Project Blue Book Case File
Keesler AFB, MississippiDecember 1960
Summary
On the evening of December 3, 1960, at 2325 hours (11:25 p.m.), a weather observer at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi spotted a bright, round white object moving across the sky. The observer, Richard M. Rominiecki of the 8th Weather Group, was stationed 70 feet above ground in the base's weather observation tower when he saw the object, which he described as being about the size of an average star.
The object traveled in a straight line from west to east. Rominiecki used a clinometer (a tool for measuring angles) to track its position. When he first spotted it, the object was at an elevation of 24 degrees and an azimuth of 280 degrees (looking roughly west). By the time it vanished just above the horizon, it had moved to an elevation of 3 degrees and an azimuth of 60 degrees (looking roughly northeast). The sighting lasted approximately five minutes, during which the object displayed no sound, no tail, and no twinkling.
The sky conditions at the time were favorable for observation. The weather was clear with only scattered high clouds. Sunset had occurred about an hour earlier, at 2256 hours, leaving the sky in twilight conditions. The temperature was in the high fifties with winds from the east at 25 knots.
The Air Force investigated the sighting but was unable to obtain requested satellite information. However, in their evaluation of the case, investigators noted that the object had all the characteristics of a satellite in orbit, and the file was carried as such. The OCR text of the full case file, as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below across 7 pages.
Reported location
Keesler AFB, Mississippi
Date of incident
December 1960
State / country
MS / US
Page count
7 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 41