Although it's true that voice communication with the ground happened much later than expected after re-entry -- creating even more drama -- NASA's radar had picked up the command module about ten seconds before the astronauts established voice communication. So NASA knew that the astronauts were probably okay ten seconds before they actually heard their voices. (It was also possible that although the module had survived re-entry, a leak could have caused the astronauts' deaths, as happened with a Soviet crew in 1971.) This was normal when a space mission flew through the atmosphere on its way to landing -- that radar contact occurred before voice contact.

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