The fueling tower has been removed. 30 seconds before launch. The launch command has been given. Telemetry registry equipment has been turned on. Also the the control, onboard control systems of, the registration equipment here. Ignition. The power the engines are powered up. The launch The booster is off. Moscow time, 15 hours 20 minutes 10 seconds. The flight is proceeding normally. The programmed maneuver of the booster rocket has been given. 20 minutes into flight. The flight is normal. The engine is operating in a stable manner. There's a slight movement of the booster oscillation. 30 seconds. The flight is proceeding normally. 40 seconds. The flight is normal. 70 seconds of flight of the booster of the Soyuz spacecraft. The first stage has been passed, on which maximum acceleration is encountered. The speed, the velocity has exceeded 500 meters per second. Slight overloads are being felt by the crew. 100 seconds into the flight, the the rocket is proceeding in a stable manner. The crew is reporting from onboard the spacecraft. 120 seconds into the flight. The first stage side segments have separated. The speed is over one and a half kilometers per second. The second stage engines are operating in a stable manner. Slight overload is being felt by the crew. 160 seconds into the flight. The emergency jettison system, the rescue system has been jettisoned. The covering shroud has separated. The crew is reporting from onboard the spacecraft. The second stage engines are operating. 270 seconds into the flight. The booster is stable. The pitch and yaw are normal. The separation of the second stage has taken place, and the third stage engines of the booster have been turned on. The cosmonauts report the ignition of the third stage. 350 seconds into the flight, stabilization of the third stage. This third stage is stable. The pressure in the burning chamber, in the combustion chamber of the third stage is within normal limits. Velocity of the booster rocket has now exceeded four and a half kilometers per second. Altitude of the spacecraft in accordance to the program is about 190 kilometers. The distance from the launch pad is about 700 kilometers. Third stage engine has been switched off, and the spacecraft Soyuz is has now been inserted into orbit. Orbital flight has been initiated. This is the Soviet Mission Control Center, Moscow time, 15 hours 35 minutes. The Soyuz spacecraft is completing is now in orbital flight. It has It is just now within the communication area of Ussuriysk ground station. The crew is talking with the Mission Control Center. After leaving the communication zone of the Ussuriysk ground station, the spacecraft Soyuz will be heard again only at the American tracking ship Vanguard. At the second orbit, the Soyuz spacecraft will enter AOS of Yevpatoriya at 16:52:16:52. The Soyuz will be heard over the USSR territory until 17 hours 12 minutes, when it will leave the zone of communica- the coverage zone of Ussuriysk. At the present time, the Soyuz spacecraft is entering the Earth's shadow. This is Moscow Mission Control. Approaching the 30-second mark in our countdown. Water pouring onto the flame deflector now coming onto the deck of the mobile launcher. Everything proceeding smoothly. We'll get a guidance release at the 17-second mark. The engines will actually start. The engine sequence starts at 3.1 seconds in the countdown. We'll hold down till thrust builds up. Engine ready light on. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, launch commit. We have a liftoff. All engines building up thrust. Moving out. Clear the tower. Roger. Tower clear. Roger, Time, you got good thrust on all engines, you're right on the money. Roger. I got a roll program started, but not much. Roger, Time. Yeah, she goes. The pitch program, a little shaky liftoff, but it's smooth as silk now, Dick. Okay. Saturn launch vehicle beginning beginning a 45-second maneuver to the proper roll. Trajectory looking good. 40 seconds and we're on the way. Roger, Time, you're looking real fine. Coming up on one minute, we're clear of the beach. Roger. Falling now, 3 miles in altitude, 1 mile downrange. Stand by for mode one bravo. Mark, one bravo. One bravo, 3 G's. Roger. And our pressure is coming down. Roger. Cabin pressure relieving as expected, and coming up on the region of maximum dynamic pressure. And we're still we're through Max Q. Everything's still looking good. In your feet wet on your way. Roger, feet wet. 1 minute 30 seconds, still looking good, 6 miles downrange. We are maneuvering, flick. Roger. Okay, this auto web, you reach the auto, we'll be range, huh? And we got an SMRCS A light on. Roger. Call you Houston, you're mode one, Charlie. Roger, mode one, Charlie, Dick. Confirm? And Pete Frank, getting a status for staging. Go for staging. Yes, in your go for staging. And we have a report that we are losing some data here in the control center. How forward. We've lost data from the command module computer. Trajectory still looking good. Roger, Time. Okay, and that light is on on the 4B. Roger. We got acceleration. Roger. Hello Houston, we've had a few years to view shift, and thrust is up on that 4B, looking real fine, right on the money. All right, Roger, Dick. Capcom, Dick Truly advising the crew that everything looks good on the Saturn second stage. Sorry, Jeff, there she goes. Roger, Time. You're in your mode And the launch tower no longer needed and has been jettisoned as planned. Okay, and we got the stain runner on the floor. Guidance is initiated. Roger, concur. 