Project 10073 Record Card and Incoming Message regarding 24 Jan 64 Minuteman Launch

This document consists of a Project 10073 Record Card and an associated incoming Department of the Air Force message regarding a sighting on January 24, 1964. The sighting, which occurred at twilight, was reported by over 100 telephone calls from news media and civil authorities across the region from Idaho to Mexico. The reports described an impression of an explosion and varied colored patterns in the sky. The official investigation determined that the event was a routine Minuteman missile launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The Air Force concluded that the visual effects were predictable meteorological phenomena caused by the missile rising from the earth's shadow into sunlight during twilight hours. The document includes a recommendation to add specific language to the DOD Public Affairs Plan 39-A-22 to address future public concerns regarding similar missile launches, explaining that the apparent explosion is a natural phenomenon caused by the density of the atmosphere and the timing of the launch.