Project 10073 Record Card — Marshalltown, Iowa, 24 Oct 55

This document is a Project 10073 record card and associated teletype report concerning an unidentified aerial phenomenon sighting in Marshalltown, Iowa, on October 24, 1955. The report details a sighting by a civilian observer associated with the Ground Observer Corps (GOC). The witness described a single, round, white object, estimated to be the size of a basketball held at arm's length. The object was observed for approximately ten minutes using binoculars. The witness reported that the object remained in the same position, possibly moved north, and then simply disappeared. The weather conditions were reported as clear. The military investigation, conducted by the 735th AC&W Squadron and evaluated by ATIC, concluded that the sighting was likely caused by a balloon. The report explicitly suggests that the object may have been a balloon launched by General Mills or the University of Minnesota, noting that the physical description provided by the witness substantiated this balloon evaluation. The documentation includes the standard Project 10073 record card, which summarizes the event, and a teletype transmission (RF105) dated October 25, 1955, which disseminated the report to various Air Force commands, including the Air Defense Command at Ent AFB, the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC), and the 31st Air Division. The report is marked as unclassified.