50 miles in altitude now, 80 miles downrange. Guidance looks very good at this point. The command module computer data is intermittent now, and everything looks good. Hello Houston, coming up on 4 and 1/2 minutes your go, and Vance says we think that that was a package attempt that was low, it's come up with intolerance now. You're looking fine. Okay, fine. 4:30 back to 1G. Acceleration looking good there. Roger. Apollo now approaching 200 miles downrange, 76 miles in altitude. Everything looks very good trajectory wise. And we have about 5 minutes remaining in this burn on the second stage. Hello Houston, it's 5 minutes, your go. Roger, 5 minutes. Looks good onboard, Dick. And we just had the beautiful sight. Roger, wish I could see it. The Russian. Man, I tell you this was worth waiting 16 years for. Got a beautiful I believe you, Dick. Roger, I believe all of that. 83 miles in altitude now. 280 miles downrange, trajectory very good. Okay, flight. 30 on board trajectory looks beautiful. Roger, concur, Time. You're right on the money. 5 minutes 45 seconds. Flight director Pete Frank, getting another status report around the room, and everything looking good. Hello Houston, you're right on at 6 minutes, you're go. Roger. 3 minutes 40 seconds remaining in this burn. The launch vehicle continuing to pick over and pitch over and pick up speed rapidly. 13,000 feet per second is the current velocity. Okay, dick thinking. Coming up on 7 minutes. The booster says we look just fine. And flight director Pete Frank getting the advisory that we look right on everything looks good. Coming up on 8 minutes 30 seconds and still looking good. 8:30 your trajectory looks good onboard. Roger, concur, Time. You go. 730 miles downrange, 86 miles in altitude. Targeted for an orbit of 93 by 104. And coming up on 9 minutes, now, looking very good. 5 minutes. Follow the go. Roger, 9 minutes. 9 minutes, you're go. Predicted cutoff in about 40 seconds. Now we're predicting the gadded cutoff at 9 plus 46. Roger, I'm going with 46. Stand by for mode 3 Alpha. Roger. Slico. Roger, and we're right in there. We are clear. KPI 25649 H dot minus 4 altitude 83.2. Okay, Vance, thank you. According to the computer in an 89.4 by 83.1. Okay, thanks Vance. We'll check it ourselves. We the Hudson orbit. This is Apollo control at 12 minutes. Uh everything looking good here on the ground, the normal orbit insertion. The booster engineer here in mission control Houston, reports that the booster is doing all the things that it should following that insertion, and everything looks very good. A good burn on both the first and second stages of the Saturn, and a very normal launch sequence. All right, no, we got a problem. Uh we can't get the probe out to stick that wonderful little freezer up there. Understand, you can't get the probe out. No, uh Vance will tell you about it here. Okay, uh, well, everything in the probe removal checklist uh on the Q-card has going has been going great up through uh step 11. Step 12 is uh, capture latch release tool seven. You inserted the pyro cover. You turn it 180 degrees clockwise to release the capture latch as well. Here's where the problem is, and uh let me explain it to you, if you have somebody there that uh knows the probe that can listen. Roger, go ahead. Ground elapsed time, 18 hours 39 minutes. The Apollo crew has been asleep now for not quite two hours after reporting a problem in removing the probe in the command module tunnel. Engineers and flight controllers here at the Mission Control Center continue to review the problem reported by Vance Brand. Uh he said that when he went to remove the probe, it hung up in the tunnel, and this caused the uh the hatch could not be closed. The probe must be removed from the tunnel before entry can be made into the docking module. Apollo control. At the conclusion of the press conference, we joined the current ATS 6 satellite pass, uh which has 37 minutes remaining, and at uh LOS we'll playback the front part of this pass. Vance Brand is now uh well underway in correcting the probe problem. He has a cap back on, the offending connector for the pyro uh squib which fires the nitrogen bottle has been moved out of the way. He's going to tape it up. Okay, we're we're just finishing tying in the probe and drog and uh we'll drop that and get it right away. Okay, Vance, sorry to bug you, but uh we're well the sooner we get it off, the less time we'll have to leave it off. Tech, we've got Soyuz on the sextant. Hey, super. Have you got a good view of it, Vance? It's just a speck right now. Okay, as you know we're really uh, we and the Moscow control center and a lot of other people listening are sure interested in how this rendezvous goes and how it gets closer. So, just keep us advised. Okay. Right now it's hard to distinguish the stars, except the stars are moving relative to the background in the sextant. Roger that. Apollo Houston, I got two messages for you. Moscow is go for docking. Houston is go for docking. It's up to you guys, have fun. All righty, sounds good. Follow me, Alexis. Roger. Chief, 100 meters. It's a nice shift. 10 meters. 100 meter. 1 meter. We have contact. We also have capture. We have succeeded. Everything is excellent. We have and shake in hand now. With glassing. We agreed. Apollo Houston, Dick when you have a chance, uh we'd like to close down the F-stop. We do have a good picture, but it's uh too bright. Copied, uh Alexei. Seeing your holding hands and we see it too. Soyuz Apollo, 1990 Soyuz, Jaki Vanya. Soyuz this is Apollo, initiating retraction. Houston, Apollo. Go ahead, Tom. Uh and go brief the Professor, we've showed you into my office to Kafka. It was a soft docking. Roger, tell Professor Bushuyev it was a soft docking. Hooks. Kafka, Soyuz, Nina. Docking completed. Docking has been completed in Houston. Roger. Well done, Tom, it was a good show. They are looking forward now to shaking hands with you on in both of you. Thank you, Alexi. Thank you very much. To you and Valery. Good time. Soyuz