The Pentagon has declassified Apollo 12 post‑mission audio in which astronauts described seeing brief "streaks of light" while trying to sleep in deep space. The recording is part of the Department of Defense's second PURSUE tranche and captures crew observations and medical discussion about whether cosmic rays or charged particles could explain the flashes. The tranche also includes Cold War reports, Pantex imagery and other unresolved UAP records released on a rolling basis.
Pentagon Releases Declassified Apollo 12 Audio: Astronauts Report 'Streaks of Light' in Deep Space
A satellite image shows a UFO spaceship at night amid an FBI investigation and alien evidence near Area 51, capturing a flying saucer and galaxy survey of a mysterious object in the sky.(Getty Images)
The Pentagon has released declassified audio from a 1969 post‑mission medical debrief in which Apollo 12 astronauts described seeing unexplained "streaks of light" while trying to sleep in the darkened spacecraft.
The recording was published as part of the Department of Defense's second tranche of files under the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE). The audio and transcript capture the crew discussing brief flashes and streaks of light they observed while in transit to or from the Moon.
Astronaut Accounts
In the transcript, one crew member describes horizontal streaks: "The streaks I saw were one that I saw on the horizontal. The horizontal streaks were always a little bit above the center." Another said he sometimes saw flashes at about "30 degrees to horizontal." The crew members said they lay awake and watched for the flashes and could often tell which eye had registered the event after a short interval.
This archival photograph shows the lunar surface from the Apollo 12 landing site in 1969, featuring a highlighted area above the horizon with unidentified phenomena.
"They seemed to recur roughly in the same place," one astronaut noted, according to the debrief transcript.
Medical and Technical Discussion
Medical personnel and investigators examined whether the phenomena were directional or random and whether they affected one eye or both. The debrief records show investigators considered natural explanations such as cosmic rays or energetic charged particles passing through the eye, which are known to produce brief visual sensations in astronauts and high‑altitude flyers.
Other Files in the Release
The Apollo 12 audio is one part of the latest PURSUE tranche. Other documents include Cold War‑era reports of so‑called "green fireballs" near sensitive military and nuclear sites, imagery from the Pantex nuclear facility of an unidentified object, and a report from a senior U.S. intelligence officer describing orange orbs observed during a helicopter mission.
In February, President Trump said he would direct War Secretary Pete Hegseth and other relevant departments and agencies to begin identifying and declassifying records.
The Defense Department characterizes the PURSUE archive as a collection of unresolved cases — incidents for which investigators have not reached definitive conclusions. Officials say records will be posted on a rolling basis as they are located, reviewed and declassified.
Statement From Officials
In its release statement, Pentagon officials framed the tranche as part of a broader effort to increase transparency about Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. The materials were made public to allow researchers, historians and the public to review historical reports and contemporaneous debriefs.
Background
Apollo 12, commanded by Charles "Pete" Conrad with crewmates Richard Gordon and Alan Bean, launched in November 1969 as NASA's second crewed lunar landing mission. The newly declassified audio provides a contemporaneous record of what the crew observed while in deep space and adds to the historical archive of UAP‑related reports.
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