PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD t. DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS 0 : Was Balloon 0 Probably Balloon Cl Pos5i bly Balloon 3. OATErtME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OSSERVATION 7. LENGTH OF.OBSERYATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS 0 Ground-Radar 0 Air-Intercept Radar 9 . COURSE Was Ai rcroh Probobly Aircraft Possibly Aircraft 0 Was Astronomical 0 P robably Astronomical 0 Possibly Astronomical lnsufficient Data for Evoluotion 10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS ATIC FOR M 329 (REV 26 SEP 52) 1cn.noiW j ;.uuornia ~. :\ir j;~rc :-*P9r9ol:.-t;ea )''Ji'r prompt. ans--.t}r ~up;:J.ying ~--.ldJi- ti~al 1nt'~;1on requ.~ate-J on youz !l ins or 14 D tmb~ l 953 Y:J~ s~ .. tiun tu~ "'~' you aav va-tt\e '~har 1..:Ult.11 tfll_. given ;.,.--omp\ ~Qll:aicLlraiJ.Wl b\4\ r..U.ed ou-; becaua~ th. t .1::' ~ GuO&( ;>lace oJ'l (;~at) wall :MEl ~th 'the va.riO".l8 VIN\~MI"' 3'ta~lOJl4 ~ dettmaine tO. wee~er -4~ tll t1:::e ot your Bi~tln& a~ ~lloon l~&Aook&1:l8 sohe dll.l~ A rawi~aood is lelea.:sl dalilf 4' 1-bOO hour froua tAo 'lrie\ro- U tD .~lid l.AterD&l ~i~aal .;..irpor'. The .vre-~ai li:vJ "' t.uW. on 14 Veosmber 1.'153. a~ t~ ti:ne ~ you.r .sigh\ing >tOUld nae drit~e;t a bU.loon. releeaed a\ this airpor\. to a PQ$iticn ~orre~!).!.1:l.& to t~" ot ~&U' UiO 'l'beM balll)C)Aa a;b!:l ti&a~\era oi p-.a'-r ~:ann JO toe\ a~ al-ti ~wle ~ laeve a nla$1YW11 il1~ albe:lo. ~ia taG" 1~ Ub"n~ia~ l:JT 70ur obMl'la1aa ~' ;~ obJeo wa bri.b"c~ than Venus. w!:Uch ha aQ apperea~ S3f6Di\~-s ut ih) a i~a brisb'ea" 'rheae 'balloona ore 3..., ~uip~ ilfitll radar re'lao.,r tt~hioh 40u~ ))Oaainll 3C~oUl' f7r c~ :nttllor objeo&a. ~\pproxiWtt\iD8 l;~e iii i'roo~ the i:Jislloon ~ra~.k ::H u1 ~ 1:.-..e ~ fli.~"' u Setfeu ~l.J ~ne bulloun wo.4ld ~W,-,eo.l a.o. a.nele on til 01'U~r <X !i~"YfJ.a .:cUl~ tar~.-~ -yotAr bi~ulars. ~':~-s llooo'~ velooi ty l't~lat1v ~o ;'JO...a-J.lYaici:>A \1thi ~ .c>&tly \' t.JS. \.l.. o-J'n~queut.l;r t~w apsa.n nt. . .a~ionl <;.d.~St~e,a;j o i: ~l1i11 ~b ,;eo t CC to Na j Tacker, ~uy~ty tor ~oi6U ~QGlpo-"::An t.a RICHMOND 5, CALIFORNIA RICHMOND 5, CALIFORNIA -RICHMOND 5. CALIFORNIA . --;cttl'0d RICHMOND 5, MI LES F~:0r1 E:: PKELEY. PRE:VAI L !l"IG H~STERLY r,;r~1DS I N TPIS .t!.T?r:A O:J THE FORF.r~E: lTIO: JEr DAE . I.! CO~'SIDt:R1~TIO:J OF FF. T ii"E c;~t') OF REPOPTED SIGHTING, TJiE DI?.F.CTOI').'\1: OF I~'Tr.Lr IGr: 'Cr.:, THI 170,_ QAYLA~Q INTE Tro~AL AIR 4 . l/::::r~., you able t o es timata -.;he angle sub r.ar.ded by "t;.i.:.e obj~ct w;;e n vinved through ycJur bi: \OCula:r3? p 1_ease for.rard your r '=ply dl.~ct to t h e C0r::rr . .a..:r1der T~dmi ::al. Intellir:;euc.;s Ce.nt(!r, Attenti on: Jl.PCI:r-!- 4Z4 _, \/right- Fatterson .Air Force Daad, Ohi o . Richl.1o-::td 5, ~lifornia Sincerely, LA.rrlRE.NCE J. TACKER ~cecuti ve O.r'ricer Public Ini'onnation D1 viaion Of~ice of In~orrnation 3e~ces -RICHMOND 5, CALIFORNIA Air Technical Intelligence Center ':Trin;ht- Pa tterson Air Force Base , Ohio Attenti on : AFCIN- 4E4 Rel'erri np, t o attached letter, also please refer to Aviation :Jeek i ssue December 22, 195tl, page 24, Hhich reached me aft e r my l ette r dated De cember 23, 1958. If the Thor firing from Vandenburg t~a.s on Sunday, December 14, 1 958, and if it \1ere del ayed more than "scheJuled at about no')n but. did not co::1e off until about ree and a h a l f hours later", 11e can bu tt.on this up. If it:. \Jere not t he Thor firing , it l-Ias s ometl?.ing else ana I ans .. ter yow: quer ies: 1 . i-1agnitude comparison made as f ollo"t-Js. I ha v e al.Hays had to search to find Venus in ciayl i.g ht. at greatest brilliancy. This primar y o bject ivan so visible it caught my eye inu:1ediately as tJell as my Hife, u:Lthout my he.ving t o point out its directi on . I used Venus in daylight at greo. tes t brilliancy as the b?.se for de t ermining the, fl18.gni tude . 2 . I thought at first it 't:a s reflected l i ght but after reading the Aviation ~!eek repor t I note a r e f erence to a "t-Jh:U:.e hot e.Y .. haos t". 3 . Color \~as tha t of Ve nus, streak more yellmJi s h . At present ~..ime (6 'tJeeks after) I -:.vould gues s streak color about that of Arcturus. No pulsa tinns, no shock dia:rtonds, no flickering. There '!:a s a steady f ade, h:>tJever, but also a steady increase in high