this is Apollo, now hatch four is open, over. Roger, Roger. Negative. Oh okay. Yeah, I can hear you. Yeah. I was just crazy. Well, hatch four is open. We are now equalizing the pressure, Okay. between the docking module and Soyuz. It's uh telling them we're not hearing any CUs. Hello. Okay. How is things going? We are listening well cut it. Okay, 61. You are supposed to go into the Soyuz. Come in here and shake hands. Oh, key maker. Please do so, please. Come here, please. Looks like they got a few snakes in there too. Yeah. We are getting set up to move over there. Alexi. Alexei. Our viewers are here. Uh come here, please. Ah yeah, I did. Yes. Come here. Okay, turn on the camera. Get the remote. Okay. Here. To see you. Here. Message to Alexei, from the bride of it. Very, very happy to see you. This is the Soyuz and the United States. My buddy. Valery. Valery. Come here. Valery. Valery, how are things? We, too. Okay. Command module Houston, we are still not hearing Soyuz well. Are you hearing them? Loud and clear. Astronauts are on the line, Tom. Gentlemen, let me call to express my very great admiration for your hard work, your total dedication in preparing for this first joint flight. All of us here in Washington and the United States send to you our very warmest congratulations for your successful rendezvous and for your docking. And we wish you the very best for a successful completion of the remainder of your mission. Your flight is a momentous event and a very great achievement, not only for the five of you, but also for the thousands of American and Soviet scientists and technicians who have worked together for three years to ensure the success of this very historic and very successful experiment in international cooperation. It's taken us many years to open this door to useful cooperation in space between our two countries, and I'm confident that the day is not far off when space missions made possible by this first joint effort will be more or less commonplace. We all look forward to your safe return, and we follow it with great interest, the so far, and we look forward to talking with you on Earth again when you do end your flight. General Stafford, Tom, now that you've had a an opportunity to test the new docking system. Do you think it will be suitable for future international man space flight? Uh yes sir, Mr. President, I sure do. Out of the three docking systems uh I've used, this was the smoothest one so far. It worked beautifully. About three and a half hours ago I sat here in the Oval Office and watched the docking procedure. It looked awfully simple from here, I'm sure it wasn't that simple uh for the five of you. Let me if I might Yes, Tom. Let me say a word or two if I might to Colonel Leonov. Uh, the docking was a critical phase of the joint mission. Uh Colonel, could you describe it, and would you describe the reaction of the crews on meeting in space after such a long preparation. Uh Mr. President, I am sure that our joint flight is the beginning for future cooperation in space between our countries. Thank you very much for very nice words uh to us. We will do our best. Uh Colonel, I thank you and the other four have done very, very well so far, and may I congratulate you and uh your associates on this great achievement. Now, Doctor Slayton, uh Deke. You've had a very, very long record of distinguished service, preparing other astronaut crews for various space missions. And we're extremely pleased to see you on the crew of the first international man space flight. As the world's oldest space rookie, do you have any advice for young people who hope to fly on future space missions? Deke, did you have a chance to hear my question? Uh not there Mr. President, unfortunately. Can I repeat it and uh weight loss. Please repeat it for me, sir. Well, uh yes I have a lot of advice for uh young people, but I guess uh probably one of the most important bits is to number one decide what you really want to do. And then secondly never give up till you've done it. Well you're a darn good example, Deke, of uh never giving up and continuing and I know it is a great feeling of uh of uh success from your point of view to have made this flight, your four associates. Yes sir. Uh Vance Brand, I know that you're still in the Apollo, uh and holding the fort there. It's been my um observation that the crews on both sides have uh worked very hard to learn either Russian on the one hand or English on the other. Uh has this training period, which is so important, stood the test in the complicated procedures that all of you must execute in this very delicate mission? Uh Mr. President, I I believe it really has. I think in a way uh our project, and in particular the training that uh we've undergone has been a sort of a model for uh future uh similar projects. I think uh it's been a real pleasant experience to uh work on learning Russian and uh to be able to uh work with the Cosmonauts. And I think uh we'll have some ideas that would probably help people in the future on similar uh tasks. Thank you very much, uh Vance. I might like to say a word or two to uh Valery Kubasov, the other uh member of the Cosmonaut crew. I might say to him uh as well as uh Colonel Leonov, I remember both of you on that enjoyable Saturday last September when both crews visited the White House and joined me in a picnic over in Virginia. We flew from the White House over to this picnic uh just across the river. We had some um uh crab uh specialties that uh I enjoyed and I think you uh did. I'm sure you're having a little different menu, uh somewhat different food on this occasion. What are you having over there uh out in space? We keep food uh space the food, and uh and some and then a lot of water. No beer, no crump. Let me say in conclusion um we look forward to your safe return. It's been a tremendous demonstration of cooperation between our scientists, our technicians, and of course, our astronauts and their counterparts, the Cosmonauts from the Soviet Union. I congratulate everybody connected with the flight and particularly the five of you who are setting this outstanding example of what we have to do in the future to make it a better world. And may I say in signing off, here's to a soft landing. