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Astronaut Scientific Debriefings, 1962-1963

National Aeronautics and Space Administration · 1962 · 216 pages · text from the file's own layer

This NASA file of astronaut scientific debriefing papers from 1962 collects internal Office of Space Sciences material on the science observations made on early Mercury flights. A February 1962 memo from Maurice Dubin asks for more detail on John Glenn's report of luminous particles and the atmospheric horizon layer. A draft memo concludes that the particles were tied to the spacecraft and were not extraterrestrial. The file also holds a Los Alamos letter that attributes the high haze layer to nitrogen peroxide, and notes on Carpenter's airglow observations.

From the source:Release of 2026-06-12 This file contains memoranda, correspondence, reports, and other materials relating to contemporary scientific interest in investigating the nature of luminous phenomena reported by astronauts John Glenn and Walter Schirra during spaceflight. This collection includes transcripts from NASA interviews and debriefings with both astronauts regarding those observations. It also contains details relating to scientific observations of atmospheric phenomena, including brief descriptions of luminous particles, experiences while aboard spacecraft, and circa 1955 theoretical analysis of meteoric particles entering the atmosphere. Pages 34-35, 55-56, 57-63, 64-113, and 122-127 feature content relevant to the PURSUE initiative.

Open the PDF at page 59 Original source ↗

“Cooper”51 pages

  • p. 64 …J Cooper: No. If I had no prev;ous experience on the light·, I don Vt…
  • p. 65 …because you ha~ e , as background'l Cooper: I think possibly so~ Of course it's…
  • p. 66 …F,.. ~ ...,, ., , - • I • l •, • 'I- - • •~ -, • ' , was? ,. • -,-~ ;' _·•: ... .,~ '-.. .. - Cooper:. I Just don't have any idea. I kept doubting…
  • p. 67 …ghtning par'tfcularly in that area. .: • '.o:. Cooper: · Well, · this is .,one possibility· that there was…
  • p. 68 Scientific Debriefing -5- Cooper: The moon was probably 14-al. It was down to about a…
  • p. 69 I' .' Scientific Debriefing -6- Cooper: Well, not realq. As I went into both night sides I…
  • p. 70 Scientific Debriefing -1- Cooper: .Almost. Almost as it began to get dark. Of course it gets…
  • p. 72 …Probably about 30 degrees G Cooper: I had a ~-:few comments that I made · on the…
  • p. 73 Scientific Debriefing Cooper: Just once. Bill Armstrong: Did you do it twice or Just once? ·'.1…
  • p. 74 ,. • I Scientific Debriefing • -ll- Cooper: I think so. I think with that brightness~ if you know…
  • p. 75 …I • l • .' • . ~ l • • . •. • - ' ' Cooper: Yeso Bill: That 1s one of t he main things we wanted…
  • p. 76 . Scientific Debriefing -13- Cooper: Those deploy marks worked real well. They were excellent for getting in…
  • p. 77 …Did you make attempts to see it· on the day side'l Cooper: I sure did…
  • p. 78 …Did .you see the ·stars during this• ~'l , I Cooper: Not this particular ··orbit. No I…
  • p. 79 …the · center of' the window? Cooper: Noo More slight¥ to the le:f't of' the…
  • p. 80 ',' I Scientific Debriefing -17- I Cooper: Maybe as long as a minute. I doubt if it…
  • p. 81 ,. 1' ' Scientific Debriefing -J.8- Cooper: Yes, it got dimmer. Mercer: Cou1d you see _lights of…
  • p. 82 Scientific Debriefing -19- Cooper: ~finite~: The ideal would be a series of lights. A better combination…
  • p. 83 I i ' I Scientific Debriefing -20- Cooper: You 're going to have to be right on…
  • p. 85 …Is this maneuver an expensive and troublesome· thing to do'l Cooper: It takes control power…
  • p. 86 …worked •very well. ' • And the lens opening of 5.6? 'Cooper: ·It was exactly-on ·what…
  • p. 87 …aey more information? There was none in the tra.ns9ript. ~ Cooper: What base was this oni…
  • p. 88 Scientific Debri efing -25- ( Cooper continued) ·a brown look, Everything predominantly had a. bluish cast . .All…
  • p. 89 Scientific Debriefing Cooper: I could not see distinct lightning patterns. It ju,st all lit ~• . I…
  • p. 90 Scientific Debriefing -27- Cooper: No. I noticed several large cyclonics. I did not notice any very…
  • p. 91 …Was the horizon always ·a sharp line? Cooper: Yes, day and 'night the hqrizon was sharp…
  • p. 92 …Which is darker, the earth or the 11ttl.e band of sky? Cooper: When there was…
  • p. 93 …Does the earth appear as blue to your eye , , as it does in the photos? Cooper…
