PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD - 8 October 1957

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an accompanying military teletype message regarding an aerial sighting on October 8, 1957. Two pilots, 1LT Roger A. Smith and 1LT Thomas M. Goff of the 539th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, observed a round, yellow-orange object while flying a T-33 aircraft 10 nautical miles north of Lakehurst, New Jersey. The object, described as being the size of a dime, left a trail twenty times its diameter and was characterized by the observers as the largest and brightest they had ever seen. The sighting lasted approximately two seconds, ending with a brilliant flash before the object disappeared. The military report, filed by the 539th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, explicitly states that the evidence indicates the object was a meteor. The intelligence officer noted that the pilots were completely reliable and were certain of their identification of the object as a meteor, despite its unusual size and brilliance. The report was forwarded to the Air Defense Command and the Air Technical Intelligence Center, with a note suggesting that the information might be useful for substantiating or refuting other reports, specifically mentioning a potential connection to a sighting in Utah. The document includes standard military communication headers and confirms that no radar contact was made and no photographs were taken.