Project 10073 Record Card and Associated Message — Las Vegas, Nevada, August 1961

This document consists of a Project 10073 Record Card and an associated military teletype message regarding a civilian sighting of an Earth satellite in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 6, 1961. The witness, a resident of West El Dora Street, reported observing a satellite at approximately 2230 local time. The object was described as having a slight green appearance and being similar in size and brilliance to the North Star. It was observed moving from West to East at a 65-degree elevation for a duration of 15 to 20 minutes. The military report, transmitted from the 4520th Combat Crew Training Wing at Nellis Air Force Base to the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) and other research centers, requested information on orbital paths and satellite identification to assist in future reporting and to help invalidate UFO reports attributed to visible Earth satellites. The official conclusion recorded on the card is that the object was likely the Echo I satellite, although the report notes that the space track data was not verified at the time of the initial assessment. The document was later declassified and the classification was cancelled by an official named Quintanilla in 1968.