Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting at Scott AFB, Illinois, 3 January 1956

On January 3, 1956, at approximately 1930 CST, Staff Sergeant James A. Stevens of the Headquarters Squadron Section, TTWG, at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The witness described the object as a circular, orange entity with a green tail, estimated to be ten times the length of its body. The object was observed directly overhead for a duration of three seconds. The witness reported that the object made no sound and performed a gradual climb at high speed before disappearing as if its lighted characteristics had been extinguished. The weather conditions at the time included scattered clouds at 25,000 feet. No radar contact was made, and no photographs were taken. The incident was documented under Project 10073 and referenced in accordance with Air Force Regulation 200-2. While the official conclusion on the record card categorized the event as 'Probably Astronomical' (a meteor), the internal report noted that the witness's description of the object's speed and climbing characteristics left the reporting officer without sufficient information to definitively determine the cause of the phenomenon.