1. DATE TIME GROUP 4. NUMBER OF OBJECTS PROJECT 10073 RECORD 2. LOCATION Houston, Texas (2 Witnesses) 10. CONCLUSION SATEIJJ:TE 5. LENGTH OF OBS!RVATION 11. IRI!P SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS 10 -12 Minutes 6. TYPE OF OBSERVATION Ground-Vi91al 7. COURSE 9. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE Star like object, about the size Ot a dille o l( ir. a north to nOrtheasterly direction. Object appared to mo~e ir a zig-zag path. Disappeard behind a tree. UNIDEN'riFIED I"LYING OBJECTS (UFO) INliURMATION SHEET 1. Answers to the following quegtions wjll be obtained from persons calling in regard to the observance of an unidentified flying object (UFO). If person refuses to live answers to )a, do not complete report. 2. Complete Information Sheet in duplicnte and forward to BOO. Size (com~are to baseball, basketball, or larger. item) dime, quarter, e. NW1lber or Objeots ....... 2..._ Was there a tail, vapor trail, or exhaust 1 /:.! %' i. Any Sound. ,,_.,_' c.;- .---- What called attention to the observer b '~-(' b ~ ~ As t'";~ .. \~ -. What angle and elevation was the object on first observance . ---~ . ,_. - ,_. . _ What angle and elevation was the object when dinappeared ~! What was the flight path of object (to north or south, to east or west) and n. How did the ccje c .. disappear (instanr..l.:r, to the ~orth, no ctir9ction, e+ .. c.) _ p. How was the ob j 9c t observed (naked eye, radar, telescope, binoculars, etc~) Light conditions (night, da:,., dusk) ~,.. , :.. t... r Geographical position of object (North of Houston, South of Pasadena, Weather (clear day, Temperatures of d~y cloudy,_ broken clouds, ). Thank caller for 1nform:ltion, b11t <io not p~0r1ise ~.i1.'lt a return call \-lill be made to c onfirm nor dony the observnnc'3 0 f thl~ )b,\8r~L. PROJECT 10073 RECORD 1. DATE TIME GROUP 2. LOCATION 8 April 66 09/0S3SZ Houston, Texas J. SOURCE 10. CONCLUSION 4. NUMBER OF OBJECTS Astro (METFX>R) > r .,tt,.... 5. LENGTH OF OSSERVATION 11. BRIEF SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS 10 Seconds 6. TYPE OF OBSERVATION Grourx!-Vis.:al 9. PHYSICAL EVIOENCE Observer noted ;yellOtt object in sk7 tor about 10 seconds pridr to fading out. A meteor is the probable cause or this UFO PreYloua edJUona of thle foaa F .. uaed. I FTD SEP 63 0-329 (TOE) UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS (UFO) INFOitMATION SHEET 1. Answers to the tollowing questions will be obtained from persons calling in regard to the observance of an unidentified flying object (UFO), If person refuses to give answers to )a, do not complete report 2. Complete Information Sheet in duplicate and forward to BDO. d. Size (compare to dime, quarter, baseball, basketball, or larger. item) J ,; -:-~t t.. a. Nua1lber or Objects h. Was there a tail, vapor trail,. or exhaust? '' 1. Any Sound. .. ..,._/-~-)---- k. What angle and elevation was tho.object on first obse vance ;7 1. What angle and elevation was the object when disappeared /7~- J _ a. What was the flight path of object (to north or uth, t9 east or west) and n. How di d the object disappear (instantly, to the north, no direction, etc.) o. How long was the object visible (5 min, 1 hour, etc.) /D .<;<: (&41* .JiS P How was the object obse~ved (naked eye, radar, telescope, binoculars, etc.) _ A//f.JLCi.1 CY~ s ... Geograph~cal position of object (North of Houston, Sout.h of Pasadena, directly overhead, etc.), s~,<.TII C/}7 t2l a?:;,.( /FC/1; Weather (clear day, hazy, cloudy, broken clouds, etc.) CL E //{-! OTHER ItWORMATION not answered above: 5. Thank caller for information, but do not promise that a return call will be mad6 to confirm nor dony the observance of the obje~t. 1. 'DATE TIME GROUP 2. LOCATION . . . 15 April 66 16~ 04lQ-OtLOZ Houstcn, Texas 4. NUMBER OF OBJECTS 10. CONCLUSION BAT.IOQN L .. 5. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 11. BRIEF SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS 4 -20 Hinutes 6. TYPE OF OBSERVATION Ground-Visual 9. PHYSICAL EViDENCE All observ-ers viewed a red object slowly. moving to the gA. Newspaper clippings prove that objects was a balloon launchec by Rice University students. Object was two weather balloon:: rigged with railroad flares and an aluminum foil reflector. p,...,ioua ecUtioaa of thla fo,.. ma~ be uaed. BeCI&Ssilied Friday night's unldentifled flying object aver Southwest Houston was reclassl fled an D'O (ldentitled fiying object) Saturday It turned out to be a prank engineered by an enterpristna Rice- Bob V a chemical engineering student. . Vannnt, the SOD~ Dr and Mri '11\onaas J. Vanzant of 3828 Inwood, master- minded the launching ol two hydrogen-filled balloons carrying s1x railroad Vanzant was assisted in 1he hoax by David Beakman, Dickinson; James DePitts, Alta Loma; Dewayne Huckaby, Calumet City, m; Mike McParland, West Palm Beach, Fla; Beau Jon Sackett, Houston; Harold Magnus, Port Arthur; and John Tiiechler, Midland, Mich. Vanzant said the "saucer" was actually two hydrogen-filled balloons carrying an S.foot frame of wood and aluminum covered with aluminum foll. Railroad