Project 10073 Record Card and Incoming Message — Gettysburg, South Dakota, 15 Nov 61

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an associated incoming military message regarding a UFO sighting near Gettysburg, South Dakota, on November 15, 1961. At approximately 1605Z, a single, circular object was observed by three individuals, including a state highway patrolman and two FAA controllers, all of whom were deemed reliable. The witnesses described the object as an unusually brilliant light, similar to a photo flash bulb, which varied in color from brilliant white to reddish white. Its size was estimated to be between that of a baseball and a basketball. The object was observed for one minute, moving in a straight path on a southwesterly course, with no maneuvers reported. It was seen halfway between the zenith and the horizon, eventually disappearing over the horizon. The weather conditions at the time were reported as good and clear. The military report explicitly notes that no military or civilian flights were reported in the area at the time of the sighting. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center was that the observation was characteristic of a slow-moving meteor of long duration, and the case was subsequently closed as a meteor sighting.