Project 10073 Record Card — Shelton, Connecticut, August 19, 1959

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and associated correspondence regarding a sighting of an unidentified aerial object over Shelton, Connecticut, on August 19, 1959. At approximately 9:10 PM EDT, six adult witnesses observed an object moving from the southwest to the northeast. The witnesses described the object as having the brightness and color of a first-magnitude star, noting that it appeared to wobble or spiral throughout the three-minute duration of the sighting. As the object passed overhead, the witnesses reported that its color shifted to a bright orange-red. The observers compared its altitude to the stars, noting it appeared to be among them, and speculated that it might have been an artificial satellite or a spent rocket cone. Following the report, Major Lawrence J. Tacker of the USAF Public Information Division responded to the witnesses on September 4, 1959. He informed them that the initial letter provided insufficient data to reach a valid conclusion and requested that they complete an official Air Force questionnaire for further evaluation by the Air Force Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The record card indicates that these follow-up questionnaires were sent but never returned, resulting in the case being closed due to insufficient data for evaluation.