Project 10073 Record — Alexandria, Virginia, 31 July 1966

This document consists of a Project 10073 record and subsequent Air Force staff messages regarding a UFO sighting reported on 31 July 1966 in Alexandria, Virginia. The witness, a 26-year-old technician employed by Raytheon Autometric Operations, observed a single object for approximately 10 minutes. The witness described the object as appearing similar to a third-magnitude star, noting that it was too high to determine a specific shape. The object was white in color and exhibited very erratic movements, traveling from the northwest and dropping toward the east. The report notes that the witness was using a telescope for some of the observations. The official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the object was the ECHO 1 satellite, which was confirmed to be visible in the area at approximately 0715Z. The documentation includes technical details regarding the observation conditions, such as weather, and confirms that no photographs or physical evidence were obtained. The report was processed through the 1001st Air Base Wing at Andrews Air Force Base.