Project 10073 Record Card - Baudette, Minnesota, 16 January 1960

On January 16, 1960, at approximately 0040 hours ZULU, a civilian witness driving an oil truck for the Co-op Oil Company observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon west of Baudette, Minnesota. The witness described the object as a bright white, ball-shaped entity, roughly the size of a basketball, featuring a slight tail. The object was observed for a duration of one second, during which it moved straight down before disappearing instantaneously. The witness reported no sound associated with the event. The weather conditions at the time were reported as clear and good. The incident was formally reported by the Duluth Air Defense Sector under the provisions of AFR 200-2, Paragraph 15. The report was processed as part of Project 10073. An analysis conducted by the Air Tech Intel Center, with input from a Dr. Byers, evaluated the sighting against potential man-made objects, such as satellites, and natural phenomena. The investigators concluded that the object's characteristics, specifically its rapid descent and appearance, were consistent with a fireball-type meteor. The report explicitly notes that the speed of the object ruled out conventional aircraft or balloons, and that the description did not match known satellite re-entry profiles, leading to the final assessment that the object was likely a fireball.