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. President, and it's certainly been an honor to serve the country and work here. We'll see you when you get back. Yes sir. Houston, Apollo. Roger Apollo, uh we're standing by. Stand by for your uh presentations. Alexey, Valery. Alexey, Valery. Permit me in the name of my government and the American people. Presents you with five flags for your government and the people of the Soviet Union. May our joint work in space serve for the benefit of all countries and peoples on the Earth. Thank you very much, Alexey, thank you. Thank you very much. We have, in Cragmore. Dear American TV people, you saw films about the Soviet Union. Some of you visited my country and you enjoyed the beauty of its cities and towns, rivers, forests, mountains and seas. Alexey Leonov and me, visited the United States several times and we did enjoy its beautiful landscapes. Let's go. At ready. Are you reading well? Roger we hear, Valery. Would be to ask which country is more beautiful. It would be right to say, there is nothing more beautiful than our blue planet. You will enjoy the sight of it together with us and we shall help you explaining what flows below this spacecraft. We are going to tell you about a little part of our country which you will see on your TV screens. Thank you. Our spacecraft, Soyuz is approaching the USSR territory. Our country occupies 1/6 of the Earth's surface. Its population is over 250 billion people. It consists of the 15 Union Republics, the biggest of them is the Russian Federal Republic, with the population of 135 billion people. We are now with Vance Brand in the orbital module. I would like to ask him to say a few words. Hello, uh, okay. Good day, I am very happy to be here. Now, this is my first time in orbit. And we have found very good hospitality here aboard the Soyuz. Soon we shall eat and I think that I very much would like to try to taste and this uh food. It can be said that our project here our this is a very important one and as you know everything is proceeding according to program. I think that everything is going very well. Of course, We are friends, we understand each other very well. And I think that soon we will we will have dinner. I think we will soon have dinner. I want to ask one more question, more. Do you like to fly in Soyuz spacecraft? Of course, Soyuz is a good spacecraft. Thank you very much, really good. Very comfortable. To to Then for you to remember your stay here, I would like to present to you from the Soviet the Russian people a medal of the Soyuz and the Apollo. Now you would you can be able to see it on your screens. The same kind of medal was uh presented yesterday to Stafford and Deke Slayton yesterday. And today I am presenting this medal to Vance Brand. That's wonderful. Thank you very much. It is the gold medal from Russian people to you. This is the emblem of the Apollo and the Soyuz, yes? No, we are beginning the the this video the really, we are beginning the final the conclusion portion of our joint activities here in this Soyuz uh spacecraft. Okay I'm beginning, allow me to present to you on behalf of the United States of America to give your people and your government a present of the United States, a present to your people. I am sure good free must grow. from this space Joint metal for this Soyuz Apollo mission between the United States of America and the Soviet Union. Dear television friends. It's 2200 hours in Moscow time. The terminating final activities are going on on board our two spacecraft. The present time on board of the Soyuz spacecraft we have the Apollo commander, Tom Stafford and the Apollo Valeriy Kubasov together with Deke Slayton and Vance Brand. Our joint activities are coming to an end. And we will have our fourth and final transfer coming up soon. The joint operations include Tom Stafford's transmittal to me of a box of seeds. Seeds of very fast and rapidly growing pine trees. They should grow very well and very rapidly in a good climate when they are planted in our on our Soviet territory. The joint operations also include an exchange of metals. One half of the metal was placed on the Apollo spacecraft, and the second half of the metal was placed in the Soyuz spacecraft, and now here, together in a orbit of the Earth, we will be connecting these two halves of the metal. The metal with an emblem of our joint flight. Joined the docked spacecraft Apollo and Soyuz with the two U.S. and USSR flags side-by-side. I am taking this metal and handing it over to Tom Stafford, and Valeriy Kubasov will be taking the other metal from the other spacecraft and bringing it here back to us. Thank you very much. Dear Soviet television viewers, allow me as a representative of the United States of America to transmit to you best regards from the people of the United States. This is a happy time for the whole crew. We are happy, very happy to receive, to be together here in the first international flight. After two years of joint preparation and training, we astronauts and cosmonauts. Not only have worked together, but we've become good friends. I am sure that our joint work, friendship will continue even after this flight. I too am sure, dear television viewers, that this flight will open the way to further cooperation and friendship between our two countries. The yesterday's let the things that went on yesterday in our flight and today be a good thing for both of our peoples. Thank you and good luck. Apollo, Houston throughout, over. Roger, you have a go for undock. On panel 230, we would like the up telemetry switch to relay. TV picture. Yeah, okay. Over. All right. I am docking. Loss of signal. Roger. How did the undocking go? The docking went normal. The pressure is normal. We are now in our orbital hold mode. Apollo has left the field of view and we cannot see him so far. Open. In all of the history of space flight, there have been a great many firsts. Sputnik 1 was the first satellite. Yuri Gagarin was the aboard Vostok 1 was the first man in space. Alan Shepard was the first American in space. Alexei Leonov was the first man to take a spacewalk. Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman in space. Neil Armstrong, first man to step on the Moon. And there have been some firsts on this Apollo-Soyuz mission. The first joint flight with docking and crew transfer of spacecraft between of two nations. There have also been a great many lasts in Apollo-Soyuz. It's the last flight of the Apollo-type spacecraft. It will be the last water landing of a US spacecraft. Be the last use of parachutes for a US manned spacecraft landing. And the launch on the 15th was the last flight by any of the Saturn family of launch vehicles. Moscow, this is Soyuz. We have engine fire. Stabilization is stable. Roger. The engine fired in a stable mode for 20 seconds. Roger, Soyuz. Everything operating normally. Soyuz now out of range of ascension. We show that their deorbit burn began at 5:10 and 35 seconds, a.m. Central Daylight Time. Soyuz crew reported at least two-minute burn. This is preparation for separation of the modules and also the maneuvering and control on the deorbit and entry into the atmosphere section. According to calculation, separation of the modules shall take place at 13 hours 22 minutes 26 seconds. At that moment, the altitude of flight will be 153.8 km. This is Moscow Mission Control Center. Somewhat later, at 13 hours 26 minutes and 48 seconds, at the height of 104 km, altitude of 104, the descent vehicle will enter the atmosphere. This is Moscow Mission Control Center. Separation of the modules of the Soyuz spacecraft has taken place. This data was received by signals transmitted from the orbital module of the spacecraft Soyuz. This is the Soviet Mission Control Center. 12 hours 24 minutes Moscow time, the distance between the spacecraft and the landing site was approximately 4,000 km. In one minute, the Soyuz spacecraft and its descent vehicle shall will enter the atmosphere. Soyuz, this is Moscow, I can hear you. Roger, everything on board is normal. Separation was on time. Everything is working. The descent and the retrofire engine worked fine. The engine fired on schedule and at the proper time. The engines were switched on, the button was pushed. Everything better, continue your report please. We are listening to to you. You can hear the engine firing. And we can see it through the portal. Altitude of the descent vehicle 1,400 m, Moscow time 13 hours 47 minutes 50 seconds. Descent rate approximately 7 to 8 m per second. The descent rate of the spacecraft 1,000 m altitude. Moscow time 13 hours 48 minutes. The crew has gotten set and ready for contact of the descent vehicle with the ground. The area of the landing is a smooth field. Altitude 600 m. Moscow time 13 hours 49 minutes 50 seconds. Contact of the descent vehicle at 13 hours 50 minutes 54 seconds Moscow time. The parachute has been jettisoned. The soft landing engines fired and a small cloud of dust rose. The descent vehicle is lying on its side and the helicopters of the rescue unit are approaching it. Soyuz 19 on the ground. Hours 52 minutes, the rescue helicopter has landed near the descent vehicle. Members of the rescue search and rescue group are approaching the descent vehicle of Soyuz 19 spacecraft. Specialists of the search and rescue group are beginning to open the hatch number 5, the hatch of the Soyuz spacecraft descent vehicle, Moscow time is 13 hours 52 minutes 45 seconds. The place of landing is being approached by helicopters carrying the press. Commander of the spacecraft, Alexei Leonov, has just exited from the spacecraft. Moscow time at that time was 13 hours, 54 minutes, 25 seconds. Alexei Leonov waving at the rescue team members. Apparently in very good spirits. Moscow time, 13 hours 55 minutes, flight engineer of the spacecraft, Soyuz 19, Valery Kubasov has just come out of the Soyuz. The cosmonauts feel well. Roger that. Okay, and we're up to the point where it says coordinate next two steps for fate in it if possible. So, it looks like it is possible. So, circuit breaker, snakes arm, two coming close. Okay, six logic, two on them. And we're good. Yeah, it looks good here. We'll go for power on this request. Okay, a couple of items we didn't see you put the FDA I have scaled to 55 and also, we need to we'd like a verify for penalty 27 that the scientific instrument power is on. If you can see it. Okay. Okay, all looks good here. Follow Houston, it will give you a warm feeling. We're go for DM jet. Super. Where are we? Super. Roger. You want to monitor the whole thing, Rover? That's why that's why we got the Vanguard underway, so we can do that. We're maneuvering. Roger. Okay, she went off real good. Crip, we don't see her in the window yet. We went to hole at 15 seconds. Roger that. Nice job. You want to get those pictures off, too? That's firm. This is Apollo Control. Loss of station at tracking ship Vanguard. Successfully separating or jettisoning the docking module, the Apollo crew had it in sight after going back into attitude hold. Next they will begin to doff