The Department of Defense has made public a declassified file that includes audio from the Apollo 12 crew. The astronauts reported seeing mysterious “streaks of light” while trying to rest in deep space. This audio comes from the post-mission medical debriefing held in 1969 and features astronauts Pete Conrad, Richard Gordon, and Alan Bean discussing their experiences during the mission.
One astronaut mentioned, “The stripes I saw were horizontal. The horizontal stripes were always a little above the center,” capturing the sense of wonder and confusion surrounding the strange sights they observed.
This audio is part of a recent collection released by the Department of the Army’s Presidential Opening and Reporting System regarding UAP (unidentified anomalous phenomena) encounters. Earlier this month, a different set of documents included reports from the Apollo 17 crew that detailed sightings of an “eight-pointed star” and unusual bright flashes reminiscent of fireworks.
The latest release consists of 222 documents, photographs, and over 50 previously classified videos that elaborate on UAPs, many detailing military aircraft tracking unexplained aerial objects. It also covers historical records; for example, in 1962, astronaut Scott Carpenter noted seeing white particles orbiting Earth while in Aurora 7. He described, “They seem to be going exactly as fast as I am. In fact, it’s going faster than me. Their movement is random. This time it definitely looks like a snowflake.”
The Department of the Army explained that this phased release aims to identify, declassify, and publicly share UAP-related documents and historical records, marking a significant step toward transparency. Secretary of the Army Pete Hegseth emphasized how this move aligns with the administration’s commitment to openness regarding UAPs, stating, “These files, hidden behind classified cover, have long fueled legitimate speculation, but now is the time for the American people to see for themselves.”
While these records are categorized as UAP-related, experts have suggested that the flashes reported by the Apollo 12 crew were likely the result of cosmic rays interacting with the astronauts’ retinas while in the vacuum of space.
