The Pentagon released 162 UAP files on May 8, including NASA Apollo moonshots and astronaut audio from 1965.
Summary
- The Department of Defense posted 162 UAP files on May 8 at war.gov/ufo, covering sightings from 1942 to 2025, and 108 files containing other disclosures.
- The most notable documents include NASA documents and images from the Apollo 12 and 17 lunar missions, and three unexplained lights visible above the surface of the moon in the Apollo 17 image.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has confirmed that other files will follow later, and the Pentagon is opening an official investigation into the Apollo 17 photo.
The Pentagon released 162 UAP files on May 8, including NASA Apollo photos of the moon and astronaut audio from 1965. The files posted on war.gov/ufo under the President’s Program for the Unsealing and Reporting of UAP Encounters, or PURSUE, reflect an order from President Trump to declassify government records of unidentified paranormal activity.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement: “These classified files have long fueled speculation – and it’s time for the American people to see for themselves.” The release includes documents from the FBI, the State Department, NASA, and the Department of Defense, from 1942 to 2025.
What do the files contain
The most high-profile documents are NASA documents and images from the Apollo 12 and 17 lunar missions. The Apollo 17 photo shows three lights in a triangular shape above the surface of the moon. A new analysis by the US government suggests that the feature may represent a physical object, and the Pentagon has opened an official investigation, obtaining the first film of Apollo 17 for full analysis.
The 1965 audio includes astronaut Frank Borman reporting a “bogey at ten o’clock high” in his Gemini VII capsule, and Apollo 17 Mission Commander Eugene Cernan describing a “shiny” object circling in a rhythmic pattern several miles from his capsule. Both audio clips had been circulating on the Internet for years. The original NASA transcript appears to be new from the public.
The nearly 24 videos run for a total of 41 minutes, showing infrared images of objects making 90-degree turns at 80 mph over Greece in 2023, a ball-shaped object near Japan, and transparent phenomena over Syria. Most show small white objects tracked by military cameras, with no definitive conclusions reached.
The Pentagon’s comments are reserved
Of the 162 files, 108 contain redundancies. The Pentagon has confirmed that no changes have been made to information about the nature or existence of any reported UAP encounters. Withheld information includes witness identities, locations of government facilities, and military site data unrelated to the UAP.
New files will be released every few weeks as items are discovered and classified. Former President Obama said earlier this week that the government is not hiding evidence of immigration, clarifying earlier opinions that had spread online.
