DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE NATIONAL AIR & SPACE INTELLIGENCE CENTER IAF ISR AGENCy] WRIGHT -PATTERSON AFB OHIO 18 August 2009 NASIClSCVM (FOIA) 4 180 Watson Way Wright-PalteIWn AFB OH 45433-5648 John Greenewald, Jr. Dear Mr. Greenewald This letter is in reference to your Freedom ofInfonnation Act (FOIA) request for a copy of documents pertaining to Project Moon Dust, ow case number 2009-01 092-F. A search was conducted for the records you requested and two documents were located. After reviewing the documents it was determined that they arc releasable. Your request was processed in the all other category. The document we are providing contains a of4 pages. All fees have been waived. .HUELSEMAN NASIC Freedom ofInfonnation Act Manager Freedom ThrouQh Viaifance ~N'E'IeeU'fHct: 't SEQUENCE NR: USER-MORIARITJ MOON DUST, aDDITIONAL OBJECT REPORTEDLY FOUND NEAR SANTA DST79CC13084 BOLIVIA (BL) SANTA CRUZ INF DATE: 790819 SPACE TECHNOLOGY (22) CONFIDENTIAL DWNGRADE: CLASSIFIED BY: USOAO LA PAZ DATT AlRAi OECLASSIFY ON; ORIGINATING AGENCY'S DETERMINATION REQUIRED NOFORN (NFl TEXT : ENTIRE. (c.I~Jl' *IJQFQm' ONE OF THE LEADING DAILY NEWSPAPER OF LA PA~, EL CIARlO, CARRIED A FRONT PAGE STORY ON JULY 19, 1979 STATING THAT A SECOND UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT VERY SIMILAR TO THE FIRST ONE REPORTED, RAD BEEN FOUND IN SANTA CRUZ DEPARTMENT. (SEE IlR 6808005779 REGARDING FIRST OBJECT REPORTED): TaE HEADLINE OF THIS STORY STATES QUOTE: NEW SPHERE FELL FROM SPACE IN SANTA CRUZE, UNQUOTE. AN UNOFFICIAL TRANS~TION OF THE ARTICLE FOLLOWS, QUOTE: A SECOND FIRE BALL TELL FROM THE SKY EARLY IN THE MORNING OF THE SAME DAY THAT THE FIRST ONE WAS FOUND NEAR COTOCA. THIS SECOND ONE HAS FOUND 200 KILOMETERS NORTH OF THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ ON THE FARM OF JUAN SAAVEDRA BY THE CAMPESIONO GONZALO MENACHO VIVERAS. THE PLACE IS IN THE AREA OF BUEN RETIRO NEAR THE YARACANE RIVER. ACCORDnm TO TEE INFORMATION GIVEN BY THE CAMPESINO, AROUND 12:30 A.M. ON FRIDAY LAST WEEK BE 8E:ARO A LOUD WHISTLING SOOND AND SAW' A FIRE BALL FOLLOWED SY AN EXPLOSION. BE SAID THAT TBE NEXT EVENING A SILENT AIRCRAFT THAT BAD THREE LIGHTS WAS FLYING OVER THE EXPLOSION AREA. (vJp" ~i'QRW"' AFTER DAWN ON FRIDAY HORNING THE CAMPESINO STARTED AROUND THE AREA OF TflE IMPACT AND FOUND A SPHERE. AS IT WAS NOT HEAVY, BE TOOK IT SOME WHERE BE KEPT IT UNTIL BIS FRIEND FRAGILE. MENDEZ BURTADO LEARNED OF THE OTHER SPHERE IN COTOCA AND PASSED ON INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS SECOND SPHERE . TaE MYSTERY OF FINDING THESE TWO SPHERES, EXACTLY ALIKE, IS THAT ACCORDING ro THE THEY WERE FIRE BALLS... THAT IS TO SAY THAT TB!;SE SPHERES BECAME REAL BALLS OF FIRE WREN THEY ENTERED THE ATMOSPHERE BECAUSE FRICTION AND AFTER A BIGB SPEED FALL THEY BIT THE GROUND . HOWEVER, IN THE AREA WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN FOUND, THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF THE IMPACT AND LOOKS AS THOUGa THE SPHERES LANDED SMOOTHLY. THE OF THE SPHERES IS KIND OF FRAGILE, BUT TREY ARE.: NOT DAMAGED (BY IMPACT) AND IN BOTB CASES THEY ONLY SBOW A BOLE (IN OUTER SKIN) WITH MELTED EDGES AND AN EXPLOSION (APPARENTLY) DESTROYED THE 1 Cm WIB!!tI!.'IA:Ii .~l'~U'fIAls "' SEQUENCE NR: CIP79025046 OSER-MORIARITJ CONTENTS OF TaE INTERIO~. (V)t 'NeFelU' GONZALO MENACBO SAID TBAT WlIERE HE FOUND THE SPHERE HE SAW SOME BURNED PLANTS BUT BE DID NOT SEE ANY SIGN OF THE IMPACT ON THE SOFT GROUND. TBE SPHERE FOUND IN THE NORTS OF THE SANTA CRUZ DEPARTMENT WEIGBS ABOUT SIX KILOGRAMS WITB A DIAMETER OF . ABOUT 80 CENTIMETERS . THE OUTSIDE METAL IS SIMILAR TO COPPER~ IS KIND OF DARK WITH LIGHT SPOTS, AND BAS APPARENTLY BEEN EXPOSED TO VERY 81GB TEMPERATURES. THE SPHERE IS MADE BY TWO PIECES PUT TOGETHER WITHOUT ANY RIVETS. ON THE TOP OF THE SPHERE YOU CAN SEE A BOLE OF IRREGULAR SRAPE AND NEXT TO IT ANOTBER SMALL ROUND BOLE. rn BOTH, THE MATERIAL IS MELTED, AT THE OTHER END OF TaE SPHERE THERE IS A ROUND ARE1t THAT LOOKS LIRE A CORK IN A BOTTLE HELD rn PLACE BY THREE SEMlMELTED SCREWS. THE SPHERE WAS BROUGHT TO THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ BY NEWSMEN FROM A LOCAL RADIO ~TATION NBO INFORMED THIS NEWSPAPER OF THE DETAILS . THE CAMPESINO WHO FOUND THIS SPHERE CLAIMS IT AS HIS PROPERTY. THE SPHERE WAS ON PUBLIC DISPLAY ALL AFTERNOON AT THE STATION UNQUOTE. (v)*Jl'* *tI9P9fU"" REPORTING OFFICER COMMENT : A PICTURE ACCOMPANYING THE ABOVE ARTICLE saows THIS SECOND UNIDENTIFIED SPHERE TO BE PRACTICALLY IDENTICAL IN APPEARANCE TO THE FIRST ONE. A COPY OF THIS ARTICLE AND PICTURE WERE FORWARDED TO DIA, DT-3 BY STATE DEPARTMENT POUCH ON JULy 20, 1979. ALSO INCLUDED IN THE POUCH WERE THE FOLLOWING RELATING TO THE FIRST SPHERE 3S J.tr1 COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS; AN UN&EVELOPED ROLL OF BOME t>VIE FILM; AND A COPY OF THE NEWSPAPER eea..;Z;gl!ill"!