Astronaut Scientific Debriefings, 1962-1963

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The density looking perpendicular to your path is about equal to that

I had 2 things come in mind. One was, I thought we found the lost XRF Air Force needles, that was the first thing. But they weren't-- wasn't like that at all. The other thing, I thought perhaps we were getting freezing of the water coming out of the capsule and we were having snow, something like that. In fact, later on they called me from the ground and asked if I thought that that is what it was. But it wasn't that type thing at all. It didn't appear to be emanating from the capsule. The particles were not closer together--closer to the capsule than they appeared to be further away. The average distance of the particles apart was probably-- I estimated I think some 6 to 10 feet, in that neighborhood. Occasionally one would be right in the shadow of the capsule and would drift up pass the window and it looked rather white like a wee tiny little piece of cotton or a little--it looked like a little snow flake. Some little piece of thing like that. These white ones that I saw come up by like that I assume were the same things as the others out here because I never saw anything else outside of the window.

Did you ever see the same one go into the shadow and come back out?

Well, I was asked that before and I--my initial answer to it was yes and then I couldn't recall any real specific instance where I watched one go from luminousity to white and back to luminous again. So I can't say positively I did on that. I think they did but I don't want to make a positive statement.