Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Champaign, Illinois, 7 June 1960

This document collection details the investigation of a UFO sighting that occurred in Champaign, Illinois, on 7 June 1960. A civilian photographer was filming a routine silhouette of a statue in the city-owned West Side Park when an unidentified object was captured on film. The photographer did not notice the object at the time of filming; its presence was only discovered during the previewing of the film strip. The film was subsequently forwarded to the Aerospace Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for analysis. The investigation involved multiple departments, including the Chanute Technical Training Center, which provided the initial report. Technical analysis of the film, including microscopic examination, confirmed that the image was a genuine photographic capture and not the result of emulsion flaws or mechanical errors. The object was described as a light source of considerable intensity, visible even when within eight degrees of the sun. Due to the high velocity and brightness observed—the object traversed the camera's field of view in approximately 1.25 seconds—the Air Force concluded that the object was likely a meteor of the 'fireball' class. The report notes that image motion during the exposure prevented any detailed analysis of the object's configuration. The photographer requested to be notified of the results of the analysis and requested that no publicity be given to the sighting. The Air Force agreed to retain the film as part of the official case file, with the understanding that it would be returned if specifically requested by the photographer. The documentation includes the original record card, correspondence between military offices, and several frames from the film strip showing the silhouette of the statue.