Within Cooper
What Faith 7 Records Actually Say
The strongest flight records show a long, successful Mercury mission, not a documented orbital UFO report.
On this page
- Launch, orbits, and mission outcome
- What the MA 9 transcript includes
- What is missing from the UFO version
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Introduction
The strongest documentary evidence from Gordon Cooper’s 1963 Faith 7 mission does not support the later legend that he reported a UFO while orbiting Earth. The actual Mercury-Atlas 9 record shows a long, technically difficult but successful spaceflight in which Cooper discussed spacecraft systems, navigation, experiments, and familiar orbital phenomena such as “fireflies” — small particles drifting near the capsule. NASA’s mission summaries, official communications transcripts, and post-flight reports contain no verified report of an alien craft, structured vehicle, or unknown object shadowing Faith 7. [NASA]nasa.govmercury atlas 9 faith 7NASAMercury-Atlas 9: Faith 7Jan 29, 2026 — Atlas (9) Crew: L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. Payload: Spacecraft No. 20, Launch Vehicle Number 130-D… [NASA]nasa.govNASAFOR MERCURY-ATLASNO. 9 (MA-O)The following is essentially a verbatim transcript of the MA-9 self debriefing… I saw the flashing be…
The confusion arose later because Cooper became one of the most publicly outspoken astronauts on UFOs. Over time, stories from his Air Force career, his later interviews, and the real but misunderstood Faith 7 observations merged into a single popular narrative. Separating the mission record from the UFO legend requires looking closely at what was actually transmitted during MA-9 and comparing it with the claims repeated decades afterward.
Launch, orbits, and mission outcome
Faith 7 launched on 15 May 1963 as Mercury-Atlas 9, the final crewed mission of Project Mercury. Cooper spent more than 34 hours in orbit and completed 22.5 Earth orbits, setting a new American endurance record at the time. NASA records describe the mission as a major operational success despite several onboard equipment failures late in flight. [NASA]nasa.govCooper's Faith 7 Mission Closes Out Project MercuryNASACooper's Faith 7 Mission Closes Out Project MercuryMay 16, 2023 — On May 16, 1963, NASA astronaut L. Gordon Cooper splashed down in t… [NASA]nasa.govproject mercuryFeb 23, 2026 — All Crewed Missions. Mercury-Atlas 9: Faith 7. For the final crewed mission of Project Mercury, astronaut Gordon Cooper co…
The mission itself already carried enough drama without any UFO element. Cooper had to cope with deteriorating electrical systems and eventually performed re-entry manually using visual alignment with Earth and stars after automatic systems failed. NASA histories consistently frame Faith 7 as an engineering and human-performance milestone rather than an anomalous encounter case. NASA HubPages Several experiments aboard Faith 7 are important because they later became entangled with UFO rumours. One involved ejecting a flashing beaco [discover.hubpages.com]discover.hubpages.comNASA Project Mercury Gordon Cooper and Faith 7Although he denied rumors that he had seen a UFO during his Faith 7 flight, he did claim to have seen…Read more… n sphere from the spacecraft so Cooper could test visual tracking in orbit. The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum notes that a flashing beacon was deliberately released from the capsule during the mission. [National Air and Space Museum]airandspace.si.eduNational Air and Space MuseumCapsule, Mercury, MA-9 | National Air and Space MuseumA flashing beacon was successfully ejected from the no…
That detail matters because later retellings often omit that the mission intentionally placed reflective or illuminated objects near the spacecraft for observational purposes. In the UFO version of the story, ordinary mission hardware and known orbital visual effects are sometimes reinterpreted as mysterious craft.
What the MA-9 transcript actually includes
The central primary source is the MA-9 communications transcript compiled from onboard recordings and Mercury network communications. The transcript documents Cooper’s exchanges with mission control and his observations throughout the flight. [NASA]nasa.govProject MercuryNASAProject Mercury - A Chronology. Part 3 (B)… Faith 7 during the Mercury-Atlas 9 (MA-9) mission. Cooper, in his discussion, proceeded…
The transcript does not contain Cooper reporting a flying saucer, extraterrestrial craft, metallic disc, or unidentified vehicle pacing the capsule. Instead, the most frequently cited “mysterious” material concerns the “fireflies” phenomenon already known from earlier Mercury missions.
