PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD t. .LOCATION 1. LIMiftl OP.OMIIATIGII L ...... OP OIICTI t. Balloon approximately 50 ft diameter nnd 3~ longer from top to bo-ttan. Box su~p~nded b~low balloon. .\pproxj~1tely 100 ft of cable or rope cxt~nd~d below box. Bo.lloo:1 :-hot d.o~m, but n )t y~t re '!cvcrei . Source of balloon and equipment cannot be determined ~,til recovery PAttAPrtt: ,...:t, q'r fH~ t HQA036AGDO 17 PP RJEDSQ DE RJKDAG 13 FN .. COM DR AAC ELMENDORF AFB ALASKA TO RJEZHQ/COFS HQ USAF WASH DC INFO RJWF AL/CINCNORAD ENT AFB COLO SPRINGS COLO RJEDSQ/COMDR ATIC WRIGHT PATTERSON AFB OHIO /IFR0~1 ACS/INT AAC 50015 .. . INFO NORAD J-2. THIS REPORT f CONCERNS AN UNIDENTIFIED BALOON, SHOT DOWN OVER ALASKA, TRACK 13 FEB ZULU IN THREE PARTS. PART I. CAPT J. J. VOYNICH P.~ 11TH AIR DIVISION DIVERTED TO TART IN T-33 FOR CHASE. I 1/LT.G. H. ~EYERS, 317TH FIS WAS ALREDY ORBITING TARGET IN E~1o2. ON ARRIVAL OF-T-33 OF F-102 MADE A FIRING PASS AT 0115Z WITH 2. 7 5 ROCKETS AND t1ISSED FOLLOWING WHICH HE RECOVERED , -1 AT_GALENA Af.S. T-.33 CONTINUED TO ORBIT TARGET, ALTITUDE 33,0001/-'fX 2o.- TO 34,000 FEET. PILOT DESCRIBES AS FOLLOtJS: BALOON PORTION PAGE TWO RJKDAG 13 ELONGATED VERTICALLYt APPR0Xlf1ATELY 50 FEET ACROSS AND 30 PE:~CENT LONGER FROM OP TO BOTT0~1. NILl<Y-CLEAR APPEARANCE. JACK OR NEAR BLACK BOX SUSPE:JDED It1t'lEDIATELY UNDER BALOON ZSTI11ATED 3 BY 3 BY 4 FEET. GJ<EATEST LENGTH VERTICAL HEIGHTH. uJ2 SIDE APPE:ARED TO HAVE A :1IRROR BRIGHT SURF ACE. APPROXI- !ATELY 100 FEET ONE HALF I r .. CH OR LARGER CABLE OR ROPE EXTEND- IND DOWN BELOW BOX. EASILY VI~IBLE FROM ONE l{ALF fliLE. TWO . ~DITIONAL FGACPWS ARRIVED IN AREA AT APPROXIMATELY 013SZ. CAPT Y. L. ISBELL, 317TH F!S t1ADE SUCCESSFUL FIRING PASS AT 0148Z WITH 2.75 ROCKETS, ALTITUDE 33 SAL'/ BALOON COLLAPSE AND DESCEND AT ABOUT FREE FALL SPEED. GAVE CHASE, LOSING ALTITUDE AT ABOUT 6 000 FEET PER MINUTE. 3ALOON WAS STREAf1ING ABOVE BLACK BOX. OBJECTS DISAPPEARED INTO HAZE AT ABOUT 20 000 FEET. T-JJ CONTINUED DOWN TO APPROXIMATELY 7,000.YEET BUT HAD NO FURTHER CONTACT. RECOVEP.ED AT GALENA AFS. SECOND F-102 ORBITED AND talENT DO~JN AS LOW AS 4,000 FEET IN AREA. PILOT CAPT Y. H. HANSO~!, 317TH FIS, :-t::pORTrD LAST CONTACT AT 16,000 FEET AT 022SZ, RECOV E~ AT .: .'.L.:~JA Ai"S, ')3JOZ ?ARA PART II: TIN CITY 1\C"J ST:\T!v~J THE~J CAii?ION ACW HAD CONTINUOUS SURVEILLANCE OF TARGET FRON 1221052 AG 3 RJKDAG 1.3 10 130115Z AT WHICH TIME THE FIRST F-102 MADE AN UNSUCCESSFUL IF.I~G.AT BLLF 1020. AT THIS POINT TARGET APPEARED TO ORBIT, J011ING OUT OF ORBIT AT 0224Z. POSITION AT 0228Z BLNE 2530 ONTACT LOST BLNE 5026 AI .. 0243Z. PARA PART III. ACS/INT AAC .. )i1HENTS. 