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Author
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Topic: Communicating with family members during flight
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413 is in
Member Posts: 632
From: Alexandria, VA USA
Registered: May 2006
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posted 05-19-2012 12:00 PM
   
Earlier this week, astronaut Joe Acaba celebrated his birthday onboard the ISS. Members of his family gathered at the Control Center in Korolev, Russia, to sing him birthday wishes. This event brings to mind some questions I have been wondering about in reference to the history of voice communications between astronauts and any of their direct family members during periods of flight operations.I'm reasonably sure that the first spouse-to-spouse voice communication during a mission was made between Jim McDivitt and his wife Pat during the GT-4 mission in June, 1965. Both of the GT-4 crew members' wives were present in the MOCR for this event but, according to the air-to-ground transcripts, Pat McDivitt was the first to speak. This event was recreated in an episode of the series "From the Earth to the Moon: The Original Wives Club". I'm interested in finding out more about this as I have Pat McDivitt's GT-4 MOCR access badge in my collection.  My questions: - Can anyone verify that the GT-4 event with Pat McDivitt and Pat White was indeed the first time that such an event occurred between family members during a mission or was there a comparable event on any of the Russian space missions prior to June 1965?
- On what American space mission did this type of event next occur? As far as I know, even the wives of the Apollo 13 crew members were not given an opportunity to speak to their husbands until after they were safely back on earth. Although, I believe they were at least afforded the opportunity to monitor their husbands activities from home via air-to-ground communication from the NASA provided squawk boxes. Is that correct?
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RichardH
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posted 05-19-2012 01:24 PM
I watched Apollo 13 the other day and there was a squawk box in the Lovell household in the movie. I didn't watch it with the commentary from Jim & Marilyn on, but I think that part (of the movie) was accurate. |
NJSPACEFAN
Member Posts: 128
From: Ocala, FL USA
Registered: Dec 2000
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posted 05-19-2012 07:57 PM
I was very fortunate to sit next to Fred Haise during the ASF show 2 years ago, and I asked him specifically did they have the opportunity to speak to their wives or family during the crisis - and he said "No", that once the explosion occured they locked the doors to Mission Control and family and anyone else not a member of Mission Control weren't allowed contact with the crew. |
413 is in
Member Posts: 632
From: Alexandria, VA USA
Registered: May 2006
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posted 06-10-2012 03:36 PM
quote:
Originally posted by NJSPACEFAN:
I was very fortunate to sit next to Fred Haise during the ASF show 2 years ago, and I asked him specifically did they have the opportunity to speak to their wives
Thanks, that conversation that you had with Haise about Apollo 13 is certainly some great firsthand info to know.I did manage to recently find some information pertinent to this discussion in the GT-5 PAO mission transcripts. It appears that Jane Conrad relayed some info to her husband several times during that flight. However, this was not a direct communication between husband and wife. The info was communicated via the Houston CAPCOM, in this case Jim McDivitt. This occurred on two separate occasions: PAO Commentary - In the course of the last pass across the United States, Gordon Cooper and Pete Conrad were both awake. We have a visitor here in the Control Center, Mrs. Conrad, was here, and at one point during the pass, the Flight Director said that Pete Conrad might say "Hello" to his wife. He did, of course, and ask, his only question was, how are the boys doing. Mrs. Conrad, behind the glass here in the viewing area waved back and by lip reading, we understood that she meant to convey to him the word "fine". Jim McDivitt passed this up. And at another point during the mission: Conrad: Say, Jim. Would you give my wife a message?
CAPCOM: I'd love too.
Conrad: Tell her she owes me a dollar.
CAPCOM: Okay, I'll tell her that. You want to collect it yourself, or do you want me to mail it to you?
Conrad: No, I'll collect it. I just want you to tell her that's all. I also found a small video clip from GT-5 filmed in the MOCR during recovery operations. Mrs. Conrad can be seen (apparently) talking to her husband from the CAPCOM console sometime after splashdown.  So, seeing that these GT-5 communications between husband and wife do not officially count as direct communications during on-orbit operations, I'm still trying to determine which astronaut was the next to speak directly to a family member during a mission. |
ilbasso
Member Posts: 1522
From: Greensboro, NC USA
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 06-10-2012 08:39 PM
Regarding the squawkbox at Lovell's home: it was only for listening in on the transmissions between the MOCR and Apollo. |
mjanovec
Member Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 06-10-2012 11:39 PM
quote:
Originally posted by 413 is in:
Although, I believe they were at least afforded the opportunity to monitor their husbands activities from home via air-to-ground communication from the NASA provided squawk boxes. Is that correct?
