PROJECT 10073 RECORD CIJtD 2. LOCATION CONCLUSIONS ._ nPI Ofl 61 E Coast US 3. DATI!TIMI Woe Balleoft Praltaltly B .. laen PoaaiWy Ballooft BG..un4-Yl w.a D Grev~t4RM !s.rFiMO D Waa Aatronolcol Was Aircraft ProiMW y AI rcr.tt 0 Po aal W y Aircraft D Yea. 0 ProltaWy Aatronolcel U<Me ~f:l.lita.ry 0 Poaailtly Aateonolcel 77..1Llil!iNO;c;TM~OP ;i;A&:TIOMnaN..--- .. ~iUMiiiiOoP'P"iioiajjJiiiCTffis~i:t.~CODiULiilltiiSI~----;:tt Other . Ro<;k=t lgupch 0 lnavfflcient Data for Evaluation D U .. nown 10. 8111P OP Repqrt of NASA experi- ~ental rocket launch fm Wallops Island, Vir- ginia . Release of sodium material over 100 mi up; chemical visible for same distance in Atlantic up and down Atlantic Coast and as faB as ltti.dwestern U.S. (inland) 11. COMMIMTS Confiliaed NASA Exper1mantal rocket launch. U.S. 'AIR FORCE TECHNICAL .INFORMATION SHEET This questionnaire has been prepared so that you. can give the U.S. Air Force as much informqtion .as possible concerning the unidentified .aerial phenomenon that you have observed. Please try to answer as many questlons.as.you possibly.can. The Information that you give will be used far research purposes, and will be regarded as confidential material. Your name willnoi be useclln connection with any .:v: s, .conclusions, or publications. without yoyr perm.lsslon. We request .this personal information so that, if it 1s deemed necessary, we moycon~act you f~ further details. 1. When did you ee the obiect? .(Circle One): ~ A.M. or P.M. 3. Time Zone: (Circle One):la. ,Eastern b. Centra( c. Mountain d. Pacific 4. Where were you when you saw the obfect? Neareat Paatol Address (Circle One): a. D~ylight Saving b. Standard City or Town State or Country 5. How long was obiect in sight? 5.1 How was time In sight determined? a. Certain I b. l=~ir_lv ..atta.in 6. What wos the condition of the :sky? c. Not very sure d. Just a guess o~ \_loudy Seconcla 7. IF you saw the obiect during DAYLIGHT, where was the SUN located as you looked at the obiect? (Circle One): a. In front of you b. In bock of you c. To your right sR~O 164: This form supersedes A TIC 164, 13 Oct 54. d. To your left e. Overhead f. Don't remember Draw a pi that will 1how the motion that the obiect or oblech. Ploce:an A"at .the beginning of the path, :a uau at the end of the path, and :1how .any changes .In .direction during the cour 21. How large cfld the obtect. . to you a1 toan obiect.wlth.whlch you. fantlllor? 22. Wewl1h tolcnow.theangulor:alze. Hold:a '"atch 1ticlc'.at arm's length In llne.wlth a lcnown obieet.ancl.note how.much of.the object:i1 covered by. the head of.the match. If you hod performecl:this xperiment:at.the time of the sighting, .how much of the obt~t would have been covered. by the match heocl.? 23. Did the obleet.dilappeor:while you. were watching it? ~f 10, how? 2~. In orclet that you can give. as clea;:a pictwe as pc)sslble of. what you:saw, .deacribe.in your own.woi-ds a obieet Ott objects .which, when plocecl.up in the slcy, would give the a~me a . .,Pearance.o1 the abject which you saw. . . 16. Tell In a few worcls the following things about the oblec:t. 17. Draw a picture that willshow.the.shapeof.the obfec:t or obfects. La~loand lne~ude:ln your slcetch.any details 1 of the obiec:t:that y~.saw such as wings, protruslons,.etc.,.and especlally.exhaust trails or vapor trails. Plac an row.beslde.the drawing to show the direc:tlon.the obiect:wasomovlng. 