131:50:06 FIDO: "Finally we said, fuck it, Flight, we gotta stop"

[Naraht]

https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/?t=131:50:06&ch=20

Head of the Flight Dynamics Branch Jerry Bostick calls in to ask why they've jettisoned the LM a rev early. FIDO Jay Greene recounts the whole saga, which he found "so traumatic it's funny."

This was an example of some really messy last minute planning, not the Trench's finest hour. Having listened to the tapes, it doesn't surprise me that they (Jay Greene again) later wound up messing up the separation burn on Apollo 15 – to the extent that it was only the attention of the astronauts that kept them from burning towards the LM, rather than away from it as planned.

Having given you the retrospective of the incident, I'll now add some links in subsequent comments that show the drama playing out. Spoiler: no one actually said "fuck it, Flight." Sadly.

[Naraht]

Prelude to the saga...

FIDO (Jay Greene) and RETRO (Chuck Deiterich) start planning for LM jettison and TEI, with the help of FIDO's "groovy picture": https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/?t=128:01:52&ch=20

FIDO tells FAO they want to keep LM jett where it is in the flight plan: https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/?t=128:04:42&ch=20

Planning by FIDO and RETRO resumes, with the return of the "groovy picture." RETRO doesn't approve and asks, "why don't you get out your little work schedule like I got?" Discussion about the timing of the preliminary and final PADs gets a bit heated. FIDO tries to shush RETRO after "break" doesn't work.  https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/?t=128:25:09&ch=20

[Naraht]

The saga of the LM jettison...

Flight Director Gene Kranz starts pondering an early LM jettison, because they closed out the LM early and the LM systems guys are worried that it will die prematurely if they do it at the planned time: https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/?t=129:53:01&ch=50

Flight asks FIDO for a new jettison time and planning starts - Flight then accepts a suggested time of 130:30 (compared to 131:52 as originally planned): https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/?t=129:54:28&ch=20

After completing a fair amount of planning, the Trench team realize that they can't jettison the LM in the attitude they had planned, because it's already in ATT HOLD and it would fight them, Hence back to the drawing board: https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/?t=130:00:01&ch=20

LM jettison time is moved up again, now to 130:07. FIDO says "this is a bad plan": https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/?t=130:02:56&ch=20

Now Flight asks FIDO to move the planned time to 130:14. More argument about attitudes and the best approach to separation ensues within the Trench: https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/?t=130:04:25&ch=20

LM jettison actually happens at about 130:09

[Naraht]

Saga continues with the separation maneuver...

Now FIDO has to compute a whole new maneuver to ensure separation: https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/?t=130:09:12&ch=20

Flight (and others) now don't like the timing of the separation maneuver for 130:15. "Okay," says FIDO, "you want to pick a time way out in the future? Because we're gonna be chasing this five minutes at a time all night. I give up, I'll just wait." They finally agree on 130:30. Flight concludes with: "let's everybody settle down and get away from this bear."   https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/?t=130:11:44&ch=20

FIDO is having a moment - "I am getting beaten to my knees," he tells his backroom. https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/?t=130:12:57&ch=20

FIDO is continuing to have a moment as the PAD is being read up to the crew - "I refuse to put up a PAD again ever." The noise he makes at the end is almost un-transcribable, but "MEHH" probably gets us closest.  https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/?t=130:21:15&ch=20

Separation maneuver actually happens at 130:30 or so