The Honeysuckle Station Log for Apollo 11

John Saxon writes,

It may seem strange, but Apollo support sites were not required to keep a formal log. Usually particular times were reported to Houston as they happened, or when the action was completed. Some times were reported in post-pass Teletype messages.

At Honeysuckle, we did try to maintain an overall log of mission events as we observed them. And the operating position on the right hand side of the main station Operations console got lumbered with the job.

This position was also required to monitor anything up to 6 or 7 voice loops simultaneously, and respond as required. Also, there were two 25 key CAMs (Computer Address Matrix) used to control some aspects of the Command and Telemetry Computers (send commands to the Spacecraft if data communications were lost between the site and Houston, etc.), operated by this position. So keeping a written log as well, was sometimes difficult.

Most sections of the station (USB, TLM, Computer, Comms, etc.) also made note of significant times and events, and so this helped the main log keeper because they could be reported later in ‘easy time’. Times were sometimes guessed when there was a chance to jot them down, so normally they were noted to the nearest minute unless they were deemed to be very significant!

The log pages presented here were maintained for the entire Apollo 11 mission 24 Hrs per day by myself and my opposite number Ken Lee (otherwise known as ‘the Silver Fox’) as we worked alternating 12 Hour shifts. It should be noted that they were ‘borrowed’ by me at the end of the Apollo program. All the rest of the mission files, which contained many other documents on each mission, were consigned to the local landfill site (Tharwa tip) when we were not looking (:-((

The Honeysuckle Apollo 11 Log

Dates and times in GMT.