Project 10073 Record — Langley AFB, Virginia, 24 July 1964

On July 24, 1964, at approximately 0926Z, multiple unidentified aerial objects were observed near Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. The sighting was reported by personnel from the 1913th Communications Squadron, including SSG Douglas W. Merritt, SSG Charles J. Morris, and A1C Bobby J. Miller. The witnesses described the objects as round, white, and resembling burning magnesium. The objects appeared at an extremely high altitude, with an angular elevation between 70 and 80 degrees to the south of the field, later noted as 15 degrees to the southeast. The objects moved in two formations: a group of four followed by a group of two, with specific time intervals between them. The observation lasted for 20 minutes by tower operators and 5 minutes by GCA operators. Despite the visual sighting and GCA tracking, a subsequent radar search by Washington ADS and Air Defense Command, as well as a check by Sardine Control using a height finder, yielded negative results. The official conclusion suggested that the phenomena were likely a rocket or missile fired from the Wallops NASA station, which was out of range of normal radar and could not be publicly revealed at the time.