Newly released documentation from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reveals that crews aboard the Skylab space station reported multiple encounters with unidentified lights and objects during 1973 and 1974. The records, published on May 8, 2026, by the U.S. Department of War’s PURSUE archive, compile debriefing excerpts from all three teams that occupied the nation’s inaugural orbital laboratory. The file, designated “NASA-UAP-D7, Skylab Technical Crew Debriefing 1973,” includes descriptions of light flashes, a reddish object tracked over several minutes, and flashing lights exhibiting “definite motion” relative to the station.
These accounts span the Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4 missions.
Skylab 2 Crew Reports Light Flashes and Cosmic Particles
In a debriefing dated June 30, 1973, the first crew to inhabit Skylab documented their observations. Science Pilot Joseph Kerwin reported seeing light flashes, stating he observed them most frequently while resting at night with his eyes closed but awake. He described the flashes as “numerous at times,” occurring at a rate of two to three per minute, and suggested a possible connection to the South Atlantic Anomaly, a zone where Earth’s magnetic field is diminished.
Kerwin emphasized the phenomenon was “not an hallucination.” Commander Charles Conrad characterized the flashes as “a spot or sunbursts” and “streaks,” noting they typically appeared in his peripheral vision. He likened the experience to seeing a “fire sensor wink” while resting with his eyes partially closed.
Astronaut Paul Weitz reported observing what he believed were “cosmic particles,” describing both an “entrance streak and an exit streak” crossing his field of view.
Skylab 3 Crew Observes Unidentified Reddish Object
The second crew’s debriefing, recorded on October 4, 1973, includes an account from Science Pilot Owen Garriott. Approximately one week before the crew’s return to Earth, Garriott reported tracking a “bright reddish object” for five to ten minutes.
He described it as a satellite in a “very similar orbit” to Skylab’s, noting it rotated with a period of nearly ten seconds, indicated by its fluctuating brightness. The object remained visible until sunset, exiting sunlight just five to seven seconds after the station did. Garriott remarked that no explanation was ever provided for what satellite it was or how it came to share such a similar orbit. In a separate observation, Garriott noted that crewmate Jack Lousma first spotted a “rather large red star” through the wardroom window.
Garriott described it as significantly brighter than Jupiter or other planets, with a reddish hue even when well above the horizon. Astronaut Alan Bean confirmed the sighting, adding, “We never saw it again.”
Skylab 4 Crew Notes Flashing Lights with Relative Motion
The final crew’s debriefing, dated February 22, 1974, includes remarks from Commander Gerald P. Carr.
He reported that the crew occasionally observed lights flashing outside Skylab, exhibiting “very a definite motion relative to ours.” Carr stated the crew presumed these were other pieces of Skylab debris or possibly other satellites. The PURSUE archive’s summary of the document confirms the Skylab 4 crew’s observation involved “flashing lights outside Skylab,” though it provides limited additional detail beyond the crew’s statements.
Context and Unanswered Questions
These records were released under the PURSUE archive, a Department of War initiative aimed at declassifying historical government documents concerning unidentified aerial phenomena. The Skylab sightings predate by nearly five decades the formation of NASA’s Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Independent Study Team, a panel of sixteen experts assembled in 2022 and chaired by David Spergel.
The original document was classified under NASA Policy Directive 1382.2 and included a notice that it “may be exempt from public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.” The released excerpts offer no definitive explanations for any of the three crews’ observations. The Skylab 2 crew’s light flashes were tentatively attributed to cosmic particles or the South Atlantic Anomaly, though uncertainty remained. The Skylab 3 crew’s unidentified reddish object was never officially identified, and the crew expressed frustration at the lack of clarity.
The Skylab 4 crew’s flashing lights were presumed to be debris or other satellites, but no confirmation is provided. Future releases from the PURSUE archive may contain additional documentation from the Skylab program or other early space missions that could further illuminate these unexplained events.
