Project 10073 Record Card — Petersburg, Alaska, 12 Dec 60

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and associated teletype communications regarding a UFO sighting in Petersburg, Alaska, on December 12, 1960. The sighting occurred at 0241Z and lasted for approximately four minutes. Three witnesses, identified as reliable local residents including housewives and a press typesetter, observed a single object that they described as having the size and color of the planet Venus. The object featured a tail, made no sound, and moved in a direct, straight flight path from an 80-degree elevation to a 45-degree elevation on a heading of South-Southeast (SSE) before disappearing over mountains. The witnesses used 7x50 binoculars to aid their observation. The weather was reported as clear and calm. The report was forwarded by the USCG Seventeen in Juneau to various military intelligence agencies, including AFCIN, SAFS, and ALCOM. The investigating officer for the USCG unit (CG-55421-D) suggested that the object was likely a man-made satellite, citing its brightness, shape, high speed, and consistent flight path. Although a satellite track was requested, it was not provided. Consequently, the case was officially classified as a satellite without formal confirmation, noting that the object exhibited all the characteristics of a satellite in orbit. No physical evidence was recovered, and no radar contact was reported.