NASA-UAP-D013 is an audio transcript from the Mercury-Atlas 7 mission, May 24, 1962, involving NASA astronaut Scott Carpenter aboard the Aurora 7 capsule in low Earth orbit. During the flight, Carpenter reports observing white, reflective particles visible below and around the capsule. He describes their motion as random and compares their appearance directly to snowflakes. Notably, he states that at least one particle appeared to be moving faster than the spacecraft itself. The transcript captures real-time voice communication between Carpenter and ground control, with brief acknowledgments from mission controllers.
This record is relevant to early astronaut UAP observations, predating and paralleling John Glenn's similar "firefly" particle reports during Friendship 7 three months earlier. The phenomenon was eventually attributed by NASA to frozen condensation or paint flakes from the capsule exterior, though Carpenter's observation of a particle exceeding the spacecraft's velocity remains unexplained within that framing. The transcript is brief and the audio source is not included in this release; no redactions are noted, but surrounding mission context and any follow-up investigation documentation are absent from this record.