Project 10073 Record Card — Saratoga Springs, New York, 16 Sep 60

This document is a Project 10073 record card and associated military report detailing a UFO sighting that occurred on September 16, 1960, in Saratoga Springs, New York. The witness, a 45-year-old contractor and retired police officer with flying experience, reported observing two round, bright red objects while sitting in a convertible with his family. The objects were described as being the size of the planet Mars and were observed for approximately ten minutes. The witness noted that the objects appeared to 'zig zag' and displayed an intermittent red glow below them, which he initially thought was exhaust, though he later suggested the zig-zagging might have been an illusion caused by the red glow. The objects eventually disappeared below the horizon. The military investigation, conducted by the 656th Squadron SAGE and evaluated by the Air Tech Intelligence Center, concluded that the sighting was likely a misidentification of the planet Venus and the star Spica, with atmospheric refraction causing the perceived distortion and motion. A supplemental note in the report also considers the possibility that the objects were related to the atmospheric reentry of Satellite 1960 Lambda, also known as the Sputnik 5 carrier rocket. The report includes detailed meteorological data for the time of the sighting, confirming clear visibility and calm winds, which supported the conclusion that the observations were astronomical in nature.