1
00:00:17,189 --> 00:00:15,829
when we were told that we're going to go

2
00:00:19,269 --> 00:00:17,199
to the moon we're planning and we're

3
00:00:21,029 --> 00:00:19,279
training we're doing everything you know

4
00:00:22,470 --> 00:00:21,039
sometimes you get into a project that

5
00:00:24,390 --> 00:00:22,480
you really never

6
00:00:27,109 --> 00:00:24,400
quite see the end you're working hard

7
00:00:30,230 --> 00:00:27,119
you forget about the the final part the

8
00:00:31,910 --> 00:00:30,240
completion and that to me was sort of

9
00:00:33,510 --> 00:00:31,920
the way i felt we're going to the moon

10
00:00:35,430 --> 00:00:33,520
we're training this we're doing that

11
00:00:38,549 --> 00:00:35,440
we're learning something else and then

12
00:00:40,470 --> 00:00:38,559
it was on the day of the launch

13
00:00:41,910 --> 00:00:40,480
before light it was still dark when the

14
00:00:43,270 --> 00:00:41,920
three of us went up to the gantry now

15
00:00:44,950 --> 00:00:43,280
you have to remember that there's no one

16
00:00:47,350 --> 00:00:44,960
else around except a couple nervous

17
00:00:48,790 --> 00:00:47,360
checkout people the rocket itself is

18
00:00:51,029 --> 00:00:48,800
filled with five and a half million

19
00:00:52,709 --> 00:00:51,039
pounds of high explosives everyone else

20
00:00:54,310 --> 00:00:52,719
is a comfortable three and a half miles

21
00:00:56,790 --> 00:00:54,320
away

22
00:00:58,549 --> 00:00:56,800
and as my two companions were the first

23
00:01:01,189 --> 00:00:58,559
to go into the spacecraft where the

24
00:01:03,430 --> 00:01:01,199
gantry is some 330 feet tall there's a

25
00:01:05,670 --> 00:01:03,440
bridge across there they walked across

26
00:01:08,789 --> 00:01:05,680
it and they went into the spacecraft i

27
00:01:11,429 --> 00:01:08,799
was left alone fully suited up

28
00:01:13,270 --> 00:01:11,439
and breathing pure oxygen

29
00:01:14,789 --> 00:01:13,280
and i looked at the night and i saw

30
00:01:16,630 --> 00:01:14,799
these lights come down and there was

31
00:01:19,190 --> 00:01:16,640
this was the press corps that was

32
00:01:20,469 --> 00:01:19,200
manning the the press sites at that

33
00:01:21,910 --> 00:01:20,479
particular time

34
00:01:23,749 --> 00:01:21,920
and then i looked down and i saw the

35
00:01:25,270 --> 00:01:23,759
ground and i went to the press corps and

36
00:01:27,270 --> 00:01:25,280
i said

37
00:01:29,270 --> 00:01:27,280
these people are really serious

38
00:01:31,510 --> 00:01:29,280
we're going to go to the moon

39
00:01:33,670 --> 00:01:31,520
and you know sunny dawn on me that this

40
00:01:35,910 --> 00:01:33,680
was not another earth orbital flight

41
00:01:37,590 --> 00:01:35,920
this was the accumulation of the

42
00:01:40,069 --> 00:01:37,600
training we had done and the decisions

43
00:01:42,550 --> 00:01:40,079
we had made that in unless something in

44
00:01:44,149 --> 00:01:42,560
the last next couple hours happened this

45
00:01:46,870 --> 00:01:44,159
spacecraft and this rock we're going to

46
00:01:48,870 --> 00:01:46,880
take off and we're headed for the moon

47
00:01:51,109 --> 00:01:48,880
nobody'd ridden on the saturn v and even

48
00:01:52,950 --> 00:01:51,119
though there'd been what two unmanned

49
00:01:54,389 --> 00:01:52,960
saturn's apparently they didn't have the

50
00:01:56,789 --> 00:01:54,399
accelerometers

51
00:01:59,510 --> 00:01:56,799
in the right place because

52
00:02:02,310 --> 00:01:59,520
they soon no sooner lit this thing off

53
00:02:03,429 --> 00:02:02,320
when i realized that we had missed one

