Project 10073 Record — Fairfield, California, November 21, 1968

On November 21, 1968, at 2231 hours, a 23-year-old member of the U.S. Navy serving on the USS Halibut (SSN-587) observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon in Fairfield, California. The witness, who was in a residential section of the city near an airfield, reported seeing a single, self-luminous, light-orange spherical object. The witness described the object as being larger than a full moon and solid in appearance. The object was observed for approximately three minutes, during which time it moved in a straight line, then shifted to the left and back before climbing upward and eventually disappearing as a small dot. The witness estimated the object's speed to be faster than a rocket and its distance at approximately 2,000 feet. The weather conditions at the time were reported as cloudy and overcast with some haze or smog. The witness noted that the object did not make any noise, did not give off smoke, and did not flicker. The sighting was reported to a Mr. Herbert Harris on the same day. The official conclusion recorded on the Project 10073 document identifies the phenomenon as a 'Probable (HOT AIR BALLOON).'