PROJECT 10013 RECORD CARD 2. LOCATION CONCLUSIONS c Wot Balloon 3. DATITIME C~O:.JP c Probably Balloon Po ui 01 y Boll aon II Gteund-Vi auol Local n j (r b t C Ground-Raclor c Woa Aircraft P rolaabl 'I Aircraft 0 Air-Intercept Radar Po ui bl y AIrcraft Wos Attronoml cal 1, LINOTM OP OIS!RVATION L NUMBER 0111 OBJECTS not ivan one IAIIP SUMMARY 0111 SIGHTING Star-like obj sl0wly descending near Deneb i n tne-co:-t~tellation Cygnus, w at this time ..1.'~5 l ow on theNW horizo Obj had hrii1l~nce of lst ;nag star. Di mmed as it d.?~cended & disaplleared behind trees. ~id not apeear to be I> in ~, not a meteor, not oscillating 1 weather ballonn. descending 11. COMMENTS PraltaW y .f.atronomlcal c Possibly Aah'Onamical 1*" Insufficient Dato for Evaluation No duration, speed other tha c h ~low, or enough data for analysis. Case conai.ered as insufficient data. Cover Sheet( Cmt #l, to S.AFIS-3 Cont' d) Subj: UFO Report f'raa Mr. dtd 24 Mar 58, d. January l2 sigbtiDg: We b&ve no report o:f any bur:Ung object 1n this ~a. It, aa source states, all tbe neighbors observed the incident, ~ 11a1 his 41Uer.J' act addressed to bis local pollee, :tire.~at, presa, etc., instead of to tbe Air Foree through the editor of !'IMS magasioe. e. Jaauary 1~ s1gbt1Dg: It 1a belieYecl tbat the obJects observed tbe telescope wre Jet airc:ra:tt at high altitlJde. 1be7 often gin tbe appeanm.ce deecribed Al.tbousb DOt coacluai"ft~ ic1ent1:f'1ed yet, data proVided v.lll be a.aed. aa part of our coati.Duoua ~ ot Urial :: ~ t'oll owed vi th a atate.ent of appreciation for reporting. dtcl ~7 Jm BICBOI,AS POS'f Aaa1atMt Depuv PROJECT 10073 RECORD CA~D CONCLUSIONS Ylos Balloon P robobly Balloon ?ouiilly Balloon 0.&-TE-TIME C~OUP TYPE OF OSSERVATIOH W.Ground VI suol 0 Ground-Rodor Wos Atrc:rolt P 'o bob I y Ai rcrolt o Af~'y;~kdlle.:5COPE:tJ ).irln terc:otpt Rodor Possibly Aircraft Wos Astronomi col Probably Astronomical Possibly Astronomical LENGTH OF OBSERVATION NUMBER OF OBJECTS O t!w l!n p=> l. i Insufficient Data for Evaluation Unk no'""' B~lEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING sit;htings fn.~nat.ion .. mag:1z1ne. for':'latbn o bs t'V e d lelesc0pe. unreliable .. ~.::J.lysis ~esa t,1o celBs'tial occurence ooould have boen s uff:tcien t lJ..9 J ou IJ lJI'i w no: ~n the nightof January 14, I WAD in my back yard about looking at tl'lB s Wl 'N3 my 4-1noh t~le aoope. At tl:J.a:: p:P :ticn.lt-!r morr.ent, I .from my sco p e and 1ras lookin f in the ci~ct1on o.f Osmini ), \'chen suddenly :four. ovo.l-shaped objects, one-behind the and in p er.fect f:'O:IT."..ation, .f'le'.'l acro~s my line of sight, very low. { wou1d s a!U' under 150 .feet.) 'L.1ese or:j ;3C ts ,,""Jere not lim ted n t all, \"le re gtilayiah:rin co lor !'rom tne li~ts of the city (the moon was not 1n the sky). J..heywere .flying eAactly u:liformly in speed, at less than 20Q miles an hour, I would s;:.y, i:f t1..,e objects W'a!'e as low as they appeared. In less than on\3 :Glint ce.) they dis a!)? :a :red .from si e;ht. As a guas s , I would sP..y thr.lt e.