The U.S. Department of Defense has made public a collection of 162 files related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, which includes photographs taken during NASA’s Apollo moon missions and audio recordings from 1965 astronauts. These documents were posted on the official government website war.gov/ufo on May 8, following a directive by former President Donald Trump to declassify records on UAPs. The release is part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters, or PURSUE initiative.
Among the most intriguing items are NASA’s transcripts and images from the Apollo 12 and 17 missions. One photograph from Apollo 17 captures three lights arranged in a triangle hovering above the lunar surface. Preliminary government analysis suggests this could be a physical object, and the Pentagon has launched a formal investigation, securing the original film for comprehensive examination. Audio from 1965 includes astronaut Frank Borman’s report of a bogey at ten o’clock high during his Gemini VII flight, and Apollo 17 commander Eugene Cernan describing a rhythmic flashing object several miles from his capsule. Both audio snippets had previously circulated online, but the full NASA transcripts are newly disclosed.
The batch also contains roughly 24 videos totaling 41 minutes. These show infrared footage of objects executing sharp 90-degree turns at 80 mph near Greece in 2023, a football-shaped object over Japan, and semi-transparent shapes seen in Syria. Most depict small white objects tracked by military cameras without definitive conclusions. Out of the 162 files, 108 contain redactions. The Pentagon states that none of the redactions obscure information about the nature or existence of any reported UAP encounter; instead, they protect witness identities, facility locations, and non-UAP military site data. Additional files will be released in rolling tranches every few weeks as more materials are discovered and declassified. Former President Obama recently clarified that he does not believe the government is hiding evidence of extraterrestrial life, attempting to clear up previous ambiguous statements.