  • p. 94 …You could see the griton\ the window? • Cooper : You could see the light actually impinging on…
  • p. 95 …More like a patch? Cooper: Smoother. It was a good sized area. • Roach: You didn't…
  • p. 96 …We are interested in horizon effect after sunset • . \' (Cooper draws some more pict~es.) Cooper: You…
  • p. 97 …Did you 'notice this was cone shaped? Cooper: A little bit cone shaped. J Roach : Did…
  • p. 98 …I Cooper : Sunset is more of a golden orange. Dr. Voas : Did you notice any of…
  • p. 99 …Then, is there some structure above the blue layer? Cooper: I never could see pattern structure…
  • p. 100 …What are your attitude tolerances •in ASCS? Cooper: I would say within about 5 l/2…
  • p. 101 …was the camera easy to use'l Cooper: Yes, after I once got it out of…
  • p. 102 …Di"d you place it vertically? Where did you place it? Cooper: I placed it vertically…
  • p. 103 …That is all I had. ' Cooper : Did you get anything at all? Warren : Particul.a.rly…
  • p. 104 …Were you listening for it at the time'l Cooper: Yes, except I had my visor…
  • p. 105 …Over the Himalayas, shot number 12, was the green true? Cooper: Yes, fairly true. Shepard : I…
  • p. 106 …Did you see any distinct shadows from the terrai!n? Mountains? l t .Cooper: •Yes. You…
  • p. 107 …O'Keefe: .Did you see anything that looked like a crater? ! I Cooper: No. I sure…
  • p. 108 …Did they actually seem to curve in? Cooper: If I would be sitting facing this way…
  • p. 109 …the smoke? Cooper : was bl~ Hanel: Hanel: in polar Cooper: an airplane. ·clouds Hanel: pictures? Cooper…
  • p. 110 …Question: · Did you see any dust storms? Cooper: At no time· did I note a dust…
  • p. 111 …I Cooper: No. I think this was purely a feeling of the straps. You're floating…
  • p. 112 …Did you see ,Calcutta? I Cooper: No. Fisher : Did you see any airports? Cooper : Ye~, I…
  • p. 113 …Could you hear better? Cooper : No. \ Dr. voas: Did you at any time hear an unusual…
  • p. 183 …it should have been (capped) ooo Gordon Cooper knows this and will have a cap on…
  • p. 184 …Schirra - Cooper will have this very same type of li ght meter. Nordberg - You know why…
  • p. 196 …Schirra = I feel at this point, for example, in Cooper 0 s flight , what we are…
Sunrlse was observed at about 1m later, while the observation was going on.
It follows that the airglow is visible even when the twilight band is very
strong. An attempt to observe i t in the day is certainly indicated. In this
connection, it should be noted that Capt. V. I. Grissom reported a grayish band
at the top of the blue sky layer. (Pesults of the Second U. S. Manned Subqrbita l
Space Flight, NASA, GPO (1961). le remembers this layer as narrow and grayish
i n color, representing an actual i ncrease in intensity. He po i nted out the
approximate position of the layer on one of Lt. Cdr. Carpenter's photographs
at the height of 1.7 degrees above the horizon. Grissom may have observed the
da ytime airglow.
Carpenter did not note any structures, either vertical or horizontal,
in this layer. He did not observe it completely around the horizon but believes ·1 l
to be continuous all the way. It does not appear possible that this layer can
actually absorb starl:ight. Any layer at this level capable of absorbing a
noticeable fraction of the light (25i or more) would also scatter light strongly;
i t would therefore be a very prominent object on the daylight side. In fact, it
is not definitely visible on the photographs of the day side. Thl s i s entirely
i. n agreement with Lt. Cdr. Carpenter's impression, namely that the decreased
visibility of stars passing through the layer was a contrast effect.
A remarkable feature of this observatton is the discrepancy between
the eye estimates of 8',.10° for the alt i tudes above the hori zon, on the one
hand, and the results of timed observations on the other. The latter i ndi cates
altitudes of 2° to 36 . The latter are clearly correct; f or example, Carpenter
noted that when one ann of his reti cle was at an angle of 45°, it covered the
space between the horizon and the bright band. The crossann is 1.21 centi meters
i n length and it is a distance of 26.2 centimeters from the astronaut's eye.
At an angle of 45°, i t subtends a vertical angle of about 2°.6.

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Official release, from the pursue collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 216 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.