Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Clarkston, Michigan, November or December 1959

This document details a UFO sighting reported by a civilian couple in Clarkston, Michigan, in late 1959. The witnesses observed a white, egg-shaped object, approximately the size of a grapefruit, which appeared four times brighter than any star and left a trail of light. The object was observed for one to two hours, moving from North to South through a 60-degree arc before fading out. The witnesses provided a 35mm color slide photograph of the object. The report was not submitted to the Air Force until six or seven months after the incident, which significantly hampered the investigation. Military authorities at Selfridge Air Force Base and the Air Technical Intelligence Center conducted an analysis based on meteorological data from the Flint, Michigan, Airport Station. They determined that the most probable explanation for the sighting was a weather balloon. The investigation noted that weather balloons released from Flint typically ascend to 80,000 feet and that the object's characteristics were consistent with such a balloon, particularly given the lack of other evidence and the significant delay in reporting. The file includes correspondence between the 25th District Office of Special Investigations and the 1st Fighter Wing, confirming the receipt of the photograph and the final assessment that the object was likely a weather balloon.