Project 10073 Record Card - Niles, Illinois - April 23, 1959

This document contains a U.S. Air Force Project 10073 record card and associated correspondence regarding a UFO sighting reported by a 13-year-old male in Niles, Illinois. The incident occurred on the evening of April 22, 1959, at approximately 8:00 P.M. The witness, while walking his dog near the corner of Odell and Mulford, observed a bright, star-like object that appeared to be the size of a half-dollar at arm's length. He described the object as rising steadily in the sky with no sound, eventually disappearing into a high, wispy cloud bank. The witness estimated the object's speed at 1,000 m.p.h. and its distance at 10 to 20 miles. He also noted that he had seen a similar phenomenon a few years prior, involving a bright red flash that streaked across the sky before shooting straight up. In his opinion, the object was either a rocket or some sort of space device. The Air Force responded to the witness on May 25, 1959, via Major Lawrence J. Tacker, stating that the initial report contained insufficient data to reach a valid conclusion and requested that the witness complete a formal U.S. Air Force Technical Information Sheet to be forwarded to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The file includes the completed questionnaire, which provides details on the weather conditions, the witness's observations, and sketches of the object's flight path.