Project 10073 Record Card — Whidby NAS, 17 Feb 59

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an accompanying teletype report regarding an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) sighting that occurred on February 17, 1959, at Whidbey Naval Air Station in Washington. The report details a sighting of a round, blue-green object, described as being the size of a dime, which moved in a straight path from the northwest to the southeast. The observation lasted between four and six seconds and left no trail. The report was generated by the 25th Air Division and forwarded to the Air Technical Intelligence Center and the Commander of the Air Defense Command. Four military personnel—three from the USMC and one from the USN—witnessed the event and were considered reliable by the reporting officer, Major Victor W.H. Rankin. Despite the witnesses' reliability, the report notes that weather conditions at the time, which included scattered clouds at 7,000 feet and a cirrus overcast at 14,000 feet, were not conducive to keen observation. The official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the object was an astronomical fireball. The document also mentions that this was the second sighting of a UAP in the same location within a four-day period, with the first sighting lasting between two and five seconds. The report highlights discrepancies in the provided data, specifically regarding the location and the lack of altitude information for the object.