Project 10073 Record Card and Incident Report — Cape Canaveral, Florida, 8 August 1961

On August 8, 1961, at approximately 2100 local time, Captain John W. Silvis of the 6555th Test Wing, stationed at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon near the South Gate of Cape Canaveral. Captain Silvis, who served as a Project Officer for the Minuteman Weapons System and was a senior pilot on flying status, described the object as a round, white light. The object appeared at 30 degrees elevation and 30 degrees azimuth, maintaining a straight and level flight path before disappearing at 30 degrees elevation and 90 degrees azimuth. The observation lasted between three and five seconds. The witness estimated the object's altitude at 1,500 feet and its distance at two to three miles. The light was compared to the white navigation lights typically found on the belly of an aircraft. Weather conditions at the time were reported as excellent, with a clear night and no cloud cover or ground fog. A subsequent investigation conducted by Captain Oscar C. Bridgeman, Jr., of the DCS/Foreign Technology division, ruled out the possibility of weather balloons, test aircraft, or helicopters. While the report notes that there was a high level of meteorite activity on the night of the sighting, the investigator concluded that the meteorite hypothesis was unlikely due to the object's lack of a tail, the absence of burning, and the specific altitude and distance estimates provided by the observer. The report remains inconclusive, noting that the meteorite possibility could not be completely eliminated despite the conflicting physical characteristics.