Department of War PURSUE File
NASA-UAP-D1, Apollo 12 Transcript, 1969
Moon·1969
Editorial summary
On the fifth day of the Apollo 12 lunar mission in November 1969, the Lunar Module pilot observed particles and flashes of light through the Alignment Optical Telescope while looking into a dark quadrant of space near the Moon. According to the file, the pilot described these lights as "sailing off in space" and characterized some of them as "escaping the Moon," noting that they moved rapidly outward. The observations occurred over approximately one hour during the mission's fifth day, with the pilot initially considering whether the particles might be escaping from the module's water boiler before concluding that at least some appeared to originate from the lunar surface itself.
The same mission also recorded a separate observation approximately eighteen hours later. On the sixth day, the Mission Commander reported observing floating debris outside the Lunar Module that was illuminated by the module's onboard tracking light. The Commander later concluded that the tracking light had malfunctioned, as he could no longer see the debris he had previously observed when the light was functioning. This second incident lasted approximately two minutes. The file indicates that Houston mission control was aware of these observations and that ground personnel attributed some instrument readings on the Lunar Module's guidance computer to electromagnetic interference, with references to existing technical documentation from spacecraft manufacturers regarding the phenomenon.
The declassified transcript excerpt preserves the contemporaneous communications between the flight crew and mission control, capturing real-time reactions by trained government personnel to observations they could not immediately identify. The file provides the raw record of what was seen and reported, without determination as to the origin or nature of the phenomena observed. This document is now part of the public record through the U.S. Department of War PURSUE Release.
Editorial summary written by govweird from the declassified document text. The official government description follows below.
Government description
Apollo 12 was the fourth crewed U.S. mission to the Moon and the second to land astronauts on the lunar surface. This document is an excerpt from the Apollo 12 Technical Air-to-Ground Voice Transcription, November 1969, highlighting two periods in which astronauts reported observing unidentified phenomenon: a one hour period on the fifth day, and a two minute period on the sixth day. These transcripts contain contemporaneous observations by the flight crew reacting to unidentified phenomenon. • Day 05, Hour 19, Minute 14, Second 58 through Day 05, Hour 20, Minute 12, Second 14: o At 05:19:27:25, the pilot of the Lunar Module (LMP-LM), Astronaut Alan L. Bean, described observing particles and flashes of light “sailing off in space” via the onboard Alignment Optical Telescope (AOT). He characterized these phenomenon as “escaping the Moon.” • Day 06, Hour 00, Minute 21, Second 42 through Day 06, Hour 00, Minute 23, Second 33: o Mission Commander, Charles “Pete” Conrad, described observing floating debris outside the lunar module, which had been illuminated by the module’s onboard tracking light. At 06:00:21:51, Conrad assessed that the tracking light had burnt out because he could no longer see the debris from the module.
Caption issued by the U.S. Department of War on war.gov/ufo. Verbatim, unedited.
Originating agency
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Record type
Incident date
1969
Incident location
Moon
Release tranche
Release 01 (May 8, 2026)
Distribution
Cleared for public release