NASA-UAP-D009: Apollo 17 Audio Excerpt — Anomalous Lights, December 7, 1972
Date
December 7, 1972
Document Type
Audio
Authentication
Official PublicationRedaction Status
✓ Fully ReleasedIssuing Authority
NASA — Apollo Program / Department of War (PURSUE Release 2)
Summary
Audio excerpt from the Apollo 17 mission released by the Department of War as part of PURSUE Release 2. The 4:35-duration recording captures crew discussion of anomalous lights described as 'jagged, angular, twinkle' during the December 7, 1972 lunar transit. Apollo 17 was the final crewed lunar mission; commander Gene Cernan, command module pilot Ron Evans, and lunar module pilot Harrison Schmitt were the crew. The 'jagged, angular, twinkle' descriptor is unusual and specific — distinct from the light flash and streak phenomena reported in the Apollo 12 debriefing (D008) and from the 'fireflies' observed by earlier Mercury astronauts.
Significance
The specific 'jagged, angular, twinkle' description is qualitatively different from the light flash/streak phenomena reported by other Apollo crews and from Glenn's 'firefly' observations. The angular quality distinguishes this from cosmic ray retinal effects (which typically produce streaks or flashes) and from orbital debris or ice crystals (which appear as points or diffuse glows). Released as the ninth NASA audio record in the PURSUE numbering system.