Untitled Document

from Researcher: Stan Gordon

DECEMBER 16, 2006 - During the early morning hours of Saturday, December 16, 2006, there were numerous sighting reports of something unusual moving across the skies of Pennsylvania. The observations all occurred at 7 a.m., and many
people concerned about the event began calling various agencies. I received a number of calls on my Pennsylvania UFO Hotline (724-838-7768) from observers located between Westmoreland County and Philadelphia County, which is at the other end of the state.

One witness near Latrobe reported seeing a strange orange-red contrail moving erratically and upwards across the sky,which accompanied a bullet shaped object that seemed to explode as it moved off in the distance. The fellow mentioned that there appeared to be a lot of military jet aircraft in the sky soon afterwards. Near Philadelphia, a similar report was received of something white which moved rapidly, as it increased altitude and moved across the sky.

Picture of rocket contrail taken by Greg Garland near Greensburg, PA.

This strange observation that witnesses reported was apparently caused by an early morning launch of a Minotaur I rocket carrying a TacSat2 satellite, from the NASA Wallops Island Flight Facility in Virginia. A call to the Wallops Island launch status line confirmed a successful launch at 7 AM on this date. I also talked with the National Weather Service office in Pittsburgh which apparently received many calls from concerned residents. An entry in their daily log was marked as "a rocket launch."

In past years, other early morning rocket launches from NASA Wallops Island have also been the source for UFO sightings in the Pittsburgh area and along the east coast.

For more information on Pennsylvania UFO sightings, visit my website at: www.stangordon.com.