During the mission, Cooper referred to “John’s fireflies”, explicitly linking the phenomenon to John Glenn’s earlier orbital observations. These objects appeared as drifting luminous particles near the spacecraft. Cooper described them as floating away from the capsule and in some cases appearing after thruster activity. [NASA]nasa.govCooper's Faith 7 Mission Closes Out Project MercuryMay 16, 2023 — His 22-orbit Mercury-Atlas 9 mission aboard the Faith 7 spacecraft last…
That description strongly supports a local spacecraft-related explanation rather than a distant intelligently controlled object. The particles behaved like nearby debris, frost, or material illuminated by sunlight. The same broad explanation had already emerged after Glenn’s Friendship 7 mission, where small illuminated particles near the capsule were initially surprising but later understood as a normal orbital effect.
The transcript also reflects the ordinary operational rhythm of a Mercury flight. Cooper discussed equipment status, fuel, orientation, experiments, photography, and physical condition. The overall tone is procedural and technical. There is no moment in the official transcript where mission control reacts as though an unknown craft has appeared nearby. [NASA]nasa.govfifty five years ago faith 7 closes out project mercuryFifty-five Years Ago, Faith 7 Closes Out Project MercurySep 24, 2023 — The final flight of Project Mercury launched May 15, 1963, from Pa…
The “fireflies” problem behind the UFO myth
The fireflies became central to later UFO retellings because they sounded visually unusual when detached from context. Cooper described bright moving particles around the spacecraft, sometimes with white or greenish colouring. Taken in isolation, such descriptions can sound dramatic. But inside the operational context of Mercury missions, they were neither unique nor treated as alien. [NASA]nasa.govOpen source on nasa.gov.
Several features of the observations cut against the later UFO interpretation:
- Cooper used an already established Mercury-era term, “fireflies”, not language suggesting alarm or uncertainty.
- The particles appeared close to the spacecraft rather than as distant structured objects.
- Some appeared after spacecraft manoeuvres or thruster firings.
- NASA had prior experience with the same phenomenon from earlier flights.
- Mission documents do not classify the sightings as unknown aerial or spaceborne vehicles. [NASA]nasa.govmercury atlas 9 with faith 7 spacecraftMercury-Atlas 9 With Faith 7 SpacecraftApr 10, 2009 — Gordon Cooper successfully piloted this his 'Faith 7' spacecraft for more than 34 h…
The beacon experiment adds another layer of confusion. Faith 7 intentionally released an object designed for visual tracking in orbit. Later UFO retellings sometimes blur together the beacon experiment, the fireflies, and Cooper’s later personal UFO beliefs into a single dramatic account that does not appear in the contemporary mission record. [National Air and Space Museum]airandspace.si.eduNational Air and Space MuseumCapsule, Mercury, MA-9 | National Air and Space MuseumA flashing beacon was successfully ejected from the no…
What is missing from the UFO version
The modern UFO legend surrounding Faith 7 often includes claims that Cooper saw a green glowing craft, tracked an unknown object, or privately reported something NASA concealed. The problem is not simply that evidence is incomplete; it is that the strongest surviving records do not match the story.
Several elements commonly repeated in UFO literature are absent from the documented record:
- No verified mission transcript line reporting an alien or structured craft.
- No NASA mission summary mentioning a UFO encounter.
- No onboard photography identified by NASA as anomalous.
- No confirmed contemporaneous press briefing by Cooper describing an orbital UFO.
- No official investigation record treating MA-9 as an unexplained encounter. [NASA]ntrs.nasa.govI'/1ERIC-A. INby A PICTORIAL — Mercury flight in his Faith 7 spacecraft. Following this journey, America's manned space flight program mo… [NASA]nasa.govGordon Cooper, Jr., who was launched on May 15, 1963. The last launch of an Atlas with…Read more…
This absence is important because Faith 7 was heavily documented. Mercury missions generated transcripts, technical reports, post-flight analyses, press conferences, and engineering reviews. A major unidentified object encounter would likely have left traces across multiple records rather than emerging primarily through later retellings.
Why the legend survived anyway
The legend persisted largely because Gordon Cooper was not an invented witness. He genuinely believed UFOs represented a serious subject, and he repeatedly discussed earlier sightings from his military career. In later decades he publicly argued that governments were withholding information about UFOs and even addressed the subject in correspondence connected to the United Nations. [2SETI@home]setiathome.berkeley.eduforum threadLetter by astronaut Gordon Cooper regarding UFOs to the ambassador of Grenada to the…Read more…
That later advocacy reshaped public memory of Faith 7. Once Cooper became associated with UFO claims, many audiences assumed his Mercury mission must also have involved a dramatic orbital encounter. The distinction between “Cooper believed in UFOs later” and “Cooper reported a UFO during Faith 7” gradually blurred.
