Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — September 1963

This document collection details the investigation of a sighting reported on September 20, 1963, involving a 'flaming object' with a 'long tail' that was observed by multiple FAA ground stations and a picket ship off the coast. The object was reported to have burned brightly, lighting up the entire sky, and was observed for approximately 5 to 8 seconds. The sighting was reported from various locations in California and Oregon, including Arcada, Redbluff, Klamath, Ukiah, and Medford. The Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) initiated an investigation under Project 10073. Initial inquiries were made to Dr. E. G. Ebbighausen, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Oregon, to determine if the event could be explained as a meteor. The military also checked SPADATS (Space Detection and Tracking System) data, which confirmed that there was no satellite or man-made object reentry during that time period. Based on this, the official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the object was a meteor. Dr. Ebbighausen, in his correspondence with Captain Hector Quintanilla, Jr., stated he had no information on the sighting and referred the inquiry to Phil F. Brogan, an associate editor at The Bend Bulletin and a coordinator for the American Meteor Society. Mr. Brogan subsequently replied to Captain Quintanilla, noting that he had found no mention of the object in area newspapers or on radio news, and that Dr. Ebbighausen also lacked information on the event. The file includes the original Project 10073 record card, various military priority messages (POODC 21-J-20 and POODC-D 25-J-7), and the follow-up correspondence between the Air Force and civilian experts.