Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell conducted an unauthorized extrasensory perception (ESP) experiment during his 1971 moon mission, transmitting symbols mentally from lunar orbit to receivers on Earth. His former wife, Anita Mitchell, has shared details of this clandestine test, which she said convinced the astronaut of a significant psychic connection across space.
The experiment took place during four rest periods aboard the Apollo 14 spacecraft, without NASA's knowledge or approval. Mitchell, the lunar module pilot and sixth person to walk on the moon, attempted to send symbols mentally to four individuals on Earth. These participants independently recorded which symbols they believed Mitchell was concentrating on. According to Anita Mitchell, the two highest-scoring participants correctly identified 51 out of 200 symbols.
Anita Mitchell stated that Edgar believed the odds against such results occurring by random chance were "two billion to one." This outcome reportedly solidified his belief that something extraordinary had transpired between the spacecraft and Earth. "I never doubted it," she told the Daily Mail.
Origins of the Experiment
The experiment stemmed from Mitchell's long-standing interest in ESP, which predated his lunar journey. He had collaborated with a group of scientists before the mission who were interested in psychic phenomena. These researchers suggested that the Apollo 14 flight offered an unprecedented opportunity to test the transmission of mental information across vast distances. No prior attempt had been made to conduct such a test across hundreds of thousands of miles.
Mitchell had originally planned for six sessions, but mission demands allowed for only four, each lasting no more than 20 minutes. The experiment involved a deck of 25 cards, each featuring one of five symbols: stars, crosses, waves, squares, and circles. Mitchell randomized the card order before launch to create a unique sequence and then focused on these symbols during his rest periods in space.
No physical signals were transmitted or detected through the spacecraft's communication equipment. The test focused solely on whether information could pass directly between minds through ESP. Mitchell referred to the alleged phenomenon broadly as extra-sensory perception.
Post-Mission Analysis and Legacy
NASA confirmed Mitchell's personal project after the Apollo 14 mission but stressed it was unauthorized. Following the mission, the recorded Earth-based answers were compared to Mitchell's chosen symbols. While Mitchell said random chance would predict approximately 40 correct answers, the highest-scoring receivers achieved 51 correct out of 200 guesses.
Mitchell's private assessment of the odds against this result occurring randomly was two billion to one. However, his public statements in 1971 were more reserved. He described the results as an "acceptable significant result in the other sciences," but noted that parapsychology was more conservative. He stated the experiment produced results "far exceeding anything expected," though only "moderately significant" scientifically.
Mitchell analyzed the findings with Dr. J.B. Rhine, a prominent investigator of psychic phenomena. Mitchell expressed his intention to conduct similar experiments, stating, "We're much too uninformed, unknowledgeable in this mechanism of telepathy or ESP. to project its uses, but I think once we start to understand what the mechanism is, then we can start talking about uses."
The experiment did not definitively establish the existence of ESP as scientific fact, but it significantly influenced Mitchell. Anita Mitchell said the experience made him increasingly open to possibilities beyond conventional science. Following his return, Mitchell founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences to study consciousness and related phenomena.
Anita also noted that other figures connected to the space program, such as rocket pioneer Wernher von Braun, shared an interest in unexplained phenomena and dreams. Mitchell grew up near Roswell, New Mexico, an area associated with UFO claims, and believed people should be open to investigating ideas outside of established teachings. His private experiment on Apollo 14, though inconclusive, propelled him toward a lifelong pursuit of understanding consciousness and phenomena beyond the scope of accepted science.
Edgar Mitchell died in 2016. His former wife's memoir, "You Don't Look Like An Astronaut's Wife," aims to provide an authentic account of his extraordinary life and his willingness to question established beliefs.
