Project 10073 Record — Duluth AFB, Minnesota, 5 October 1967

On 5 October 1967, at 0858Z, a sighting of an unidentified aerial object was reported at Duluth AFB, Minnesota. The observation lasted for approximately one and a half hours. Witnesses, including 2/LT Eric Olson and SSGT Kickerbocker of the 74th Air Defense Missile Squadron, described the object as round, appearing brighter and larger than a star, and changing color from red-orange to white. The object was observed to move slowly up and down. The sighting occurred concurrently with a Strategic Air Command (SAC) flare drop. Weather conditions were reported as clear with a six-degree centigrade inversion at 1200 feet. The official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the object was an astronomical phenomenon, specifically a star or planet. The reporting officer noted that while witnesses initially compared the size of the object to a baseball at arm's length, they later adjusted their estimate to one-eighth the size of the full moon, which was considered a more accurate gauge. The report was forwarded to the University of Colorado for the attention of Dr. Condon.