PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD - Las Cruces, New Mexico - 15 Jan 62

This document comprises a Project 10073 record card and an associated UFO analysis sheet regarding a sighting in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on January 15, 1962. The primary witness, who was photographing a satellite at 12:16 U.T., observed a brilliant greenish-white object at 12:24 U.T. The object was described as emitting sparks, traveling from west to east on a horizontal path with a slight downward slant, and appearing brighter than any planet. The observation lasted approximately four seconds. The witness explicitly noted that the object was about 10 degrees above the horizon and stated their belief that it was not a flying saucer. The report also references a separate, potentially unrelated incident involving a police officer named Dan Garcia, who reported seeing a red flash and a stationary white light that circled around before disappearing. Additionally, the document includes a clipping from the Las Cruces Sun-News, which mentions that the radio at White Sands Missile Range informed local authorities that an aircraft en route to El Paso had been 'just missed by a falling star.' The official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency was that the object was a meteor, noting that the description provided by the witness was consistent with a classic fireball and that no evidence existed to suggest otherwise.