Unidentified Flying Object (Rhodesia) - Project 10073 Record Card and Correspondence

This document collection details an unidentified flying object (UFO) sighting reported on May 20, 1960, over Northern Rhodesia. The initial report originated from the American Consulate General in Salisbury, which relayed information from the Royal Rhodesian Air Force (RRAF). Several observers, including personnel from the Civil Aviation Department, reported seeing a greenish, tennis-ball-sized sphere traveling from the southwest to the northeast at approximately 3,000 mph. The object was observed over Lusaka at 0355Z and over Ndola at 0358Z, covering a distance of 150 miles. The report was forwarded to the Department of State and subsequently to the Pentagon, which directed the inquiry to Major Friend at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for evaluation by the Aerospace Technical Center (ATIC). The official assessment provided by the Aerospace Technical Center concluded that the object was likely a very bright meteor, specifically a fireball. The evaluation noted that the reported speed was significantly lower than that of a typical meteor, attributing this discrepancy to potential errors in the timepieces used by the witnesses. The document includes a Project 10073 record card summarizing the sighting and correspondence between the Department of State and the Air Force regarding the request for identification. The Air Force advised that if further investigation were required, additional data such as witness names, weather conditions, and specific details regarding the object's disappearance and trail would be necessary, citing paragraph 15 of AFR 200-2 as the standard for such reports.