Documents / Official release
Astronaut Scientific Debriefings, 1962-1963
National Aeronautics and Space Administration · 1962 · 216 pages · text from the file's own layer
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.
ROUGH DRAFI': l/13/62
CODE SCG: MD:dd
MEMORANDUM to Director, Office of Space Sciences
Subject: Considerations and (tecommendations of'Mtwmed
0
'},pace~lorationYollowing the~tJ rview ( February 27) ~
with Lt. Col. John H. Glenn, q7coi{"i(i_erm presented a
~ detailed and factual description of his observations
during the MA' 6 flight. He answered rather well the many
and varied questions presented to him during the limited
interview. ftespite the fact that he was ~ it~ e ve1 , 'n ~1
\ ~·t"· l..,
properly Q~"- o. a number of his observations remain of
~.~ JV?
~ interest aad ~ further explorationJ"1further~re,
it is evident that the astronaut can perform various scien-
~
tific experiments ,~has the aeiil~y capability of doing
com act
so despite the many limitations imposed.by the. Mercury capsule.
Some commezits* on f£ 01. Glenn's observations are presented
\) u LL ... IA.~ t N.,c~~- clc--+'""""'""!below ~• •~ •-, - r· "\
kun.inous ~ rticles : In response to~ a series
of questions, Col. Glenn described the velocity field of
ii.- QM~
the luminous particles, their brightness 8'1./i. outside the
in
shadow of the spacecvaft, the coloring aBa sunlight and
their shape. For the velocity field, the particles !all.
in
moved at preeise)y the same speed and !!.ll,.moved a~ precisely
the same direction except for particles coming very close
_,_ .... ~"'~•"<- f .-L
to the spacecraft. This occurred similarl:i, :i,Q, all three
, . ..~d'f¥t.....~
orbits. From t.l¼e~-eie Vconsiderations alone, it may
be stated that the luminous Jparticles observed by Col. Glenn
were not extra~errestial particles but were particles asso
ciated with the spacecraft or ~fte la~@Mftg e~ the booster.
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About this file
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.