Project 10073 Record Card — Indian Ocean, 15 June 1963

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and supporting correspondence regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon sighting on 15 June 1963. The sighting occurred in the Indian Ocean at coordinates 14.27N 69.57E. The witness, R. W. Higginson, Master of the S/S Thetis, reported observing a luminous disc at 1539Z. The object was initially sighted at a 30-degree elevation, bearing 325 degrees true. It was described as a luminous disc, with an apparent size similar to or slightly smaller than the moon. The object descended while traveling in an Easterly direction for a duration of 3-4 minutes. The witness noted that the object appeared to move faster than the satellite ECHO, which was also observed in the vicinity approximately 30 minutes later. The witness stated that the object gave the appearance of being a bright light behind a cloud, but its appearance did not change when it passed through an area without clouds. Three crew members on the bridge witnessed the event. The report includes a hand-drawn diagram illustrating the path of the unidentified object relative to the satellite ECHO, the star Dubhe, and Polaris. The U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office forwarded the report to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center for information, noting it as a possible satellite sighting. The official conclusion recorded on the Project 10073 card is 'UNIDENTIFIED'.