ASTRONAUTS from the Apollo 17 mission spotted bright particles over the moon that reminded them of fireworks, according to the newly released UFO files.
Thousands of never-before-seen documents and photos related to space findings and UFO sightings were released on Friday as part of the White House’s effort to increase transparency about the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
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Astronauts with Apollo 17 reported seeing unidentified phenomenon of lights during their 1972 trip to the moon Credit: Getty
One of the images released by the Department of War in the UFO files showed three lights above the moon Credit: war.gov
Some of the information released by the Department of War included documents from Apollo 17, the ninth US mission to the moon and the sixth mission where astronauts landed on the lunar surface.
One of the images released by the government showed three lights above the moon.
An excerpt from the Apollo 17 Technical Air-to-Ground Voice Transcription, from December 1972 reveals astronauts observed an unidentified phenomenon of lights on three days of their trip.
On the first day, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans said he saw “very bright particles or fragments” drifting and “tumbling” near the spacecraft as it maneuvered around space.
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Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, Apollo 17’s lunar module pilot, described the unknown lights as looking “like the Fourth of July.”
The astronauts began to speculate about what the particles could be, and thought maybe it was ice or paint fragments dislodging from part of the spacecraft, but said their assessment was a “wild guess.”
Mission Commander Eugene Cernan reported having trouble sleeping on the second night of the mission after seeing streaks of intense flashing lights.
Cernan described the intensity as being similar to that of a train’s headlights.
Ronald Evans, left, Harrison Schmitt, middle, and Eugene Cernan, right, manned Apollo 17, the last trip where astronauts landed on the moon’s surface Credit: Getty
A picture taken by Cernan, on December 13, 1972 shows Schmitt seated in the Lunar Roving Vehicle during the Apollo 17 mission Credit: AFP
“Over the next three hours, Cernan described observing several flashing, rotating phenomenon that he assessed as corresponding to physical objects in space rather than a purely optical phenomenon,” the transcript said.
Cernan also reported seeing two additional distant flashing objects, but he assessed them as being spacecraft panels.
Schmitt also saw the lights, but believed it was part of a separated rocket stage.
On the third day, Schmitt claimed to have seen a flash on the moon’s surface north of the crater Grimaldi.
The UFO files revealed astronauts on other NASA trips reported seeing flashes of lights in space that they didn’t immediately know where they were coming from.
In 1965, during the Gemini 7 mission, Astronaut Frank Borman reported to mission control saying he saw “hundreds of little particles flying by” about three or four miles away from the spacecraft.
His observation came after he told Houston he saw an unidentified object, which he referred to as a “bogey.”
The crew of Apollo 11 also reported seeing some odd flashes of light, two of which were inside the cabin and a third on the return trip that the crew assumed was a laser.
“I was trying to go to sleep with all the lights out. I observed what I thought were little flashes inside the cabin, spaced a couple of minutes apart…” Buzz Aldrin, the lunar module pilot, for the 1969 mission said.
Later on Aldrin say he saw “what appeared to be a fairly bright light source which we tentatively ascribed to a possible laser.”
NASA’s Apollo 17 mission lifted off on December 7, 1972 and just days later on December 11, Cernan and Schmitt stepped foot on the moon’s surface.
The pair were the last two astronauts to walk on the moon, over 50 years ago, spending a record-breaking 75 hours on the lunar surface.
While they hopped around, Evans orbited above, taking photographs and scientific measurements.
The astronauts conducted around 10 different experiments while on the moon.
NASA got close to the moon again in April with the Artemis II crew orbiting the far side of the moon, capturing images of the mysterious side for the first time.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the department released the files on Thursday to “bring unprecedented transparency regarding our government’s understanding of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena.”
“These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves.
“This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency.”
