Project 10073 Record Card and Associated Message Traffic — Cannon AFB, New Mexico, May 1964

This document consists of a series of military message reports and a Project 10073 record card detailing multiple sightings of an unidentified aerial object near Cannon Air Force Base and Clovis Municipal Airport, New Mexico, on May 4 and 5, 1964. The reports describe a round, orange-yellow or bright white object observed by military personnel and civilian station agents. Witnesses reported the object as stationary or moving slowly in an eastward direction, sometimes fluctuating in its flight path or moving in a descending arch. The object was described as appearing the size of a dime or basketball at arm's length. Several observers noted that the object would fade out or disappear. Military authorities conducted an investigation, including contacting the FAA and the 2040th Communications Squadron (RAPCON), which confirmed that the only aircraft in the area was Trans-Texas Flight 196. Local police and sheriff's officers were also contacted, but reported no sightings. The final conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the object was the planet Venus. The investigating officer, 2nd Lt. Thomas E. Lowe, noted that while other possibilities such as a re-entering satellite or a weather balloon were considered, they could not be proven due to a lack of physical evidence.