by Charles Lear (repost)
Astronauts have reported UFOs since the beginning of human space exploration. Some sightings can be explained as ice particles, satellites or debris, but others remain a mystery. In 1965, a report involving not only a UFO, but an occupant as well, was received by mission control and was recorded in official records. This was on top of another earlier report just a few days earlier.
On December 15, 1965, less than four years before Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon, NASA was carrying out a difficult mission. Gemini 6 was in orbit and heading towards Gemini 7, which had been launched several days before on December 4. Gemini 6 was maneuvered to within a few feet of Gemini 7 to see if NASA had the capability to link two vehicles in space. This was an extremely difficult maneuver at that time and it proved to be successful. Gemini 6 was then moved off and the crews of both craft settled in for a well-earned nap. Aboard Gemini 6 were Walter M. Schirra, Jr. and Thomas P. Stafford. The men onboard Gemini 7 were Frank Borman and James Lovell.
Prior to this moment, on December 4, during their second orbit, Lovell and Borman had a UFO sighting and Borman contacted Capcom:
Borman: Ah Gemini 7 here. Houston, how ya read?
Capcom: Loud and clear seven. Go ahead.
Borman: I got a Bogey at ten o’clock high.
Capcom: This is Houston. Say again seven.
Borman: I said we have a Bogey at ten o’clock high.
Capcom: Gemini 7, is that the booster or is that an actual sighting?
Borman: We have several … looks like debris up here. Actual sighting.
Capcom: Estimated distance or size?
Borman: We also have the booster in sight.
As the United States was in the midst of the Cold War and a space race with the Soviet Union, it’s likely the report caused a bit of tension at mission control. What Borman and Lovell saw remains unexplained.
With the mission almost over, on December 16, just before Gemini 6 was scheduled for re-entry, Stafford contacted mission control. According to Shirra’s memoir, Shirra’s Space, Stafford reported the following:
“We have an object, looks like a satellite going from north to south, probably in polar orbit…. Looks like he might be going to re-enter soon…. You just might let me pick up that thing…. I see a command module and eight smaller modules in front. The pilot of the command module is wearing a red suit.”
Stafford recalled: “I could hear the voices at Mission Control getting tense,” when I talked about sighting something else up there with us.”
That tension was broken as the ground controllers were treated to a performance of Jingle Bells with Schirra on a four note Hohner “”Little Lady” harmonica and Stafford accompanying him with a string of six miniature sleigh bells. This was the very first time that musical instruments were played in space. The instruments are now housed at the National Air and Space Museum.
As for the sighting, it’s rumored that the UFO, its pilot, and accompanying “modules” originated from a secret base at the North Pole.
