Manitowoc, Wisconsin North Central U.S., September 1962September 1962

On September 9, 1962, U.S. Air Force aircraft crews observed a bright, burning object breaking apart high above Wisconsin. The spectacle lit up the night sky across a wide region, with reports coming from Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Michigan, South Dakota, and as far south as Sioux City, Iowa. The observation lasted about two minutes.

Two military aircraft documented the event. An RC-135A reconnaissance plane, call sign Phil 16, spotted a bright white circular object at 005 degrees azimuth (looking roughly north) while flying at 35,000 feet near the Iowa-Wisconsin border around 0509 hours (5:09 a.m.). The crew reported the object appeared stationary at first, then moved slowly to the east before accelerating rapidly and disappearing. As it moved, the object seemed to separate into approximately twelve white dots, each trailing red, spark-like material. The entire sighting took about two minutes, with clear skies and no moon present.

A B-52E bomber, call sign Plate 99, also observed the event from farther south, near Minneapolis, Minnesota. The crew saw a bright white circular object with red tails at 270 degrees azimuth (looking roughly west) at 37,000 feet altitude. They reported the object moving from west to east at great speed before disappearing. Their observation lasted approximately one minute.

Ground observers in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and elsewhere also reported seeing the phenomenon. The Air Force's investigation identified the object as debris from the decay of Sputnik IV (a Soviet satellite). SPADATS, a military space tracking system, confirmed that the satellite was breaking up during reentry into Earth's atmosphere at the time and location of the sightings. Part of the debris was recovered in Manitowoc for analysis, which confirmed it to be satellite material.

The full case file, totaling 31 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.