RELEASE 01 / NASA-UAP-VM006
NASA-UAP-VM006, Apollo 17, 1972
- File ID
- NASA-UAP-VM006
- Agency
- NASA
- Release
- Release 01, 8 May 2026
- Event date
- 1972 (read as 1972; precision: year)
- Location
- Moon
- Type
- IMAGE
- Redactions
- None flagged
- Provenance
- FILM
The official record
Official copy at war.gov
Official summary, as published
As part of the review of historical UAP materials under PURSUE, DOW has opened a case to investigate the accompanying NASA photograph from the Apollo 17 mission, taken December 1972. The image contains three “dots” in a triangular formation in the lower right quadrant of the lunar sky that is clearly visible upon magnification of the image. While this photo has been previously released and discussed by keen observers, there is no consensus about the nature of the anomaly. New preliminary US government analysis suggests the image feature is potentially the result of a physical object in the scene. Additionally, as part of this investigation, the government has obtained the original film from the Apollo 17 mission and the results of the full NASA and DOW analysis will be released when completed.
Named in this file
1 namePeople, programs and institutions from The Legacy Program research board whose names appear in this file, found by exact spelling against a hand-checked list. A match says only that the file names them, not what part they play. People and programs lists every file that names each one. Only the title and official summary of a media file can be searched.
- Tier A National Aeronautics and Space Administration institution
Named in the title and the official summary.
Civil space agency; host of the 2023 UAP Independent Study Team
Our reading
READ FIRSTApollo 17 surface photograph from December 1972, with an inset enlarging three dots in a triangle in the lunar sky. The image itself is not new. What is new is the government's statement with it: DOW has opened a case, preliminary analysis suggests the feature is potentially the result of a physical object in the scene, and the original Apollo 17 film has been obtained, with full NASA and DOW results to follow. One of the few files in this release that points to analysis still under way.
Three separate measures, each with its reason. They are never added into a score.
E Evidence 2 of 3
A single mission film frame showing three points of light in a triangle above the lunar horizon.
N Novelty 1 of 3
The photo was released and discussed before; the open DOW case and preliminary analysis are new.
L Linkage 2 of 3
The official summary places the case under PURSUE's review of historical UAP material.
People and programs
Reading published 31 Oct 2026.
Our saved copy
One version seen. The checksum lets you confirm that a copy you hold is the one we saved.
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First seen
1.7 MB (1,778,754 bytes)
SHA-256
ce62e46b3535a4683ef6fd192d858be52dbbd9ca011ae1a9cb43dba947815f54