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Declassified UFO / UAP Document

Project 10073 Record Card — Rane Center, Michigan, June 29, 1961

📅 29 June 61 📍 Rane Center, Michigan 🏛 Air Force 📄 Record Card and Correspondence
Project 10073meteorfireballMichiganUSAF

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AI-Generated Summary

TL;DR

A witness reported an oblong fireball in Michigan on June 29, 1961. The Air Force classified the event as a meteor due to insufficient conflicting data.

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and a follow-up letter regarding a sighting reported on June 29, 1961, near Rane Center, Michigan. The witness, located on Michigan Route 223, observed an oblong ball of fire in the sky at 5:00 AM. The witness initially suspected the object was a jet vapor trail, noting that it appeared to move rapidly and disappeared quickly. The object was observed traveling west-southwest at an altitude of approximately 30 degrees above the horizon. The Air Force evaluated the report and concluded that the object was a meteor, citing a lack of conflicting data. Major William T. Coleman, Jr. of the Air Force sent a letter to the witness on October 31, 1961, acknowledging the report and providing three questionnaires for the witness to distribute to other potential observers. The letter notes that the witness's description sounded like a fireball, which is an astronomical phenomenon. The Air Force requested further information to reach a definitive determination, but the record card indicates that no reply was received from the witness.

Although your description of the sighting you witnessed sounds very much like a fireball (astronomical) more information will be required before a definite determination can be made.

Official Assessment

Case evaluated as meteor on limited info as not any conflicting data with this conclusion.

The object was initially thought to be a vapor trail but was later identified as a meteor.

Witnesses

Key Persons

Organizations