Project 10073 Record Card — Scranton, Pennsylvania, 6 September 1960

On September 6, 1960, at approximately 8:30 PM, a civilian in Scranton, Pennsylvania, observed an unidentified aerial object. The witness, who was sitting on their back porch, reported seeing a bright object that appeared yellow and light blue, with the top part yellow and the front and bottom blue. The object was described as being slightly smaller than the Echo satellite. According to the witness, the object turned slightly to its left, then turned again and increased speed, passing between the first and second stars on the handle of the Big Dipper. The object then rose gracefully before entering a cloud, at which point it lost its brightness and appeared as a small bluish-white dot. The witness reported the incident to the Scranton Tribune and subsequently completed a U.S. Air Force Technical Information Sheet. The witness also called their sister-in-law, Verna, to observe the object, though she was reportedly not sure if she saw it. In a letter dated September 9, 1960, Lt. Colonel Lawrence J. Tacker of the U.S. Air Force acknowledged the report but stated that the information provided was insufficient for a valid conclusion. The official conclusion recorded on the Project 10073 record card states that the case is classified as having insufficient data, though it notes that the characteristics and general description suggest the object may have been a balloon. The witness explicitly stated in their correspondence that they did not believe the object was one of our own satellites, as they were familiar with the appearance of the Echo satellite.