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Scott Carpenter traces the 'fireflies' to Aurora 7

When
Scott Carpenter being helped into the Aurora 7 spacecraft
Scott Carpenter boarding Aurora 7 in May 1962 NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

On the Aurora 7 orbital flight, astronaut Scott Carpenter found that rapping the inside of his capsule released clouds of the glowing 'fireflies' John Glenn had reported. He judged them to be frost or ice flaking off the spacecraft, an explanation NASA accepted.

Sources

  1. Press'Pretty Good Oscillations': Remembering Aurora 7, 60 Years On (Part 2)AmericaSpace (Ben Evans) / 2022-05-24
  2. PressExploration Mysteries: John Glenn and the 'Fireflies' in SpaceExplorersWeb (Ash Routen) / 2023-05-02

How sources are chosen and tiered

How the story came out

Happened 24 May 1962. First made public 7 years later (Jan 1969).

This reports on John Glenn reports 'fireflies' outside Friendship 7 (20 Feb 1962).

  1. 24 May 1962It happened (this event)
  2. Jan 1969Condon report reviews astronaut UFO sightings - first made public

See it on the timeline: happened vs became public

Where it fits

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