Mercury Atlas 9 Audio Excerpt, May 15, 1963
- Date
- 15 May 1963
- Place
- Low Earth Orbit
- Record
- Pentagon file
- Assessment
- Not assessed
- Evidence strength
What was reported
Per the blurb, Cooper describes a brilliant blue sunrise beneath the atmospheric haze layer, then small luminous white particles drifting away from the spacecraft, and separately describes 'fireflies' after deploying beacons (spherical mission equipment carrying xenon strobe lights).
What officials concluded
Resolved
The 'fireflies' following beacon deployment are explicitly identified as deployed xenon-strobe beacon equipment; the drifting particles are consistent with the same spacecraft-debris phenomenon described elsewhere in this batch.
- Agency
- NASA
- Released in
- 123456
Evidence profile
- Yes: Visual
- No: Infrared
- No: Radar
- No: Video
- No: Photo
- No: Film
- No: Audio
- No: Night vision
- No: Other sensor
- No: Civilian
- No: Military aircrew
- No: Military ground
- No: Airline crew
- No: Sensor operator
- No: Law enforcement
- No: Scientist
- No: Astronaut
- No: Intelligence official
- Yes: Other
- Yes: Light only
- No: Orb or sphere
- No: Disc
- No: Triangle
- No: Cylinder
- No: Cube
- No: Other shape
- No: Physiological
- No: Physical trace
- No: Electromagnetic
- No: Sound
- No: Silent
Why this rating Blurb-only; both phenomena described are explicitly attributed to known equipment (beacons) or the recurring spacecraft-particle effect.
As described in the file
- Witnesses
- L. Gordon Cooper Jr. (per blurb)
- Sensors
- Visual
- Shape
- Small, luminous
- Size
- Small
- Lights and colour
- Brilliant white particles; xenon-strobe beacon lights
- Motion
- Drifting away from spacecraft
Pentagon files
Mercury Atlas 9 Audio Excerpt, May 15, 1963 (sunrise / beacon fireflies)
Open the original on dvidshub.net
What the file claims
- Unverified
Cooper described luminous white particles drifting from the spacecraft near sunrise, and separately 'fireflies' that were deployed strobe-light beacons.