Some popular retellings also merged separate episodes:
- Cooper’s claimed 1951 fighter-pilot sighting over Germany.
- His stories about a filmed landing at Edwards Air Force Base.
- The genuine “fireflies” observations during Mercury flights.
- The Faith 7 beacon experiment. [nasa.gov]nasa.govNASAFOR MERCURY-ATLASNO. 9 (MA-O)The following is essentially a verbatim transcript of the MA-9 self debriefing… I saw the flashing be…
- Later Cold War-era UFO speculation around astronauts. [Tarr Daniel]tarrdaniel.comastronaut ufo sightingUFO Sightings by AstronautsMajor Cooper was a firm believer in UFOs. Ten years earlier, in 1951 he had sighted a UFO while piloting an F…
As these stories blended together, the Mercury mission itself became mythologised beyond what the surviving documentation supports.
The historical balance of the evidence
Faith 7 remains historically significant regardless of UFO folklore. The mission demonstrated extended human endurance in orbit, tested manual spacecraft control under equipment failure, and closed the Mercury era successfully. Those achievements are strongly documented and widely corroborated. [NASA]ntrs.nasa.govengineers had to devise a vehicle that would protect a human being from the temperature extremes, vacuum and newly discovered radiation o… [NASA]ntrs.nasa.govDetection Systems Enhance Satellite ImageryThe sole flier on the Mercury-Atlas 9 mission, Cooper took 24 photos - never-before-seen image…
The UFO version rests on a much weaker foundation. The primary evidence base — transcripts, mission summaries, and technical records — supports the interpretation that Cooper observed ordinary orbital phenomena already familiar to NASA crews. The strongest documentary trail points toward misunderstood spacecraft-related visual effects rather than a concealed extraterrestrial encounter.
That does not erase Cooper’s later UFO beliefs or his sincerity. It simply means the Faith 7 archival record and the popular orbital UFO story are not the same thing. The documentary history describes a difficult, pioneering Mercury mission. The later legend describes something much more dramatic than the surviving evidence can reliably sustain.
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Source: nasa.gov
Title: mercury atlas 9 faith 7
Link: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/mercury-atlas-9-faith-7/Source snippet
NASAMercury-Atlas 9: Faith 7Jan 29, 2026 — Atlas (9) Crew: L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. Payload: Spacecraft No. 20, Launch Vehicle Number 130-D...
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Source: nasa.gov
Link: https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ma09-tec.pdf?emrc=786b5fSource snippet
NASAFOR MERCURY-ATLASNO. 9 (MA-O)The following is essentially a verbatim transcript of the MA-9 self debriefing... I saw the flashing be...
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Source: nasa.gov
Title: Cooper’s Faith 7 Mission Closes Out Project Mercury
Link: https://www.nasa.gov/history/coopers-faith-7-mission-closes-out-project-mercury/Source snippet
NASACooper's Faith 7 Mission Closes Out Project MercuryMay 16, 2023 — On May 16, 1963, NASA astronaut L. Gordon Cooper splashed down in t...
Published: May 16, 2023
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Source: nasa.gov
Title: project mercury
Link: https://www.nasa.gov/project-mercury/Source snippet
Feb 23, 2026 — All Crewed Missions. Mercury-Atlas 9: Faith 7. For the final crewed mission of Project Mercury, astronaut Gordon Cooper co...
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Source: discover.hubpages.com
Title: NASA Project Mercury Gordon Cooper and Faith 7
Link: https://discover.hubpages.com/education/NASA-Project-Mercury-Gordon-Cooper-and-Faith-7Source snippet
Although he denied rumors that he had seen a UFO during his Faith 7 flight, he did claim to have seen...Read more...
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Source: nasa.gov
Title: Project Mercury
Link: https://www.nasa.gov/history/SP-4001/p3b.htmSource snippet
NASAProject Mercury - A Chronology. Part 3 (B)... Faith 7 during the Mercury-Atlas 9 (MA-9) mission. Cooper, in his discussion, proceeded...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Gordon Cooper
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_CooperSource snippet
April 6, 2026 — UFO sightings. edit. In Cooper's autobiography, Leap of Faith, co-authored... Cooper claimed until his death that the U...
