Department of War PURSUE File
NASA-UAP-D012, Mercury Atlas 8 Audio Excerpt, October 3, 1962
Low Earth Orbit·10/3/62
Government description
During the Mercury Atlas 8 mission, Sigma 7 pilot Walter M. “Wally” Schirra Jr. describes observing “little white objects that tend to come from the capsule itself and drift off.” Schirra later also refers to those objects as “particles” and “lathe shavings.” Schirra also describes seeing a burst of light in the window, whose source he cannot identify. He speculates that his observation corresponds with the moment the sun passes below the horizon during sunset.
Caption issued by the U.S. Department of War on war.gov/ufo. Verbatim, unedited.
Originating agency
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Record type
AUD
Incident date
10/3/62
Incident location
Low Earth Orbit
Release tranche
Release 02 (May 8, 2026)
Distribution
Cleared for public release