PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD — 5 Jan 62

On January 5, 1962, at 060512Z, personnel aboard the USS Durant observed an unidentified aerial object while performing celestial navigation (shooting evening stars). The witnesses, identified as LTJG R.L. Henry, LTJG R.J. Baker, and QM1 F.E. Anderson, were described as highly reliable. The object was described as round, with a size and magnitude comparable to the planet Venus. The observation lasted for four minutes, during which the object was viewed with the naked eye and a sextant. The initial sighting was at a bearing of 190 degrees and an elevation of 39 degrees; it was briefly lost in clouds before being sighted again at a bearing of 350 degrees and an elevation of 42-47.6 degrees. At the time of the sighting, the ship was experiencing heavy seas and winds from 310 degrees at 36 knots due to a passing storm, with six-tenths cloud cover and a ceiling of 1600 feet. No interception or identification action was taken, and no other aircraft were reported in the area. The official evaluation conducted by ATIC concluded that the object was likely a satellite. While the Echo satellite was ruled out based on its calculated position at the time, the report notes that the object was likely one of several other satellites visible through a sextant, citing 1961 Epsilon 1, Zeta 1, and Iambia 1&2 as having orbital characteristics consistent with the observation.