Published: April 6, 2026
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Source: nasa.gov
Link: https://www.nasa.gov/history/60-years-ago-coopers-faith-7-mission-closes-out-project-mercury/Source snippet
Cooper's Faith 7 Mission Closes Out Project MercuryMay 16, 2023 — His 22-orbit Mercury-Atlas 9 mission aboard the Faith 7 spacecraft last...
Published: May 16, 2023
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Source: nasa.gov
Title: fifty five years ago faith 7 closes out project mercury
Link: https://www.nasa.gov/history/fifty-five-years-ago-faith-7-closes-out-project-mercury/Source snippet
Fifty-five Years Ago, Faith 7 Closes Out Project MercurySep 24, 2023 — The final flight of Project Mercury launched May 15, 1963, from Pa...
Published: May 15, 1963
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Source: nasa.gov
Link: https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cooperlg-5-21-98.pdf?emrc=b20bd9 -
Source: nasa.gov
Title: mercury atlas 9 with faith 7 spacecraft
Link: https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/mercury-atlas-9-with-faith-7-spacecraft/Source snippet
Mercury-Atlas 9 With Faith 7 SpacecraftApr 10, 2009 — Gordon Cooper successfully piloted this his 'Faith 7' spacecraft for more than 34 h...
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Source: ntrs.nasa.gov
Link: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19640017753/downloads/19640017753.pdfSource snippet
I'/1ERIC-A. INby A PICTORIAL — Mercury flight in his Faith 7 spacecraft. Following this journey, America's manned space flight program mo...
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Source: nasa.gov
Link: https://www.nasa.gov/history/SP-4219/Chapter7.htmlSource snippet
Gordon Cooper, Jr., who was launched on May 15, 1963. The last launch of an Atlas with...Read more...
Published: May 15, 1963
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Source: ntrs.nasa.gov
Link: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19920019435/downloads/19920019435.pdfSource snippet
engineers had to devise a vehicle that would protect a human being from the temperature extremes, vacuum and newly discovered radiation o...
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Source: ntrs.nasa.gov
Link: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20090039420Source snippet
Detection Systems Enhance Satellite ImageryThe sole flier on the Mercury-Atlas 9 mission, Cooper took 24 photos - never-before-seen image...
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Source: nasa.gov
Link: https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/cooper-stands-beside-his-spacecraft-during-preflight-testing/Source snippet
Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr., pilot for the Mercury-Atlas 9 (MA-9) mission, stands...Read more...
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Source: nasa.gov
Link: https://www.nasa.gov/former-astronaut-l-gordon-cooper/Source snippet
Former Astronaut L. Gordon CooperMercury-Atlas 9: Faith 7. For the final crewed mission of Project Mercury, astronaut Gordon Cooper compl...
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Source: nasa.gov
Title: UNITE D STATES SPACE PROGRAM FIRSTSby BE Green — Sigma 7
Link: https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/o51254593.pdfSource snippet
05/15/1963 First U.S. flight in excess of a day. MA-9. Faith 7. 10/31/1964 First NASA astronaut or trainee to lose life, Theodore Freeman...
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Source: nasa.gov
Title: 40th Anniversary of Mercury 7: Name
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October 1, 1958, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) created. October 7, 1958, NASA formally organized its first "man-in...
Published: October 1, 1958
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Mercury Atlas 9
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-Atlas_9Source snippet
Mercury-Atlas 9Mercury-Atlas 9 was the final crewed space mission of the US Mercury program, launched on May 15, 1963, from Launch Com...
Published: May 15, 1963
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD02zDv4ucASource snippet
MERCURY-ATLAS 9 - Faith 7 - Launch (1963/05/15)...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: MERCURY-ATLAS 9
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixJBQGyNEiQ -
Source: airandspace.si.edu
Link: https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/capsule-mercury-ma-9/nasm_A19710155000Source snippet
National Air and Space MuseumCapsule, Mercury, MA-9 | National Air and Space MuseumA flashing beacon was successfully ejected from the no...
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Title: mercury atlas 9
Link: https://www.thespacecollective.com/blog/mercury-atlas-9Source snippet
Mercury-Atlas 913 May 2021 — This specific experiment was designed to test his ability to spot and track a flashing beacon in orbit. Coop...
Published: May 2021
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Source: setiathome.berkeley.edu
Title: forum thread
Link: https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=61318Source snippet
"Letter by astronaut Gordon Cooper regarding UFOs to the ambassador of Grenada to the...Read more...
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Source: avalonlibrary.net
Title: Avalon Library Gordon Cooper
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Gordon Cooper - Leap of FaithWill challenge. UFO skeptics and believers alike." Publislurs Weekly. "Personable.... Candidly delivered...