-1<.:1. ovs.l v1as p erhaps 30 to 40 .feet in dtam~ter. Becauoe of their e"Aact flying speed in rala tion to each othe.r, it is pos::Jible that each n~s attached to the same long object \fuich would be invisible if it v:er e !XJ.Tlinted b~ ck ( 11ks gondolas tL"'lder .a dirigible). iio soUpd l=!::a;)m wa not even a mur:n~ ).Iy p~1vate theory 1s that Ellington f'1eld, about 2 0 mile a sout~eas ~ of IJ.Y hcuse ~ where many jets are in opdra tion, knav s s:>met.hin,g abcu.t tbssa objects. I.f they balong to our govermnant (:yc!mer without sound O'Z! lights. and per .feet manu.everbili ty) we ve got tha next war SAFIS-3/Ma.j Tacker / jmd/73328 This is to acknO".iledt,"'e your letter of" 1 7 Janu.arJ concerning lm1dentified flyi.ng object sightings .. ~ ldr Force has no report ot a burning object over Houaton ~ Texas on 12 January 1958 W1 th reference to the objects sighted on ~4 Ja:maey 1958, they vere p~bably high flying jet a1l"CC"a..-P-t W1 thout phctog:nq>hs, accurat-e azimu.t.."'.s cva.l.uati.ans , bearings,, exact t:1=nes ard identi1'1cation based upon the observer's own description it is d1N'1cult, it not impostd.'ble, t o det 1 n1 tel.y e valuate auch sicPi:.i..rlgs Sincerely, LA.WRKNCE J. TACKER Major, WAF Executive Officer Publlc Infor:nati:>n ~:tvision O:f'f'ice of Intor:na.'t.ion S.:rv:tcee ./ CCMEBACK-SAFIS3 STAYMCK-SA.to"'"'IS-3 EdltO!' ~lr:s rile roe a. re aome abov ~ Hcuston. str~"lge goings-on in tha idVaning a:r.d night; On tb.a- night or J anuary 3, ny \7ife and I, UC)on r eturnin3 .fron a "lis!t to a booksto-:oe., ol>served a stnr-li:CO ooj0ot :Jlo:;ly desc~nding near Den~b in the constellation Cysnua in the lo.v :'o~'l ':Jes~e:;:-n :3ky. 'l:his object, wi tb. the brilliancy o;f a 5i:ost magnitude star, d.inu::led as it sank, becoming barely v1n1ble when .lt di3appoared .. :from vie w behind treetops. It did not Rppenr to be a bi.L.""lling\..,92 c_t r -L(: such ~s u e;ue-.filled. weat.h.t:: r bat<>on. It de1'1n1tel:r wns n o t a sb.oot~ng sta r or u r:.eteor.. ,-- , .... _;ri tnel.a-co afternoo n of Jnnuacy 12., just ba.fore dusk, .I 11as se'!rchin ~-t;'le -cra s tarn s!cy :for a glimpse of the planet ?Jercury. I co~..:ld no;; see ~ic3rcury because or the brilliancy of the sky (the sun nnd set) but my attenticn ,_.,as att:o.cted by a br11l1 a n t orange colc:-ed . o~ject r:hioh, at first., aps;:earerl t o be a giant multi-motored p la.ne lit by th9 rays of tl:a declinin g sun. It gre.1' brighter for a t:e;, mL1.utes b:.1t did not sppsar to be approaching or even ooving, except for a ~arcepti;i'ble do.'m.vard drift. I decided it n:ust be a burning plane~ but I ccu ld 399 no snoks o I !'ace d int o the hoL3 e for oy binoculars (7 ~o:Ja:.:>s) nnd shcuced to r:lY wife a11..d. daughtar to s e e the spectacle. ':::lay ran outside ( also cur ~id and ne1 g.'l-:lbors fron :J.Cro 3 a the street), ~:1d :::G all a:ta:nined ths object intantly throuFh the g l Rs sas . Th~- ooj3 c t del'ini~.ely wqs bur.:1ing (cy \'li.fa called it a rart} ... u-.It \ va s 'a r.:ass of flamss reacning into the air almost o.s hi@:l as /the object -aas lo::.g. 'TI-'..a .flar:!ss wsL"e higher on the left side {sout..h) than the ::a;mh ::-i~t sida, 'lliis obj} ct, -coo, grew dil'llffie::o S\nd. :f'1nally aft~r about z::..--: o:-:Je v en oir:ute3, san k ou~ of s i ght,. .Je judged it to be about 10 to 20 !!lile3 e:::ay. I:f it were thnt fa':', tbe t;in~ fiP!J-ead mu~t have b0e:n ~t l3ast 150 i'e.;st. Later, r::.y da.ug!:lter, age 2z,: arte:J pictur.&a of' i t J lnda pendently. Her d.::-a\'ling was rsma rkably like bine . Editor Tim January-1'1 !here are soma atl''lJlge goinga-on 1n the evening am night sky above Bcua ton. On file night ot Janua 3, my w1te and I, upon returning trom a. visit to a books , rved a atar .. .l.ike obJect alowly descending near Deneb ln tb~ oonatellation Oygnuo ln tUe low Nortn- weatern akJ'. ~1a obJeot, w1 tb 1he brilliano7 ot a trst magnitude star, dlmaed as it sank, becOJning barely visible when it disappeared f'rom view behind treetops. It did not appentt t.o be n
