Project 10073 Record Card — Hyattsville, Maryland, 26 August 1956

On 26 August 1956, a civilian observer located approximately one mile east of Hyattsville, Maryland, reported a sighting of an unidentified object. The witness, identified as a Mrs. [illegible], observed the object for a duration of two hours. She described the object as having the appearance of a 'conical shredded parachute' with a reddish to whitish glow. The object was initially noticed because it resembled an unusually bright star. At the time of the sighting, the object was positioned in the southeast at an elevation of approximately 15 degrees above the horizon. The witness observed the object both visually and through binoculars, noting that it was rising slowly and moving in a southerly direction. The weather conditions were reported as clear with calm surface winds and a visibility of seven miles. The report was processed by HQ USAF AFOIN and forwarded to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Air Defense Command. Following an evaluation of the data, which included information from the A.W.S. at Bolling Air Force Base, the official conclusion reached was that the sighting was caused by the planet Mars. The incident was categorized as an astronomical event.