Project 10073 Record Card and Air Intelligence Information Report — Shelby, Iowa, 1 October 1955

On 1 October 1955, two 15-year-old Ground Observer Corps (GOC) observers, Miss Merva Farr and Miss Janet Wolrenbach, reported a series of unidentified aerial phenomena near Shelby, Iowa. The witnesses described observing six spherical, white, shiny objects over a period of one and a half hours. The objects were reported to move from the southwest to the northwest. During the initial observation, one object appeared to divide and release a small parachute. The witnesses reported that they initially thought they heard an aircraft, but the objects themselves made no sound. The incident was investigated by Captain Hans Bischofs and S/Sgt. Billie R. McCreary of Detachment 2, 4602D AISS. Supplementary investigative efforts included a search for the reported parachute, which was successfully located by a local farmer's son approximately three and a half miles northeast of the observation point. The recovered item was identified as a standard radiosonde weather balloon package. Meteorological data for the area was reviewed, and a check of the GOC aircraft log confirmed that five aircraft were in the vicinity during the time of the sighting. Two fighter interceptors were dispatched from Sioux City, Iowa, to check the area, but they reported seeing nothing unusual. In his final assessment, Captain Bischofs concluded that the sighting was likely caused by a weather balloon. He hypothesized that the balloon, released from a weather station in Omaha, Nebraska, had developed a leak, causing it to descend with its equipment, then rise again after releasing the weight of the parachute and radiosonde. He noted that the shiny appearance was likely due to the reflection of the sun on the white balloon material. While acknowledging the difficulty in explaining the specific movement patterns reported by the observers, the report ultimately attributed the sighting to the weather balloon and the observers' lack of technical experience, suggesting that their imagination may have led them to report more than was actually present. The approving officer, Colonel John M. White Jr., concurred with these findings.