their pressure suits. And upcoming at 200 hours even about 31 minutes from now will be a 30.2 ft per second retrograde maneuver to set up for the 300 km distance spacing away from the docking module. And that is in perfect condition. Yeah, everything is going super. Even down here to motor we're we're squared away, we've got our two dozen roses from Sandy Diane like she's been sending all through the Apollo program so uh we're go. Sounds great. The weather out there at your recovery point still super also. It's once more 1800 scattered 10 miles viz winds out of the east about 15 knots with wave heights 4 ft, maybe even be less. Looks like they're declining a little bit. Should have a a super landing. Thank you. Apollo Houston, we're a little over a minute from LOS at Vanguard and our next station contact will be Goldstone in 19 minutes. That's at 9909. Uh your preliminary pads are go. We will not have a pad update for you there. The only thing we'll be needing is except when we come LOS, then we'll give you a state vector update. Okay, understand. I understand, preliminary pads. That's right, there you go. Apollo control. Ground elapsed time 223 hours 9 minutes. Less than one hour and nine minutes to go for the burn of the SPS engine. This will bring back the command module. Splashdown in the Pacific northwest of Hawaii. This will be a burn of 7 seconds in duration. The command module will be oriented minus eight degrees pitch down. The crew of Apollo will be heads down on this burn. One hour and seven minutes to go for the Apollo deorbit maneuver which will occur high over the Indian Ocean. At latitude 49 degrees 09 minutes south and 70 degrees 31 minutes east. Less than 4 minutes to the burn, flight director, Frank Littleton, getting a good. Apollo Houston, we're all go here for your deorbit burn. Okay, Crip, very good. So are we. Less than one minute. To the burn. A 7-second burn of the SPS engine. The burn went off on time, according to FIDO. Copy that. Looks like a real nice little burn, G. Roger. 1840 MS. Roger. That 1840, Tom. Good burn, a good trim entry interface, 20 minutes and 14 seconds after retro fire. The altimeter is coming off the plate. Roger. I'll be right on. 45k. Okay, it's all looking good here. We got data, and we got, got you in radar contact at the ship. Flight surgeon reporting good data from all three crew members. Okay, Apollo, you're looking super here, you're coming up on your main time and uh well on drug time rather. And uh I'll see you tomorrow, day after tomorrow. Get from the ship. They've got you on TV. Apollo coming in close to the command uh recovery ship. down at 11,000. Dogs visible from the New Orleans. Round of applause here at mission control center. Uh standard night position is 025 degrees by 101, 69 degrees radio 7.5 nautical miles. Roger. Out. Hello, recovery over. Apollo, this is recovery, broadcasting in the blind, and searching for contact of light secondary. No word from recovery forces with the crew. Apollo, this is recovery broadcasting in the blind, no reception on that. Also your voice secondary, that we have you insight of visually at three, we're choosing this this part. Rogers. Although on the recovery, the latest bearing is 025 degrees by 10150 degree radio, 5.5 nautical miles. Roger. Roger, out. We have a good picture over. Recovery, Roger. I want to know if this thing runs. I'll be 001102013. Roger, out. As we match the tally on the uh command module. Okay. Test 600. Okay. Tremendous round of applause here at mission control center with splashdown. Uh, splashdown at this time, Apollo is on the water. Roger. Both stable one or stable two? Roger, have one, 1000 and we'll give you a mark on top momentarily. Roger. Apollo's photo, we got it stable two. Stable two she's right there. Stable two condition, the vehicle upside down. Inflation bags will right the vehicle. Roger. You got me in sight. Roger. And there, take your position on photo, I'll give you mark on top. Three inflation error, inflation bags, 22 cubic feet each. Will be inflated to right the vehicle. Recovery the last I'd like to pick that down one too for the first time. Recovery the last the third in sun main. before your summers on the two suits. Okay. 17, 70 by second, 70 the head, over. By roughly equilateral spacing around the module. Recovery, this is New Orleans, over. This is Recovery, New Orleans, go ahead. We have a negative, I say again, negative on the hatch, over. This is New Orleans, this is Recovery, switch traffic. Apollo, this is the Recovery, the bags are inflating at this time. The module is uh just about to uh come to table one. Roger, Roger, out. And our center will have first real life swimmers in the water. They are okay. Now I am just recovered. I am say too, and riding back and played at this time. Roger, out. All right, we got our second line in the water there and shooting some other pictures. Okay, let's do that and not right now. Well, okay now I have no way. Okay, Okay, then, are you that. Well, I have not played. But, I have not. It works now. Now move then then on. All right. All right, Roger, out. All right, your picture was good. Yeah, so not inside having completed the flight check. Now, probably in light system. Waiting to step out and be welcomed here aboard the deck and the water. In the first sound, out here here is the 22, the music of the 22 Navy Band. Led by a Chief Petty Officer named Lou Stone, who's prepared for any contingency. At one point, he even had the band rehearsing the Russian national anthem, in case an in-flight emergency forced the Russian cosmonauts to ride to earth with American astronauts Stafford, Brand, and Slayton. That happened, said the chief, he didn't want the scene in the half-staff. Captain Ralph Nager, skipper of the U.S.S. New