Astronaut Scientific Debriefings, 1962-1963

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probably a degree and a half to two degrees wide and it was quite visible once you start looking for it. It seemed to go out and taper out. No, it didn't taper as much as the light at the horizon did during sunset. It was more of a solid type band. It looked like the color of it would be sort of a buff--look like a buff light color--I don't know, something like this rather than a pure white, be sort of an off color, just not a pure white.

(Question by Dr. Roman inaudible)

No. All these things you see are things that we had planned to use at first orbit, matrix mainly just hold position, get all the radar data, all the tracking, monitor systems closely and thats what we were doing and then we flew the first orbit then we were going to broaden this out a little bit on the second and third orbit and thats where we got trapped because the second and third orbit kept right on doing what we were doing on the first orbit.

We over time in Astronomy. Let's try to finish up real fast and come back

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Any other planets?

Yes. Venus, I believe it was--I identified it on the tape, on the chart. Wasn't it Venus that went down just above the __ that particular day. Venus was very visible immediately after/sunset. The sun would go down. Just as quick as the last light was gone I could see that very clearly. In fact I believe on the tape I identified that before the sunset. I could see up that close to it.

(Statement by Dr. Roman, inaudible)

That will come up on the star chart that day. Yes, and we had them all plotted where they should be. You may be right. I'll have to check the chart on that. Venus and Mercury had been right--closer. We had them