PROJECT BLUE BOOK

PROJECT 1 10073 RECORD CARD
1. DATE 2 LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS
0 Was Balloon
7 Jul 62 Hallett Station, Antarctica o Probably roodon Balloon Odlloon
Hallett Stafion.int lca 0 PassiblyBalloan PassiblyBalloan
3. DATE-TIME GROUP 3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4 TYPE OF OBSERVATION
Local Local Ground-Visual Ground-Vi sual Ground-Radar Ground-Radar Was Aircraft Was Aircraft
000 000 Probably Aircraft Probably Aircraft
GMT_ GMT_ 07/1115Z 07/1115Z AirVisual AinVisual Air-Intercept Radar Air-Intercept Radar Possibly Aircraft
5. PHOTOS . SOURCE OX Ox Was Astronomical Meteor
OYes not rec'd D Probably Astronomical
Civilian & Military a 0 Possibly Astronomical PossiblyAstronomical
No
7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE COURSE Other. Other.
000 Insufficient Data for Evaluation
Unknown
not not give ven one WST to WS" to ENE
10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS
7I4162 or 1115 an t 7 S e i W a absvd fm Hallett Station. This
T 33 bsyd fir oo O c a i 5 obsy at first thought it was
are. e rnto ba 1 V 3 1 as a basketball gwhen it
- twion le noti ilts anpearing to the,rear
in ob1 were or'lesser intensity
some relative 11 hruout the sighting. The abj
AC f a 1 t tra 7 fm YSV. to ENE.
no 7* 6.00 e O THI bri 1 1 Lant Elnsh disine
U or iZ o sighted S W it probe Dol ide
O - lesame O na S Bt t1 addition are
ea r e oise usual 1 or series of exn losiors
5 seen' te GO S . t re-entry O { US
ito loha-Betal. This sat. decayted tween 1100Z 3007 on 7 Jul
Deca ing revolution no.234 resulted in a disnlay as descri-
bed a lett. Concluded bolide becad )Revolution nr ear as
comp LI or O C near a t O mean ot C
comouti nir tine imits. 30 heen to as Viewed
ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52) t1
ha a e
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DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
MEMORANDUM -
E.6:
hom mat
ISA -CX 79
Itdot soud mamake Itdoit soud mamake
T
T. AFCIN LCAIC,
Hat anygli1
Aic.
*

.
NAVAL MESSAGE UNCLASSIFIED NAVY DEPARTMENT
ESRY5RITY RELEASED BY DRAFTED BV EXT. NO.
PRIORITY (INFOI
READDRESSED ROUTINE 091820Z
7 P 071200Z FM COMNAVSUPPFOR ANTARCTICA
INFO CNO
FM HALLETT STA CINCLANTFLT
AA.
TO COMNAVSUPP FOR ANTARCTICA
INFO DET ALFA ANTARCTIC JPPACTY
COMANTARCTIC SUPPACTY Sr
UNC.LAS.
UNUSUAL PHENOMENON REPORT .
I. INTENSE BRIGHT LIGHT OBSERVED AT 071115Z
OVER THE STATION 0 SMALLER CCi HICH APPEARED
TO.BE TO THE DA SMALLER LIGHTS WERE OF
LESSER' AIL
3. AT THIS TIME SEVERAL OTHER PERSONS OBSERVE
INCLUDING
4. TRAVELED FRCM THE WEST T EAST-NORTH-EAST
5 THE THREE LIGHTS MAINTAINED THERE SAME RELATIVE POSITION TO
EACH OTHER WITH THE VAPOR TRAIL CLEARL ISIBLE.IN THE CLEAR
NIGHT SKY
6. AT APPROXIMATELY 7 TO I0 DEGREES ELEVATION·THERE WAS
·A BRILLIANT FLASH OF LIGHT. FOLLOWING THIS THE LIGHTS AOKILLAAN.FLA VING THIS THE LIGHIS WERE STILL WERE STILL
VISIBLE AND VISIBLE AND DIS ISAPPEA ARED A HE HORIZON .
7. IN HPES 7. IN H PES THAT THAT THE LIGHTS THE LIGHTS ARE ARE REC .CAMERA MERA
t- - FILM FILI BE LOPED OPED ASAP
92........COG
SECNAV UNSECNAV ASTSECNAV(R&D) 00 09 SECNAV UNSECNAV ASTSSCNAV(R&D) 00 09 09B 09M 09D 03 33 34 35 05 06 07
72 7.6 94 IP NAVAIDE JCS CSA USAF CIA NIC COGARD CMC FLAGPLOT BFR 72 7.6 94 IP NAVAIDE JCS CSA USAF CIA NIC COGARD CMC FLAGPLOT BFR
CONTROL NO. CIRCUIT NO. PAGE OF PAGES TIME OF RECEIPT DATE -TIME GROUP
53516/JH/DC/3 A167 - 1 2244Z/09 JUL 071200Z JUL 62
UNCLASSIFIED

