Interview Excerpt with Astronaut Gordon Cooper, 1962

This is a short piece of broadcast history rather than a sighting report. In November 1962 the CBS newsman Walter Cronkite interviewed Gordon Cooper, one of the original group of Mercury astronauts, and asked him what he thought about unidentified flying objects. Cronkite raised the subject because Cooper had shown an interest in it before. At the time of the interview Cooper had not yet flown in space; his own orbital flight, the final Mercury mission, came the following spring.

What Cooper says

Cooper does not describe anything he saw himself. His point is about witnesses: by his account, a large number of exceptionally well-qualified people had seen objects that had no logical explanation. He then moves from UFOs to a broader question, speculating that other planets might have a livable atmosphere and could host some type of human life.

The two ideas are presented side by side, but the clip does not have Cooper claiming the objects came from other planets; he is musing on both topics.

Why the clip is often cited

Cooper became one of the astronauts most associated with UFO interest, and in later decades he spoke publicly in favor of investigating the subject. This early interview shows the interest was already there before he flew. It is an opinion, given by a test pilot to a television journalist, and the release presents it without comment. For contrast, NASA’s explanation of the “fireflies” Cooper later saw in orbit accompanies his “John’s fireflies” clip.