Project 10073 Record Card and Incoming Message — Sighting near Greenbush, Kansas, May 1959

On May 18, 1959, at approximately 0830Z, a truck driver traveling west on Kansas Highway 57, four miles west of Greenbush, Kansas, observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The witness, a 33-year-old male, reported seeing a ball-shaped object that appeared to be roughly 30 feet in diameter, comparable to the width of a two-lane road. The object was described as having a 'hot and bubbling' surface and appeared like a 'quarter of a moon' positioned too low in the sky. Initially orange, the object changed to a red color during the encounter. The witness stopped his vehicle as the object descended vertically to the ground, where it remained for three to four minutes. Subsequently, the object rose vertically to an altitude of 10 to 15 feet, moved in a northwest direction, and then turned southwest at a height of 30 feet before disappearing from view. The witness reported no sound during the event. Weather conditions at the time were noted as cloudy with clear ground visibility, with reports of occasional lightning in clouds to the northeast. The Air Force investigation, conducted by the Air Tech Intelligence Center, concluded that the sighting was likely caused by static electricity resulting from thunderstorm activity in the region. The report was filed under Project 10073.