Project 10073 Record Card — Rockville, Maryland, 7 June 1954

This document is a Project 10073 record card detailing an unidentified aerial phenomenon sighting that occurred in Rockville, Maryland, on the night of June 7, 1954. The witness, a civilian employee at a USAF Command Post, observed a single object for approximately two hours between 2300 and 0100 EST. The witness described the object as appearing like a bright star with a bright orange color. It was noted to have a dark side, and its movement was described as having a 'peculiar motion'—specifically, it appeared to bounce like a ball while also remaining stationary at times. The witness used eight-power binoculars to observe the object, and three other people were present to witness the event. Weather conditions were reported as clear with scattered clouds. A jet aircraft was observed high above the object at 0045. Despite the visual report, radar scope observations at the Washington National Tower were negative, and there was no aircraft activity reported in the vicinity at the time of the sighting. The official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency, ATIC, was that the object was an astronomical body, specifically a star or planet. The report notes that the case was carried in the 'Astro' category because the sighting characteristics were consistent with such an observation, although the report also mentions that positional data was not included, making a definitive astronomical identification difficult.