Project 10073 Record Card and Evaluation Report — Snohomish, Washington, September 1962

This document details the investigation of an object recovered near Snohomish, Washington, in September 1962. Initially suspected to be related to the decay of Sputnik IV, the object was forwarded to the Foreign Technology Division (FTD) and subsequently analyzed by the Aeronautical Systems Division (ASD) under Operation Midwing. The evaluation report, dated September 25, 1962, describes the object as light grey in color and of light weight. Laboratory analysis, including emission spectrochemical methods and X-ray diffraction, determined that the object was composed of bentonite clay with a major constituent of crystalline SiO2. The analysis concluded that the object was not of extraterrestrial origin. Instead, investigators determined that the object was likely formed by a sudden application of intense heat, such as a lightning bolt or an electrical arc from a broken high-tension power line, which fused the clay and caused it to fall to the ground. The presence of stream-worn pebbles embedded in the outer layer further supported the conclusion that the material was terrestrial in origin. The report explicitly states that the object could not be part of a space vehicle. The file includes a Project 10073 record card, a formal report of analysis from Colonel Edward H. Wynn, the detailed evaluation report (62-19), and a suborder form for the analysis.