PROJECT BLUE BOOK

——— _ —~- = ——-— -- —

PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD

1. DATE | 2. LOCATION

12. CONCLUSIONS

0D Was Balloon
16 Apr 64 Manassas, Virginia QO Probably Balloon
3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION QO Possibly Balloon
1930 : O Wos Aircraft
Local 1930 _ ———_— AKGround-Vi suol O Ground-Redar O Probebly Aircraft
cut__29/03002 D Air Visuol O Air-Intercopt Radar |@ Possibly Aircraft
5. PHOTOS 6. SOURCE 1 Wes Actoncntcat
0 Yes o Anaesth Pham cea
Oo ib t i
2XKNo_ pre: Civilian onsibly Aemonern rect vik
7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION &. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE HX Other POSS. Nesearch _
0 orto as Data for Evaluation
oO
5-8 Minutes three /one Hising it er
10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 1). COMMENTS

Sighting at dusk trhough BX. Obj. appeared

Wind direction at alt. wrong for

to be three stars together forming a triangid. balloon type obs. unless obj. &
Motion erratic. XMMARAMM Appeared to be breaking to rise to the Nb. Wallops Island

upe like a red spark that burnea out. Look

located at 120 deg az. from Menisses

as bright as meteor at first, wnite. Cbj. wus Virginiu., Sighting more likely assoqd.

observed in flight in the Eas@ on the horizo

with activities from this location i

and rising. Disappeerence av 45 deg elevatiqu. view of initial appeurence of meteor

and the rising. Alsc poss. ax. ba. lodn

Louncu for atmospneric studies from tis
location,

ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52)

20.

21,

24,

25.

26.

rs |
Do you think you can estimate the speed of the object? |
(Circle One) Yes No |
IF you answered YES, then what speed would you estimate? |
Do you think you can estimate how far away from you the object was? i
(Circle One) Yes ~ No ° |
IF you answered YES, then how far away would you say it was? i
——
Where were you located when you saw the object? 23. Were you (Circle One) ’
(Circle One);
a. In the business section of a city?
a, Inside a building b. In the residential section of o city?
b. Ina car c. In open countryside?
c. Outdoors d. Near an airfield? |
d. In an airplane (type) e. Flying over a city?
e. At sea f, Flying over open country?
yh.) RASS eI ea Be ee ane eee eee g- Other

!F you were MOVING IN AN AUTOMOBILE or other vehicle at the time, then complete the following qe«tions:

24.1 What direction were you moving? (Circle One)

Q. North c. Eas? e. South s- West
b, Northeast d. Southeast f, Southwest nh, Siorthwes?

24.2 How fast were you moving? ____ miles per hour,

24.3 Did you stop at any time while you were looking at the object?

(Circle One) Yes No

Did you observe the object through any of the following?

c. Eyeglasses Yes No Ce. Binoculars Yes No
b. Sun glosses Yes No f, Telescope Yes No
c. Windshield Yes No g. Theodolite Yes No
d. Window glass Yes No h. Other ____ =) ee

in order that you con give as clear a picture as possible of what you saw, describe in your own words 2 canine

object or objects which, when placed up in the sky, would give the same appearence as the chject ‘which you ©.

Pee re 8 e+

_——

me ems

ee ea

~_—e oS ee ee

, age S

27. In the following sketch, imagine that you ore at the point shown. Place an “‘A"’ on the curved line to show how
high the object was above the horizon (skyline) when you first saw it. Placs a ‘'8’’ on the same curved line to
show how high the object was above the horizon (skyline) when you last saw it. Place an ‘’A"’ on the compass
when you first saw it. Place a ‘’B’’ on the compass where you /ast sow the object.

90°

7S°

28. Draw a picture that will show the motion that the object or objects made. Place an ‘A”’ at rhe heginning of the
path, o ‘'B"' at the end of the path, and show any changes in direction during the course.

‘
: ae “~ were

29. IF there was MORE THAN ONE object, then how many were there? —___ ae
Draw a picture of how they were orranged, and put an arrow to show the direction thar they wera !ravaling.

we Here 9 we oe ee Cee Hem

a.

- @e«

Po See ere Sey ee

es

——

ae ee eee BE Ee Ee es. eee eS
.

233 a)
30. Have you ever seen this, or a similar object before, |f so give date or dates and iocation. A
31. Was anyone else with you at the time you saw the object? (Circle One) Yes No
31.1 IF you answered YES, did they see the object too? (Circle One} Yes No
31.2 Please list their names and addresses:

LES 00 tee 2G OPO 1G aig eer |

‘Uh wpe a — — |

= BEE net =" = i Pe RN rr aN

32. Please give the following information about yourself:

| ALT i, wii. Qa...

