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Why did NASA take 47 years to release these mysterious sounds from the moon in 1969?

Speed News Desk | Updated on: 14 February 2017, 5:45 IST

NASA sent alien conspiracy theorists into a tizzy earlier this week when they released audio clips of what can only be described as "unearthly" sounds from the dark side of the moon.

The clips were recorded when the Apollo 10 flew around the moon in 1969. Just a few months later Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first among people to walk on the surface of the moon.

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Here are excerpts of a transcript of the conversation - which was made public in 2008. The three astronauts, Thomas Stafford, John Young, and Eugene Cernan can be heard reacting to the music.

"You hear that? That whistling sound?" Eugene Cernan asks his crewmates. "Boy, that sure is weird music."

Cernan: "You know that was funny. That's just like something from outer space, really. Who's going to believe it?"

Young: "Nobody. Shall we tell them about it?"

Cernan: "I don't know. We ought to think about it some."

The full recording has been available for public since 1973, however it largely went unnoticed until it was featured in Discovery channel's new series titled NASA's Unexplained Filed.
Watch it below: The astronauts can be heard asking if they should report the sounds to NASA. The NASA Unexplained Files highlights that transcript includes Cernan and Young saying, "No one will believe us." What's more, there is also no record of the astronauts discussing the sounds after the mission.

After the sounds caused a flurry of speculation surrounding the existence of alien life forms, NASA released an official statement from Cernan this week. CNN quotes the astronaut as saying:

"I don't remember that incident exciting me enough to take it seriously. It was probably just radio interference. Had we thought it was something other than that we would have briefed everyone after the flight. We never gave it another thought".

While NASA has explained that the noises were caused by interference between two radio signals, it is interesting to remember that the space agency prioritises the health of its astronauts. Even a minute psychological imbalance in astronauts' mind may lead to the termination of the mission. Theorists claim that this may be why the "whistling" sounds have been played down in order to keep the mission scientific. Some claim this may be the definite proof of the existence of extraterrestrial life that UFO theorists have been looking for all along. What do you think?



First published: 23 February 2016, 12:54 IST