Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Fairbanks, Alaska, November 1957

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and associated teletype messages regarding an Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UFOB) sighting in Fairbanks, Alaska, occurring between November 30 and December 1, 1957. The primary witness, Lt. Col. George L. Colley, observed a round object that transitioned from yellow-orange to brilliant white and bright blue-white. The object was described as having a ball shape with points, a red tail of sparks and fire, and was accompanied by a whistling sound. The sighting lasted approximately four to five seconds, with the object moving in a slight descending arc to the south-southeast before disappearing into trees. The 11th Air Division (DEF) received 10 to 15 telephone calls regarding the event. Intelligence officers, including Captain James F. Smith, coordinated with the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska to assess the reports. The official conclusion reached by the military was that the object was likely a meteor or the remains of a booster rocket from Sputnik 1. Despite this assessment, the military took the incident seriously enough to dispatch an investigation team via helicopter, including two qualified parachutists, to the site at the Richardson Highway at first light on December 2, 1957. The documentation includes technical details regarding weather conditions and the specific coordinates of the sighting, as well as internal military routing information for the Air Technical Intelligence Center and the Air Defense Command.