Project 10073 Record — Bridge City, Texas, July 1968

This document contains a series of records and correspondence related to two UFO sightings reported by a 14-year-old amateur astronomer in Texas during July 1968. The first sighting occurred on July 26, 1968, in Bridge City, Texas, where the witness observed a self-luminous, orange, round object near a transformer station for approximately 10 to 12 minutes. The witness reported this to NASA, who subsequently referred the matter to the Air Force. The Air Force's internal evaluation for this incident concluded there was 'Insufficient Data For Evaluation,' noting that the observer did not appear interested enough to alert his parents and returned to sleep while watching the object. A second sighting occurred on July 31, 1968, in Deweyville, Texas. The witness described this object as a yellowish-white light, similar in brightness to a star of magnitude -3 or -4, moving in a south or south-south-east direction. The Air Force evaluated this second report as a 'Probable SATELLITE,' stating the description was consistent with satellite observations. The file includes multiple copies of the 'Sighting of Unidentified Phenomena Questionnaire' (AF Form 117) completed by the witness, along with correspondence from Major James H. Aikman of the Air Force's Community Relations Division, advising the witness on how to report future sightings to the nearest Air Force base and suggesting the use of Project Blue Book materials for identification purposes. The witness consistently identified himself as an amateur astronomer, asserting his ability to distinguish between celestial bodies and the phenomena he observed.