1 8. The edges of :the obiect. were: (Circle One): a. Fuzzy or .blurred ,. b. Like a bright star / c. Sharply outlined d. Oont -!ember . 19. IF there waa MORETHAN ONE obiect,.then how n~any were there? . Draw a plctwe of how they.were arranged, .and put an arrow.to oshow.the dlrection.that.they.were traveling. Where were you locotecl when you aow the obiect? (Circle One): Inside o building b. In a car In on airplane (type) 26. Were you (Circle One) a. In the bualneaa. section of.a city? b. In the residential sect~on of.a city? r:. In open.countryside? /. d. Near an airfielcl? e . Flying over a city? f. Fly.ing over open.'country? ~7. What we.re yo\, doi.na at the time you sc:iw the obiect, .and how did you happen. to notice it? 28. I~ you w~e MOVING IN AN AUTOMOBILE c:w other.vehicle at the time, then complete.the following questions: What direction were you moving? (Citcle One) a. North \c. East = b. Northeast d. Southeast f. Southwest h. Ncwthwest 28.2 How fast were you moving? ~=-_O miles per.hour. Did you stop at any time whi.le you were looking at the obiect? (Circle One) ("es 29. What direction were you looking when you firstsaw the object? (Circle One) b. Northeast f. Southwest 30. What direction were you lo~king when you .last saw the obiect? (Circle One) b. Northeast f. Southwest 31. H you are familiar with bearing terms (angular directinn), try to estimate the n\Jmber of degrees the obiect.was from true North (thru east) and also the number of degrees it was upward from the horizon (elevation) 31.1 When it first appeared: a . From true North t:J I degrees b. From horizon 7c I 0 t~ degrees. When it disoppeored: From true North . degrees. From horizon 32. In the following slcetch, Imagine that you are at the point shown. Place an A on the curvecJ line to show how high the obiect was above the horizon (skyline) when you first saw it. Place a a on the same curvecl line to show how high the obfect was above the horizon (slcyline) when you Last saw it. 33. In the following larger sketch ploce an A" at the position the obiect was when you First sow it, and a a ot its position when you lost saw it. Refer to smaller sketch as an example of how to complete the larger sketch. 39. Do you thinlc you can t (Circle One) the apeecl of the obiect? IF you ans YES, then what apeecl would you eatimate? V ~ '/. V)be t 40. Do you thlnlc you can estimate how far away from you the obiect. was? (Circle.OneJ YES, then how far away woulcl you say It wa?----------- 41. Plea give the follow ion. about youraelf: Indicate any additional. informotion:obout youraelf, incluclint any.edueation,.whlch.might:be pertinent. 