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Title: astronaut ufo sighting
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UFO Sightings by AstronautsMajor Cooper was a firm believer in UFOs. Ten years earlier, in 1951 he had sighted a UFO while piloting an F...
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Source: nasa.fandom.com
Title: Gordon Cooper
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Cooper | FandomFaith 7 was hoisted on board by a helicopter with Cooper still inside.... Cooper claimed to have seen his first UFO while...
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Source: astronautix.com
Title: mercuryma 9
Link: https://www.astronautix.com/m/mercuryma-9.htmlSource snippet
Mercury MA-9This report corresponded with the launch date of astronaut Gordon Cooper in the Mercury-Atlas 9 (MA-9). 1963 May 15 -. Coope...
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Source: 7.chicon.org
Link: https://7.chicon.org/mercury.phpSource snippet
chicon.orgMercuryL. Gordon Cooper, Jr. flew the last Mercury mission. He was up for 22 orbits, completing 34 hours, 19 minutes, and 49 se...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: Mercury-Atlas 9
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a25rxF3A344Source snippet
Historical Footage, Full Mission, Narration...Documentary about the Mercury-Atlas 9 mission, entirely based on historical narration, mis...
Additional References
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Source: nextspaceflight.com
Link: https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/1168/Source snippet
Faith 7 (MA-9) | Atlas-D MercuryMercury-Atlas 9 was the final crewed space mission of the U.S. Mercury program. The spacecraft, named Fai...
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Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/13xr5hr/gordon_coooper_ufo_testimony/Source snippet
Gordon Coooper UFO testimonyOvernight there was a very busy discussion of Gordon Cooper's UFO stories, but now I can't find it. Was it mo...
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Source: instagram.com
Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DXE9ZtqlQM9/Source snippet
mercury 7 astronautsThis document also includes handwritten notes documenting the encounter, annotated with the phrase “UFO Sighting by B...
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Source: openskyprotocol.com
Link: https://www.openskyprotocol.com/explore/wiki/evidence/war-gov/war-gov-release-02-nasa-uap-d011-mercury-atlas-9-audio-excerpt-may-15-1963-1007876Source snippet
NASA-UAP-D011, Mercury Atlas 9 Audio Excerpt, May 15, 19635 days ago — The official description connects the “fireflies” sequence to beac...
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Source: facebook.com
Title: in 1965 as nasas gemini vii astronauts detached from their rocket booster to beg
Link: https://www.facebook.com/classiccountrymusicfans/posts/in-1965-as-nasas-gemini-vii-astronauts-detached-from-their-rocket-booster-to-beg/1050725593967664/Source snippet
"In 1965, as NASA's Gemini VII astronauts detached...1966-Two glowing UFO sightings recorded while leaving Earth by Gemini 12 [http://www..."](http://www...")...
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Source: facebook.com
Title: on may 15 1963 nasa astronaut gordon cooper launched on the sixth and final crew
Link: https://www.facebook.com/spacecom/posts/on-may-15-1963-nasa-astronaut-gordon-cooper-launched-on-the-sixth-and-final-crew/816374050353281/Source snippet
On May 15, 1963, NASA astronaut Gordon Cooper..."Mercury-Atlas 9: Gordon Cooper's Historic Flight On May 15, 1963, Gordon Cooper piloted...
Published: May 15, 1963
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Source: theseekerbooks.com
Title: Leap of Faith: An Astronaut’s Journey Into the Unknown Evidence That UFOs Exist
Link: https://www.theseekerbooks.com/articles/leap.htmSource snippet
Cooper tells us about seeing working models of a flying saucer built by a man who had seen such a craft up close and had spent many...Re...
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Source: reddit.com
Title: Astronaut Gordon Cooper Sent A Letter To The UN
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/14d3nyd/astronaut_gordon_cooper_sent_a_letter_to_the_un/Source snippet
1978: r...r/UFOs - Decorated Astronaut Gordon Cooper was a witness to a UFO landing close... The Gemini VII transcripts released today...
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Source: abebooks.com
Link: https://www.abebooks.com/9780060194161/Leap-Faith-Astronauts-Journey-Unknown-0060194162/plpSource snippet
Leap of Faith: An Astronaut's Journey Into the UnknownGordon Cooper was one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts, a select...
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Source: scribd.com
Link: https://www.scribd.com/document/51169035/MA-9-TranscriptSource snippet
h 7 spaceflight and mission control.Read more...
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