Lost Name Firs? Nome Middle Nemo

ADDRESS =

Street City Zone Stars

TELEPHONE NUMBER hid hE EES oe

indicate any additional isformation about yourself, including any special experience, which might S< -aciimer

-_— -- + — _ ——— ——- _—o eo — —_—— _— ——a

33. When and to whom did you report that you had seen the object?

Day Month Year

LOL LL LOR OE OO ek te a ae

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‘eater *

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— eo eS — = Sere a enc aii = .2e0>- ,

34. Date you completed this questionnaire:

35. Information which you feel pertinent and which is not adequately covered in the specific points of the
questionnaire or a narrative explanation of your sighting.

Mid eek er a

wJ.a!.. ene MA Meee eee eee

REPLY TO
ATTN OF:

SU@JECT:

TO:

HEADQUARTERS
FOREIGN TECHNOLOGY DIVISION
AIR FORCE SYSTEMS COMMANDO

UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ii enn aah
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OH10 On 3
eke
TDFCC/Major George Mills/57223 1a
1 May 1964

Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon

TDEW

1. Reference: Sighting of 18 April 1964 1930L near
Manassas, Virginia. The time, location and description
suggest this sighting may have been the 19 April 0030Z
radiosonde release from Washington, D.C.

2. Supporting facts

a. The radiosonde train consists of a balloon, a radio-
sonde package and another intermediate object. Oscillations
of the radiosonde package may cause the entire train to take
a triangular shape from time to time.

b. The release time of the radiosonde train preceded
the sighting sufficiently to allow a climb to an altitude
consistent with the sighting angle.

c. Sunset for the area occurred at 1849 local time
Followed by 30 minutes of twilight. At the sighted altitude
the radiosonde would first be bathed in direct sunlight.

As sunset occurs for the higher elevation the radiosonde
would be bathed in more of the red light from the sun.

This might account for the observed color change. The time
and altitude were correct for this transition. There were
no weather. systems and few clouds to the west which also
permits this sequence. (High clouds, cirrus, often show
this same color change at sunrise or sunset).

d. The trajectory of the radiosonde train is determined
by the following winds:

Direction
1000 foot levels from which Speed knots
2-12 250 20
14 270 25
30 290 4O
35 310 4O
40 300 35
50 280 40

(OU + THE NUCLEUS OF SECURITY!

(e.g., 270 degrees is a wind from the west, 250 degrees

is from south of west). The rise rate is 1000 feet per
minute. The 250 degree winds would carry the radiosonde
train into the NE quadrant which would appear to the
observer as a movement to the north. The apparent motion
would be more noticeable than that caused by the higher
winds which occurred at higher elevations and from the

NW quadrant. At this later time the distance of the radio-
sonde from the observer reduces the apparent motion.

3. No explanations of this nature are conclusive but there
is enough consistency between Mr. FM wbservations

_and the supporting data above to e our hypothesis

plausible. Please let me know if more detailed analysis

is required.

Dogs loa
MILLS II

‘ Major, USAF

Meteorologist

MEMO ROUTING SLIP |" CoKeGRRENCES OR siiiiak actions

INITIALS | CIRCULATE

COORDINATION

NOTE AND
RETURN

PER CON-
VERSATION

‘REMARKS

THE ATTACHED LETTER IS TO BE UTILIZED ON WHICH TO
BASE A REPLY TO THIS GENCTEMEN. I TALKED TO YOU ON

THE PHONE ABOUT THIS. I NOTICED THAT MAJ MILLS
USES THE WORDS MAY AND MIGHT. SUSGHST YOU LEAVE THESE
OUT.

THANK YOU
SGT OBENOUR

FORM Repleces DD rm 94, 1 Feb 50 and DD Form 95, > a
DD 1 OCT 60 95 1 Feb 60 which will be used until exhausted. oilers as Li

, "

les

May 13, 1964

Dear Mr Al

This letter is in further reference to the
sighting of an Unidentified Flying Object you
reported seeing on April 18, 1964.

The time, location and description of this
~ sighting coincide with the release of a radiosonde
balloon in the Washington, D.C. area.

The radiosonde train consists of a balloon, a
radiosonde package and another intermediate object.
Oscillations of the radiosonde package may cause the
entire train to take a triangular shape from time
to time. The release time of tne radiosonde train

prececed the sighting sufficlently to allow a climb
to an altitude consistent with the

che sighting angle.
Sunset for this area occurred at 5:49 p.m. local
time, followed by 30 minutes of twilight. At the
Sighted altitude the radiosonde would first be bathed

whine
in direct sunlight. As sunset occurs for the higher

eievation, the radiosonde would be bathed in more of
the red light from the sun. This accounts for the
observed color change. The time and altitude were
correct for this transition. Also, the winds at that
time would have carried the radiosonde train into the

NE quadrant which would appear to you as a movement to
the north.

It is hoped that this information will answer

your query. Thank you for reporting this sighting to
the Air Force.

Sincerely,

MASTON M, JACKS

Major, USAF

Public Information Division
Office of Information

Mr,

rge Washington Station —
Alexandria, Virginia

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et A lt i ly li tlk A it a ell ete ee

.