42. Date you completed this questionnaire: :Dey Month 34. What were the weather conditions at the time you saw the obieet? CLOUDS (Circle One} WEATHER (Circle One) b. Fog, mist, or light rain a. Cl slcy c. Scattered clouds v c. Moderate or.heavy rain Thiele or heavy clouds e. Don't ,.member did you repcwt that. you had seen the ol,iect? SEJ~r 'I . . Was onyone else with you at the time you saw the ot,fect? (Circle One) 36.1 IF you.answered YES, did they s .. the obiect.too? (Circle One) 36.2 Please list their nomea and addresses: 37. Woa this the first time that you had aeen on obiect or obiects like this? (Cirde One} 37.1 IF you answered NO, then wh~, where, and under what circumstances did you s" other ones? 38. In your opinion what do you thinlc the obiect was and what might have caused It? U. S. S. RANDOLPH (CVS-1&) Care of Fleet Post Office New York, New York From: A. E. CLARKE, Jr., QJ.D.., USS .. (CVS..l5)-" Navigation Department Leading Petty Officer To: The Hydrographer, U.S. Navy Hydrographic Office Subj: Observance of' Meteorollgical Phenomena In ReplJ R.fer To: 1. At time. 04h 39m (0939 OM!) 13 September 1961, in the vicinity of Latitude 3625.5'N, Longitude 7130'W, (position by Loran), a smell elonsated colored light extending East to West was oberved bearins 320T at an altitude of approximate~ 45. Approximately 45 seconds later, bearing o4oT, altitude 70, a round silverish light appeared, closely resembling a miniature moon. This light became larger and brighter resembling a bazy moon, until it reached what ap- peared to be a diameter of about six to eight times tbat of a full moon. This took approxi tely 5 - 7 seconds. At this time it blossomed out in a burst of bright orange light still retaining its globular shape, expanding to a proportion approximately 75 to 95 times that of full moon. This took approxj mat ely 7 seconds,. at which time it quickly faded and disappeared. Slight traces of orange were observed one minute later, then completely disappeared. 2. Cloud coverage: ~0 cumulus with slight traces of alto cumulus. Temperature: Dry Bulb 79F, Wet Bulb ?1F; Relative humidity 6~. Barometric pressure: }0.10 inches (sea level) Aneroid. Wind force 3 kts from 34o T. Horizon hazy. Sky clear and stars very prontinent. 3. This phenomena was observed in its entirety by myself and the Junior Officer of the Deck, LTJG T. M. ATKINS, USNR. T . H. ATKINS Ver.y respectfUlly, pu.sA Mail Sec " .- roc:lln Ia~ aoUla ~ t.1aa a 100 .U. abcMt ti.._. 1D ta. Atlaatlta 0ceaa* Q-11111. tM A; a4 u u.. r:4 tbe 1114-watera u.s to 1iha otfiC8 eaza ~ J'leet Polrt Oftice Dl.YiaiCD, Jn PQ:aa'\ic:. Dt orrtc. ~ .. u.s. Navy Bydrosraphic Office., Sn1tlam4., Mil I J Se:--+.embe~, !?~I CoT'v Ret~ined/ FiJP. PBX "' Nati~nel s ce Agency \~shington (25),D.C. .. Thi~ d ::te at ~p~r.~:YL"llg.tely !. ./35 .A.M. the undersigned ~u~b~nd e.nd Pife ""bse~ved t 1::) f,...,ll::;.,"ing un-knoi~-n ~bject in s:p:tce. I~vc?..ticn/ Ap!)rcximately 30-35 degrees a.bove es.rth. Position/ Nc:~th, N:yroth E.e.3t, ~nd s~ut!-1 Pest cf the 9tar comm~nly refered to ~s t~a m.:: rning ::;tal"'. Tl[i tness Loce.ti~n/ Their r.el3idence, ~b:Jve ~dd!"e~3. B~t~ ':ritness a~ee the cbject 8!'!!eP~ed ~s tl"'\ the f oll.:\:ing descri~tion. Suddenly a dark red or o7'ange colo,...ed ~::>h~re a.ppe.::..red, t'he c rcumference being 'l.bJu.'t t~t~t of a basketball, and s~emed to be F.t~tionery f.Jr som? (IO) seccnd:3~ then ther? ~nne?. red t::; be ~.n exnlosion and the .fire-ball incre~sed it~ ci~cnmference t ? t!la t of .q geed si ~ed f:?.r'!ll ":-.g ~n ,:heel, tl,en th P !1e't'fectly r.Jund S:,lhere ". 2.. s g- :1.tly :. hscuro 'by- ~-f'.~ggv ~r. sm'Jkev cl -::.ud. ~:!.. t.h this nh9.se of ~.ction the fire m~.