Project 10073 Record Card and Correspondence — Marietta & Duncannon, Pennsylvania, December 14, 1960

This document contains a Project 10073 record card and associated correspondence regarding a sighting on December 14, 1960. A civilian witness, while driving on the Connecticut Turnpike between Bridgeport and Stamford, observed a rapidly moving red object crossing the sky from west to east. The witness reported that the object initially glowed bright red and left a trail, then experienced a sudden intensity change similar to a flash bulb, after which the trail turned white. The witness noted the object appeared much closer and brighter than typical falling stars. A separate report from a civilian guard at Marietta AFS, Pennsylvania, described a similar event, noting the object was round, the size of a mush ball, and left a trail at least 10 miles long. Major Edward Borresen, a pilot from Olmsted AFB, also reported seeing a meteor while flying east of Patterson AFB, Ohio, at the same time. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the object was a meteor. Investigators noted that the witness's perception of the object landing behind buildings was an illusion caused by the difficulty of estimating the distance of such bright objects, which often appear closer than they actually are.