Project 10073 Record Card and Incident Report — Misawa AB, Japan, 28 March 1961

On March 28, 1961, at 1044 GCT, a sighting of an unidentified aerial object occurred at Misawa Air Base, Japan. The incident was reported by a weather observer, who was described in the official correspondence as a very reliable individual. The object was observed for approximately 13 seconds as it traveled from south to north. Initially sighted at an azimuth of approximately 110 degrees, the object moved until it disappeared from view due to cloud cover at an azimuth of approximately 070 degrees. The witness described the object as being at a tremendous height and noted that it possessed a pulsating orange flame. Additionally, the object left a contrail-like appendage that appeared to evaporate immediately upon generation. The observer explicitly stated their belief that the object was not a misidentified aircraft navigation light. The report was transmitted via priority message from Detachment 13, 1st Weather Group at Misawa Air Base to various commands, including HQ USAF and the Space Track facility at L.G. Hanscom Field. The incident was also noted as a 'Moon Dust' report. The official conclusion recorded on the Project 10073 record card indicates that there was insufficient data to form a definitive conclusion regarding the nature of the object.