Project 10073 Record Card — USS Lansing DER 388 Sighting, 15 Dec 61

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an accompanying incoming staff message from the Department of the Air Force, dated December 15, 1961. The report details an unidentified aerial phenomenon sighting by the crew of the USS Lansing (DER 388) at coordinates 40N 174W in the Pacific. The object was observed by the Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, and Officer of the Deck. The witness report describes the object as having the appearance of a 2nd magnitude star, but exhibiting motion. The observation lasted for five minutes under clear weather conditions with scattered clouds. The object was initially sighted at 190 degrees azimuth and 75 degrees elevation, and it faded after five minutes at 212 degrees azimuth and 80 degrees elevation. The official evaluation concluded that the data was insufficient to identify the object. The investigating officer noted that the duration of the sighting at that specific elevation was inconsistent with typical satellite behavior, as a satellite would only traverse a 30-degree arc in that timeframe unless the angles were extreme. Due to the lack of a provided heading and the nature of the data, the case was marked as having insufficient data for evaluation.