Summary
During the Mercury-Atlas 8 mission, Sigma 7 pilot Wally Schirra describes little white objects that seemed to come from the capsule and drift away, later calling them "particles" and "lathe shavings." He also reports a burst of light in the window of unknown origin, which he speculated coincided with the sun dropping below the horizon at sunset.
Detail
During the Mercury-Atlas 8 mission, Sigma 7 pilot Walter M. "Wally" Schirra Jr. described observing little white objects that appeared to come from the capsule itself and drift off, later referring to them as "particles" and "lathe shavings."
Schirra also described a burst of light in the window whose source he could not identify, speculating that the observation coincided with the moment the sun passed below the horizon at sunset.
This audio excerpt was released through the PURSUE declassification.