flares were attached to provide the cluster of red lights reported by viewers. Newspaper, radio, t~evision and pollee switchboards were swamped with shortly after 10 P)l Friday from Southwest Houston residents who bad the red lights from the nares . In its Saturday morning story, The Houston Post quoted one wlbless, a Rice student, as saying he thought the obJect had been launched fmn a campus parking lot by some students. Photo by Jack A mer!,., Chronicle S taH Seven Rice freshman engineering students who shocked southwest Houston Friday night by launching a baUoon toured Qle Manned Spacecraft Center Saturday. Here Bob Van- zant of Houston. thL-d from left, the ' brains" of the ba.i}oon caper, 1()()ks at a quarter-scale mode! ci ~1e LunaiJ Excursion Th~ .. unidentified flying ob- ject" that . excited Southwest Houston erea residents was two weather balloons with railroad flares and aluminum foil reflector . The device was put together In the room of Robert Vanzant, . 19, an engineering freshman at -~ Rice University. Vanzant said . : he and five other students sent Module. From left a{e David Beakman, Dickinson; James De~ttS, Alta Lorna; Van- zant; B~au Jon Sackett, Houston; Harold Magnus, Port Arthur; Mike McParland, W. Palm Beach, ~Ia., and Dewayne Huckabyp Calumet City, Til. the "UFO". aloft as a joke . "It was really a great feeling when it lifted off the ground. We think it came off as a pret- ty good joke," Vanzant said. He said the device consisted of two balloons about 5lh feet in diameter, carrying a wood and aluminum frame about 8 feet in diameter and covered l with shiny aluminum foil. He said the hydrogen-filled I balloons should have climbed to a , height of "several thou- sand feet" after the railroad flares burned "'It should have gone high enough that the balloons burst from inside pressure," he said. Vanzant said he was assisted by freshmen engineering stu- Mike McParland, )3eau Jon Sackett, David Beakman, James DePittS,. Harold Magnus, newayne Huckabay and John Treichler. Switchboards of police, news- papers, and radio and televi- sion stations were flooded with. calls about a UFO sighted short- ly after 10 p.m. Friday by resi- dents and motorists near the Shepherd Drive-Southwest Free- way area. .., . ,: : Comprehensive .Analysis and Detailed I A Vital Series How to Prevent Home Accidents . :. THE WEATHER . . HOIIdod: Partly cloudy and mOd tbrough Monday. Low to- aipt a, hip today ao. Soa~st Te...xas: Cloudy afld warmer today. . II ore Data See. 7, Page 5. Begins i~ iEST. Magazine On the Ol/TLOOK Housfon's Family lewspaper SUNDAY, APRfl., 17, 196B liOUSTON. TEXAS Second Cia$~ Pest Plid "' Hou!ton. lex" Texas: Cloudy and Dill Sec. 7, Page 5. tlome Accidents Begins in zEST Magazine Comprehensive .~n~lysis and On the OUTLOOK Page, Section 8, Houslon' s family Newspaper '.SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 1966 HOUSTON, TEXAS Second Class Pcsta!M! Paid Houston. Texas SUnday, April 17, 1966 nds Increase . enue ~ys Rhode Isl ~ averagmg $15 more m thell' m- ' R.L (AP) -'lbe come tax refund checks than director or internal rev-one year qo . DUE TO THE FIRE AT OUR S. MAIN LOCATION THAT LOCATION WILL IE ' CLOSED FOR. THE TIME BEING HOPE YOU WILL VISIT US AT EITHER E LOCATIONS ARE TAKE-HOME OR SERVE RSELF BUT BOTH SERVE THE SAME FINE FOOD T YOU RECEIVED ON S. MAIN FOR OVER 30 SWIMICIIG POOl :i CHRONICLE Sunday, April 17, 1966 2, Section 1 , funds Increase .: enue ~ys Rhode Isl~nder~ a_re ! . averagmg $15 more m theJr m-l Providmce, R.L CAP) -Tbe come tax refund checks than BY MORTON MINTZ . of the 1961 Tempest sedan in But for a long time before the Tempests with a front-end road of his Tempest's "dangerous The Tempest defent st017 ;tj ~ ,,66, Los Angeles Times-which she was riding hooked on accident, the petition said, GM clearance .of only five inches. tendency" and failing to corred one of tlwse that led to a. director of internal rev-one year ago. ,.. : DUE TO THE FIRE AT OUR S. MAIN ~: LOCATION THAT LOCATION WILL BE ' CLOSED FOR THE TIME BEING . WE HOPE YOU WILL VISIT US AT EITHER . THESE LOCATIONS ARE TAKE-HOME OR SERVE YOURSELF-BUT BOTH SERVE THE SAME FINE FOOD THAT YOU RECEIVED ON S. MAIN FOR OVER 30 W~hl~ton Post ~ews Serv a catUe guard on a U.S. Forest was aware that the defect bad ' The low clearance is attribut-il -p-oposal of legis! a by Sen~ Wash~n~The . U ~ ~ e d Service road. The sudden stop caused numerous accidents and ed by the government to the Failing to instruct the deal-Abraham A. Rtbtcoff (D . States JS ~g to shl!t .babllity thrust her through the wind-injuries. inain front cross member, which er 'to warn Eecleston and to Conn.); Robert F. Kennell) (D. for~ accid~nt lnvolvmg a 1961 shield and her suit blames the . at the bottom has a flange make repairs. N.Y.) and Walter F. Mondalt Pontiac Tempest o~to the man-caWe guard. No Rul.mg Yet shaped like the blade of a bull In testimony before the Sen-(D., Minn.) to wmpel ctisdosur ufac~urer .~ chargmg ~at ~,he Onl Tern sts The court ha~ not yet ~led dozer. ate Commerce Committee on ef car defects. ~ car IS of hazardous