Pete Conrad
| Pete Conrad | |
| Born | June 2, 1930, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Died | July 8, 1999 |
| Nationality | American |
| Category | Astronaut |
| Roles | Gemini 5, Gemini 11, Apollo 12 commander, Skylab 2 commander |
| Notable claim | Apollo 12 crew described light flashes and “streaks of light”; Apollo 12 transcripts note unidentified objects |
| Status | Historical |
| Historical | |
Charles “Pete” Conrad Jr. (1930–1999) was a Navy test pilot who flew Gemini 5 with Gordon Cooper (1965), Gemini 11, commanded Apollo 12, the second Moon landing (November 1969), and commanded the first crew of Skylab. He died in a motorcycle accident in 1999.[1]
PURSUE released Apollo 12 transcripts covering about an hour on the fifth day and two minutes on the sixth day when the crew reported unidentified phenomena, an Apollo 12 medical debriefing in which Conrad, Dick Gordon and Alan Bean describe “streaks of light,” and Gemini 5 debriefings.[2]
Assessment
The light streaks are the cosmic-ray “light flash” effect. The Apollo 12 transcript observations, and highlighted dots in Apollo 12 surface photos, have conventional candidate explanations (spacecraft debris, the jettisoned rocket stage, lens and film artifacts), and the government has not claimed otherwise.
See also
Further reading
- Nancy Conrad & Howard A. Klausner (2005). Rocketman: Astronaut Pete Conrad’s Incredible Ride to the Moon and Beyond (Amazon)
References
- ^ NASA biographical data, Charles Conrad Jr.
- ^ U.S. Department of War (2026). PURSUE Releases 01–03, NASA-UAP-D001, D008, D019, D020.