Project 10073 Record Card — Madras, Oregon, August 1958

On August 12, 1958, at 0945Z, a sighting occurred in Madras, Oregon, involving a large explosion followed by a bright flash and three falling objects. The event lasted approximately two seconds. The objects were observed to have a light trail and were moving in a southwesterly direction before fading from view. The report was initiated by three civilians whose identities remain unknown; they reported the incident to a Redmond City patrolman, who subsequently notified an ATCS operator at Redmond, Oregon. The official investigation, documented under Project 10073, concluded that the phenomenon was a result of the Earth passing through the Perseids meteor shower, which was noted to be causing many similar reports at the time. The documentation includes a Project 10073 record card and a teletype message from the 192nd AACSRON to various military commands, including the Air Technical Intelligence Center and the Air Defense Command. The report confirms that there were no photographs, radar contacts, or physical traces associated with the event. The weather conditions at the time were reported as clear with 45 miles of visibility. The final assessment by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) explicitly links the sighting to the Perseids meteoric shower, suggesting that the observed explosion and falling objects were meteors.