54
00:02:05,990 --> 00:02:03,439
major

55
00:02:07,109 --> 00:02:06,000
part of the simulation

56
00:02:10,309 --> 00:02:07,119
the the

57
00:02:13,750 --> 00:02:10,319
sideways vibrations with those big huge

58
00:02:16,150 --> 00:02:13,760
150 1.5 million pounds thrust each

59
00:02:17,830 --> 00:02:16,160
engines gimbling around trying to keep

60
00:02:20,070 --> 00:02:17,840
this thing straight

61
00:02:22,150 --> 00:02:20,080
uh the center of gravity is way down

62
00:02:25,270 --> 00:02:22,160
here we were up here like a ladybug on

63
00:02:27,110 --> 00:02:25,280
the end of your automobile antenna so as

64
00:02:28,630 --> 00:02:27,120
it moved down here an inch this thing

65
00:02:29,430 --> 00:02:28,640
moved a foot

66
00:02:31,830 --> 00:02:29,440
and

67
00:02:34,630 --> 00:02:31,840
it i literally felt like i was being

68
00:02:36,710 --> 00:02:34,640
thrashed around like a rat in the jaws

69
00:02:39,190 --> 00:02:36,720
of of a terrier

70
00:02:41,750 --> 00:02:39,200
and i was convinced that the fins were

71
00:02:43,830 --> 00:02:41,760
bouncing up the girders of the

72
00:02:44,949 --> 00:02:43,840
spacecraft of the launch

73
00:02:47,190 --> 00:02:44,959
tower

74
00:02:49,190 --> 00:02:47,200
also the noise was deafening there was

75
00:02:51,190 --> 00:02:49,200
no way we could communicate

76
00:02:53,030 --> 00:02:51,200
now frank he told me later was smart

77
00:02:54,550 --> 00:02:53,040
enough to take his hand off this launch

78
00:02:55,509 --> 00:02:54,560
abort

79
00:02:58,070 --> 00:02:55,519
handle

80
00:03:02,309 --> 00:02:58,080
because as fighter pilots it's much

81
00:03:05,910 --> 00:03:03,190
and

82
00:03:11,830 --> 00:03:05,920
uh

83
00:03:14,550 --> 00:03:11,840
i was sort of the flight engineer and so

84
00:03:16,630 --> 00:03:14,560
if i detected any kind of problem

85
00:03:17,830 --> 00:03:16,640
uh on the uh instruments i couldn't see

86
00:03:19,430 --> 00:03:17,840
them they were just kind of going like

87
00:03:20,869 --> 00:03:19,440
that

88
00:03:23,270 --> 00:03:20,879
i wouldn't have been able to communicate

89
00:03:24,390 --> 00:03:23,280
them to frank and if i had seen him and

90
00:03:26,470 --> 00:03:24,400
communicate he wouldn't be able to do

91
00:03:29,110 --> 00:03:26,480
anything about it anyway

92
00:03:32,309 --> 00:03:29,120
well we seemed like an hour when we

93
00:03:33,990 --> 00:03:32,319
cleared the tower and uh the noise

94
00:03:36,869 --> 00:03:34,000
started coming down a little bit and

95
00:03:38,789 --> 00:03:36,879
things smoothed out and i thought boy

96
00:03:41,750 --> 00:03:38,799
if we missed that in our training what

97
00:03:44,470 --> 00:03:43,670
so it was pretty spectacular and then as

98
00:03:47,750 --> 00:03:44,480
we

99
00:03:49,910 --> 00:03:47,760
burn the fuel out of this first stage

100
00:03:51,670 --> 00:03:49,920
it's extremely heavy probably what half

101
00:03:53,910 --> 00:03:51,680
of the weight of the vehicle

102
00:03:55,670 --> 00:03:53,920
that's when it was loaded as it burned

103
00:03:58,390 --> 00:03:55,680
its fuel down

104
00:04:00,229 --> 00:03:58,400
the whole thing became much less massive

105
00:04:02,229 --> 00:04:00,239
but the thrust was the same you know for

106
00:04:03,589 --> 00:04:02,239
those who went to high school physics f

107
00:04:06,550 --> 00:04:03,599
equals m a

108
00:04:09,670 --> 00:04:06,560
so as f is the same and m goes down a

109
00:04:11,750 --> 00:04:09,680
goes up so at uh at cut off what do we

110
00:04:13,350 --> 00:04:11,760
have about four g something like that

