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.
“Headquarters”6 pages
I [ ~ 1cientifi c Debriefing -29- l ., I\ Ii~ 1ooper: The stars in the Big Dipper could just be seen. I noted the Big Dipper ·~ '!1th the bo.ttom star sinking down into it. l~If, 1;t 1 Soules: The top of the layer would be bow ;:nany degrees above the horizon? i . • 11,.' ) Ooo:per: I figured it was about six or seven degrees. ,, r l l (Long period of sketching.) .. I Peterson: Would you estimate any appraisal in terms of stellar magnitude? You explai:c.ed that the fifth magnitudes could be seen, did the weaker =- stars go out in that area? • I ' (Still illustrating.) Note: During this period when ,900:per wa..s talking and sketching on the board, the recorded comments are meaningless. Cooper: I can't recall a single ti.me at night but what I saw the haze leyer. Dr. Voa.s: I described the earth as. being d.a.I:k. Which is darker, the earth or the 11ttl.e band of sky? Cooper: When there was no moon the earth was darker. In general. there was more light from the sky. It is a difference in two different blacks. The sky · is a ,· shinier black. The earth is a du.11 black. Dr. Voa.s: The horizon is very wel~ defined? Cooper: It is actually a different black. There is a · distinct line of horizon and the earth is darker. This is in complete night. Dr. Voa.s: When the moon comes up the earth becomes lighter as the moon shines on it? Cooper: It shows up distinctly,' especially when there are c;:1.ouds. Soules: Here is a picture that Wally took. Does that look like a haze band on the •. horizon? .. O'Keefe: When was that picture taken? . Soules: Is that too high? . . - •
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Official release, from the pursue collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 216 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.