Project 10073 Record Card — Sighting Report 12 November 1961

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an associated military message regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed on November 12, 1961. The sighting occurred at 0431Z in the Pacific Ocean at coordinates 28-34N 163-42W. The witnesses, identified as a Lieutenant Commander, a Lieutenant Junior Grade, and a Quartermaster from the USS Durante, reported observing a single, round, white, pin-head-sized object. The object was tracked visually for nine minutes using a sextant and binoculars before it was lost in the haze on the horizon. The observers were noted as highly reliable. The report indicates that the object was moving on a straight course of approximately 070 degrees True at an estimated altitude of 2220 feet. No photographs were obtained, and there was no radar contact. The official evaluation of the incident, as recorded on the Project 10073 card, concluded that the object was the Echo I satellite, noting that it crossed the equator heading northeast at the observed time and location, making it visible to the observers.