Inside the Newly Declassified UAP Files

For more than half a century, photographs taken during the Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 missions sat in classified government archives, images that showed something in the skies above the lunar surface that no one could fully explain. On May 8, 2026, those files finally went public.

The Trump administration released the first batch of declassified UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) records through a new program called PURSUE: the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters. The files are now freely accessible at WAR.GOV/UFO, and the release brings together materials from across the federal government: the Department of War, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Energy, NASA, the FBI, and AARO. At the center of this first release is Apollo.

Among the most striking materials in the initial disclosure are photographs taken during the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972, the final crewed lunar landing. One image, captured from the surface of the Moon, shows three dots in a triangular formation. The Pentagon says in an accompanying caption that there is no consensus about the nature of the anomaly, but that a new preliminary analysis indicated it could be a “physical object.” 

A transcript of communications between Apollo 17 operators accompanied the photo. In it, one operator reported to the command center about “very bright particles or fragments or something” drifting by as they maneuvered. Other descriptions in the transcript reportedly referenced a “Fourth of July light show” and “jagged fragments.” 

Apollo 17 was crewed by Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt (the only professional geologist to walk on the Moon). Over the course of three moonwalks totaling more than 22 hours, they explored the Taurus-Littrow valley, deployed scientific instruments, and drove the Lunar Rover across the surface. They were the last humans to leave footprints on the Moon. And now we know that somewhere in those mission logs, they also documented something no one could explain.

The release also includes photographs from the Apollo 12 mission, flown in November 1969 when Commander Charles “Pete” Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Alan Bean walked the Ocean of Storms while Command Module Pilot Richard Gordon orbited above. The specifics of what the Apollo 12 images show haven’t been widely detailed yet, but the fact that two separate Apollo missions produced UAP-relevant materials speaks to how pervasive these encounters may have been. 

The Apollo UAP files didn’t emerge in a vacuum. Astronauts across multiple programs have spoken, sometimes openly, about things they’ve seen that defied easy explanation.

Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the Moon during Apollo 11, described observing a light that appeared to follow the spacecraft during the translunar coast. He later said the object was likely a detached spacecraft panel, though the account has remained a touchstone in UAP discussions for decades.

Gordon Cooper, one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts, was far more direct. Cooper claimed to have witnessed UFOs during his Air Force career and later advocated for government transparency on the subject before his death in 2004.

And then there’s Edgar Mitchell, the Apollo 14 Lunar Module Pilot, who spent his post-NASA career openly discussing his belief that extraterrestrial visitors had made contact with Earth, claims that put him at odds with the agency but aligned him with a growing community of former officials pushing for disclosure.

What’s different now is that these aren’t just personal testimonies. For the first time, the U.S. government is releasing the actual mission records (including the photos, the transcripts, and the original source documents) and letting us look for ourselves.

Whether the Apollo UAP photos ultimately turn out to depict an optical artifact, space debris, or something genuinely unexplained, we’re in new territory regarding how the government treats the intersection of space exploration and anomalous phenomena. The Department of War has explicitly said the materials are “unresolved cases” where it is unable to make a definitive determination, and has welcomed private-sector analysis, information, and expertise. 

For those of us who’ve spent years following the Apollo program, this adds a new dimension to missions we thought we knew inside and out. The Apollo 17 mission was, apparently, the site of an unknown phenomenon that the government kept classified for over 50 years.

And the PURSUE program is just getting started. Officials have said this is the first in a series of rolling releases, with more files from across the federal government still to come.

Own a Piece of the Missions Making Headlines

The Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 missions are back in the spotlight, and The Space Store carries an extensive collection of mission-specific memorabilia that lets you hold a piece of that history in your hands.

Apollo 17 Mission Patch — The iconic emblem from humanity's final lunar landing, now at the center of a national conversation about what the crew encountered on the surface. Available as a 4" mission patch or a beautifully redesigned Commemorative 5" patch by artists Tim Gagnon and Jorge Cartes.

Apollo 17 Heat Shield Fragment — Flown heatshield fragment from the Command Module “America” mounted on a 7x9” rigid foam board certified on the backside.

Apollo 12 Mission Patch — Pete Conrad and Alan Bean's mission to the Ocean of Storms is now part of the UAP story too. Grab the 4" mission patch or the Commemorative 5" version.

Apollo 17 Challenger Giclee — “We’re On Our Way Houston” - 11" x 14"

Apollo 17 was the final mission of the Apollo Program to visit the moon. On December 14, 1972 lunar module Challenger blasted off from the moon. The event was famously captured by the camera from the lunar rover.Eugene Cernan is still the last man to have walked on the moon.

Browse the full Apollo collection to find mission patches, medallions, pins, models, and flown artifacts from a program that’s still revealing its secrets today.

The PURSUE UAP files are available to the public at WAR.GOV/UFO. Additional releases are expected on a rolling basis.