Initial Report of Investigation of UFO — Newport News, Virginia, 15 August 1965

This document is an official investigation report regarding a UFO sighting that occurred on August 15, 1965, in Newport News, Virginia. The witness, Arthur L. Corten, an E-9 instructor at the U.S. Naval Guided Missiles School, reported observing a round, star-like object that appeared yellow to orange in color. The object was observed for 45 to 90 seconds at approximately 2125 local time. The witness, who identified himself as an astronomy enthusiast, described the object's movement as erratic toward the northeast, noting that it appeared to change in brightness and magnitude with each abrupt course change. The report includes a hand-drawn map by the witness showing the object's path relative to the constellations Cygnus, Cepheus, and Cassiopeia. The investigating officer, Captain Albert L. Jones, noted that the witness was highly reliable but suggested that the object was likely a weather or research balloon at an altitude of 35,000 feet or greater. Jones acknowledged that the abrupt course changes described by the witness were difficult to explain, but he hypothesized that the appearance of high-speed movement might be an illusion caused by the observer's perspective. The official conclusion recorded on the Project 10073 form, however, categorized the object as a satellite, attributing the observed changes in direction and brightness to the object's passage near stars.