WASHINGTON, June 12 — NASA has released a collection of astronaut debriefing records from the 1960s Gemini and Apollo programs as part of the Department of War’s third UAP tranche, shedding light on crew observations and technical debriefings from early human spaceflight. The documents include a preliminary transcript of the Gemini 4 flight crew debriefing, taken aboard the recovery ship USS Wasp on June 9, 1965, where astronaut Ed White recounts seeing “sparkles” during the flight.
Gemini IV was the second crewed mission of the Gemini series, with astronauts James McDivitt and Edward White successfully completing the four-day flight between June 3 and June 7, 1965, which included the first American spacewalk. The collection of documents also contains a transcription of the astronauts recounting their observations of bright particles outside the spacecraft, dated circa June 25, 1967, on pages 78-81, and page 101. This transcription is derived from voice recordings of the Gemini 5 flight crew technical debriefing, conducted between August 30, 1965, and September 2, 1965, at the Crew Quarters, Cape Kennedy, Florida.
The Gemini 7 flight crew debriefing, conducted December 19-21, 1965, at the Crew Quarters, Cape Kennedy, Florida, is also part of the released documents.
In this debriefing, lights and flashes are mentioned, and there is discussion about having proper illumination for vehicle docking. Borman and Lovell discuss celestial and terrestrial observational anomalies and note sightings of Mercury, meteors, aurora, and lightning.
They also discuss not being able to see any stars once the Sun comes up.
Gemini IX was the seventh crewed flight of the Gemini series, launched on June 3, 1966. The mission’s primary objectives included a spacewalk and multiple scientific and medical experiments.
This document, dated June 16, 1966, is a transcript of a NASA debriefing of astronauts Thomas Stafford and Eugen.
As researchers and analysts delve into the newly released documents, they will be watching for any additional information that can shed light on the nature of the observations reported by the astronauts. With the release of these documents, the public can now gain a better understanding of the experiences of the astronauts who paved the way for modern space exploration.
