Project 10073 Record Card — Murrieta, California, 20 January 1955

This document is a formal record of an Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UFOB) sighting that occurred on 20 January 1955, near Murrieta, California. The report, filed under Project 10073, details the account of a civilian female witness, a housewife and qualified Ground Observer, who observed a single, round, aluminum-colored object for approximately 15 minutes. The witness described the object as resembling a grapefruit, moving slowly from the north to the east. The report notes that the object appeared solid and maintained a consistent appearance throughout the duration of the sighting. The investigation was conducted by 2nd Lt. Calvin L. Hammond of the 4602D AISS. The report includes supplemental data, such as wind and altitude information obtained from the Norton Air Force Base weather station, and references the release of radar-detectable balloons by the 27th Air Division. The official conclusion reached by the investigators, based on the witness's description and information provided by the 27th Air Division Ground Observer Corps (GOC), is that the object was a balloon. The report explicitly mentions that the 27th Air Division was unable to receive radar returns on the object. The document includes various administrative forms, including the Project 10073 Record Card, a UFOB Index Card, and a Supplement to AF Form 112, which provides the detailed narrative of the sighting and the investigator's assessment of the witness's reliability. The document was originally classified as unclassified and contains instructions for its eventual downgrading and declassification, which occurred in 1968.