[email protected].,. such as n gas-tilleu weatb. r bali>on. It del"lnltelJ 'ttn3 net a shoot1ns star or a ms teor~ fJ _,_ -~he 18-t6~afternoonor January l~, just before du.sk, 1 r"Jas searching the westem alq tor a glimpse ot the planet llercury. I could not a ee llerOUl'J because or tho brilliancy ot the slq (the stm had set) but my attentiQ'l was att:ao~d by a br1.1.llant, oranse oolcred . objeot which, at first, ap~nretl to be a giant multi-motored plane;b~ ?""~.) lit bJ tm ra7a or tm declining sun. It grew brighter tor a rew minutes, but dld not appear to be approaching or even moving, except tor a perceptlible downwa I'd dl'lft. I deo1dtH1 it mue t be a burning plane, but I could see no smoke. I raoecl into the hots e r or my binoculars (7 powers) and ah<Uted to my wlt'n AM dnughtol' to oeL~ thu spectoole. 'Jhey ron c:nts1de (nlao OUl' JDAld and nei~J1boro from ~.toro,s 1he street), and we all examined tbe obJeot intently thrOUf!h the glRs~es. ' ;.~ obje ot defin1telJ w's burnlns (my wire called 1 t a rnftJ ..... '~ttwa$'a mass or flames reaohJ.ns into the air almost as hlfjl as the obJect was long. Tbe rlame s were hi @her on the lett side (south) thnn the risht aide, 1h1a Obl' ct, too, gre\t dimmer "nd finally, aft r about s 1Z or seven minute 3 , sank out or e1eht, we Judsc:d 1 t to be about 10 to 20 miles away. Ir it were that ~n-r, the w1.ns ~pJfe:vl rtiU~t bnve been at least 150 feet. Latt:r my dnul_:lter age ~;IJ~jdf'"C'.'I pi~turc;s of it, independently. Her dra\flng was rttma rkably like 611.tr3 ~ ~lese two oeleatial oocurenoe mould have been auttlolent iiiR hold W1 ~D the nl~tot January 14, I WAS in mr back J&rd about 10:30 p .m., looking at the stare thro\l(1)1 m7 4-lnoh teleaaope. At that 1c\\lar mo111ent I had etepped away f'l'Om my scope and wna looking 1n the d1~ot1on or Oelld.nl (castor and Pollux), uben auddealr tour ovalahaped objeota, one-behind the other and 1n pt:l'.f'ect ro:r1natlon, tle w aoroo s my line or eight, very low. ( ~ould eaw undar 150 feet. ) Tbese objects were not 11@bted At all, we~ y1 1n color trom the llRbta or the c1tJ (the moon was not in tale alq ). lhey were flJ1n8 exactly unl.rorllJ in apeed, at leas than 200 m1l~s an houl', I \'IOuld say, 1t t;be objeota were as low as they oppeaped. In less than one minuLe, ttey disapp._'El:rud from a19tt. As a gueas , I would srty tbRt each oYal was pel'baps ~0 to 40 teet in diameter. Beoauoe or tbel~ exact tl7ing apeed 111 relation to eachothc-r. it is possible that each was a ttaohed to tale same lone object Which would t8 1nv1e1ble 1r it were paiflnted bb.ok (11k8 @Ondolae under n dit-igiblo). lo sound audible, not even a murmUI'. JIJ private theor7 1s that Rlllngton tield, about 20 miles southeast or m1 h~se, where manJ Jets are in opdra tion, knew s S>mething about these objeota. It theJ belong to our government (phel' without aound or 