Documents / Official release
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.
“Los Angeles Times”3 pages
• ... it scenes .. real distinct if it fairly _it ' ; f'~. \ . fcient~.f'ic Debriefing -28- '·i SoU::.es : Was the horizon always ·a sharp line? Cooper: Yes, day and 'night the hqrizon was sharp. In the day you have this bright I I blue 'bund around it. Soules: Some photos show the horizon seemed fuzzy. Cooper: In the Himalayas on a couple of occasions where the horizon was rough due to the mountains, the horizon was ·still very distinct. Squles: Did you se-e the moon at the time of occultation? ' • Cooper: Yes, several times. I was sorry I d.i;d not get picture·s. Soules.: ' Did you see a halo around the moon? Cooper: I saw no sign of a halo. It was quite sharp. I Soules: Did you ever see a slight flash? Did the moon's color chang~ at all as went through the atmosphere? 1 Cooper: No. I was looking for this too. I was disappointed in the moon ·r didn't see anything di'stinctive at all. Soules: I made a sketch of haze layer. Would you take a look· at 'it and tell me what you think? Voas: Gordo, would .you draw it on the board? (Period demonstrating on blackboard of horizon, haze, etc.) Cooper: This is the earth with a sharp horizon on the earth. The lower haze level was always under me separated from the horizon. This was not a line. It was a little more distinct and it appeared to be the same color as were a cloud and as the stars would pass down through it y:ou could track a • high order of magnitude of star and you could track it ,down thro~gh haze and would appear real bright as it came down through it. Soules: :About what magnitur could you see? ,,.' I I I \
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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.