The 701 club: Case #2150 Alamogordo, 

New Mexico October 7, 1952

Don Berlinner’s list describes the case as follows:

Oct. 7, 1952; Alamogordo, New Mexico. 8:30 p.m. Witness: USAF Lt. Bagnell. One pale blue oval, with its long axis vertical, flew straight and level for 4-5 seconds, covering 30 in that time.1

Brad Sparks has no additional information.2

The Blue Book file3

The Blue Book file consists of a report form and statement by the witness:

The UFO was seen at 2030 MST.

The officer and his wife were in a car at a drive-in. The wife first noticed the object in the northwest. 

The object went from Northwest to Northeast in 4-5 seconds and then faded. 

The object maintained a straight line course and maintained a constant elevation angle of about 20 degrees. 

Analysis

While there does not appears to be a lot of information here, I think what is available is enough to draw a conclusion. The only reason I can see this was listed as unknown was because of the reported shape. Any shape perceived probably had more to do with the fact they were looking through a windshield, were observing an object that was rapidly moving, and the duration it was visible was a brief period of time. Once the shape is dismissed as due to the witnesses interpretation of what was seen, we can identify this as a probable meteor because all of the characteristics reported were the same as one would expect from a bright meteor. 

Conclusion

There is no reason to reject the meteor explanation for this sighting. It was short duration, traveled in a straight line, and then dimmed out. All of these are characteristics of a meteor. It should be labeled “Probable meteor” and removed from the list of Blue Book unknowns.

Quelle: SUNlite 5/2022