Summary
This excerpt from the November 1969 Apollo 12 air-to-ground voice transcription captures two periods during which the crew reported unidentified phenomena. Pilot Alan Bean described particles and flashes of light through the onboard telescope, while Commander Pete Conrad observed floating debris illuminated by the module's tracking light.
Detail
Apollo 12 was the fourth crewed U.S. mission to the Moon and the second to land astronauts on the lunar surface. This document is an excerpt from the Apollo 12 Technical Air-to-Ground Voice Transcription of November 1969, highlighting two periods in which the crew reported observing unidentified phenomena: a roughly one-hour period on the fifth day and a brief two-minute period on the sixth day.
During the fifth day, Lunar Module Pilot Alan L. Bean described particles and flashes of light "sailing off in space" seen through the onboard Alignment Optical Telescope, characterizing them as "escaping the Moon." On the sixth day, Mission Commander Charles "Pete" Conrad reported floating debris outside the lunar module that had been lit by the module's tracking light, later assessing that the light had burnt out when the debris was no longer visible.
The transcript was released through the PURSUE declassification.
