Hear the full pass over Muchea and Red Lake on Orbit 1 – from Friendship 7’s onboard flight recorder. 3.1MB mp3 file – runs for a total of 13'39".

45 minutes and 55 seconds into his flight, Glenn is approaching the coast of Muchea, Western Australia where Capcom L. Gordon Cooper is waiting.

00'01" Muchea’s Comm Tech, Gerry O’Connor is just audible at the spacecraft as he calls to establish contact.

00'04" Not realising that Muchea is calling, Glenn transmits in the blind, and describes his night observations.

01'07" Friendship 7 has risen high enough above the horizon for Muchea to acquire the signal. Comm Tech Gerry O’Connor makes another call, and this time John Glenn answers.

01'19" Muchea Capcom, astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, replies.

03'06" Cooper suggests Glenn look for the lights of Perth. He can’t see them yet.

05'42" 54 minutes into his flight, John Glenn reports that he can see the lights (of Perth and Rockingham).

“Just to my right I can see a big pattern of lights apparently right on the coast. I can see the outline of a town and a very bright light just to the south of it. ...

The lights show up very well and thank everybody for turning them on, will you?” (1 minute 8 second, 204kb mp3 excerpt.)

06'37" Within a few seconds, Glenn is racing across the Australian continent towards Red Lake. Woomera Capcom calls.

Due to cloud, Glenn is unable to see any lights at Woomera.

The Woomera pass runs until 13'34". The next tracking station, Canton Island in the Pacific Ocean, is still seven minutes away.