28.00N 162.00W (Pacific), June 1963June 1963

On June 17, 1963, a crew member aboard the USS Lansing, a naval ship in the Pacific Ocean at coordinates 28.00N 162.00W, spotted an unidentified object in the sky. The object appeared as bright as a first-magnitude star or planet. The observation began at 0830Z (8:30 a.m. in military time) and lasted about six minutes until the object faded from view and disappeared into clouds.

The object's apparent position changed during the sighting. It was first spotted at a bearing of 290 degrees (roughly west-northwest) at an elevation of 20 degrees above the horizon. As time passed, the object moved to a bearing of 355 degrees (nearly due north) at 35 degrees elevation before vanishing.

The Air Force received reports of the sighting and distributed copies to multiple intelligence agencies, including the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Naval Intelligence Command. The file contains satellite tracking data from the period, suggesting the investigation examined whether known spacecraft might explain the sighting. Specifically, the file includes orbital calculations for ECHO I, a communications satellite that had crossed the equator around the time and location of the observation. According to the case notes, ECHO I's position "would be in position for the observation as described."

The Air Force evaluated this case as "unknown." The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives across 8 pages.