Incident #187 — Godman Air Force Base, Kentucky — 19 August 1948

This document details the investigation into an unidentified aerial object reported at Godman Air Force Base, Kentucky, on 19 August 1948. The report, designated as Incident #187, describes a large, spherical, bright silver object observed by military personnel, including Lt. Colonel John Waugh and Major Mitchel. The object was reported to be at an altitude of 30,000 to 40,000 feet and appeared to hover or move slowly to the southwest. An F-51 aircraft was dispatched from Standiford AFB to intercept the object but was unable to locate it. Following the report, the Air Materiel Command (AMC) coordinated with the University of Louisville to identify the object. Based on azimuth and elevation readings, it was determined that the object was the planet Venus. The document includes various routing and record sheets, internal memos, and technical data tables comparing the observed object's position with the calculated position of Venus. While the 19 August 1948 incident was officially attributed to Venus, the file also contains a routing sheet dated 8 November 1948, which explicitly states that a separate sighting at Godman Air Force Base on 7 January 1948 could not be identified as Venus and must be considered unexplained. The file also references the 'Guide To Investigation Of Unidentified Aerial Objects' and includes recommendations from the Air Weather Service regarding the reporting of radar settings and object movement.