President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have released never-before-seen files on UFOs to provide “total transparency” for the American public.
The information on the “unidentified anomalous phenomena” is the first of many releases that will be shared on a rolling basis, according to the Defense Department.
“The Department of War is in lockstep with President Trump to bring unprecedented transparency regarding our government’s understanding of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena,” Hegseth said Friday in a statement.
The newly released files included a transcript of the Apollo 17 crew describing unidentified phenomena spotted on their mission. The Apollo 17 crew landed on the moon in December 1972.
“Now we’ve got a few very bright particles or fragments or something that go drifting by as we maneuver,” pilot Ronald Evans said.
“Roger. Understand,” mission control replied.
“There’s a whole bunch of big ones on my window down there – just bright. It looks like the Fourth of July out of Ron’s window,” pilot Harrison Schmitt added.
“Yes. Now you can see some of them in shape. They’re very jagged, angular fragments that are tumbling,” Evans said.
The next day, mission commander Eugene Cernan reported observing “some sets of the streaks,” and a “very bright spot that flashed right between my eyes,” according to the transcript.
Defense Department investigating three ‘dots’ spotted on Apollo 17 mission
The Defense Department said it has opened an investigation into a photograph taken on the 1972 Apollo 17 lunar mission.
The image, which was already public, shows “three ‘dots’ in a triangular formation in the lower right quadrant of the lunar sky that is clearly visible upon magnification of the image,” according to the agency.
“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,” the agency said.
The government has obtained the original film from the mission and plans to release the full analysis once the investigation is completed.
.jpg)
Katie Hawkinson8 May 2026 14:38
Apollo 17 crew spotted unidentified phenomena, transcripts reveal: ‘It looks like the Fourth of July’
The Defense Department’s file release included a transcript of the Apollo 17 lunar crew describing unidentified phenomena spotted by their spacecraft.
The Apollo 17 crew landed on the moon in December 1972.
“Now we’ve got a few very bright particles or fragments or something that go drifting by as we maneuver,” pilot Ronald Evans said, according to the transcript.
“Roger. Understand,” mission control replied.
“There’s a whole bunch of big ones on my window down there – just bright. It looks like the Fourth of July out of Ron’s window,” pilot Harrison Schmitt added.
“Yes. Now you can see some of them in shape. They’re very jagged, angular fragments that are tumbling,” Evans said.
The next day, mission commander Eugene Cernan reported observing “some sets of the streaks.”
“And probably the one most imposing thing I remember is – and the last one I remember before falling asleep – was the fact that there was a very bright spot that flashed right between my eyes like a very bright headlight – like a train coming at you, only with a flash,” he said.
Katie Hawkinson8 May 2026 14:32
Marjorie Taylor Greene slams release of UFO files
Former GOP congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene dismissed the Trump administration’s new release of UFO files.
“I really don’t care about the UFO files. I just don’t. I’m so sick of the ‘look at the shiny object’ propaganda while they wage foreign wars, let rapist and pedophiles run free, and ruin the value of our dollar,” she wrote on X Friday.
“Unless they roll out live aliens and test demo UFOs or actually admit what we know this really is then I have way better things to do on this Friday,” she continued.
Greene resigned from Congress after a public falling out with President Donald Trump over the Epstein files last year.

Katie Hawkinson8 May 2026 14:23
Files reveal ‘unidentified phenomena’ spotted on Apollo 12 mission
The newly released UFO files included a photo of five different “unidentified phenomena” taken from the moon’s surface during the Apollo 12 lunar mission in 1969.
The Apollo 12 crew was the second group to land on the moon, following the Apollo 11 mission earlier that year.

Katie Hawkinson8 May 2026 14:16
UFO files expected to feature pilot encounters
The Trump administration’s newly released UFO files are expected to contain materials related to encounters between U.S. pilots and unidentified aerial phenomena.
Katie Hawkinson8 May 2026 14:03
Tim Burchett and Anna Paulina Luna praise UFO files release
Tim Burchett, the biggest proponent of declassifying UFO files, praised the Pentagon’s disclosure of the files.
“Thank you @realDonaldTrump for keeping your word to me on #UFO #UAP transparency. This is a great start!”
A member of the House Oversight Committee, Burchett is one of the biggest supporters of the federal government releasing files related to UFOs.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, a colleague and ally of Burchett’s, echoed the sentiment.
“The American people deserve transparency, accountability, and access to information regarding UAP’s and disclosure that the government has kept hidden from the public for decades,” she tweeted. “This is a massive first step in the right direction.”
Eric Garcia8 May 2026 14:00
UFO files available to the public
Members of the public are now able to view declassified files on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena online instantly, the Department of Defense said.
“The latest UAP videos, photos, and original source documents from across the entire United States government are all in one place – no clearance required,” a statement read.
“The American people have asked for more transparency on these topics, and President Trump is delivering. While all of the files have been reviewed for security purposes, many of the materials have not yet been analyzed for resolution of any anomalies.”
Check the files out for yourself here:
Mike Bedigan8 May 2026 13:54
Trump and Hegseth announce release of UFO files
Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth have announced the release of never-before-seen files on UFOs to provide “total transparency” for the public.
In a Friday press release the Department of War said the information on the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena was the first of many releases that would be shared on a rolling basis.
“While past administrations sought to discredit or dissuade the American people, President Trump is focused on providing maximum transparency to the public, who can ultimately make up their own minds about the information contained in these files,” the department said.
Follow The Independent’s live coverage here.
Mike Bedigan8 May 2026 13:47
.jpg?width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800)



