Report of Unidentified Flying Objects - 7 Feb 1961

This document comprises a Project 10073 record card and an official report of an unidentified flying object sighting filed by Captain Richard N. Woda of the 3245th Operations Group at L.G. Hanscom Field, Massachusetts. The sighting occurred between 2230Z on February 7, 1961, and 0230Z on February 8, 1961. The observer, A3C Rudolph A. L. Smith of Detachment 6, 4th Weather Group, reported observing a white, half-dollar-sized object from the top of the DC Hangar at Hanscom Field. The object was first noticed at an approximate 80-degree angle of elevation and moved very slowly in a northwestward direction over the course of four hours before disappearing below the horizon. The observer noted that the object appeared to turn a reddish-orange as it neared the horizon and that its flashing intensity increased. The observer also mentioned having seen the same object on the previous night, February 6, 1961, at approximately the same time and following the same path. The official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency was that the witness had observed the planet Venus. The report notes that the change in color and the disappearance behind the horizon were attributed to the light passing through a greater density of the atmosphere as the object descended. Space Track at L.G. Hanscom Field reported having no information regarding the object.