The log kept at the Operations Console at Honeysuckle.

Entries by Operations Supervisors John Saxon (left) and Ken Lee.

John Saxon writes,

It may seem strange, but Apollo support sites were not required to keep a formal log. Usually particular times were reported to Houston as they happened, or when the action was completed. Some times were reported in post-pass Teletype messages.

At Honeysuckle we did try to maintain an overall log of mission events as we observed them. And the operating position on the right hand side of the main station Operations console got lumbered with the job.

This position was also required to monitor anything up to 6 or 7 voice loops simultaneously, and respond as required. Also, there were two 25 key CAMs (Computer Address Matrix) used to control some aspects of the Command and Telemetry Computers (send commands to the Spacecraft if data communications were lost between the site and Houston, etc.), operated by this position. So keeping a written log as well, was sometimes difficult.

Most sections of the station (USB, TLM, Computer, Comms, etc.) also made note of significant times and events, and so this helped the main log keeper because they could be reported later in ‘easy time’. Times were sometimes guessed when there was a chance to jot them down, so normally they were noted to the nearest minute unless they were deemed to be very significant!

The log pages presented here were maintained for the entire Apollo 11 mission 24 Hrs per day by myself and my opposite number Ken Lee (otherwise known as ‘the Silver Fox’) as we worked alternating 12 Hour shifts. It should be noted that they were ‘borrowed’ by me at the end of the Apollo program. All the rest of the mission files which contained many other documents on each mission were consigned to the local landfill site (Tharwa tip) when we were not looking (:-((

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The Honeysuckle Apollo 11 Log

Times and dates are GMT

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Page 1 2300 Tue 15 July – 0936 Wed 16 July Terminal countdown to T-30	Page 2 0936 – 1830 Wed 16 July Launch, Revolution 01	Page 3 1839 16 July – 0049 Thu 17 July Trans Lunar Coast
Page 4 0052 – 0907 Thu 17 July Trans Lunar Coast	Page 5 0909 – 2321 Thu 17 July Trans Lunar Coast	Page 6 2334 17 July – 0824 Fri 18 July Trans Lunar Coast
Page 7 0855 – 2331 Fri 18 July Trans Lunar Coast	Page 8 0005 – 0657 Sat 19 July Trans Lunar Coast	Page 9 0720 – 2323 Sat 19 July Lunar Orbit Insertion
Page 10 2327 Sat 19 July – 0228 Sun 20 July Lunar orbits 4 & 5	Page 11 0240 – 0540 Sun 20 July Lunar orbit 6	Page 12 0543 – 0909 Lunar orbits 7 & 8
Page 13 0946 – 2216 Sun 20 July Lunar Touchdown	Page 14 2247 Sun 20 July – 0141 Mon 21 July EVA Preparations	Page 15 0143 – 0349 Mon 21 July Armstrong on Lunar surface
Page 16 0354 – 0619 Mon 21 July EVA continues	Page 17 0619 – 0828 Mon 21 July end of TV	Page 18 0830 – 1841 Mon 21 July CSM orbits 21, 22. LM liftoff
Page 19 1954 Mon 21 July – 0119 Tue 22 July LM docking and jettison	Page 20 0136 – 0330 Tue 22 July CSM orbits 29 & 30	Page 21 0339 – 0736 Tue 22 July Trans Earth Injection
Page 22 0739 – 1344 Tue 22 July Trans Earth Coast	Page 23 1400 Tue 22 July – 0235 Wed 23 July Trans Earth Coast	Page 24 0250 – 1401 Wed 23 July Trans Earth Coast
Page 25 1820 Wed 23 July – 0728 Thu 29 July Trans Earth Coast, ALSEP	Page 26 0742 – 1651 Thu 29 July Splashdown

With thanks to John and Betty Saxon for the scans!

(Scanned December 2003.)