111
00:04:14,869 --> 00:04:13,360
four and a half g's

112
00:04:16,509 --> 00:04:14,879
suddenly

113
00:04:19,749 --> 00:04:16,519
the rocket cut off

114
00:04:22,069 --> 00:04:19,759
instantaneously some retro rockets fired

115
00:04:25,030 --> 00:04:22,079
uh then the the

116
00:04:27,510 --> 00:04:25,040
primer cord sheared off the first stage

117
00:04:29,350 --> 00:04:27,520
to me were my fluid we were on her back

118
00:04:31,510 --> 00:04:29,360
so the fluid my ears were pinned to the

119
00:04:33,510 --> 00:04:31,520
back of my head and suddenly it all

120
00:04:35,510 --> 00:04:33,520
sloshed forward

121
00:04:37,270 --> 00:04:35,520
and i could not resist

122
00:04:39,189 --> 00:04:37,280
throwing my hand

123
00:04:41,590 --> 00:04:39,199
up in front of my face like it felt like

124
00:04:43,990 --> 00:04:41,600
i was being catapulted like one of these

125
00:04:45,749 --> 00:04:44,000
captain of castile catapults right

126
00:04:47,350 --> 00:04:45,759
through the instrument panel

127
00:04:49,830 --> 00:04:47,360
okay that went so i threw my hand up

128
00:04:54,710 --> 00:04:49,840
about the time my hand got up here

129
00:05:00,070 --> 00:04:57,110
so i looked up and had my my face my

130
00:05:02,950 --> 00:05:00,080
helmet on and here was this gash

131
00:05:04,790 --> 00:05:02,960
across my helmet and i thought oh gosh

132
00:05:07,189 --> 00:05:04,800
you know when the big boys see this you

133
00:05:09,189 --> 00:05:07,199
know it's going to just you know justify

134
00:05:11,270 --> 00:05:09,199
the rookie position

135
00:05:13,830 --> 00:05:11,280
well we made it into orbit and somewhere

136
00:05:16,310 --> 00:05:13,840
along the line uh i collected the

137
00:05:17,990 --> 00:05:16,320
helmets and i noticed that the other two

138
00:05:19,590 --> 00:05:18,000
guys each had

139
00:05:21,670 --> 00:05:19,600
a slash

140
00:05:24,390 --> 00:05:21,680
so my point is there's no rookies on the

141
00:05:26,950 --> 00:05:24,400
first saturn everybody's a rookie the

142
00:05:29,350 --> 00:05:26,960
launch was exciting and then we went on

143
00:05:31,830 --> 00:05:29,360
to the coast uh we went around once and

144
00:05:33,909 --> 00:05:31,840
a half around the earth and then over

145
00:05:35,670 --> 00:05:33,919
was over hawaii it wasn't we got the go

146
00:05:37,990 --> 00:05:35,680
for tli much

147
00:05:39,350 --> 00:05:38,000
go for translunar injection and i'll be

148
00:05:41,270 --> 00:05:39,360
honest with you i didn't think we would

149
00:05:42,870 --> 00:05:41,280
ever get that because i knew darn well

150
00:05:44,790 --> 00:05:42,880
that nasa wouldn't commit

151
00:05:48,390 --> 00:05:44,800
commit us unless everything was really

152
00:05:51,029 --> 00:05:48,400
perfect but over hawaii mike collins

153
00:05:54,150 --> 00:05:51,039
said apollo 8 you go for tli we lit this

154
00:05:57,189 --> 00:05:54,160
s4b started out picked up what 25 000

155
00:05:59,830 --> 00:05:57,199
miles an hour 35 000 feet a second 35

156
00:06:02,390 --> 00:05:59,840
000 feet a second 25 000 miles an hour

157
00:06:04,309 --> 00:06:02,400
and started toward the moon now in order

158
00:06:06,950 --> 00:06:04,319
to keep the heat load equal on the

159
00:06:08,950 --> 00:06:06,960
spacecraft we posit if that was the sun

160
00:06:09,909 --> 00:06:08,960
we positioned ourselves perpendicular to

161
00:06:11,670 --> 00:06:09,919
the sun

162
00:06:13,270 --> 00:06:11,680
and then just rotated all the way to the

163
00:06:15,990 --> 00:06:13,280
moon we so we i think we probably have

164
