Project 10073 Record Card and Correspondence — Vernon, Texas, September 1963

This document collection details a UFO sighting report filed by a civilian witness in Vernon, Texas, on September 22, 1963. The witness, while driving south on Highway 183 near Lake Kemp at approximately 10:03 PM CST, observed a brilliant white light, described as five or six times larger than Jupiter, falling in a vertical line in the eastern sky. The object eventually burst into a shower of red embers and extinguished before reaching the horizon. The witness provided a detailed sketch of the object's path relative to a star they assumed to be Mars. The report was processed under Project 10073. The Air Force's Foreign Technology Division (FTD) evaluated the report and concluded that the object was, in all probability, a meteor. The FTD cross-referenced the sighting with SPADATS (Space Detection and Tracking System) data, which confirmed that no satellite decay occurred during that period. The FTD provided a formal response to the witness on October 9, 1963, signed by Major Maston M. Jacks, explaining that while satellite reentries can mimic meteors, they typically exhibit different characteristics, such as longer durations, specific reentry directions (northeast or southeast), and distinct color patterns (reds and oranges). The Air Force expressed gratitude for the report, noting that such observations are useful for their efforts to track and identify satellite decays.