Frow this flosh the three li hto Xxxxxxxxxxxx ctnbinued XxxxxoxkX orr The
horison Zcemunl. The ligie ware obsorved by the tciontifle leader, the Tic
and scverel otler tergons. i sly oumere is locrted at the oight and the filns
willl be procested.
Apparent brilliance rules out satel ites, except for a pos:ib ble reentryr. 62 Alpah
VOO "anote possibllit-. Thero
is ho "ireriins up os is usuelly such L.A Dro ondersnce
of reds in the color scale is usually noted. This object ms Launched in colar
orbit wish cn inclinrtion of 75.of. E is inclingtion vould c'riy the object over
O65eCT
sighting were not reported in the message.
Color, and explosion rules out aircraft. Travel from SE to an undetermined
point over the horizon rules out flares. Locale and general description of the
obiect mules gt, missile observations, Apparent speed ar description mules out. ux Bal
facts would have to be ascertained. Most important would be the duration of the
sighting. a sighting of a meteor of this type should last at most 30 seconds
with the most probable duration close to 7-10 seconds, ani an exceptionally fast
meteor travelling this distance and mex enbering the atmosohere against the earths
rotation should still last 4-7a seconds. The
The object of this sighting is tenatively explained as a meteor.For a more
positive identificationof the object the following would have to be knowm. Duration
of sighting. Was flight smooth and constant, speeding up slowing down other than
the noted explosion n. Color? Estimated speed or distance travelled, estimated
altitude, possible sound associated with object? Have observers ever witnessed a
fireball? How was 7-l0 degree elevation determined? Did object cross the zenith
or go to E or go to F or W of station on passage from WSw to EivE? W of station on passage from WSw to EivE? How was duration of How was duration of
sighting determined. What were the estimates of the other witnesses on duration.
How much of the flight did each witness observe. Also what happened to the film
that was to be processed? Were other antarctic locations checked for meteor that. was to be processed? Were other antarctic locations checked for meteor
observation this time and date?(weather was reported as clear).
*

