Project 10073 Record Card and Incoming Staff Message — 18 July 1962

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and associated incoming staff messages from the Department of the Air Force, dated July 18, 1962. The report details a sighting of an unidentified flying object reported by M. E. Lombardi of RCA Radio. The observation occurred on July 18, 1962, at 181400Z, at coordinates 00.49S 170.24W in the Pacific region. The witness reported observing a single object displaying a steady white light for a duration of 20 minutes. The object was described as being at a very high altitude, initially observed at a bearing of 335 degrees and an elevation of 20 degrees. It was reported to be travelling rapidly from a north-northwest to south-southeast direction, eventually disappearing at a bearing of 120 degrees and an elevation of 15 degrees. The official evaluation of the sighting, recorded on the Project 10073 card, notes that while there was no independent confirmation of the object, its deviation, direction of travel, and general description were consistent with a satellite. Consequently, the case was evaluated as a satellite sighting. The documentation includes internal military routing information, indicating that the report was disseminated to various commands, including CINCPACFLT, ADCC KUNIA, and NORAD, among others. The record card explicitly lists the conclusion as a satellite, and the comments section reinforces this by stating that the case is evaluated as such.