Project 10073 Record Card and Associated Staff Messages — 16 October 1962

On October 16, 1962, at 0049Z, a Navy unit operating in the Northern Latitudes of the Atlantic (61.45N 16.09W) reported a visual sighting of an unidentified aerial object. The object was described as a starlike, white light, comparable in magnitude to a second-magnitude star. Two crew members observed the object without optical aids for a duration of 75 seconds. The object moved from the northeast to the west-southwest, maintaining an elevation of approximately 15 degrees above the horizon. The observers noted that the object appeared to disappear as if passing behind a cloud, despite the sky being clear. The aircraft involved was flying at 6,000 feet with a true airspeed of 196 knots. Following the report, an analysis of orbital elements by NAVSPASUR was conducted to determine if any known satellites were in the vicinity. The analysis concluded that no known satellites were present at the coordinates at the time of the sighting. The official evaluation of the incident, recorded on a Project 10073 record card, concluded that there was insufficient data for a definitive evaluation.