00:06:17,670 --> 00:06:16,000
the record for revolutions yeah

165
00:06:21,749 --> 00:06:17,680
and at kevin cube

166
00:06:23,590 --> 00:06:21,759
yeah we call it the barbecued mode about

167
00:06:24,870 --> 00:06:23,600
oh i don't know about two or three i

168
00:06:26,390 --> 00:06:24,880
might as well get this out of the way

169
00:06:27,350 --> 00:06:26,400
right now because it'll come up sooner

170
00:06:36,309 --> 00:06:27,360
or later

171
00:06:36,319 --> 00:06:39,590
i began to feel funny

172
00:06:44,550 --> 00:06:42,870
i'll tell you it wasn't a bit funny

173
00:06:46,230 --> 00:06:44,560
you know jim lovell and i had flown for

174
00:06:48,790 --> 00:06:46,240
two weeks and i'd never gotten sick i've

175
00:06:50,950 --> 00:06:48,800
never been sick in an airplane but i

176
00:06:54,710 --> 00:06:50,960
really wasn't feeling too good and so i

177
00:06:56,629 --> 00:06:54,720
managed to throw up all over them

178
00:06:59,510 --> 00:06:56,639
and that caused great consternation back

179
00:07:01,990 --> 00:06:59,520
on earth when anders wanted to squeal on

180
00:07:03,350 --> 00:07:02,000
me i wouldn't let him so finally he

181
00:07:05,909 --> 00:07:03,360
dumped it on the tape and they read

182
00:07:07,909 --> 00:07:05,919
about it and then eight hours later i

183
00:07:09,909 --> 00:07:07,919
covered his tail for eight hours

184
00:07:11,029 --> 00:07:09,919
but interestingly enough all the

185
00:07:13,430 --> 00:07:11,039
scientists

186
00:07:14,629 --> 00:07:13,440
dr van allen was convinced that we got

187
00:07:16,390 --> 00:07:14,639
fried going through his zionist

188
00:07:18,390 --> 00:07:16,400
ionosphere belt

189
00:07:19,510 --> 00:07:18,400
this not the doctors were going nuts and

190
00:07:21,589 --> 00:07:19,520
we wanted

191
00:07:23,909 --> 00:07:21,599
as if we they couldn't decide whether or

192
00:07:26,309 --> 00:07:23,919
not they were going to abort the mission

193
00:07:28,230 --> 00:07:26,319
they didn't have much to say about it

194
00:07:30,390 --> 00:07:28,240
frank i have to tell you this right now

195
00:07:31,990 --> 00:07:30,400
but we were going to the moon regardless

196
00:07:33,430 --> 00:07:32,000
of what happened exactly

197
00:07:34,629 --> 00:07:33,440
one of the important things on the

198
00:07:36,390 --> 00:07:34,639
flight plan

199
00:07:38,390 --> 00:07:36,400
was when we would lose communication

200
00:07:40,469 --> 00:07:38,400
with the earth because as you go around

201
00:07:42,629 --> 00:07:40,479
the moon the communications will be

202
00:07:45,270 --> 00:07:42,639
blanked out because it was s-band radar

203
00:07:47,110 --> 00:07:45,280
that we were using to communicate and so

204
00:07:49,189 --> 00:07:47,120
that was a very critical point we we had

205
00:07:51,670 --> 00:07:49,199
never seen the moon as john mentioned

206
00:07:53,909 --> 00:07:51,680
and uh i was really it was perfect

207
00:07:57,189 --> 00:07:53,919
darkness and we're flying backwards

208
00:07:58,869 --> 00:07:57,199
hoping aiming 240 000 miles inning for

209
00:08:01,029 --> 00:07:58,879
aiming for a place 60 miles above the

210
00:08:04,070 --> 00:08:01,039
lunar surface so i was watching that

211
00:08:05,830 --> 00:08:04,080
time very very very closely uh and

212
00:08:07,430 --> 00:08:05,840
hoping that we were on track and just at

213
00:08:09,110 --> 00:08:07,440
the minute we were second we were

214
00:08:09,990 --> 00:08:09,120
supposed to lose communication we lost

215
00:08:10,790 --> 00:08:10,000
it

216
00:08:13,029 --> 00:08:10,800
and

217
00:08:14,790 --> 00:08:13,039
