Project 10073 Record Card: Odessa, Washington, 10 December 1952

On the night of December 10, 1952, at approximately 1915 PST, the crew of an F-94 interceptor aircraft on routine patrol near Odessa, Washington, reported a significant aerial encounter. The pilot and radar observer observed several large, round, white objects at an altitude between 26,000 and 27,000 feet. The objects were described as being larger than any known aircraft, with dim, reddish-white lights emanating from what appeared to be windows. The objects exhibited extraordinary flight characteristics, including hovering, abrupt reversals of direction, sharp turns, and head-on passes toward the interceptor at high speeds. The crew attempted to contact Ground Control Approach (GCA) without success. Both visual and radar contact were maintained for approximately 15 minutes before the objects were lost. The weather conditions were reported as clear above 3,000 feet. Initial military assessments, documented in Project 10073 records, considered the possibility that the objects were upper-air research balloons, noting that such equipment could produce radar returns. However, the sighting was initially listed as 'Unknown.' Subsequent analysis by researchers, as noted in the provided documentation, suggested that the phenomenon might be explained by atmospheric refraction of the star Sirius, which was rising in the east at the time of the incident. This refraction, according to the analysis, could account for both the visual appearance of the lights and the anomalous radar returns observed by the crew. The report includes teletype communications detailing the incident, the crew's credentials, and the specific flight parameters of the encounter.