Department of War PURSUE File
NASA-UAP-D3, Gemini 7 Transcript, 1965
Low Earth Orbit·12/5/65
Editorial summary
On December 5, 1965, astronauts aboard Gemini 7 in low Earth orbit reported observing an unidentified object and a field of debris during their spaceflight. According to the transcript, pilot Frank Borman first reported a "bogey at ten o'clock high" and subsequently described "very, very many" particles, estimated at "hundreds of little particles" located approximately three to four miles from the spacecraft. Borman characterized the debris as moving in a path perpendicular to the vehicle's trajectory and noted that the particles appeared to be "going into polar orbit" as they passed by.
Crew member Jim Lovell provided additional detail on the primary object of interest. Lovell reported observing "a brilliant body in the sun against a black background with trillions of particles on it," positioned ahead of the spacecraft at approximately the two o'clock position and described as "slowly tumbling." The crew also confirmed simultaneous visual contact with the Agena booster vehicle, establishing that the unidentified object and debris field were distinct from known spacecraft hardware.
Ground control at the Manned Flight Center in Houston acknowledged the reports and requested clarification on the distance and configuration of the observed phenomena. The transcript indicates that the sighting occurred approximately four hours and two minutes into the Gemini 7 mission. A subsequent notation on the document handwritten pages identifies the encounter as a "UFO Sighting by Borman," though the transcript itself contains no determination regarding the origin or nature of the observed objects.
This document is part of the U.S. Department of War PURSUE Release 01 and was cleared for public release on May 8, 2026.
Editorial summary written by govweird from the declassified document text. The official government description follows below.
Government description
Gemini 7 was the tenth crewed American spaceflight. This document is a transcript of communications between the flight crew, Astronauts James “Jim” Lovell and Frank Borman, and the Manned Flight Center (now known as Johnson Space Center) in Houston, Texas. The transcript begins with Borman’s report of a “bogey,” contemporary nomenclature for an unknown aircraft, as well as a debris field. Borman described the debris field as consisting of “very, very many […] hundreds of little particles.” He estimated the particles’ distance from the spacecraft to be four miles. Lovell described observing a “brilliant body in the sun against a black background with trillions of particles on it.” This document also includes handwritten notes documenting the encounter, annotated with the phrase “UFO Sighting by Borman” in the top right corner.
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
12/5/65
Incident location
Low Earth Orbit
Release tranche
Release 01 (May 8, 2026)
Distribution
Cleared for public release