Project 10073 Record Card and Associated UFO Report

This document comprises a series of military communications and a Project 10073 record card detailing an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) sighting that occurred on January 9, 1959. The primary witness was a B-52 aircraft commander from the 42nd Bomb Squadron, 11th Bomb Wing, who was flying at 36,000 feet near Alvord, Texas. The witness described an elongated, cylindrical object with a sharp nose, appearing slightly larger than a B-52 fuselage. The object was white, appeared to be painted, and left a wispy vapor trail two to three times its own length. The sighting lasted approximately five seconds as the object moved in a flat path from right to left, perpendicular to the B-52's flight path. The observer, who was considered highly reliable, initially suspected the object might be a missile. Intelligence officers conducted interviews and investigations, including checks with the Fort Worth Control Center, Convair Aircraft, and Carswell AFB, to determine if any test vehicles or other aircraft were in the area. These checks were negative for B-58s or chase aircraft. While the official conclusion on the record card states the object had all the characteristics of a large meteor, the intelligence report notes that the observer himself ruled out a meteor. The report further notes that the object's speed generally ruled out operational aircraft, and the lack of information on orbiting satellites prevented that hypothesis from being fully explored. The witness expressed reluctance to report the incident due to his inability to notify other stations while performing his duties. The document concludes that a positive identity could not be made, leaving the possibility of a missile-type satellite.