lr-oident JP31 --U.icke.J:l Field --7 July J.94 7 not~L~G astronor.ioal i:1cident. It \'loulc a??aar thb.t the objoct sightod was an instru- !::o n t -I)Ci.r r yin,~ balloou. fro~ Al'!; H3ADQUAR':ERS., .UR WEA.THER SERVI:E .A.ndrewa Air Foroe Base, Waah-. TO.t Co:ruoanding Ooneral. Air Wateriel Co~r4d, lrrip;ht-P&ttereon Air Foree Bale, Dayton, Ohio A! r N trc I.AXO Investic;ationa by this headliuarters reveal tr.at a synoptic v:ea.ther balloon could have beer. at the location where ei::;htings ~ere reportdd ln'the followinG ir.oldents. In compiling this 1\st oonsiderat:on ~aa given to the ~ind diroction and ap~ed at . the eurtaoe and aloft at the scheduled time of balloon r814ase. and the looation ot the neareat lfeatMr station making balloon obler- wf\t\ons. FOR THE CHIEF AIR lfEATEER SERVICE Adjutant ~neral HEADQUARTE P.S ll \!ATERI!L CO~c.!AND Wr1tht-Patteraon Air Foroe Dayton, Ohio Air Tfeo.ther Sarvioe, Andrews Air Foroe Base, Waahin~on 25. D. c. ATT11s DSS ttC iIO ;/lrn-s/ra. 1. Projeot "SIGN" 1a respor!sible for the collection. 1nveet1- t*t1on and :intt'rpret~tioTt o! d~ta rolative to s101tin[; or tmidontifi~d rlyirr; obj~ots. A.ttachod Inoid~nt sw:~T191 1 th;ru 172 from the filea or Project "SIGl~ are tor01arded for study and r-Joo:wr:anda.tiot!l a.~ to . ~hloh,of the 1no1denta may be eliminated aa balloon raleaed on routine 7noptio ascents by trA Air Weather Service~ tha ~vy ~rolo~ioal ~rrlo., or the \inited States Weather Bureau. Tile auma:arie1 tta.ohed ~ ~ r8'ta1ned in your hea.dqua.rtar, tor -working a nd rer~reno~ purpo ., ... r 2.. fhe Air Weather Servic8 its the or.ly t~r.e.noy of i t 6 type that ha be~n af\k'd to aaeiat in the a coomp2iehment ot Pro~ot " SI<m" xeept that th. United Statee Tieather 8ur6au h~s provided L~!ormation on b&ll 11t9ltning. Research projeota in "hloh balloons re used ani hioh are oor.duo'bed. or aponsor9d by the Army. Na."'7)' or Un1U9d Stat-es Air Force ~r oheokaJ ~J the Intell1g43noe Department of thl" Coola'And. Th.,.se oheoka ~usually mada direot f7o~ the ProJ~o~ MSIOH" Off1oe, ~CIAX0-3. Tn~se oheoka ar distinct trom the oh~o~ o f aynoptto balloon flights mad e by 118.ther aerv1c :Jtations of the .Air Force. Che i:avy ~nd the Deta,.t~nt o f C-ommerce. (U. s . '"J'eather Bur"a.u) r-eq\.l8ated oi' Air l:e1th~r S..r'fioe. 34 I~ 1~ the opinion ot thia otflo~,that ~ho below lited 1noi- dent are' those having the ge-at,e~t posaib11.1ty o f being balloons. Thia list doea no el1mlmte the posaib1lity th&t many of the ~ma1ning incident e.re balloona. \ Bq .\', Chief Air Ylflttlt..lter 8ubJ a Projeot "SI Glt' . Serv1oe, Washic~ton 25, D. c. 4. fhe tortG uaed 1n interroptlng w1tneaaea to a1t';ht1Dga ia 112oloeed a a a matter or intereat. Co:nment 1 to poas1ble improvement of the "Eaeer.tial El nte or Intorullltion" 1n regard to routine oynoptio balloon tlithte 1 invited. 5 It 1s reque1ted ~hat correspondence be rorw&rded to the Cocunand1n General, Hoadquertr Air ll&ter1el Co::l.tland, atteDtion FOR TEE CO~.L\lwlllG GENERALs Summa.rie.s 1-172 1nql Cop La furnie~d, A.l-'0 Ill, .Hq. USAF Cdpt ~kowtSki. a.oph;yaio Lab ,. \.fajor Kod 1 XREEP Colo.tJe l ~al, ~WIS R. Clinge rtlan, Colonel, mL\F thif. Intelli~ene Dopt Dr HYNEK'S EVALUATIONS ExTRACTED FROM PROJECT GRUDGE REPORT 1. Aatron0l:\1oal ... cip,h probabllitya b. ra1r or low probabilitya 2. }Jon-a~trononioal tut tlU(~{;eS ti 1e or other exp lan.ation3 t\.,. D.a.lloa~ or ordlr..s.ry aircraft c b Rooket1, flares or falling bodies; c. Ui.soellaneou:s (ret'l~ctions, auroral 8trel:lMors. birde~ ato.)1 J. Non-~trono~ioal, with no explanation evident Lack of evlderioe precludes explanation& l:!Yidence ~ust;sata 00 ~xpl-.nat ion t