US Declassifies UFO Archives: Apollo 17 Mission Footage Added to Government Database

The US government continues its large-scale release of archival documents and photos under the federal PURSUE program, which aims to systematize unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). An archival photo from the Apollo 17 lunar expedition, showing three glowing dots above the Moon’s surface, has been added to the official government registry.

The project is overseen by the US Department of Defense in cooperation with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, and NASA.

The Mystery of the Apollo 17 Photo

Experts’ attention was drawn to an archival frame captured during the final human landing on the Moon in December 1972 as part of the NASA Apollo 17 mission. In the bottom right of the image, three glowing dots forming a triangle are visible above the lunar horizon.

In the registry, the incident is classified as “unresolved”: this merely indicates a lack of detailed metric data for a definitive conclusion, rather than confirming an extraterrestrial origin. Working hypotheses include optical glare and film development defects.

According to Space.com, the historic frame itself has been in public archives for decades; the key development is its official inclusion in the federal re-examination program.

The PURSUE Program and NASA’s Scientific Approach

The PURSUE initiative involves a phased review of tens of millions of document pages accumulated by US agencies. Former NASA advisor and anomalous phenomena study group member Mike Gold told Space.com that open databases help destigmatize pilots and scientists who report unusual objects.

According to a NASA independent study team report, the vast majority of recorded UAP events are explained by known physical processes or man-made aerospace craft upon detailed analysis. For atypical observations, the agency is deploying a network of calibrated satellite sensors and AI analytics.