Project 10073 Record Card — Adak, Alaska, 6 Jan 62

On January 6, 1962, at 1707Z, a US Navy P2V-7 aircraft (BUNO 47958) operating out of Adak, Alaska, encountered an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The sighting occurred at coordinates 51-36N 176-52W as the aircraft leveled off at an altitude of 8,000 feet following takeoff. The crew, consisting of pilots J.S. Poore, B.L. Campbell, and J.F. Sherry, along with plane captain M.E. Howell and bow observers W.M. Dunham and W.F. Moore, observed a single, bright white, circular object for approximately eight minutes before it disappeared over the horizon. The observers were noted as being qualified aerial observers. The weather conditions at the time were clear with scattered clouds below 4,000 feet and calm surface winds. The object was described as traveling in a generally straight path at a high rate of speed, though it appeared to move laterally at times. No weather balloons had been released from Adak, and no other aircraft were reported in the area. The incident was reported through military channels, including COMALSEAFRON and AAC Elmendorf AFB. The official evaluation by ATIC concluded that while the object was not the Echo I satellite, it exhibited characteristics of orbital flight and was subsequently categorized as a satellite.