Rock Hill, South CarolinaJuly 1962

Insufficient Data

Summary

On the evening of July 14, 1962, someone in Rock Hill, South Carolina observed an object through a telescope while looking at the moon. The object appeared silver in color and crossed the face of the moon from southeast to northeast in about six seconds.

The Air Force investigator noted that the moon spans roughly half a degree in the sky and is about 2,100 miles wide. Based on the witness's report, if the object had actually been on the surface of the moon, it would have been about 500 miles long. However, the investigator calculated that if the object was instead floating 400 miles above Earth's surface, it would have been only about one mile long. This uncertainty about the object's actual distance and size made a firm conclusion difficult.

The Air Force file concludes that the object was "probably within telescope or near surface" but marks the case as having "Insufficient Data for Evaluation." Without additional witnesses, corroborating observations, or clearer information about the object's actual location and distance, the investigator could not determine what the witness had seen.

The full case file, comprising 11 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.

Reported location

Rock Hill, South Carolina

Date of incident

July 1962

State / country

SC / US

Page count

11 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 46

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 11

View transcribed text

hr Tr CPM 7H 55 71950 A TS SERENA R101 ovr ans AE FETT EI Ay Yor Obr  VR 2 Br CSTE A GAS AE PU a stint tage Fre one II AE Th Re
|
| |
PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD .
| 1. DATE 2 LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS | |
O Was Balloon
14 July 1962 Rock Hill, South Carolina =. bt Ee
3. DATE-TIME GROUP : 4 TYPE OF OBSERVATION ossibly Balloon
h " O Was Aircroft
Local _— RT x : O Ground-Radar QO Probably Aircraft
: GMT 15/0030Z 0 Rin Visudl O Air-Intercept Radar | 3 Possibly Aircraft
5. PHOTOS . SOURCE O Was Astronomical
O Yes o Probably Astronomical
| XE No Civilian O Possibly Astronomical
i 7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE BRUNE iii
BX Insufficient Data for Evaluation
: O Unknown
] 6 seconds one across moon
: 10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING [io COMMENTS
/ Object viewed through 30 X TX to cross|Moon is about 1/2 degree at 240, |
moon in about 6 seconds, Went from SE |000 miles. It is about 2,100 miles
4 to NE, Silver color. wide. Object as reported would be
¢ about 500 miles long (if on moon).
] - | At 400 miles above Earth's surface
1 : object would be about a mile long.
| Object probably within telescope
i or nenrr surface. Insufficient
| Data for evaluation,
1
ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP $2)
fp

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28998199