NASA-UAP-D028

Apollo 17 Crew Medical Debriefing, 1972

Official description

This file contains segment 1 of 2 of the Apollo 17 post-mission medical debriefing at the Manned Spacecraft Center (now Johnson Space Center), Houston, Texas. In the recording, crew members discuss the “light flash phenomena,” a then novel, now well-documented biological effect where high-energy cosmic rays pass through the eye and strike the retina, causing the perception of light streaks or flashes. Two of the three crew members reported observing these flashes at various points during the mission, including in lunar orbit and while on the lunar surface. The debriefing continues in the next file (NASA-UAP-D029).

Reproduced verbatim from the releasing agency.

AI summary

This file contains the first segment of the Apollo 17 crew's post-mission medical debriefing, where they discuss the 'light flash phenomena' experienced during their mission. The phenomenon occurs when high-energy cosmic rays penetrate the eye, resulting in the perception of light streaks or flashes, which was observed by two crew members both in lunar orbit and on the lunar surface. This documentation is important as it contributes to the understanding of biological effects of space travel on astronauts.

Audio