Project 10073 Record Card — Silver Spring, Maryland, 3 September 1956

On 3 September 1956, at approximately 0130Z, two young witnesses, aged 13 and 15, reported observing an unidentified object in Silver Spring, Maryland. The witnesses, who were observing the planet Mars at the time, reported seeing a round or oval white object, estimated to be the size of a basketball at arm's length. The object was sighted directly overhead and disappeared by moving straight up. The observation lasted for ten seconds. The report was filed by Major James E. Geurtz of the Headquarters Command, USAF, under the provisions of AFR 200-2. The official conclusion reached by the preparing officer was that the sighting was likely a light reflection originating from the Washington, DC area, noting that it was impracticable to pinpoint the specific light source. The report emphasizes that the witnesses appeared sincere and were not seeking notoriety, but suggests that their youth and interest in celestial phenomena, combined with the relative positions of Mars and the local airport complex, may have led to an over-imaginative interpretation of the lights in the area.