Video · 3 October 1962
Mercury-Atlas 8: Wally Schirra on “lathe shavings” and a burst of light, 3 October 1962 (NASA audio, NASA-UAP-D012)
NASA via DVIDS, PURSUE release 02 · 3 October 1962 · 4 min · Watch the original
Wally Schirra on Sigma 7, the Mercury-Atlas 8 flight: white particles drifting from the capsule, which he compares to Glenn's “lathe shavings”, and a burst of light in the window at sunset whose source he cannot identify; he relates it to the sun passing below the horizon.
Source: NASA, released by the Department of War in PURSUE (NASA-UAP-D012), via DVIDS. Whisper transcript.
Key moments
- 0:00 Wally Schirra: Schirra: “I have the little white objects that seem to come from the capsule itself, and drift off”.
- 0:43 Wally Schirra: He compares them with John Glenn's description: “as John described it as a lathe shaving, it's a very good description of it”.
- 2:22 Wally Schirra: At five hours fifteen minutes, near sunset: “I'm getting a real burst of light in the window, and I really don't know what it is.”
Transcript
From machine transcription (Whisper); names and terms may be misspelled. Check the original video before quoting.
0:00 I have some pretty stars in sight, and also I have the little white objects that seem to come from the capsule itself, and drift off, and if they are a yaw check, it's fantastic, I suspect that the star I see is obterous, they're very interesting, it is neither. It is one of the white objects, so I have two stars, they're standing quite still, the white object actually looked like it came toward me, but it wasn't, you can actually see the particle there, playing off, as John described it as a lathe shaving, it's a very good description of it,
1:00 my rates are now just about zero in all three axes, I still have light in the periscope, of course, I'm looking straight up, and yet at this point, this could be that my attitude is... I get on the couch here, I really can't pick it too well, yeah, I'm just about inverted at this point, and that my nose is above the horizon. as a result, I notice that I notice that these particles keep tending aft on me, relative to me, at any time. as a result, I notice that these particles keep tending aft on me, relative to me, at any time. the periscope is blocking out rather rapidly. and that my nose is above the horizon, and that my nose is above the horizon. as a result, I notice that these particles keep tending aft on me, relative to me, at any time.
2:11 the periscope is blocking out rather rapidly, at sunset. it's almost blocked out completely at this point, and is really not usable. getting a real burst of light in the window, and I don't know what it is. at this point, I should be coming up on a sunset. five hours and fifteen minutes. the periscope is dark. I must be just getting a last look at the horizon. I'm 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 a sunset. five hours and fifteen minutes. the periscope is dark.
3:11 I must be just getting a last look at the horizon, yet I'm not down on it. at this point, I'm getting a real burst of light in the window, and I'm getting a real burst of light in the window. I'm getting a real burst of light in the window.
Connected files
Official records (PURSUE)
People
- Wally Schirra (features)
Organizations
- NASA (discusses)
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