Strange music heard by Apollo 10 astronauts on the far side of the Moon was not released to the public for over 50 years

  • NASA took over 50 years to release ‘space-music’ audio from Apollo 10
  • The strange sounds were heard by the three astronauts on the lunar module
  • Apollo 11’s crew also heard the ‘space-music’ on their famous mission

Published on Feb 14, 2025 at 12:49 AM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall

Last updated on Feb 14, 2025 at 10:58 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by Tom Wood

Strange music heard by NASA Apollo 10 astronauts on a trip to the moon in 1969 was not released to the public for over 50 years.

The unusual occurrence took place during a dress rehearsal in May 1969 for the first human landing on the moon.

Astronauts Thomas Stafford, John Young, and Eugene Cernan were the crew of Apollo 10 on that day.

Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins wrote about the experience in his book Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut’s Journeys. NASA then released an explanation of the music when it released the audio in 2016.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie

Radio interference caused the unusual ‘alien-music’ onboard Apollo 10

The audio reveals some truly eerie noises that the astronauts on the Apollo 10 space mission heard.

The noises on the module began after the astronauts’ lunar module separated from the main module.

During the mission, they were to orbit the moon for over 10 hours. Following this, they would return to the lunar landing module.

While on the far side of the moon, the three astronauts began to hear a ‘whistling sound.’

Of the noises, one of the men said: “Sounds like, you know, outer-space music.”

Cameras onboard Apollo 10 recorded the strange sounds, and NASA retained the audio for over 50 years.

NASA warned Apollo 11’s crew about the space music

Soon described as ‘space music,’ NASA warned the men aboard Apollo 11 to expect the noises on their mission to the moon.

Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong, and Buzz Aldrin all heard the noises as they approached the moon.

As he wrote in his book, Collins said: “There is a strange noise in my headset now, an eerie woo-woo sound.”

He also added: “Had I not been warned about it, it would have scared the hell out of me.”

On the Apollo 11 mission, the noises began after the lunar module had separated from the main module, and the music ended when the module landed on the moon.

NASA fully explained the noises as interference between the VHF radios of the lunar module and the command module.

While the astronauts found the noises creepy and eerie, they ultimately accepted NASA’s explanation for them.

user

Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.