Project 10073 Record Card — Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1 February 1961

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an accompanying report regarding an Unidentified Flying Object sighting in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on February 1, 1961. The report details a civilian observation of a round, bright silver object that appeared to be between the size of a pea and the head of a pin when held at arm's length. The object was first observed at 1640 local time, positioned directly over a VA Hospital at an 80-degree elevation. The witness, accompanied by a friend identified as a doctor, observed the object for five hours using 8x binoculars. The object was described as moving slowly to the west before eventually fading out into the horizon. Weather conditions at the time were reported as bright and clear with no clouds. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center was that the object was the planet Venus. The report notes that it is not unusual for Venus to be visible during the daytime, particularly given its magnitude of -4.1 during this period. The investigating officer, Captain Richard N. Woda of the USAF, remarked that while the witnesses did not report the expected half-moon shape, the setting time of the planet coincided with the disappearance of the object. The documentation was forwarded to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in accordance with AFR 200-2.