~'.!i. \JNO.ASS\Hto CfflUASf'=lEI} USER-HORIMITJ ID: 09877-97SEP22/14.13.46/AOl TITLE: MOON DUST, QBJECT FOUND NEAR SANTA CRUZ -U FICHE NR: 05T79C012507 IN!' CTY : BOLIVIA (BL) SPACE TECHNOLOGY (22). CONFIDENTIAL DWNGRADE: CLASSIFIED BY: USDAO LA PAZ DATT/AIRA; DECLASSIFY ON: ORIGINATING AGENCY'S DETERMINATION REQUIRED NQFORN (N!') TEXT: ENTIRE. (iAI*IJCiilF8?Ur* ON LATE AFTERNOON OF AUGUST 16, 1979, THE EMBASSY HERE RECEIVED INFORMATION THAT A STRANGE OBJECT HAD BEEN FOUND ON A FARM NEAR SANTA CRUZ, BOLIVIA. SOURCE STATED THAT THE OBJECT WAS ABOUT 10 CENTIMETERS IN DIAMETER AND TWO METERS IN CIRCUMFERENCE WITH A IN ONE SIDE AND A METAL SKIN COVERING OF APPROX~TELY ONE HALF INCB THICKNESS . LATER THE OBJECT WAS DESCRIBED AS ABOUT THREE TIMES TBE SIZE OF A BASKETBALL. SOURCE STATED THAT BE RAD FILM OF T8IS OBJECT W8ICH BE GAVE TO AN EMBASSY OFFICIAL ON" AUGUST 17, 1979. (Wa' 'tofIIQi'Qai/" ON THE MORNING OF AUGUST 17, 1979, THE SANTA CRUZ !&WSPMER EL DEBER. PUBLISHED A FRONT PAGE ARTICLE ON THIS INCIDENT. AN UNOFFI CIAL TRANSLATION OF THE ARTICLE FOLLOWS: QUOTE: PART OF WHAT COULD BE A SATELLITE FELL NEAR COTOCA . A PHENOMENON THAT COULD FOCUS THE ATTENTI ON OF THE KORLO ON BOLIVIA OCCURRED IN OUR CAPITAL WHEN A SPHERE WAS DISCOVERED THAT FELL APPROXIMATELY SIX DAYS AGO ON A FARM WCATED 15 KM FROM COTOCA . (U)'rft *'tIOFe.tic ACCORDING TO INFORMATION RECEIVED BY THIS NEWSPAPER FROM THE DIRECTOR OF THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY, COL ARIEL COCA, TBE IS MADE OF SPECIAL LIGHT ALLOY BUT VERY RESISTANT, POSSIBLY A FUEL TANK OR A PART OF A~TELLITE. THE OBJECT OOES NOT RAVE ANY SIGNS OR MARXS THAT COULD IDENTIFY ITS ORIGIN NOR THE COlmTRY TO IT BELONGS. (1Ji.e-. "orQRI'" COL COCA SAID THAT HE WILL INFORM HIS SUPERIORS OF THIS iRENOMENON SO THAT A STUDY CAN BE MADE TO DETERMINE RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCE. THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE AREA WHERE THIS BALL OF FIRE (AS TREY CALLED IT) FELL, DELAYED IN TELLING THE AUTHORITIES ABOUT TRE EVENT BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRAID THAT NO ONE WOULD LISTEN, lmQUOTE. (C/}p .uepOM' AN ACCOMPANYING PICTURE IN TaJ; NEWSPAPER SHOWS COL MMANDER OF THE BOLIVIAN AIR FORCE ACADEMY, EXAMINING A ROUND OBJECT WHICB REACHES ABOVE BIS KNEES AND APPEARS TO BE PERFECTLY UNCLASSIFIED SZQUENCE NR: CIP79024081 USEJ\.-MORIARITJ ROUND EXCEPT FOR A HOLE (MISSING PORTION OF OUTER SKIN) WHICH IS ABOUT NINE INCHES IN DIAMETER PFN INFORMATION: PART 001 ARIEL COCA IS A MEMBER OF AI.R FORCE ACAD . PRQTITLE: COLONEL, DIRECTOR, COMMANDER BOLIVIA (BL) AIR FORCE ACAD BOLIVIA (SL) glNi:RJiill;;',lji. UNCL\SSiFltD