Project 10073 Record Card and Air Intelligence Information Reports — El Paso, Texas, 31 May 1960

On May 29, 1960, at approximately 0530Z, multiple military and civilian observers in the El Paso, Texas, area reported a bright, luminous object traversing the sky. The incident was documented under Project 10073 and investigated by the Aerospace Technical Intelligence Center. Witnesses, including personnel at the Biggs Air Force Base control tower, described the object as round or oblong, brilliant white, and possessing a tail. Several observers noted that the object appeared to break into two pieces near the Rio Grande River, with the larger portion continuing its trajectory while the smaller piece disintegrated. One witness reported a sound resembling a sonic boom. A T-33 aircraft, piloted by Lt. Col. R.D. Stevens, also sighted the phenomenon while flying near Alamogordo, New Mexico. The reports were compiled into an Air Intelligence Information Report, which included individual interview notes from various witnesses, ranging from air traffic controllers to local police and students. The official conclusion reached by the investigating officers was that the object was an astronomical body, specifically a large meteor. The report notes that the observed characteristics—such as the brilliant appearance, the flight path, and the fragmentation—are consistent with the behavior of a meteorite entering the atmosphere. Despite conflicting reports regarding the duration of the sighting, which ranged from a few seconds to several minutes, the consensus among investigators was that no evidence existed to suggest the object was anything other than a natural astronomical event.