Project 10073 Record Card — Wichita Falls, Texas, 31 May 1961

On May 31, 1961, at approximately 2100 hours, SSgt Richard W. Nieber, an experienced weather forecaster with Detachment 5, 8th Weather Group, observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon while located one mile west of Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. The witness described the object as a round, blue-white, star-like light with no tail, contrails, or blinking lights. He estimated the object's size to be equivalent to the head of a pin held at arm's length and noted it was at an altitude of at least 50,000 feet. The object was observed for approximately 10 minutes, during which time it traveled from the North, curving slightly to the Southeast before moving out of the observer's range of vision. The weather conditions at the time included high cirrus clouds at 30,000 to 40,000 feet, but visibility remained clear. The witness, who was standing on the ground, observed the object with the naked eye. An investigation was conducted by the Department of Intelligence Training at Sheppard Air Force Base, led by Lt. Richard A. Flagg. The investigation concluded that the object was likely a satellite, specifically the Echo I satellite. This conclusion was reached after considering the witness's professional background, the lack of any aircraft in the area that could account for the sighting, and the object's movement characteristics. The report notes that while the sighting was not confirmed with Space Track, the characteristics were consistent with satellite observation. A newspaper clipping regarding a meteor sighting near Tyler, Texas, was also included as an enclosure, though the investigating officer noted the object in this case was moving too slowly to be a meteor.