1. ORIGIN. or nB.T7r.T li~11<Mf'lt.1M , TT T~ Dr."t Tl'""U,...f'\ BECA~lE UNRELIABLE AT l30115Z, SINCE PLOTS BECOME ERRATIC FOLLOWING THAT TIME. IT IS CONSIDERED PROBABLE THAT TARGET AND ORBITING AIRCRAFT BECAME CONFUSED. 3. IT IS BELIEVED THE TARGET FELL STRAIGHT TO EARTH AT OR VERY NEAR THE POINT OF THE SUCCESSFUL FIRING PASS AT 0148Z, BLME 1557. 4. IT IS BELIEVED ALL OR A PORTION Oi THE BALOON ENVELOPE FLAILED OR BROKE LOOSE FROM THE BOX AND FLOATED EARTHWARD AT A MORE LEISURELY RATE RESULTING IN SUBSEQUENT TARGET REPORTING. PARA ~ THE TARGET PAYLOAD PROBABLY STRUCK THE EARTH AT OR NEAR TERMINAL VELOCITY FORCE RESULTING IN RUPTURE AND BURYING IN ~lOW. DARKNESS AND POOR WEATHER HAVE PREVENTED SEARCH OF THE AREA. PARA. ~. RESULTS OF SEARCH EFFORTS ARE BEING REPORTED TO NORAD THROUGH OPERATIONAL CHANNELS UNTIL SUCH Tir1E AS CBJECT IS FOUND. AT THAT TI[fJE WE WILL FORWARD THROUGH NORMAL UNCLASSl FlED PAGE FOUR RJKDAG 13 INTELLIGENCE CHANNELS TO ALL CONCERNED. 14t. . I FEB RJKDAG 8f.:CUfUTY CLASISI,ICATION .JOJNT t"ESSAGEFORM S,.ACB ~ELOP Rl!.tUVI!D POR COMMIJNICATTOH CENTI!It F'fti:CKD&Mc& TV,.K M8CI (CIIIJ eo MULTI 81 ... U A'Cilf lA) CLAaSI,..ICATIONI 011' l'll,..IUtENC& S~l!fCIAL IN8TI'UCTIONS l49G AJCIRU.l .36239, DtD 18 I'D 59, CON;muliNG AAC IBG 50015, DfD l4 J"ICB 59 U THB PII,OI"' S ~TIMATE OF SI ZB IS CORRmT, THE W'-5 TOO SMA II. TO 81 A SJCYKOOK BAllOON A CHEK FAII3 'ro IN OPIRATIOK 'IBlT UTIT.XZE THIS. '1'YPB BAt lOON, OR ONE THA1' WWID BAVB DRIJTID TO AI tSIQ. IT IS IUiSIBLI 'Dm COULD HAVE DRUTW OV&i FBJM USSR TERRITORY, OR BEW PURPOSE CANllT Bl DftJd'CMTNCII UNUSS THE BOX IS COCIWINi.'l'IQK a Col. Gilber' DAft TIMK ~ TYPED ( (), Jla,;HJ NAMW AND TITLa: I'I:PLACU DD I'ORN 17S, I OCT 48, WHICH WILL q U81lD UNTIL IEXHAU.T&D JOINT MESSAGC::FORM SECU .. i r Y ct.ASSI,.,CAT UNCU.SSIF IED SPACE BELOW RESERVED FOR COMJriUNICATION CENTER t\TIQ ' WP FA '8 . AAC, RJ' AFB, A.IASKA. /TM:;IASSIFIED/FRCM: A}'CI.U-4E4g + - RF'F i"lSG ACS/INr A.\.C 5fO 15, l1l D 14 FEB 59, RE~EST AI,I. AVAilABLE INFO CO ... !CEruliNG SUBJE.;L' BALI OON A!.'ID E~UIRo-la-lT BE FOR't/AHDID TO T'diS CP:ITER AS SOON AS POS..;I DL.E. UHEN T:IE E~UIFNE~iT IS tm:OVERFD, RE.iUEST I!l'.. BE FORWARDED 'ro 'l'rU~ C~WER COORDIN.\:i'I OA! Col Gilbert TYPED NAMI! &&CURtlY CLAS~Il='ICA flO,.,. UNCL\SSIFIED WIGNA~,~F) NAME AND TITLE -~CU 00 PORN 17& I OCY 418. WHICH WILL t:C ua;o UN11L EXHAUWIIKD C~,.,CAT10N t~08SAGD031 COM DR AAC ELr1ENDORF COi'lDR AIR If~TEL CENTR PATTEl-!SO~J R AFCIN-4~4G ?D CITZ 4-715-~ PD ALL P.VAIL/\aLZ INFOR:i ATIOr: 3S.ZQUENT TO i!SG AAC 5J015 l-1/\S Fo~:!t\hD!:D 5 iiAR TO !IQ USAt S/INTELLIGENC2 Ol'J Ar Fo:.l i 112 UIT:l PHOTOS CilA SK~TCHES !D TRACl~ OVEf .. LAVS ?D PL/\[ l!.; FOH ~Zl\ltC;{ FOR BALJ..OO~l At4D U !Pl 12IlT HAV~ B~EN AB At! DOd::: U r lJ vln!:N /\l'l D 1; EQU I?~ ;:NT IS :coVt.:RED IT ~JILL BE F01~li1\l.u~D TO YOUH CE~!T~l . ~D :5/ 2154Z APR RJi\DAG