Caption transcript
And I'm beginning to get the brilliant
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NASA
governmentMay 15+
Historical caseStructured for retrospective review and comparison against modern sightings.
NASA-UAP-D011, Mercury Atlas 9 Audio Excerpt, May 15, 1963
During the final and longest flight of Project Mercury, Mercury-Atlas 9 mission (MA-9) Faith 7 Pilot L. Gordon Cooper Jr. describes the brilliant blue of sunrise beneath the haze layer of the Earth’s atmosphere. As he approaches sunrise, he describes small, luminous, brilliant white particles drifting away from the spacecraft. Cooper describes observing “fireflies” after deploying beacons, which are spherical mission-related equipment with xenon strobe lights.
UnknownAudioMay 15, 1963
Witnesses
Unknown
Duration
Unknown
Source material
3
Timeline
2
Source provenance
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Live sighting record 82a245a0-b6dd-42c1-98c0-7d33086f25a5.
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Correlations
Field Intelligence
Environmental context has not been resolved for this report yet.
Extracted details
Observed facts
Occurred
May 15, 1963
Timezone
GMT+00:00
Location details
Low Earth Orbit
Deep extraction
Source claims
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Source reportedAsserted
L. Gordon Cooper Jr. describes the brilliant blue of sunrise beneath the haze layer of the Earth’s atmosphere during the Mercury-Atlas 9 mission.
During the final and longest flight of Project Mercury, Mercury-Atlas 9 mission (MA-9) Faith 7 Pilot L. Gordon Cooper Jr. describes the brilliant blue of sunrise beneath the haze layer of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Source reportedAsserted
Cooper describes small, luminous, brilliant white particles drifting away from the spacecraft as he approaches sunrise.
As he approaches sunrise, he describes small, luminous, brilliant white particles drifting away from the spacecraft.
Source reportedAsserted
Cooper describes observing 'fireflies' after deploying beacons, which are spherical mission-related equipment with xenon strobe lights.
Source reportedCaption transcript
NASA-UAP-D011, Mercury Atlas 9 Audio Excerpt, May 15, 1963 transcript includes a flash reference at 7:40.019.
[7:36.859] shower of these little fireflies . Yeah , [7:40.019] it is flashing now . It is the light . [7:43.049] It's quite bright , quite discernible .
Source reportedCaption transcript
NASA-UAP-D011, Mercury Atlas 9 Audio Excerpt, May 15, 1963 transcript includes a light-related observation at 7:19.519.
[7:14.670] now 28 , I'm sorry , not 18 . [7:19.519] It's light in sight . It is below me . [7:23.239] It's quite a brownish . It reddish
Source reportedCaption transcript
NASA-UAP-D011, Mercury Atlas 9 Audio Excerpt, May 15, 1963 transcript includes a fireflies reference at 7:36.859.
[7:33.339] fire a pitch down thruster , I get a [7:36.859] shower of these little fireflies . Yeah , [7:40.019] it is flashing now . It is the light .
Source reportedCaption transcript
NASA-UAP-D011, Mercury Atlas 9 Audio Excerpt, May 15, 1963 transcript includes a flash reference at 7:07.100.
[7:04.820] daylight going in the dark . I've been [7:07.100] looking for the flashing beacons . [7:11.170] 50518
Source reportedCaption transcript
NASA-UAP-D011, Mercury Atlas 9 Audio Excerpt, May 15, 1963 transcript includes a light-related observation at 0:14.899.
[0:09.250] layer . I can see the haze layer . [0:14.899] And the right band of light demarcation [0:17.950] coming underneath it . Quite
Source reportedCaption transcript
NASA-UAP-D011, Mercury Atlas 9 Audio Excerpt, May 15, 1963 transcript includes a particle or fragment reference at 1:24.750.
[1:12.171] sunrise over . Roger [1:24.750] These small luminescent particles drift [1:26.972] away from you slowly and forward . In
Source reportedCaption transcript
NASA-UAP-D011, Mercury Atlas 9 Audio Excerpt, May 15, 1963 transcript includes a light-related observation at 1:30.269.
[1:26.972] away from you slowly and forward . In [1:30.269] this light , they appear , uh , [1:32.047] brilliant white without green at all in them .
Audio record
Transcript
80 timecoded segments
Caption transcript
Caption transcript
blue of sun rising in the east . Bright
Caption transcript
blue band underneath all this haze
Caption transcript
layer . I can see the haze layer .
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And the right band of light demarcation
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coming underneath it . Quite
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distinctive .
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There's a faint . greenish tint
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Is where there are clouds , apparently .
Caption transcript
How's your Hawaii phase 7 reading you
Caption transcript
loud and clear .
Caption transcript
At your Hawaii phase 7 reading you loud
Case progression
Timeline
Encounter windowMay 15, 1963
The encounter time was extracted from the report body.
PublishedMay 22, 2026, 12:00 AM
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