Video · 24 May 1962
Mercury-Atlas 7: Scott Carpenter's “snowflakes”, 24 May 1962 (NASA audio, NASA-UAP-D013)
NASA via DVIDS, PURSUE release 02 · 24 May 1962 · 2 min · Watch the original
Scott Carpenter on Aurora 7, the second U.S. orbital flight, describing the particles around his capsule as snowflakes moving at random, some faster than the spacecraft. (The PURSUE catalogue dates the record “2962”; the flight was on 24 May 1962.)
Source: NASA, released by the Department of War in PURSUE (NASA-UAP-D013), via DVIDS. Whisper transcript.
Key moments
- 0:00 Scott Carpenter: Carpenter: more white particles below the capsule; one “It's going faster than I am”, their motion is random, and “They look exactly like snowflakes to me.”
- 0:46 Scott Carpenter: “There were some more of those little particles. They definitely look like snowflakes this time.”
Transcript
From machine transcription (Whisper); names and terms may be misspelled. Check the original video before quoting.
0:00 I have some more of the white particles in view below the capsule. They appear to be traveling exactly my speed. There is one drifting off. It's going faster than I am, as a matter of fact. Roger. Understand. I haven't seen the great numbers of these particles, but I've seen a few of them. Their motion is random. They look exactly like snowflakes to me. Roger. Have you tried to return? Negative. Let me get within scanner limits first. Say yes. I must adjust my attitude to within scanner limits first. Roger.
1:19 There were some more of those little particles. They definitely look like snowflakes this time. Roger. I understand your particles look like definite snowflakes. However... Roger.
Connected files
Official records (PURSUE)
- NASA-UAP-D013 — Mercury Atlas 7, May 24, 1962 (recording of)
People
- Scott Carpenter (features)
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