Project 10073 Record Card — Sighting of 9 March 1961, Dallas, Texas

This document contains a Project 10073 record card and associated correspondence regarding a sighting reported by a constituent of Congressman Bruce Alger in Dallas, Texas. On March 9, 1961, at 0407 CST, the witness, a former radio operator with the 2nd Signal Radio Intelligence Company, observed an object streaking from the ENE to the SW across the sky. The witness described the object as being similar in size to a Greyhound bus viewed from a mile away, traveling at approximately 1700 mph with no sound, no lights, but leaving a 'dusty glow' behind. The witness, who was in their backyard attempting to spot the Explorer IX satellite, initially feared the object might be a Russian space vehicle. The witness reported the incident to Congressman Alger, who forwarded the inquiry to the Department of the Air Force. The Air Force provided the witness with a technical information sheet to complete, which was subsequently analyzed by the Aerospace Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the object's description and trajectory were characteristic of an object entering the Earth's atmosphere, and that it was likely a meteor, as its direction of movement ruled out a satellite.