Apollo 7 audio recorded at Corpus Christi

Recorded at Corpus Christi

Goddard Space Flight Center’s Richard Nafzger was responsible for ground support of Apollo television. During Apollo 7, he was at the TEXAS Tracking Station in Corpus Christi, where a prototype MSC-designed scan converter had been installed.

Dick had a portable Compact Cassette audio recorder with him and recorded the sounds at the TV console – including the reactions of those crowded around to see the first live television from Apollo.

(Also see still images from the Slow Scan TV here.)

Opening in March 1967, the Corpus Christi station was situated at the NE corner of the former Rodd Naval Auxiliary Air Station outside Corpus Christi, TX.

The 30 foot USB antenna (pictured) was sited at 27°39'13"N 97°22'43"W (map) – the antenna pad is still (2013) visible.

Click the image to download a 2.9MB PDF file
– a scan of a brochure kept by Dick Nafzger.

References to the Public Affairs Transcript are to this 14MB PDF file (with thanks to NASA).

Audio Clip 1

48:22 GET – 11 min 50 sec. 4.5MB mp3. Through Texas.

The first Television transmission – Capcom is Tom Stafford.

(In the background, TV coverage is just audible. Could it be ABC’s Jules Bergman?)

02:10 – TV on.
04:00 – “From that lovely Apollo Room high atop everything.”
04:28 – “That’s not bad!” – the team at Corpus Christi
06:30 – View of Mississippi River and Lake Ponchartrain
09:20 – TV broadcast ends.

Audio Clip 2

54:46 GET – 6 min 27 sec. 2.5MB mp3.
(This sounds like an HF link through one of the tracking ships.)

Discussion of food bag failures and drinking water.

Audio Clip 3

55:10 GET – 4 min 56 sec. 2MB mp3. through Mercury – in partial mutual view with Guam.

Discussion of water chlorination.
Capcom is Ron Evans. Page 288 of PAO Transcript.

04:32 – through Hawaii – in partial mutual view with Huntsville.
Page 290 of PAO Transcript.

Audio Clip 4

94:30 GET – 4 min 34 sec. Through Tananarive. 1.8MB mp3.

Capcom Gene Cernan reads the morning news to the crew.

“Real good” weather over Madagascar.

See Page 450 of Public Affairs Transcript.

Audio Clip 5

94:48 GET – 22 sec. Through Carnarvon. 336kb mp3.

Houston advises that the second TV transmission is about 25 minutes away.

See Page 452 of Public Affairs Transcript.

Audio Clip 6

95:17 GET – 53 sec. Through Huntsville. 516kb mp3.

Poor quality HF link to Huntsville.

Capcom is Jack Swigert. Page 455 of PAO Transcript.

Audio Clip 7

95:25 GET – 5min 56 sec. Through Texas. 2.3MB mp3.

Second TV Transmission.

Capcom is Jack Swigert. Page 457 of PAO Transcript.

01:14 – Wally Schirra holds up the card used in the first broadcast: “From the lovely Apollo Room high atop everything.”

01:40 – Jack Swigert reads the next card – a message for Deke Slayton asking, “Are you a Turtle?” (Note the reaction of the team at Corpus Christi.)

Ames Research Center’s David Lozier shares hIs membership card for the Interstellar Association of Turtles.

Here’s the RCA Apollo 7 Slow Scan TV Camera – now on display in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Washington.
Photo: Colin Mackellar.

(Dick Nafzger’s tape was digitised and speed corrected by Colin Mackellar in April 2013.
Battery performance on compact cassette recorders was notorously bad.
As the recording progresses, the battery levels drop, the tape slows, and at playback the pitch goes up.
Quindar tones were used as references to correct the speed.)

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