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John Glenn reports 'fireflies' outside Friendship 7

When: 20 Feb 1962
Sources: 1 public source

John Glenn aboard Friendship 7, the flight on which he reported 'fireflies' NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

On the first U.S. orbital flight, John Glenn reported thousands of glowing specks he called 'fireflies' drifting past Friendship 7. On the next Mercury flight Scott Carpenter released similar showers by tapping the hatch, and NASA's history links them to frost on the capsule.

Sources

OfficialThis New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury (NASA SP-4201) (opens in a new tab)NASA History Office / 1966

How sources are chosen and tiered

How the story came out

Happened 20 Feb 1962. First made public 3 months later (24 May 1962).

20 Feb 1962It happened (this event)
24 May 1962Scott Carpenter traces the 'fireflies' to Aurora 7 - first made public
Jan 1969Condon report reviews astronaut UFO sightings

See it on the timeline: happened vs became public

Where it fits

Earlier in GovernmentBrookings report for NASA weighs effects of finding extraterrestrial lifeDec 1960 Later in GovernmentScott Carpenter traces the 'fireflies' to Aurora 724 May 1962

See it on the timeline More in Government