Declassified UFO / UAP Document
Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting near Huntsville, Texas, 12 June 1958
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AI-Generated Summary
A B-52 crew reported an oval, reddish object on June 12, 1958, which was subsequently identified by the Air Force as the Sputnik III rocket. The report includes detailed flight data and observer information.
On June 12, 1958, at 1026Z, the crew of a B-52 aircraft (No. 57-097) reported an unidentified aerial phenomenon while flying over Texas, approximately 10 miles west of Huntsville. The observers, Captain Eugene H. Richards and Captain Philip S. Clark of the 24th Bomb Squadron, 6th Bomb Wing, described the object as oval-shaped, reddish in color, and roughly the size of a pinhead, with a brightness comparable to a second-magnitude star. The object was observed for approximately two minutes as it traveled from south to northeast through the observer's field of view. The sighting occurred while the crew was taking a sextant shot on the star Kochah. The object was noted to be moving too fast to be an aircraft but slower than a shooting star. Following an investigation by Air Force intelligence, the object was officially identified as the rocket portion of the Sputnik III satellite. Analysts noted a discrepancy of approximately three minutes between the reported sighting time and the predicted orbital position of the satellite, but concluded this was acceptable given the inaccuracies inherent in predicting the perigee portion of a satellite's orbit. Weather conditions at the time were reported as clear. The report was transmitted via an operational immediate staff message from the 47th Air Division at Walker AFB to the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson AFB.
Since obj too fast to be a/c & slower than shooting star, believed to be Sputnik III rocket, since rocket crossed this area at stated time.
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Official Assessment
believed to be Sputnik III rocket
The object was identified as the rocket portion of the Sputnik III satellite based on its speed, trajectory, and the timing of the rocket's crossing of the area.
Witnesses
- Eugene H RichardsCapt24th Bomb Sq, 6 Bomb Wing, Walker AFB
- Philip S ClarkCapt24th Bomb Sq, 6 Bomb Wing, Walker AFB