It is ccncluded that a fireball and the trail it generated wus recpen-
cible for the ) s1 n Detachment Alphe on 22
3.
Station. This light was firct observed from the roof of bullding,
and the observer stated that he thought at firet it wes a flare. Le
reported that the lighrt was ao larce as a baokotball and when it paaned
cver the station he ncticed two sraller lights ampearing to tho rcar
and the side of the rain object. The smallcr lights wer of lescee
intenoity and they maintained the same relative position throughout the
sighting. The object left a clearly visible trail. lichts were
traveling from WGw to EdE. lo above the eactern horizon the objects
gave cff a brilliant flash and disappeared over the horizon The object
sighted by lStcsd Dy taese Vlcbebscs was prooaoly a Dolide, Lolides gossess cne these witnesscs was probably a bolide. Dolides possess the
same characteriotics as charcteriotics as fireballs and in adaition are heard to rake fireballs and in adaition are heard to rake
noise, usunlly a whistling, noise, usunlly a whistling, rumbling or series of rumbling or series of explosions or is heard
of sccn to or sccn to explodo. explode. There is the very remote P There is the very remote po ossibility that this was ossibility that this was
the ro-cntry of the U.S. satellite Alpha-Beta the re-crtry of the U.S. satellite Alpha-Beta his satollite decayed
betwoon 1100z and 2300z on 7 July 1962. betwcon 1100z and 2300z on 7 July 1962. Decay during revolution nunber DeCay during revolution nunber
234 could bave resulted in a display sinilar to thnt described by the
Eallett Stetion witnesses. It was concluded that this cbject was Eallett Stetion witnesses. It was concluded that this object was
probably a bolide because: probably a bolide because: (l) Revolution mucber a34 was the earliest (1) Revolution mucber a34 was the earliest
cenguted for the decay of the satollite and it probubly docayed nearer cenguted for the decay of the satellite and it probably docoyed nearer
to the cean of the computed time limits; (2) Tho path of tho satellite
would have beon nore from the St to the NE as viowcd from Hallett
Ctaticn, if it did not lose its orbital characteristics due to re-
entering; and (3) Though the witnesses provided only a linited dos-
cription of the object they sighted, the characteristies are much closer
to these of a bolido.
h. PFD is not aware of any United States or foreign activities which
could account for the unidentified flying objocts sighted in the Antaretic
cn 7 and 22 June 1952 and 7 July 1962. Further there is no ovidonce
cvilable which indicates that these phenorera were due to other than
natural causes.
a ×
FOR FME COMMMMIER
22
Cohut9. Jrind #lf 3 lhng.
ARD K. WOM
Colonel, USAF Colonel, USAF
Deputy for Science Deputy for Science
and Components
*
/

OFFICIAL FILE COPY
TD-E/Lt Col Friend
Unidentified Flying Objects Sighted in the 3 August 1962
Antarctie
Eq USAT
SAFOI-3b (Mjor Hart)
Wash 25 DC
1. Cn 7 June 1962 at Olo5z witnesses at Hallett Station, 72-20 S and
l7o-0o E observed an object which they described as brighter than a
first magnitude star. This object was sighted on a true bcaring
arproximating 250 from Hallett Station. The elevation was reported
to be approxinately 30° and the object was observed for more than five
minutes. This sighting probably reoulted from the misidentification
of' the planet Jupiter due to distortion of that bcdy by inconsistencies
in the atmosphere. The reported azimuth of the object and that of the
planct at the time of the sighting are very nearly the same. The wit- -
nesses reported the object moved slowly in a southerly direction which
is the sare as the apparont motion of Jupiter whcn viewed from Fallett
Station at this time and date. At the time of the sichting Jupiter was
wes less than five degrees, far frcm the thirity dogrees reported by
the witnasscs. It is the FrD opinion that the witnesses estirate of
the elevation was in error for they indicated that the object passed
behind a mowntain peak and as far as can be deternined the nearest
nountain penks have alevations of less than five degrces when measured
fron Eallett Station. It is probable that a strong imversicn was
prosent in the area at the time of the sighting and that nirage effects
associated with this condition ccntributed to the sighting.
2. vnnor trail
was observed from Detachrent Alpha, Antarcticia. The object was : reported
to be brighter than a first mgnitude star, white in color and to have
noved frcn a bearing of 340° to 345 at an elevation of 7. The duration
of this sighting was approximately two seconds. This object was probably
a vory bright mcteor kncwm as a fireball. Fircballs are a rare class
of noteor, brighter than -3.0 mgnitude, usually tulticolored, often meeor, Drigicer Cmn -S.o mgilcuie, usuilly maltlcolored, Orten
leaving a very evident trail and are evident trail and are of relatively long of relatively long duration. The
trails lert by these meteors lert by these meteors appear as smoke during daylight hours and
during dariness display many colors. many colors. Trails left by fircballs have Trails left by fircballs have
toen used to study winds in teen used to study winds in the the uoper atmosphe fifty fifty mile zone, by mile zone, by.
such eminent astroncrers as . Fred Whipple, Harvard S. Pred Whipple, Bar I and mr. Charles P. ond mr.€harles ?.
Oliver, University Oliver, Universit f Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania. Since these trails may persist for half Since these trails may persist for half
an hour or more, it is not umusual for them to be distorted by these winds. an hour or is not umusual for them to be distorted by these winds.
1