war.gov PURSUE Release 02 – Apollo & Mercury Astronauts: 'Fireflies' and 'Snowflakes' in Orbit

7 audio recordings from NASA astronauts from the Apollo and Mercury missions, describing observations of unknown objects in space. Astronauts report objects described as 'Fireflies' and 'Snowflakes'. NASA explanation (retroactive): 'The fireflies are attributable to frozen condensation separating from the spacecraft body. The white, green-hued appearance of this phenomenon results from sunlight reflecting off frozen condensation.' Historical significance: These recordings were not made publicly available for decades. The declassification as part of PURSUE Release 02 (May 22, 2026) marks the first official release of these original recordings. Connection to John Glenn (Mercury-Atlas 6, 1962), who was the first U.S. astronaut to describe the 'Fireflies'. Source: war.gov/UFO (Release 02, Audio Section), CBS News, Daily Mail.