Declassified UFO / UAP Document
Project 10073 Record Card and Marine Data Report — British Ship Leith Hill, 8 July 1963
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AI-Generated Summary
The British ship Leith Hill reported an unidentified object in the Gulf of Mexico on 8 July 1963. The object was subsequently identified by the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office as the satellite ECHO I.
This document consists of a Project 10073 record card, a memorandum from the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office, and a Marine Data Report regarding a sighting on 8 July 1963. The crew of the British ship Leith Hill, commanded by Captain D.J. Morris, reported observing an object in the Gulf of Mexico at 0236Z. The object was described as having an erratic course, moving toward the southeast, and disappearing near the star Vega at an altitude of 56 degrees. The sighting lasted for 7 1/2 minutes. The U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office forwarded the report to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Upon evaluation, the object was identified as the satellite ECHO I. The analysis provided in the record card notes that the satellite's orbital path, specifically its crossing of the equator and subsequent trajectory, aligned with the position and timing of the sighting reported by the ship.
Satellite observed for 7 1/2 minutes in flight to SE. Erratic course. Disappeared near Star Vega at altitude of 56 deg.
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Official Assessment
Satellite ECHO I
The sighting was identified as the satellite ECHO I based on orbital data calculations.
Witnesses
- D.J. MorrisCAPT.British Ship Leith Hill
Key Persons
- J. S. LaceyOPI, NASA, Greenbelt
- Ed MasonPublic Information Officer, Goddard Space Flight Center