of the eraly Space Program?

But, more likely, easier opening packaging was more market- and customer-demand driven than anything else, in reality.

Perhaps you missed my point. Regardless if one of them 'accidentally' kicked out the connection the rest of my post stands. >>>

They had a device that could alert them to a major problem. I.e. The master alarm. But 'we didn't have hooked up last night'.

What's worse is, their primary alarm system was also off.

02 14 30 22 CMP Well, it's not the Seconal. As much as I hate to admit it, the POWER AUDIO/TONE was OFF (chuckle) in m_ headset.

btw. Seconal was supposedly a sleep inducer. So they'd taken sleeping pills, and the primary and secondary alarm systems were switched off.

How is it at all possible that they can be en-route to the moon and have no indicators of master alarms when asleep? bull!

reply to post by ppk55


You aren't understanding.

They are referring to alarms that were channeled through their headsets.

ANY sufficient emergency onboard within the spacecraft systems themselves, would have an additional AUDIBLE alarm. Such as we have on modern airliners. Even back then, they existed on the jets of the day.

In any event....it was a NON EVENT! There was no dire emergency, the designated sleep period was over, and they would have awakened anyway. Cernan says, himself, he saw the flashig light. The one associated with the system that they couldn't hear, in the headsets.

They are coasting, from Earth, to Moon, and that takes about three days total time. There is just NOT a lot to do!

Any major systems problem, onboard, would have been immediately evident, even to a sleeping crew. Remember Apollo 13? They heard the explosion. (Yes, they happened to be awake, at the time...)

Again....halfway from here, to the Moon...there just ain't much you can do, anyway! Assuming that a catastrophe occurred (and Apollo 13 came darn close to snuffing them out) there are really very few options, unless they're very lucky (Apollo 13, again).

Show source please. Or do you mean the 'tone booster' which I have already shown to have been switched off. edit: actually, not even attached.

Originally posted by weedwhacker
ANY sufficient emergency onboard within the spacecraft systems themselves, would have an additional AUDIBLE alarm. Such as we have on modern airliners. Even back then, they existed on the jets of the day.

oh and this quote:

Originally posted by weedwhacker
Funny thing happened on the way to the Moon --- not much. Should have brought some crossword puzzles." *

Look up 'A funny thing happened on the way to the moon' great doco.

anyway as promised, more transcript anomalies to come...

[edit on 28-4-2010 by ppk55]

reply to post by ppk55


I'm about to sign off....will take some tome to search more later.

YOU might start here: www.hq.nasa.gov...

Could lead you.

reply to post by ppk55

I don’t care how fragmented it seems, I’m going to continue to post what I find to be bizarre conversations on all the Apollo missions as I find them. And there will be quite a few. If you don't like it go away.

My god what is wrong with people the past few days.

You know I expect this in the 9/11 forum but in space exploration come on!

I was trying to understand your position, is that so bad to clarify? I do not claim to be perfect, not everyone see's things the way you do!

Now could we try this again?

The caution and warning system is never disabled.
Here is the Block II CSM Hand book part Caution and Warning


Now think about the translunar coat period, a three day journey in a spacecraft with about 273 cubic feet of space to share amoung three grown men! That is about the size of a VW Bug! Of course they are going to use humor and play jokes. These guys are test pilots are they suppose to stress out? Isn't this the reason why they are on the flight is their proven ability to deal with deadly and chaotic issues with mechanical machines?


Ground based observatories have tracked the apollo flights to the moon.
Source 1

Chabot Observatory calendar records an application of optical tracking during the final phases of Apollo 13, on 17

Tracking Apollo

reply to post by ppk55


Oh no!!! If THIS is what's gotten you so intrigued...

Look up 'A funny thing happened on the way to the moon' great doco.

NO. IT. IS. NOT. A. "good doco".

But, will come back to that in a sec...

"theability" beat me to it, I was going to link the same document, regarding the "Caution and Warning System".

Still, some clarifications:

Go to page four (4) of that section to read about the "tone booster". That is mentioned, as you recall, in the transcript portion you cited.

The audible (without headsets) MASTER WARNING alarms needed that to function. Typically, during the TLC portion, it wasn't deemed that necessary to be installed. Knowing that the link to all of their headsets was disconected, accidentally, by one crewmember was likely taken into account for the rest of THAT mission, and would have been de-briefed for any subsequent Apollo missions.

Interesting to note, here, that this concept (CAUTION/MASTER alarms) is essentially the same as used today, in modern airliners. Has been since the 1970s. Not always aural, depends on and varies by airplane, when designed, who built it, etc.


NOW...the "Not-So-Funny" so-called 'documentary', by the nutjob who goes by the name Bart Sibrel....

There are many places that thoroughly, and I do mean thoroughly de-bunk, and discredit HIM, and his stupid film.

Just one (Wiki) sample:

Jim McDade, writing in the Birmingham News, characterized A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon as "full of falsehoods, innuendo, strident accusations, half-truths, flawed logic and premature conclusions." According to McDade, the "only thing new and weird" in the 47-minute film is that the claim that video views of Earth were actually filmed through a small hole to give the impression that Apollo 11 was not in low earth orbit. "Bart has misinterpreted things that are immediately obvious to anyone who has extensively read Apollo history and documentation or anyone who has ever been inside an Apollo Command Module or accurate mockup," says McDade.

en.wikipedia.org...

This doesn't directly address Sibrel, but it's full of good info, IF you take thge time to read through:

www.braeunig.us...

Especially when you get down to where the author asks

Why do people believe this stuff?

Says a lot obout paranoia in general, and describes quite a bit about what is sometimes seen here, right here, at ATS too.

Tossing in this article too:

www.newsweek.com...

As he admitted to kicking out the headphone plug, it's disabled.

Originally posted by theability
The caution and warning system is never disabled.
Here is the Block II CSM Hand book part Caution and Warning

On to another interesting one as I've learnt it's futile to continue to argue a point when each side is sure they're right.

This from Apollo 17.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/ac12efb48592.png[/atsimg]

Ok, is it hot or cold ? I can't tell. 65F is only 18 or 19 Celsius, so that's pretty mild, even a bit chilly.

Sounds like confusion all round.

This is the part that gets me ...

>>00 00 34 05 LMP We're in MANUAL. INCREASE must be increase
temperature.>LMP Cabin temp is low. Oh, cabin temp?

Sounds like what I've seen on Chris Everhard's film "Secret Space"

"I've got critters here" etc.

Originally posted by ppk55
Personally, the amount of laughter present on many of the missions is incomprehensible. You only need to watch the live NASA TV feeds of present day mission to realise; they take things very, very, very seriously.

You've obviously not watched enough NASA TV. You can catch crews goofing around quite a bit up there. One shuttle commander I had the honor of meeting a few times tells of how he got his entire crew to sing Monty Python's "Camelot" song while waiting to launch. I've watched them literally bounce off the walls up there for fun on ISS by using bungie tie-downs as makeshift zero-g trampolines. They don't always take themselves as seriously as you describe, it's just a matter of what you're watching.