Project Blue Book Case File
10 Nautical Mi W Albuquerque, NMDecember 1959
Summary
On the night of December 23, 1959, observers west of Albuquerque, New Mexico spotted three objects in a line formation painted on radar and visible to the naked eye. The objects descended at a rate of about 700 feet per minute. An analysis of wind patterns, track direction, and distance covered by the objects indicated they were traveling at approximately 40 knots per hour, a speed consistent with a balloon. The Air Force investigated the sighting using ground radar and attempted to intercept the objects with fighter aircraft, but to no avail. The investigation concluded that the sighting most likely involved balloons. The file notes that the New Mexico area had considerable balloon activity associated with various test programs, and a separate study had shown that ground radar could detect balloons in flight, producing a radar image similar to an aircraft return. The case is evaluated as "probably balloon" in the official Air Force assessment.
The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives across 19 pages.
Reported location
10 Nautical Mi W Albuquerque, NM
Date of incident
December 1959
State / country
NM / US
Page count
19 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 37