Project 10073 Record: Sighting Report 30 June 1966

On 30 June 1966, at 0748Z, personnel aboard the USNS Longview, located at 23.21N 164.59W in the Hawaiian Islands, observed a series of unidentified aerial phenomena. The witnesses, who utilized binoculars, reported seeing a lighted object that appeared to explode with a bright flash, leaving behind a short vapor train. Following the explosion, the object appeared as a grouping of lesser lights in a constant angular relationship, described as red streaks with trailing fire. The duration of the sighting was estimated between two and a half to three minutes. The objects were observed moving in varied directions, including north to south and northwest to southeast, with an airborne radar report indicating a heading of 110 degrees. Observers noted that the objects traveled too fast to be an aircraft but too slow to be a meteor. Weather conditions at the time were reported as light seas with 3/10 cloud cover and visibility of 10 miles. The incident was initially reported via CIRVIS channels and subsequently investigated. A follow-up note dated 15 August 1966 confirmed that the sighting was the result of the reentry and breakup of an Agena adapter target vehicle for Gemini 9, as verified by SPADATS.