Project 10073 Record Card — New Orleans, Louisiana, 14 March 1958

This document is a Project 10073 record card detailing a sighting that occurred on March 14, 1958, in New Orleans, Louisiana. At 1217Z, a civilian observer reported seeing a single, large, bright object that appeared to resemble a tadpole or a balloon. The object exhibited very slight westward movement. The report notes that the object was observed via ground-visual methods, including the use of a telescope by a professor at Louisiana State University (LSU). The sighting was reported to the New Orleans Air Traffic Control Center. Weather conditions at the time were clear, with scattered cloud cover and 10 miles of visibility. The object was estimated to be at an altitude of approximately 21,700 feet. Following the investigation, the official conclusion reached was that the object was a large balloon with no instruments attached. The document includes various administrative routing information, indicating that the report was processed through the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) and involved communication with the Eastern Air Defense Command and the 35th Air Division.