Orleans, now waiting standing by to break the astronauts with Rear Admiral Ralph Wentworth, Commander of the Task Force responsible for the recovery. NASA flight team apparently having completed now the job of including the cluster plugs. Waiting now for Dr. Stone, head of the NASA recovery team. Hatch is open. Package containing the film of the experiment and handed out to Dr. Stone. There's the other one. I don't know which is which. The astronaut, the first package. And, Brigadier General Tom Stafford, now falling out of the command module. Dr. Stone holding the base broadcast. Trying to wait to put in his flag. He'll be falling out of the command module with the rest of the astronauts. And. Looking around, waving to the crowd, I plan to hang out on the deck of the USS New Orleans. That's Stone, giving them uh a few more words of briefing about the ceremony which will take place in just a few moments, now a walk down the red carpet towards the stand built and set up to our four waiting and greeted by Captain Nager, Admiral Wentworth, General Don Harston, Air Force General. Greeting them all folks, he is the Department of Defense manager and commands for state flight and support operations. Applied that one to you last night. A few more moments of briefing from Dr. Stone, who has witnessed virtually all the spacecraft recovery for free so that they may take space program to be there. A happy and nostalgic time for Dr. Stone. Astronauts moving quickly appearing to reach their help. Chaplain Friend will lead us in prayer. Nager introduced Reverend Chaplain Robert. Let us pray. Eternal God, our Heavenly Father, we raise unto you grateful hearts. That this Apollo Soyuz mission has been completed with the safe recovery of our astronauts. We thank you for your guiding hand. The skillful planning and training, courage and faith, exhibited by the multitude of people in our country and in the Soviet Union. Who were involved in supporting this program. On this momentous occasion, we are reminded once again of how man has utilized the wisdom and skill which you have given him to explore the universe. May the knowledge gained by this venture into space ever be used for the betterment of mankind. Amen. Thank you, General Harston, Admiral Wentworth, Captain Nager, your ship was right on the spot. Uh, Apollo-Soyuz away, it's gone. I think it's a great ending to the Apollo project. It's also an example that if you work long and hard, do your planning, do your homework, in this case it was a lot of diplomatic homework, a lot of other by a lot of people, all together, came off beautifully. There are so many people around the world I want to thank for this. The main thing, everything went great. I know that uh all the people in America were glad to see this event, that it was an effort of a lot of people. And the main thing is that this is the end of one era of Apollo and the beginning of another. So with that thought, I'd like to introduce a couple of great guys, I've had the privilege of sharing nine days with besides training with for two years. Deep Clayton. Thank you. I know it's customary to say and it's great to be back and we are happy to be here. I'm not really sure that's true in our case though, because we had so much fun in the last nine days. I was sort of looking forward to having to go back to work again. But uh just to get home, I we we were we're here. You guys all need a ticket back. It really felt great when we saw those uh values here, see through that window. We picked up a little uh smoke, then we had about 24k and we were hopping the head pretty good in there, so there's really a pleasure to see those guys. Thank you very much. Well, it's really in extra good company here. I'll tell you it's uh great seeing all of your faces and I uh all I have wondered for many years what it would like to be like when this day came along and it's a great feeling to to see the ship out here when you splash down in the water and get aboard. I think it uh signals the, like Tom said, the end of an error, era, the uh Navy, the recovery forces have been with us all through Apollo, before Apollo, Skylab, course Apollo-Soyuz. And uh I uh I want to say thanks for picking us up and I think I'm extending that thanks to way back in time too. Thanks. And General Stafford now picking up the telephone. Apparently a call from President Gerald Ford. Hello. Uh, good afternoon, Mr. President. Well, Tom and Zeke and Vance, uh welcome home. Uh on behalf of your fellow Americans, about 214 million of them, congratulations, and thanks for a very successful and pretty way productive flight in space. We're delighted to have you back safely and we're very, very proud of the great job that you did. Your safe return marked the close of the Apollo program and you and all of the rest who have been participants to be extremely proud of its success from the beginning to the present. And as you know, better than all of us, your particular flight also has a new dimension that of international cooperation. And that is extremely vital now and in the days ahead. And I understand from the technicians that your new docking system uh offers a foundation on which to build a future cooperative effort that in the next decade could be a very valuable tool for space rescue. I know of course that all three of you are uh as glad to get home or almost home and that your wives, Faye, Marge, and Joan, are probably listening to this conversation. At least I hope so because I want them to know we're all proud of their husbands who have done a superb job on behalf of our country. Tom, uh if I might add a lighter note, I understand that as soon as you get checked out, you're going to spend a little time in the next few days helping Vance with his Russian. Maybe with an