Associated Press
Wednesday, February 21, 1962 ; Page A19

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Feb. 20 (AP) — Space Agency officials released the following unofficial transcript of conversations with John H. Glenn Jr. Some purely technical conversations have been eliminated.

Glenn: Five-four-three-two-one-zero, liftoff. The clock is operating. We are under way. Roger. Read you loud and clear. Roger.

Mercury Control: We are programming . . . Okay.

Glenn: It is a little bumpy along about here. Roger.

MC: Flight path is good.

Glenn: Checks okay. Minus 7, on your mark.

MC: Roger. Reading you clear, John.

Glenn: Coming into high gear a little bit. A little contrail went by the window or something. Roger. 102 . . . 101 . . . oxygen 78 . . . 101 . . . APMS 24, still okay. We are . . . out some now, getting out of the vibration area.

MC: Flight path very good.

Glenn: Pitch four three. Coming out real fine. Flight very smooth now.

MC: Roger. Flight path is good.

Glenn: Cabin pressure is holding at six one. Okay. Have some oscillations, but they seem to be dampening.

Glenn: The clock two minutes. Gs are building to six.

MC: Roger. Reading you loud and clear. Flight path looks good. Pitch 25. Stand by for station.

Glenn: Beco. Beco (booster engines cut off). I see the tower go. I saw the smoke go by the window.

MC: Roger. We confirm staging TM (telemetry).

Glenn: Roger. Still have about 1½ Gs . . .The tower went right then. I have the tower in sight way out.

MC: We confirm on 5. . . . Tower is green.

Glenn: 1½ Gs.

MC: Flight path looks good.

Glenn: Retro jettisoned. Emergency retro jettison slips off.

MC: Flight path looks good.

Glenn: The steering is good.

MC: Roger. Understand everything looks good.

Glenn: Gs starting to build again . . . Roger. Bermuda, stand by. This Friendship 7.

MC: Roger. Reading you loud and clear. Flight path looks good.

MC: Roger. Reading you loud and clear. Cape is go. We are standing by for you.

Glenn: Roger. Cape is go. I am go.

Glenn: All systems go. Cabin pressure holding steady. All systems are go.

MC: Roger. 20 seconds . . . Flight path looks very good. 10 seconds. Flight path still looks good.

Glenn: Roger. SECO (sustainer engines cut off) . . . Grade fired OK.

MC: Roger. Stand by.

Glenn: Roger. Zero Gs and I feel fine. Capsule is turning around. Oh, that view is tremendous.

MC: Roger.

Glenn: Turn around has started. Capsule turning around and I can see the booster doing turnarounds just a couple of hundred yards behind. It looks beautiful.

MC: Roger. Seven. You have a go of at least seven orbits.

Glenn: Roger. Understand go for at least seven orbits.

Glenn: Can see clear back a big cloud pattern away back toward the Cape. Beautiful sight.

MC: Roger. Still read you loud and clear.

Glenn: Telemetry, all frequencies are on automatic. The pressure regulator is still in the in position. Launch control is off. Panel positions are normal . . . is off.

Glenn: The horizon is a brilliant blue. There I have the mainland in sight at present time coming up on the scope and have the Canarys in sight through the window and picked them up on the scope just before I saw them out the window.

(Glenn tape recorded conversation with astronaut Gordon Cooper as the Friendship 7 spacecraft passed over Australia.)

Glenn: Hello Coop, this is Friendship 7 reading you loud and clear.

Cooper: Roger, Friendship 7, this is Coop. Over.

Glenn: Roger.

Cooper: How are you doing Colonel?

Glenn: We are doing real fine up here, everything is going real well. Over.

Cooper: Very good, John. You sound good.

Glenn: All systems are still go, having no problems at all. Control systems operating fine. Over.

Cooper: Do you have any landmark observations?

Glenn: Roger. I was just making some for the recorder, and the only unusual thing I have noticed was the rather high, what appeared to be a haze layer up some 7 or 8 degrees above the horizon on the night side, the stars I can see through it as they go down toward the real horizon, but it is a very visible single band or layer or . . . above the normal horizon. Over.

Cooper: Roger. Very interesting.

Glenn: I had a lot of cloud cover coming off of Africa. It has thinned out considerably now, and although I can not definitely see . . . there is a lot of moonlight here that reflects off of what clouds there are. Over.

Cooper: Roger . . . and excellent, John . . . shortly you may observe some lights down there. Do you want to take a check on that, to your right? Over.

Glenn: Roger. I am all set to see if I get them in sight.

Cooper: You did have your visor closed?

Glenn: I did have it opened for a little while. It is closed now. Cabin pressure is holding good shape. Over . . . I feel fine. Over.

Cooper: Good show.

Glenn: Relay inverter is 180 degrees. It looks like it has done pretty well.