The World - News from Aug. 31, 1986

Former U.S. astronaut James Irwin, 56, said he was detained for several hours by local police in Erzurum, Turkey, following allegations that he engaged in espionage while on an aerial search for Noah’s Ark on Mt. Ararat. Seven other members of the search party also were detained. Irwin, who walked on the moon in 1971, said that all eight of them were were detained on charges of making an illegal flight and taking illegal pictures while flying over militarily sensitive areas. They were later released when an official reportedly confirmed that the flight and filming had been authorized.