Summary
In this medical debriefing audio, the Apollo 12 crew describe light flashes or "streaks of light" they each experienced in the dark while trying to sleep. NASA's medical team considered cosmic ray exposure of the retina as a possible cause and later concluded the phenomena were internal to the astronauts' vision rather than external light sources.
Detail
During a medical debriefing of the Apollo 12 crew, Commander Charles "Pete" Conrad, Command Module Pilot Richard "Dick" F. Gordon, and Lunar Module Pilot Alan L. Bean described observing light flashes or "streaks of light." Each astronaut reported that the experiences occurred in the dark as they tried to sleep.
The NASA medical team considered whether the phenomena, similar to those reported by Apollo 11 Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin, might be attributable to cosmic ray exposure of the retina. NASA later determined that the phenomena reported by the Apollo 12 crew were internal to the astronauts' vision rather than external light sources.
This audio recording was released through the PURSUE declassification.
