Project 10073 Record Card and UFO Report — North Highlands, California, August 1961

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and a formal UFO report submitted in accordance with AFR 200-2 format. On August 9, 1961, at 2200 hours local time, two pilots from the 963rd AEW&C Squadron, 1st Lieutenants Jimmie L. Smith and Joseph DeSantis, observed an unidentified aerial object over North Highlands, California. The object was described as a white, pinhead-sized light, comparable in brightness to a first-magnitude star. The witnesses observed the object for approximately 20 minutes as it moved in a southeasterly direction, passing tangent to the handle of the Little Dipper, south of the North Star, and south of the chair of Cassiopeia. The observation occurred under clear weather conditions. The report was processed by the 552nd AEW&C Wing and forwarded to various commands, including the Air Defense Command at Ent AFB. Intelligence Officer 2nd Lieutenant Richard A. Kahane evaluated the report and concluded that the object was likely the Echo I satellite. The evaluation noted that while the reported duration of 20 minutes seemed excessive, it was likely an error in human estimation of time. The flight path and visual characteristics were deemed consistent with the known trajectory of the Echo I satellite as it passed north of the witnesses' position.