Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Madison, Wisconsin, August 1960

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and subsequent military correspondence regarding a UFO sighting reported on 11 August 1960 in Madison, Wisconsin. The witness, located at the Truax Field control tower, observed a bright, white, star-like spherical object for approximately 15 minutes. The witness reported that the object appeared to change course and speed periodically while under observation. Initial military assessment by ATIC, signed by Major Robert J. Friend, deemed the report to contain insufficient data, noting that a white light could originate from many sources, and requested a formal investigation in accordance with AFR 200-2. A subsequent report, prepared by Captain Stephen M. Flanagan of the Chicago Air Defense Sector, provided a detailed breakdown of the sighting, including the observer's belief that the perceived changes in course and speed were an illusionary effect caused by thermal conditions aloft. The final conclusion reached by the investigating officers was that the sighting, including the object's course, duration, and time, correlated closely with the orbit path of the Echo I satellite. The report explicitly notes that no interception or identification action was taken and that no other air traffic was known to be in the area at the time of the sighting.