UFOB Index Card AISS-UFOB-340-57

This document consists of a UFOB Index Card (AISS-UFOB-340-57) dated October 24, 1957, and an associated press clipping from the Associated Press dated October 10, 1957. The index card documents a sighting that occurred on October 10, 1957, at 1140Z in Thermopolis, Wyoming. A civilian witness reported observing a single, round, white object, described as being the size of a quarter at arm's length. The object was observed for approximately one-half second, moving in a straight path from 100 degrees to 230 degrees. The official conclusion recorded on the card is that the sighting was caused by a meteor. The accompanying press clipping provides broader context regarding a fireball sighting on the same day. It reports that a Navy transport plane carrying 39 passengers had a near-collision with a brilliant ball of fire, described as being as large as a house, which blazed across the western skies. The pilot, Lt. Cmdr. W. F. Norris, reported circling the area after the object crashed in rugged country near the Colorado-Utah border. Another pilot, Capt. E. A. Anderson, described the object as a big ball of blue-white fire that illuminated the cockpit. An Air Force bomber pilot, Lt. George Wortell, also reported the event, noting that he initially thought the object was on a collision course with his plane. Scientists quoted in the press report stated they were certain the object was a meteorite and unrelated to the Russian satellite launched the previous week.