~s s e ertlad t:) r l~.e into the U"J~e~ ... str~t nher-o. Dnd di.zappeared intJ the upl)er her .. ven::: ] e .. ving !3. rP.d"'ting 0Y"~.nge c-:-2.-~ .... J~ il1 umi.n:::.nt lifrl:t th:.t snre~d l-Jundred~ of fPet be-"':nd t.=:e c..:.~e ~: the fi:-'="' m:--.. .:;.:;. R~il P.nd m.')tor t:-? ffic nni~e seemed to h8.Ve g.:;ne unde r g~(;und in eJQect:. tt~n ..:, f tl-J ::.: h.:::.p9ening seve-ral minute9 before c.nd after tre sigh tin~, P-nd wi_ th this f a vt:'-:.hle ;nit::: ne: .. i.:Jd of n!-l.tural ci tv nvisA ve ,rera P ble to . ree.li zc +.here \i:: s n::> eml:::>si;:Jn,;:hine o r mater ex..h.aust noi5e C-)ming f:r~m this .J bj ect that su.ddAnl.y e.p:_Jec..red Bnd vanished ~ ~ th. un-believe~bl~ sp~ed. Shortly after the sphere vanished there Y~S a strong ~dor in the air ~s t t ic~ is c~mm..Jn to smouldering coke or ch -co~, the sc.me ;uickl~r c] ee.red frrm t'1e e.i ~. This report is submitted j n all gJod fE.i th o.s a. N~.::.t i:n~l dut:r. ferth.er el:.:b~: .. :l ~ic;ns i.= n s t ni th in our po,er ~f recollecti,:,n or ~bill ty of descriptions. Nc ment~Jn to ~ny neighbor~ o~ ~ny persuns ~as been voic Prl in regr~ds t o t sightins . Th.e Fet:tther. bu~e2..u ~r'ls C'"'nt::.cted by te1.F?p!.'lcn~(U.S.~/e~t~e::" Burea,J.. Fed-3 2.. Bldg. l..~c~t--;d in Cincinnati, Olti.u) The pe~::on s9-=~ing d:.d nc;t identify hL~ 1 ~, the c~ll .. -~.s m2.de at ~,proxim?.tely !.,./30 P.14 .. I3 S~ptemb-?....,., I<).2_I,or ne~-:-trelve h:)U~3 ~fter th~ si.ght:.ng. The P. B. person ste.ted they kne'I.Y cf n o suc:-t sightings and had -:-ecei ved n~ ot~e~" in~uir ie3 c.3 to such. The ~[.B. sugg~sted the a.cts : f high scho.Jl !'m~.teu..,_.. c;cient t e-tc_ T~11Sting this m,!3.y be helpful dat.J. or inf~-:m::. t:!..Jn, n~ :l:"e 0930 GMT, lJ September 1961 ~ a small elongated orange colored light extending east to west was observed bearing 320 degrees true at an elevation of tel7 45 degree. Approximately 45 seconds later, bearing 040 degrees true elevation 70 appeared, cloael7 res a miniature moon. This light be\;CI larger and brighter, resembling a hazy moon, Until it reached what appeared to be a diameter of about 6-8 times that of' f'nll moon. This took approximately n 5-7 seconds. At this time it blossomed out in a burst of bright orange light still retaining its globular shape, expanding to a proportion approximately '15-95 tjmes that of full moon. This took approximately 7 seconds, at which time it quickly faded and disappeared. Slight traces of orange were observed 1 minute later, then completely disappeared. It was concluded that the object of this sighting was a NASA experimental rocket launching from Wallops Island, Va., which released sodium material considerably higher than 100 mi lea above the earth. The chemical released was visible lx for some distance in the Atlantic Ocean and up and down the Atlantic seaboard and as far inland as areas of' the mid-westetil U. s. '!'be JCG wJ..._.M4 ,.. a or a ape~" earn.a 117 the RaUCial Aei'CiaUtic ~ UOD ~ their llllla,. aite. ibe ~ earrle4 a p&J'lca4 at nater.l.al. to a t a miles 1 t, provi41DS a ra aite Yieibl.e up am clown the Atlantio Seabcazd, in Oc-.n tor aoneidemble 41 1n1afti ( M14- A mtber....... DOte: 70UZ deacr.tptiOD w.~ t or a hca a cruising Be1'1ld& I"b 1 pouible to I suu ~ 1't sa f"'ft Yen iJitenn 1D thia ......