Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting at Organ Pass, New Mexico, 12 October 1960

This document contains a Project 10073 record card and an associated office memorandum regarding a UFO sighting on October 12, 1960, at the Baker-Nunn Satellite Tracking Station in Organ Pass, New Mexico. The witness, identified as a professional astronomer who has worked with Professor Clyde Tombaugh, reported seeing eight yellowish lights arranged in two triangles of three, followed by two in an echelon formation. The objects were observed traveling from the North to the South-Southwest at 0035Z. The witness estimated the angular velocity to be on the order of 2000 seconds of arc per second. The Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) evaluated the report and concluded that the objects were likely high-flying jet aircraft. This conclusion was supported by the reported angular velocity, which was deemed consistent with jet aircraft and too slow for meteors. Furthermore, a telephone conversation with the observer confirmed that he believed the objects were jet aircraft, noting that the lights seen in conjunction with the objects were consistent with such an identification. The memorandum, authored by Warren W. McCurdy and addressed to the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, highlights the professional credentials of the observer to establish the reliability of the report.