11~ta.and perfect monuevet-b1lit,-) we've got the next war 010--a.,ort trca llr ~ 1. -a..bJect 1Dcic1en:ta laaa rev1eve4. a ma'beJI td fna or aak tlle Air Porce to explain ident1f7 . . o'b.1eeta ar 11 &)ta v!d.ch enear eVaz2p to ~ . b. aM accurate , elevation etc. ccuple4 wltb exact , idezrtlftcatioa on tbe obasrver' a . la 41ft1cult, 1f DOt blpolai'ble. Mateur an4 : ana aQ 1Dn.riabq protlcle . ... "' tbla c1ata vlt.Mat re41ueat. provides general \ 41rect:lcma -c. I J'anur, 3 a1gllt1Ds: Ve believe obJect vaa a bolide -a mmmer """'_,_.-t were lfhar I "8 that ptriocl. 3 (eonta) ~ 12 al&hUas; Ve DO 1D tbia area. U, u aouroe atatea, aU tM iDclcleDt, 1di.J ,.. bia .-r7 DOt a4dreeae4 to h!a Jocel pollee, 1aatea4 of to Air l'orce thronp 14. et.puns: lt 1a bel1en4 t.bat objecta obeervea4 on. sift ... Jet -b1p altitude. ~ nq n.~ .. Jet, data be ..au ,.n td 01n-CCJR\!D'D' a'tllaiiJ o't tau.o.4 via a ~ tor PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD ~. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS a Wos Balloon 12 Jan 58 Houston, Texas a Pr':)bably Balloon J, DATETIMI! GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION Local afternoon nl<Ground Visual 0 Ground-Radar 0 Wos Aircraft a Probably Aircraft 0 Possibly Aircraft a Air-Vi suol 0 A ir-Intercept Rodor 0 Was Astronomical 0 Yes 0 Probably Astronomical 0 P ossioly Astronomical~ 7. LeNGTH Oil OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OP' OBJECTS 9. COU~SE liJ Other Ground 4i;q 10. BRIEJI SUMMARY OJI SIGHTING Ona of three rpts in letter t o TI:HE }Jagazine forwarded ~or analysis. This obj was on the ground & burning ATlC l'OJUI 3ft (1tP 21 S&P 52) stationarv 11. COMMENTS 0 In sufficient Oota for EvOiuoti on Not a f l y ing obj. Should h a v e been r ptd to poli c e or fire dept. ~January 17 !~e:1 York Dea:s Sir: There are some atr'tllge goings-on in the evening ani night sky above Hcus ton. . On the night or J'anuaey 3~ my \11!e and I, upon returning !'rom a visit to a bookstore~ ouserved a stnr-lika object alo'rlly descending near Den~b in the constellation Cygnus in the lo~ ~orth \:estern sky. 'lh1s objeot 'tvii'b the brill1ano;y ot a !1rst magnitude star, di:-:uned as it sank~ beco!lling barely visible when it d13appcared c.:; :from view behind treetops. It did not appear to be A burning"-.QQ~t, . < such u s u gas-filled weathr:r baJioon. It de.t'lnltel1 was not a shooting :)n -theJ.a-te ~afterno.o:ri~ or Janll.ar;y l2"' just before dusk, ~was s~arch1ngthe tJes tern sky for s. glimpse ot the planet Mercury. I could no~ sae Mercury becausa o f: t::J.a brillia:acy or tha sky (the aun h:1d sat) out mYt.atten-cicn was att~'scted by a brilliant, orange ooJ.cred object which., nt first, appenrei to be a giant mult1xnotored plane,a"-.r~ lit by tbe rays oi.' tm declining sun. It grew brighter for a few minutes but did not appear to be approaching or even coving, except for a pe~ecpti;{ola d own:1ard drift. I decided it must be a burning plane, but I could .1ee no smoka. I racerl. into th~ hOUJ e for my binoculars ('7 ::>o:Ja::-s) und shm ted to my wife and daughter to see the spectac:le. 'L."lsy ran outside (also 0\lr rnR1d and neighbors from aoroas the street), 1e n:!.l eAamined the object intently throug h the glasses., .. The.~ ob:3ct dofinitely w4s burning (Cly wife called it a ra1't).~ .