boy that's great what a wonderful deal i

218
00:08:15,909 --> 00:08:14,800
said we just lost it right on time and

219
00:08:17,670 --> 00:08:15,919
anders says

220
00:08:21,189 --> 00:08:17,680
well they probably turned a damn radio

221
00:08:25,270 --> 00:08:22,790
okay now i got you to the moon you guys

222
00:08:27,430 --> 00:08:25,280
take over

223
00:08:29,029 --> 00:08:27,440
well we as frank said and as john said

224
00:08:30,390 --> 00:08:29,039
we didn't see the moon because we

225
00:08:32,469 --> 00:08:30,400
weren't supposed to look at it because

226
00:08:34,709 --> 00:08:32,479
the sun was sort of right behind it

227
00:08:37,430 --> 00:08:34,719
afraid to hurt we'd hurt our eyes

228
00:08:39,909 --> 00:08:37,440
but when we uh oriented the spacecraft

229
00:08:41,430 --> 00:08:39,919
going backwards along our path just as

230
00:08:43,509 --> 00:08:41,440
we were cutting in front of the moon

231
00:08:45,190 --> 00:08:43,519
like like high schoolers trying to

232
00:08:47,430 --> 00:08:45,200
outrace the train

233
00:08:50,070 --> 00:08:47,440
uh in their jalopy and

234
00:08:52,310 --> 00:08:50,080
beating it by a yard

235
00:08:53,990 --> 00:08:52,320
it we went into the shadow of the moon

236
00:08:55,670 --> 00:08:54,000
where we were both in the shadow of the

237
00:08:58,870 --> 00:08:55,680
moon from the sun and the shadow of the

238
00:09:01,430 --> 00:08:58,880
moon from earth shine and it was dark i

239
00:09:03,910 --> 00:09:01,440
mean it was it had been kind of

240
00:09:05,509 --> 00:09:03,920
just the sky was sort of a gray you

241
00:09:08,070 --> 00:09:05,519
couldn't see stars very well but it

242
00:09:10,150 --> 00:09:08,080
wasn't dark coming to the moon but now

243
00:09:11,590 --> 00:09:10,160
it was black there were stars everywhere

244
00:09:13,190 --> 00:09:11,600
you couldn't tell which ones they were

245
00:09:15,269 --> 00:09:13,200
there were so many

246
00:09:16,630 --> 00:09:15,279
and i remember looking back

247
00:09:18,470 --> 00:09:16,640
and uh

248
00:09:21,750 --> 00:09:18,480
seeing all these stars and suddenly

249
00:09:23,190 --> 00:09:21,760
there was this big black hole

250
00:09:24,949 --> 00:09:23,200
and i got to tell you the hair went up

251
00:09:26,150 --> 00:09:24,959
on the back of my neck because that was

252
00:09:28,389 --> 00:09:26,160
the moon

253
00:09:30,310 --> 00:09:28,399
and uh when we popped out of that shadow

254
00:09:32,070 --> 00:09:30,320
and relit our engines we were in lunar

255
00:09:33,670 --> 00:09:32,080
orbit

256
00:09:36,070 --> 00:09:33,680
that was one of the major decisions we

257
00:09:37,670 --> 00:09:36,080
had to make because you know if we were

258
00:09:39,350 --> 00:09:37,680
had any problems at all

259
00:09:41,590 --> 00:09:39,360
we'd circumnavigate the moon and come

260
00:09:44,470 --> 00:09:41,600
back again so one of the decisions and

261
00:09:46,790 --> 00:09:44,480
what we had to do behind the moon with

262
00:09:48,550 --> 00:09:46,800
no communication with the earth was to

263
00:09:50,389 --> 00:09:48,560
of course light the engine to slow down

264
00:09:52,550 --> 00:09:50,399
and once we did that and everything

265
00:09:55,509 --> 00:09:52,560
looked perfect and then when we looked

266
00:09:57,350 --> 00:09:55,519
at the computer uh it it showed that we

267
00:09:59,430 --> 00:09:57,360
were in the exact orbit

268
00:10:01,750 --> 00:09:59,440
i think at that time it was about 60 by

269
00:10:03,350 --> 00:10:01,760
160 miles in a sort of elliptical orbit

270
00:10:05,350 --> 00:10:03,360
to begin with