Project 10073 Record Card — Mobile, Alabama, 1 February 1954

On February 1, 1954, at 0115Z, a sighting of an unidentified aerial object occurred near Brookley Air Force Base in Mobile, Alabama. The witness, identified as LT Ecker HJ, a ground training instructor, reported observing a single object described as balloon-shaped, orange and white in color, and approximately the size of an orange. The object was estimated to be at an altitude of 14,000 feet, moving in a south-southeasterly direction. The observation lasted for 32 minutes before the object disappeared due to darkness. The sighting was reported via teletype to various military commands, including the Air Defense Command and the Air Technical Intelligence Center. An investigation was conducted, which included input from a Navy aircraft. The official conclusion reached by the military authorities was that the object was a cosmic research balloon, noting that a similar case had been reported on the same day from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The report includes detailed weather and wind data for the time of the sighting, confirming thin scattered clouds and good visibility.