Documents / Report
This Black Vault copy of Air Force records centers on the Project Twinkle Final Report, which Louis Elterman of the Geophysics Research Division wrote on 27 November 1951. Project Twinkle investigated green fireballs and other light phenomena in New Mexico using Askania cameras run by Land-Air at Vaughn and Holloman AFB. Elterman found the results essentially negative, with most sightings put down to aircraft, balloons, birds, clouds and meteors. He recommended no further spending. The file also includes the 1949 and 1950 correspondence that set up the project and 1952 memos about declassifying it.
ONCLASSIFI (1) No fur vher f i scal 0xnenditure be nmde in pursuin~ the problem. This opinion is proupted nartly by the fruitless expenditure durinp t he past year, the uncertainty of existence of unexplainable aerial • objects, and by the inactive position currently tal\en by Holloman AFB as indicated by the ''stand- by status· of the TJroj ct. The arrangements by HAFB for continued vigi lance by Land-Air, the weather ststion as well as the briefing of pilot s on t he problem in part r elieves the need for a systematic i nstrumentation program. (2) \ i thin the next fevr months , Dr . Uhipnle will have completed the installation of two 18-inch Schmidt cameras for meteor studies . rrbe cameras will be stationed about ?Q mil es apart in the vicinity of Las Cruces, New Hexico. Since these studies l.il l be s ponsored by the GRD, arrangements can be nade for examining the film for evidence of aerial object phenomena. LOUIS ELTLRI·W~ Projec t Scientist Atmospheri c Physics Laboratory Geophysics Research Vivision ll UNCLASSu DOWNGRADED AT 3 DECLAssiFIED AI4~~ R1 ~.J'ERVAT,S: .. DoD DlR 6200.10 EARS.
Report, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 34 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.