Project 10073 Record Card and Associated Sighting Report — Arlington, Virginia, 13 December 1955

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an Air Intelligence Information Report (IR-1-56) regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed on December 13, 1955, in Arlington, Virginia. The sighting, which lasted approximately two minutes and twelve seconds, was reported by a civilian witness identified as an astronomer. The witness described the object as having no discernible shape, appearing like a slow-moving, red, tailless meteor with sparks or a trail. The object was observed to move in a non-straight course, including a 20-degree turn to the right, before disappearing to the North-North-East into the haze of the horizon. The witness explicitly noted the absence of sound, which they found significant given the quiet neighborhood and the object's brightness. The report, authored by Captain Clyde S. Jordan of AFOIN-1A1, notes that while the object's light magnitude and color were consistent with an aircraft, the flight behavior and lack of sound were anomalous. The observer, being an astronomer, was able to rule out a meteor or bolide. The official conclusion listed on the record card is 'Insufficient Data for Evaluation,' and the intelligence report formally classifies the cause as 'unknown.' The document includes a hand-drawn star chart with the object's course plotted against celestial bodies, such as Capella and Leo, to assist in further analysis. The report was approved by Colonel Clifford R. Opper of the Air Force Intelligence division.