[chris]

This is a NASA audio excerpt from the Mercury Atlas 8 mission on October 3, 1962, in low Earth orbit. Sigma 7 pilot Walter M. "Wally" Schirra Jr. describes white objects appearing to come from the capsule and drift away, later referring to them as particles and lathe shavings.

Schirra also describes a burst of light in the window whose source he cannot identify. He speculates that it may line up with the sun passing below the horizon during sunset.

From the recording, at 3:07:

Getting a real burst of light in the window, and I really don't know what it is. At this point, I should be coming up on the sunset. 5 hours and 15 minutes. The periscope is dark. I must be just getting a last look at the horizon, yet I'm not down on it.

Declassified by the Department of War under the PURSUE UAP records release (tranche of 5/22/26).
Agency: NASA
Incident: 10/3/62, Low Earth Orbit
Document ID: NASA-UAP-D012
Recording length: 3 minutes 31 seconds.
Photograph: NASA, MERCURY-ATLAS (MA)-8 - "SIGMA-7" - LIFTOFF - CAPE, 1962-10-03 (NASA ID s62-07872).