Project 10073 Record Card — Washington, D.C., 3 September 1956

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an associated teletype message regarding an unidentified aerial object sighting reported on September 3, 1956, in the Washington, D.C. area. The object was described by multiple observers, including personnel from National Airlines, as a round, red-tinted object approximately the size of a small pea at arm's length. The witnesses reported that the object exhibited vertical motions and was observed for approximately twenty minutes. The initial sighting occurred near College Park, Maryland, and was also reported from the vicinity of National Airport. The observers noted that the sky was otherwise starless and slightly overcast. Meteorological data provided by the Weather Service at Bolling AFB indicated the presence of temperature inversions in the Washington area. The official conclusion reached by the investigating agency, ATIC, was that the sighting was likely caused by the planet Mars being viewed through these atmospheric temperature inversions. Although the report acknowledges that the azimuth and elevation of the object did not correlate exactly with the Mars hypothesis, the investigators maintained that the object's shape, color, and the visibility of Mars in the sky supported this explanation.