Oklahoma accent, Mr. President. That's all. That's about as much as suburbanism is Russian. Well, uh, Tom, since uh this was your fourth mission, I understand you've spent more than $500 in space. Uh, would you tell us how this mission compares uh with your previous ones? Mr. President, it was uh completely different in the one phase as far as the international part of it. The other parts were somewhat so similar, but it was just so meaningful to us to have this opportunity to work in both the diplomatic and the management areas besides uh flying the spacecraft from all three of us. Yes sir, Mr. President. I think it was a great honor to be able to fly this flight and I'm glad that it came off as well as it did and uh, we're looking forward to doing more similar things in the the not too distant future. Yeah, I hope it uh wasn't so routine that it was dull. It wasn't dull at all. It was uh, it was beautiful and uh we had a lot of work to do. And uh I think we enjoyed it a lot. Well, Mr. President, I think uh one of your colleagues that I talked with told me that uh, you're uh aching a bit to be an astronaut. Uh, how does it feel for a no-timer to be in space? Well, it feels great, sir. I can't uh really explain it. I hope we can uh show you a few pictures when we have an opportunity then. I might help to uh make you appreciate it as much as we did. But I think the only way you're really going to appreciate it is to uh get up there and uh I hope someday we can take you up there on the ultimate space shuttle. I saw you moving around there a few times, you looked as agile as uh those younger fellows that uh you were helping out. Yes sir, the uh uh I'd say that uh the word that I would like to uh pass on to see uh is that your brother and his wife uh had an unfortunate accident just a day or two before you took off. I understand and come along well and certainly wished them all a very rapid recovery uh following that accident. Thank you very much, Mr. President. I certainly appreciate your concern. Well Vance, uh, would you mind making a comment or two uh uh you brought the Apollo in. Um, what was your biggest challenge in the encounter on this uh particular mission? Well, I think the uh the uh probably the uh the last two days. Uh, because that's uh where I had the most to do. The uh entry itself was uh probably the biggest challenge, Mr. President. And I thought it was uh really interesting though. That fireball was really beautiful. And uh, it was uh really pretty neat, skimming over the the earth at uh 25,000 miles an hour only fairly close to the earth. It really was beautiful. Well, to all three of you, uh, how will it feel to have an opportunity to sleep in a regular rack uh for a change? Fantastic, Mr. President. Absolutely fantastic. Say the two cosmonauts said they certainly appreciated the call from you while they were up there and you remember when they were with you down there at the picnic. Well, I'm sure you were as glad as we were that their recovery went without any incident, not any problem. And I'm sure that they uh feel the same way about the successful landing of all of you. Uh I know you've got a lot of uh important business to do, so let me say your achievements, that of all three of you with the two cosmonauts, your achievements are historic. It's a part of our history which was written by the recovery forces that have been ready of at any time in each case of re-entry. Before I do hang up, I would like to extend my congratulations for a very outstanding performance. to Captain Niger, commanding officer of the USS New Orleans and to his ship company, they of course, were standing by and did a first-class job. Have achieved an outstanding record. The crew as you know better than I picked up the Apollo 14 crew in February of 1971. And was responsible for the safe recovery of both the Skylab 3 and Skylab 4 astronauts. We thank them and congratulate them on their performance as a part of this overall team. Your successful completion of this mission, I say with emphasis, has opened a new era of international cooperation. I strongly hope that I'm sure the Americans that are listening or watching and all others, we hope that this first international manned flight will provide all of us with an example to remember for many, many years to come. We are proud of you and we thank you and good luck and I'll see you back in Washington soon, I hope. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, sir. All right. So, waving to you on the screen. Okay. Good luck, fella. Yes, sir. Thank you. Yes, sir. The Vice President of the United States has asked me to read the following message. Upon the successful completion of your historic mission, I want to add my personal congratulations to those of President Ford. I join him in expressing the enormous gratitude and admiration of the American people for what you have accomplished. Apollo-Soyuz has been an inspiring demonstration of technological progress, human daring, and unprecedented international cooperation. The dramatic symbol of hands across the heavens between you and the cosmonauts capture the imagination of us all. Nelson Rockefeller, Vice President of the United States. the 1,300 yard target. The joint space effort by two nations, with astronauts Stafford, Slayton, and Brand, now heading for five hours of medical testing, and finally a shipboard dinner tonight of steak and lobster. The ceremony and presidential call complete the last few of the Apollo spacecraft recovery at sea. For the next manned American space venture, scheduled four years from now, the recovery scene will shift from the decks of ships such as the USS New Orleans, to a land base within the US, reducing a ship in the space program itself. This is David Dow, aboard the USS New Orleans.