Project 10073 Record Card — Continental Divide AFS, New Mexico, 11 December 1957

This document consists of a Project 10073 Record Card and associated military correspondence regarding a series of sightings reported by personnel at the 769th AC&W Squadron at Continental Divide AFS, New Mexico, on the night of December 11, 1957. The observers, including radar operators and a sentry dog handler, reported seeing up to two dozen oblong objects, described as the color of cigarette ash and the size of a pencil eraser held at arm's length. The objects were observed for 3 to 5 seconds, appearing initially like falling stars before reversing course into straight and level flight. One observer reported a sound like rushing wind prior to the sightings, though no sound was heard when the objects were visible. The objects were noted to have sharply defined leading edges and tails approximately twice the length of the object. The report explicitly states that there is no positive knowledge of the cause of these sightings. While the official conclusion on the record card suggests the Geminid meteor shower as the likely cause, the correspondence from the 769th ACWRON commander notes that the observers did not believe this explanation, citing the level flight paths as inconsistent with meteors. One witness, Airman Veylupek, provided a statement at variance with the others, emphasizing that the objects were unlike anything he had previously seen. The report confirms that no intercept action was taken, despite the presence of F-86 and T-33 aircraft in the area for practice intercepts. The document concludes that the testimony of the observers effectively refutes the possibility of misidentifying aircraft as UFOs.