NASA-UAP-D002, Apollo 17 Air-to-Ground Transcript Excerpts: Fragments and a Lunar Flash, Dec. 1972
- Date
- Dec. 1972 (per index)
- Location
- Apollo 17 spacecraft; Moon (per index)
- Agency
- NASA
- Release
- Release 01 (May 8, 2026)
- Type
- document
Summary
Excerpts from the Apollo 17 technical air-to-ground transcript record the crew reporting "very bright particles or fragments" drifting by during a maneuver, described as "Jagged, angular fragments that are tumbling" and possibly from the S-IVB, "ice chunks" or peeling paint; one crewman judged some "may be 6 inches across." On a later day a crewman reports seeing peripheral flashes while trying to sleep, and in lunar orbit one says "I just saw a flash on the lunar surface!" north of Grimaldi, and the Lunar Module Pilot suggests checking the seismometers, and the ground agrees.
Note
The crew itself offers ordinary explanations for the fragments.