Project 10073 Record Card — USAF Academy, Colorado, 24 April 1962

On April 24, 1962, at 0429Z, an unidentified aerial phenomenon was observed at the United States Air Force Academy in Douglas Valley, Colorado. The witness, an Assistant Professor of Astronautics at the Academy, described the object as a pale white, pea-shaped entity with a possible two-inch trail. The object was observed moving at a high speed, estimated to be greater than Mach 2, in a nearly horizontal path from 120 degrees to 070 degrees. The observation lasted approximately three seconds and ended with the object disappearing abruptly. The witness, who is noted as being considered reliable, explicitly rejected the possibility that the object was a meteor. Despite this, the official evaluation conducted by the ADC Staff Duty Officer concluded that the color, duration, and flight characteristics were consistent with a meteor. The report notes that while the witness disagreed with this assessment, there was no information provided in the report to contradict the conclusion that the object was a meteor. The weather conditions at the time were reported as clear with no moon and visibility exceeding 50 miles. No radar contact was made, and no photographs were taken of the event.