Project 10073 Record Card and Correspondence Regarding Sighting by S.S. Ranee

This document collection details a sighting of an unidentified aerial phenomenon reported by the crew of the S.S. Ranee on December 2, 1963, in the Indian Ocean. The witnesses, including the 3rd Officer, 4th Officer, and the Master, observed an object that initially appeared as a satellite. According to the report, the object developed a small tail within two or three seconds, increased in brilliance and speed, and subsequently split into five smaller objects before the tail dispersed. The observation lasted 55 seconds, with the object appearing to travel nearly parallel to the Earth's surface. The witnesses provided detailed stage-by-stage data, including bearings, altitudes, and magnitudes. Following the report, the Air Force's Foreign Technology Division conducted an investigation. By cross-referencing the sighting with SPADATS records, officials concluded that the event was the re-entry and disintegration of a Cosmos rocket body. While the witness reported the date as December 2, 1963, and SPADATS records indicated a re-entry on December 3, 1963, officials attributed the discrepancy to a difference in time zones. The final assessment confirmed that the observation possessed all the characteristics of a satellite re-entry.