Anyone Know If John Glenn’S Fireflies Are Still Seen By Astronauts?

[spartan45]

Are fireflies still seen by astronauts?  (Original posted 22/4/2016 on ST&U Forum.)

Each time the first rays of the Sun came up on to the Mercury capsule (Friendship 7) and lasting between three and a half, four minutes as it flew three times around the world on 20th February 1962 astronaut John Glenn saw Friendship 7 move very slowly through a field of thousands of bright yellowish green little particles some six to ten feet apart and each about the same size and intensity as a firefly on a real dark night. This is also known as 'The John Glenn effect'. Has anyone heard of this type of phenomenon being witnessed by astronauts travelling to the international space station in the Soyuz spacecraft which were designed in 60s, the era of the Mercury capsules?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_(spacecraft)

Mainly using 'The Astronauts Book', a reference book printed in 1966:

On 5th May 1961 Astronaut Alan B Shepard, Jr manned a Mercury capsule called 'Freedom 7' and flew a sub orbital flight lasting about 15 minutes and weightless for about 5 minutes, flying as high as 115 miles above the Earth and 300 miles from the launch site. I could find no record of him reporting the 'fireflies' in that short time. On 21 July 1961 Astronaut Virgil I. Grissom flew an almost identical sub orbital flight in a Mercury capsule called 'Liberty Bell 7' (lasting about 15minutes, weightless for about 5minutes).

On 20^th February 1962 Astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr manned a Mercury capsule called ‘Friendship 7’ and was the first American to achieve orbital flight as it flew 3 times around the world. He reported that lasting between 3.5 to 4 minutes at each time the first rays of the Sun came up on to his Mercury capsule (Friendship 7), he saw the capsule move very slowly through a field of thousands of bright yellowish green little particles some 6 to 10ft apart and each about the same size and intensity as a firefly on a real dark night. This is sometimes called ‘The John Glenn effect’.  In 'The Astronauts Book' printed in 1966 Astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr contributed significant parts and at no time states he started banging the capsule and watched the 'fireflies' come off (as some people on the internet claim). He stated early that he had no theory on the particles, only that they were observed.

 On 24th May 1962 Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter manned a Mercury capsule called 'Aurora 7' and flew 3 times around the world in an almost identical journey to John Glenn's 'Friendship 7' voyage and reports banging the capsule creating the 'fireflies'. John Glenn claimed the particles were luminous and came from space. Scott Carpenter (also a contributor to ‘The Astronauts Book’) claimed the ones he saw were light but not luminous; they looked like snowflakes.

On 12th October 1964 Russian Cosmonauts Vladimir Komarov, Konstantin Feoktistov and Boris Yegorov, (also contributors to ‘The Astronauts Book’), flew in spaceship Voshod-1 and reported being very much interested in the shining particles. They had heard about these mysterious particles whirling around the spaceships from the reports of John Glenn, other American Astronauts and fellow Cosmonauts. They reported their movement is strange, sometimes two particles moving towards each other. The general feeling of the three was that these tiny particles came from their ship and apparently they are simply dust particles that are found everywhere, even in the cosmos.  In the sunlight they are clearly visible.

From these accounts, it seems even in late 1964 Astronauts were still excited by the 'firefly' phenomenon. Indeed, it appeared unresolved in the 1966 book, but then many years later an explanation was given when John Glenn was featured in the NY Times 14^th February 2012 article 50TH ANNIVERSARY-50 Years Later, Celebrating John Glenn’s Feat, by John Noble Wilford Feb. 13, 2012: At first sunrise, Mr Glenn saw a swarm of greenish-yellow lights outside the craft, reminding him of fireflies. He saw them again at the other sunrises. “No one had anticipated this, and it was fascinating,” he said. “Turns out these were tiny moisture particles vented from the heat-exchange system, but I don’t know if we have ever explained their particular colors.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/14/science/space/50-years-later-celebrating-john-glenns-great-feat.html

 

I am curious if the ‘firefly’ phenomenon is still witnessed by modern day astronauts travelling to the international space station in the Soyuz spacecraft because something that enthralled men blessed with 'The Right Stuff' seems easily dismissed and not remarked upon by the Astronauts of today, so am very interested in any known reports.

[OceanBreeze]

One theory is that the “fireflies” were tiny bits of paint coming off of the capsule that became most visible during the high contrast that occurs when the capsule is coming out of night into daylight.

 

That seemed unlikely to me, until I read that the logos on the outside of the capsule were hand painted on!

 

 

 

I doubt very much if NASA does that sort of thing any more.