2 ee OS ee ee ee ere =e. f

U.S. AIR FORCE TECHMIlAL INfGRMATIUN

This questionnaire has been prepored so thut you can give the U.S. Air Force as much
information as possible concerning the unidentifie. ceria! phenoweran that you hava observed.
Please try to answer as many questions as you possibly can. The infernation mint you give will
be used for research purposes, ‘Your name will sof be used i connection with any stetuxver:s,
conclusions, or publications without your permission. We request this pessonal Information to
that if it ia deemed necessary, we may contact you for further details.

Sa: r= ee ee ee =_—~ suse esos Stee em caf
1, When did you see the object? 2. Time of dey; 2 — > Bh ia ae Se 2
Hovr Minutes ;
ieee is ee 0 al lean (Circle One): A.M. or (P.M. ;
Day Month Yoar :
'
~

|

3, Time Zone:

(Circle One): c.° Eastern (Circie Oneal: a. Daytight Saving :
b, Central ib. Standard
c. Mountain
d. Pacific gee
e. Other —.
i eee ae ele ee i WN ce ade eI

4. “here were you when you sow the object? !

ee

_ - _———=- — ee ee eee —_— oe - “e+ «=. - -* oo — me

Necrest Postal Address City of Town Scote ar Coun

——$_—_—~ —_ — ——-

—_— “<<< «+ _—_-—-

5. How long was object in sight? (Total Duration)

Hours Minutes Seconds

a. Certain c. Net very sure

b. Fairly certain d, Just 9 guess :
5.1 How was time in sight determined? _ ree aS fer]
5.2 Wos object in sight continuously? Yes No

6. Whot was the condition of the sky?
DAY NIGHT
3. Bright a. Bright
b. Cloudy b. Cloudy

a _— --— - ——————— ~~.

7. IF you sew the object during DAYLIGHT, where was the Sur located as vou foxes oF the obiect?

(Circle One); a, In front of you d. To your ieft
b. In back of you @. Overhead
¢. To your right f, Deon’? remember

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FORM
FTD oct 62 164 This form eupersedes FTD 164, Jul $1, which ts obsolete

RAR Sal Hats nese 2 ce RT scbae 2

Page 2

8. IF you saw the object at NIGHT, what did you notice concerning the STARS and MOON?

8.1 STARS (Circle One): 8.2 MOON (Circle One):
a. None a. Bright moonlign?
b. A fow b. Dull moonlight
c. Many ¢. No moonlight — pitch-dark
d. Don't remember d. Don't remember

9. What were the weather conditions at the time you saw the object?

CLOUDS (Circle One): WEATHER (Circle One):
a. Clear sky a. Dry |

b. Hazy b, Fog, mist, or light rain
c. Scattered clouds c. Moderate or heavy rain

d. Thick or heavy clouds d, Snow
e. Don’t remember

10. The object appeored; (Circle One):

a. Solid d. Asa light
b, Transparent e. Don't remember
c. Vapor

1]. {f it appeared as a light, was it brighter than the brightes? stars? (Circle One):

a. Brighter c. About the sume
b. Dimmer d. Don’t know

11.1 Compare brightness to some common object:

12. The edges of the object were:

(Circle One): 0, Fuzzy or blurred e. Other . Ears en
b3 Like a bright stor LO SEES Oo: 2 Aare
c. Shorply outlined Din Ae as EPS. Ya SO
d. Don’t remember 7 ERE RT Oe te
13. Did the object: (Circle One for each question)

a. Appear to stand still at any time? Yes No Don’t know

b. Suddenly speed up and rush away at any time? Yes No — Don't know

c. Break up into parts or explode? Yes: No Don’t know

d. Give off smoke? Yes No Don't know

e. Change brightness? Yes No Don't know :

f, Change shape? Yes No Don’? know ;

g. Flash or flicker? Yes No Don't know

h. Disappear and reappear? Yes No Don't know j

14,

15.

16.

7.

18.

19.

Page 3

Did the object disappear while you were watching it? If so, how? |

1.

cee eee er ee —

Did the object move behind something at any time, particuiarly a cloud?

(Circle One): Yes No> Don't Know. IF you answered YES, ther: tei! what
it moved behind; _._ EEE

Did the object move in front of something at ony time, porticulariy a cloud?

(Circle One): Yes 4 No Don’t Know. IF you onswared YES, then tell whar
TOU CAR 7 Pines ei rece NCU Ri tee ctr gue at See

Tell in a few words the following things about the object:

hg em RDN NG ig ee a gg 5

b. Color

We wish to know the angular size, Hold a match stick ot arm’s length in line with a known obiect and iiois how :
much of the object is covered by the head of the match. If you had performed this experiment ct tha time of rhs

sighting, how much of the object would have been covered by the match head? % |
i

Drow a picture that will show the shape of the object of objects. Label and include in your sketch any datai!s .
of the object that you sow ‘such as wings, protrusions, etc., and especially exhaust trails or vopor trails.

Place an arrow beside the drawing to show the direction the object was moving.

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