Declassified UFO / UAP Document
Project 10073 Record Card — Cartersville, Virginia, 2 August 1956
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AI-Generated Summary
A civilian reported a stationary, orange and red object at 40,000 feet that eventually exploded. Military evaluators dismissed the report as having insufficient data and noted significant inconsistencies in the witness's description.
This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an accompanying teletype report regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon sighting in Cartersville, Virginia, on August 2, 1956. A civilian witness reported observing a single, round, orange and red object for approximately 45 minutes. The witness stated that the object remained stationary at an altitude of roughly 40,000 feet before eventually breaking into parts and exploding. The sighting was initially brought to the observer's attention by a 'flash through trees.' The military report, filed by the Commander of the 771st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at Cape Charles Air Force Station, includes weather data indicating clear conditions with no winds and 6/10 cloud coverage. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that there was insufficient data for evaluation. The document contains handwritten annotations from an evaluator who expressed skepticism regarding the witness's account, specifically noting the inconsistency of observing an object the size of a barrel at an altitude of 40,000 feet, remarking that such an object would appear to cover the entire sky. The evaluator also suggested the possibility that the object was an exploding balloon.
Inconsistent! Anything the size of barrel at any length would cover the whole sky! Yet, reports object at 40,000 feet.
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Official Assessment
Insufficient data for evaluation.
The object was observed by a civilian for 45 minutes at an altitude of approximately 40,000 feet. It was described as a round, orange and red object that remained stationary before breaking into parts and exploding. Military evaluators noted the report was inconsistent, questioning how a barrel-sized object could be seen at 40,000 feet.