Most, if not all, of the Apollo missions saw the installation of squawk boxes inside the homes...not just Apollo 13. |
J.L
Member Posts: 681
From: Bloomington, Illinois, USA
Registered: May 2005
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posted 06-10-2012 11:49 PM
quote:
Originally posted by mjanovec:
Most, if not all, of the Apollo missions saw the installation of squawk boxes inside the homes...not just Apollo 13.
I have always been curious how Ed Mitchell communicated with his family during Apollo 14... |
Henry Heatherbank
Member Posts: 250
From: Adelaide, South Australia
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 06-11-2012 03:26 AM
And when did the use of squawk boxes in homes cease? Presumably these weren't used in the early STS missions? |
413 is in
Member Posts: 632
From: Alexandria, VA USA
Registered: May 2006
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posted 06-11-2012 10:51 AM
And when did the use of squawk boxes begin? Were they used in any of the Gemini missions? Mercury? Were critical NASA support workers issued one? NASA managers? |
413 is in
Member Posts: 632
From: Alexandria, VA USA
Registered: May 2006
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posted 06-11-2012 11:54 AM
I've done a quick investigation and thus far have found a reference in James Hansen's First Man (page 278) which describes that the astronaut families were issued NASA squawk boxes during Gemini 8. It goes on to say that the boxes were turned off by NASA as soon as the troubles with the mission became evident. |
garymilgrom
Member Posts: 1966
From: Atlanta, GA
Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 06-11-2012 01:06 PM
I can't help with your research but your display of Mrs. McDivitt's badge with her photo is beautiful. Well done! |
MattJL
Member Posts: 57
From: New Jersey, US
Registered: May 2012
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posted 06-12-2012 03:23 PM
quote:
Originally posted by 413 is in:
It goes on to say that the boxes were turned off by NASA as soon as the troubles with the mission became evident.
I can't help but wonder if the boxes were, likewise, shut off when Apollo 13 had its disaster? Or did policy change after Gemini 8?
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413 is in
Member Posts: 632
From: Alexandria, VA USA
Registered: May 2006
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posted 06-12-2012 11:28 PM
Thanks for the kind words, Gary. Unfortunately, that's just a virtual display of Mrs. McDivitt's badge right now. At some point I plan on framing this up along with some of my other badges. First order of business, I need some more wall space!
I can't speak to any changes in NASA's policy on squawk boxes during a crisis, but as far as GT-8 is concerned, Janet Armstrong is quoted as follows in Hansen's book: "NASA did not know who was in our homes listening to the squawk boxes. There might have been information that would be leaked to the public that NASA did not want leaked in a critical situation, which is why they had a policy for terminating communications in our homes during a crisis. This was totally understandable for security reasons."However, it turns out that after they cutoff communications to Mrs. Armstrong's home during GT-8, she went to the Mission Control Center and was denied access to the facility. Prior to the Apollo 11 flight, she indicated to Deke Slayton, in no uncertain terms, that this would not happen again. "If there is a problem, I want to be in Mission Control, and if you don't let me in, I will blast this to the world!" |
413 is in
Member Posts: 632
From: Alexandria, VA USA
Registered: May 2006
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posted 06-13-2012 12:38 AM
Janet Armstrong reviewing orbital flight chart from her home following the GT-8 crisis. Janet Armstrong holding flight plan watching television coverage of GT-8 mission. Squawk box can be seen on top of TV set.  Marilyn Lovell and Janet Armstrong follow Apollo 11 flight events from Armstrong family bedroom. Squawk box can be seen at far right.  |
APG85
Member Posts: 307
From:
Registered: Jan 2008
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posted 06-13-2012 02:27 AM
A Squawk Box... the ultimate collectable. Wonder if any of the originals still exist? |
413 is in
Member Posts: 632
From: Alexandria, VA USA
Registered: May 2006
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posted 06-13-2012 01:17 PM
quote:
Originally posted by J.L:
I have always been curious how Ed Mitchell communicated with his family during Apollo 14...
I think Mitchell communicated using random numbers. No need for a squawk box and NASA couldn't turn them off if they tried.  |
nasamad
Member Posts: 2141
From: Essex, UK
Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 06-13-2012 02:59 PM
Wonder how the squawk boxes received a signal, private NASA phone line or radio transmission?
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413 is in
Member Posts: 632
From: Alexandria, VA USA
Registered: May 2006
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posted 06-21-2012 01:54 PM
Well, this one is certainly very early but unfortunately does not count as family member contact while in flight. In the book For Spacious Skies by Kris Stoever and Scott Carpenter, Kris relates that she and other family members talked to Carpenter by phone while he was on the launch pad awaiting liftoff. It's interesting in that the call was not made from Mercury Mission Control but was patched from the Aurora 7 spacecraft to a phone line in the "Life" house at Cape Canaveral.Here Kris can be seen watching her sister, Candy, talking to their father prior to launch.  |
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