PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD - MERINT Satellite Observation

This document consists of a Project 10073 Record Card and an associated incoming Department of the Air Force message (AF IN: 43146) dated May 18, 1964. The report details a MERINT satellite observation that occurred on May 17, 1964, at 0445Z. The observation took place at coordinates 30N 140W in the Pacific. The witness reported a single object observed for over five minutes. The object was initially sighted at a 45-degree elevation and 282-degree azimuth. It was reported to have faded at a 50-degree elevation and 010-degree azimuth after a five-minute flight. The observation was classified as a ground-visual sighting with no radar or photographic evidence. The official conclusion recorded on the card is that the object was a satellite. The incoming message confirms the transmission of this report to various military commands, including CINCNORAD, CSAF USAF, and others, with a note to provide an advance copy to XOPX, NIN, DIA, and to transmit the information to the CIA.