Project 10073 Record — Corpus Christi, Texas, 28 February 1967

On February 28, 1967, at approximately 2155 local time, a civilian observer in Corpus Christi, Texas, reported a sighting of an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The witness, a housewife, described a long, oblong object that was larger than an airplane, featuring a red middle and silver sides, with no visible wings. The object was observed for 30 minutes, during which it appeared to move in an easterly direction before stopping and eventually disappearing. The witness was part of a group of two adults and eleven children who observed the object in the sky. The sighting occurred under conditions of good flying weather, though there was a high overcast and a temperature inversion at 3,500 feet. The report was processed by the Department of the Air Force and forwarded to the University of Colorado, specifically to Dr. Condon. Official conclusions reached by the investigating officers, including Lt. Comdr. Hubbell and 2d Lt. Jordan, identified the object as the planet Mars, which was rising at an azimuth of 117 degrees at the time. The disappearance of the object was attributed to the presence of high broken clouds, and the visual appearance was suggested to be a reflection off water or piers.