PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD - 29 Dec 60 - Japan

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an associated military teletype message (5FICO 0494) detailing an aerial sighting that occurred on December 29, 1960, over Japan. The sighting was reported by two senior pilots, Captain Leon C. Seale, Jr. and Colonel Royal Francisr, both of the HQ 5AF. The witnesses observed an object of indefinite shape, estimated to be the size of a basketball at arm's length. The object exhibited a cycle of color changes, transitioning from intense white to cherry red, green, blue, and back to white. The object was observed for a duration of three minutes while it was in a descending flight path. It appeared at a 10-degree elevation on a bearing of 330 degrees from the Miho radio beacon and disappeared at a 10-degree elevation on a bearing of 270 degrees from the same location. The report notes that the object faded to the rear of the aircraft. The official conclusion recorded on the document identifies the object as the reentry of the Discoverer 17 satellite. The report was processed by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) and references Air Force Regulation 200-2 regarding the submission of such data.