NASA-UAP-D006: Apollo 17 Technical Crew Debriefing, 1973

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[handwritten]: 264 H

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NASA NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

MSC-07631

APOLLO 17
TECHNICAL
CREW DEBRIEFING
(U)

JANUARY 4, 1973

PREPARED BY
TRAINING OFFICE
CREW TRAINING AND SIMULATION DIVISION

This document will automatically become declassified
90 days from the published date.

NOTICE: This document may be exempt from
public disclosure under the Freedom of Infor-
mation Act (5 U.S.C. 552). Requests for its
release to persons outside the U.S. Govern-
ment should be handled under the provisions
of NASA Policy Directive 1382.2.

MANNED SPACECRAFT CENTER
HOUSTON, TEXAS

INDEXING DATA
DATE GFR # T PGM SUBJECT SIGNATOR LOC
[unclear: 0]473 MSC [unclear: M]-07631 R 113 [unclear: (U)]

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[stamp:
DECLASSIFIED
E.O. 13526, Sec 3.3(a)
NASA Declassification Guide
Date of Guide: (M) 05 (Y) 2026
Reviewer: [unclear: VFS]
Date: 5/6/2026
]

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24-4                                CONFIDENTIAL

EVANS       after the brightness of the fireball decreased, I could look
(CONT'D)    back up through the rendezvous window and see what to me was
            kind of like a tunnel with a bright spot in the middle of the
            tunnel. Way down the tunnel, way back behind, I could see
            the fireball.

CERNAN      The only unusual sighting I can recall during landing or
            recovery is when the CMP looked out the window and saw the
            superstructure of an aircraft carrier and said, "Oh, we've
            got a tin can with us."

EVANS       Well, it was kind of foggy on the windows.

SCHMITT     Transearth we had only a small crescent of an Earth and it was
            not feasible to do any extensive weather observations. We
            had light flashes just about continuously during the whole
            flight when we were dark adapted. I had one which I thought
            was a flash on the lunar surface. That one period of time
            when we had the blindfolds on for the ALFMED experiment there
            were just no visible flashes, although that evening, that
            night, before I went to sleep I noticed that I was seeing the
            light flashes again. So, it just seemed to be that one
            interval either side of it where the light flash was not
            visible to myself or to the other two crewmen.

                                CONFIDENTIAL