Project Blue Book Sighting Report — Cassopolis, Michigan, 27 November 1968

On 27 November 1968, a civilian witness in Cassopolis, Michigan, observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon at approximately 1845 hours. The witness, who was walking home at the time, described the object as a self-luminous, bright white light with a protrusion. The witness used a 30x40mm telescope to track the object, noting that it followed a very irregular path across the sky for a duration of four minutes before disappearing below the horizon. The witness estimated the object's speed to be between 250 and 270 mph and its distance to be between 30 and 60 miles. The sighting occurred under clear weather conditions. The witness reported the incident to Project Blue Book on 27 November 1968. In a subsequent response dated 6 January 1969, Lt. Colonel Hector Quintanilla, Jr., Chief of the Aerial Phenomena Office, informed the witness that the initial information provided was insufficient for a scientific investigation and requested the completion of an AF Form 117. The official conclusion recorded on the project record for this incident identified the object as the Echo II satellite, noting its position at 1835 and 1839 local time.