PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD — Albuquerque, New Mexico, 18 May 58

This document is a Project 10073 record card and associated teletype report concerning an aerial sighting that occurred on May 18, 1958, near Albuquerque, New Mexico. The observer, identified as a 16-year veteran of the Civil Aeronautics Authority Airway Operations Section, reported seeing a round, blue-purple object, described as the size of a pea, moving straight down. The observation lasted approximately three seconds. The object appeared to leave a trail, which the observer attributed to extreme speed and brightness. The sighting occurred at 0254Z. Military authorities at the 34th CONAD Division Combat Center investigated the report, noting that no other aircraft in the area reported the object. Weather conditions at the time included scattered clouds to the east. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the sighting was highly suggestive of a meteor, particularly when viewed through adverse sighting conditions. The report includes technical data regarding winds aloft and the observer's credentials, ultimately dismissing the object as an astronomical event rather than an aircraft or balloon.