Declassified UFO / UAP Document
Project 10073 Record Card — Abilene, Texas, October 14, 1960
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AI-Generated Summary
A 1960 UFO sighting report from Abilene, Texas, was closed by the Air Force due to the witness's refusal to provide additional information via a questionnaire. The investigation concluded that the available data was insufficient for a formal evaluation.
This document details a UFO sighting reported on October 14, 1960, by an individual in Abilene, Texas. The witness, who was observing the sky with a telescope, reported seeing a light object of fourth or fifth magnitude moving rapidly across the sky. The object's trajectory was described as crossing the Milky Way between Cygnus and Cassiopia, passing near the Andromeda nebula, and moving south of the Pliades and Hyades. The witness initially suspected the object was an airplane, but dismissed this due to the object's high velocity and lack of sound. The witness later speculated that the object could have been a fragment of an artificial satellite. The report was forwarded from the 819th Air Division at Dyess Air Force Base to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Despite attempts by the Air Force to obtain more detailed information through a formal questionnaire, the witness refused to provide further details, claiming that their initial letter was sufficient. Consequently, the Air Force concluded that there was insufficient data to perform a valid evaluation of the sighting.
I have no way of knowing. It might have been a fragment of one of the artificial satellites, or anything else that a man might have put up there. It was not a natural object.
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Official Assessment
The original report contained very little information, and a questionnaire was sent to the witness to complete. The witness declined giving any other information, claiming he answered all the questions, when in reality he hadn't. There is insufficient data in the report, precluding an evaluation.
The report was closed due to lack of sufficient data after the witness refused to complete the provided questionnaire.
Witnesses
Key Persons
- Lawrence J. TackerLt. Colonel, USAF, Public Information Division
- Philip C. EvansColonel, USAF, Deputy for Science and Components