Project 10073 Record Card and Message — 17 March 1961 Sighting, Minden, Nevada

On March 17, 1961, at approximately 2210 local time, an unidentified aerial phenomenon was observed by an Assistant District Ranger of the Toyabe National Forest. The witness, who was driving south on US Highway 88 between Gardnerville and Woodfords, Nevada, reported seeing a bright white, circular object, described as being the size of a pea. The object featured two bright lights positioned close together and followed an arcing flight path. Upon reaching the horizon, the object disappeared, generating a bright orange glow for five seconds. The witness was considered reliable by the Sheriff of Alpine County, California. Official military communications and a Project 10073 record card indicate that the sighting was investigated by the Air Technical Intelligence Center. The report notes that the object may have been the reentry of 61 Beta 3 or a rocket body from the Transit 1 satellite, or potentially a meteor. However, because the exact location of artificial body reentries was unknown and there were no other witnesses to corroborate the event, the case was officially categorized as having insufficient data for evaluation. An intelligence officer noted that the sighting might be related to classified Project Moondust activities, which were expected to occur around March 14, 1961. Oakland Center confirmed that no air traffic with flight routes through the area was reported as overdue or missing during the relevant period.