Project Twinkle: The U.S. Air Force’s Green Fireball Investigation

The U.S. Air Force program that scientifically investigated the mysterious “green fireball” sightings

It is a well known fact that the Russians have been hard at work on several urgent projects to study ‘fireballs.’ Many years ago, the Air Force concluded a study of the mysterious ‘green fireballs’ in the Southwestern states in the U.S.A. It was called ‘PROJECT TWINKLE,’ but its findings have never been revealed.¹

When UFO sightings are reported, they’re almost, by default, attributed to matters like balloons or meteorites. However, in rare cases, many witnesses would refute these arguments, and such happened in the ‘green fireballs’ sightings—the event that brought rise to ‘Project Twinkle.’

What Is Project Twinkle?

Night after night, from late 1948 to early 1951, residents of the Southwestern U.S. observed the skies light up with green orbs.

The nature of these sightings prompted the military to respond. Unfortunately, both scientists and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) personnel had difficulty identifying the objects, which led the latter to fund the classified investigation: Project Twinkle.

Project Twinkle was part of another classified program, Project Grudge, which preceded Project Blue Book. Its objectives weren’t just limited to identifying what these objects were. It was also established to determine why they appeared near sensitive military research installations.

This fireball research project was initiated by Dr. Joseph Kaplan and Lt. Col. Frederick Oder and began with a $20,000² half-year contract with Land-Air Inc. The company set up a 24-hour watch using cinetheodolites to capture and document these ‘green fireballs.’

Investigations were conducted over two contract phases and were presented as a scientific report. Multiple conferences were also held to review the captured data and reach a concrete explanation of the phenomenon.

How Did Project Twinkle Officially Begin?

While Dr. Kaplan and Lt. Col. Oder initiated Project Twinkle, the idea came from Dr. Lincoln LaPaz. As a meteor specialist, Dr. LaPaz paid close attention to the green fireballs and concluded that these weren’t natural.

He shared his speculations with the USAF, stating that if these weren’t from the U.S., they were likely “Russian and a threat.”³ His insight prompted the military to launch the program.

But what exactly occurred during the ‘green fireball’ sightings that led to Project Twinkle?

The ‘Green Fireballs’ Incident

The first of the numerous sightings that sparked the ‘Green Fireballs’ incident happened in the evening of December 5, 1948. Witnesses reported green fireballs moving across the sky over Los Alamos, which grew in number over the next three months.

Here’s a comprehensive breakdown⁴ of the early phase of the green fireball sightings before the USAF stepped in with Project Twinkle.

December 1948

January 1949

The Official Conferences

During the green fireball sightings, scientists and the USAF held three conferences to discuss how to examine the phenomenon.

First Conference

On February 16, 1949,⁵ the first conference was organized at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. Laboratory director Norris Bradbury, physicists Frederick Reines and Edward Teller, and Dr. Lincoln LaPaz were in attendance. The Atomic Energy Commission and the U.S. military also accompanied them.

By the end of this session, the attendees were still skeptical about attributing the sightings to extraterrestrial activity. Yet, even after concluding that no sufficient information had been gathered about the phenomenon to prove it was a threat, it was still classified alongside the “flying discs” within Project Grudge.

Second Conference

Following a classified letter from the USAF Chief of Staff to Air Materiel Command (AMC) with the subject “Light Phenomena,” a second session was held in October 1949.

Air Force Research Laboratories’ representatives and Base Directorate for Geophysical Research Division (GRD)¹ were requested to attend alongside the previous attendees.

Third Conference

On March 5, 1950, another conference was held at Wright-Patterson AFB, with personnel from Holloman Air Force Base and GRD. During this session, a three-point program was established and confirmed by AMC on March 16, 1950.¹

• Askania instrument triangulation by Land-Air Inc.
• Observations with Mitchell camera using spectrum grating by Holloman Air Force Base personnel.
• Electromagnetic frequency measurements using Signal Corps Engineering Laboratory equipment.

These actions were carried out under a six-month contract with Land-Air Inc., under which the company was tasked with maintaining constant watch over two Askania stations. This commenced the official beginning of the investigations under Project Twinkle.

Who Worked on Project Twinkle?

The most prominent figures involved in this program were the U.S. Air Force and a group of scientists tasked to resolve the mystery. However, if you look through the project’s documents, some names were repeated and emphasized more than the others. Among these names were:

Dr. Lincoln LaPaz

As a meteor specialist in the area, Dr. LaPaz was actively involved in the entire phenomenon. He was first introduced to the events on December 9, 1948, when OSI agent Neef interviewed him.

Upon learning that other sightings had been reported elsewhere, the meteor specialist paid special attention to the case and investigated it. By December 12, 1948,⁴ he drove to Las Vegas, New Mexico, with Lt. Allan Clark and Major Charles Phillips to look for any traces or debris from December 5. This was also the day he had his personal experience with the green fireballs.

Dr. LaPaz’s method of examining the phenomenon primarily revolved around finding physical evidence. Given his background, he knew how to track where meteors might have landed and left debris. However, despite his efforts, his searches were always unsuccessful.

This was among the reasons why he was convinced the green fireballs weren’t meteors. Also, he argued that:⁶

• The fireballs’ trajectory was too flat.
• Their color was too green.

Dr. Anthony Mirarchi

Dr. Mirarchi was the Chief of the Air Composition branch at GRD. He was initially the lead investigator for Project Twinkle,² but he retired in October 1950.

Before he left, his most prominent accomplishment was requesting a brief report on the April 27 and May 24 sightings from Holloman AFB. This report contained:

• A confirmation that there were multiple objects, as many as eight, sighted
• A Data Reduction report² from Holloman AFB’s analysis of the April 27 photos

Objects observed following MX776A test of 27 April 1950 
2nd Lt. (name censored) EHOSIR 15 May 50

						(signed)
						Wilbur L. Mitchell
						Mathematician
						Data Reduction Unit
					

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Dr. Mirarchi also firmly believed that the green fireball sightings weren’t meteors or balloons misidentified. He went on to explain that these were regularly observed, but stopped only after the cinetheodolites were installed.

With these, he postulated that the fireballs were probably missiles from Russia and accused the government of hiding this threat from the public.

What Did Project Twinkle Actually Observe?

At its inception, Project Twinkle operated under two separate contracts or phases. Here’s a rundown of some important dates during each.¹

During this initial six-month period, no information was gathered, and the entire operation was considered negative. The USAF also decided to withdraw active funding for the facilities involved in the project, which weren’t utilized due to a decrease in sightings.

In late August, activity over Holloman AFB surged. This was considered sufficiently significant, which was why the Land-Air Inc. contract was extended for another six months.

For the second contract, which ran from October 1950 to March 1951,¹ any aircraft operating around Holloman were tasked with reporting any unusual observations. Unfortunately, most of the occasional reports gathered during this period were considered sketchy and inconclusive.

By March 31, 1951, the Land-Air Inc. contract expired, and no extensions were made. The results were also considered negative.

The Recorded List of Sightings

Ironically, more sightings were reported before the entire Project Twinkle setup was established. By March 24, 1950, Lt. Col. Rees of the OSI at Kirtland had been compiling reported green fireball sightings around New Mexico.

The catalog showed the following data.²

New Mexico Sightings in 1949:

• 17 sightings from Sandia Base, Albuquerque
• 26 sightings from Los Alamos
• None from the Vaughn area
• 12 sightings from Holloman AFB/Alamogordo/White Sands
• 20 sightings from other areas in Southwest New Mexico

New Mexico Sightings in Jan-March, 1950:

• 6 sightings from Sandia Base, Albuquerque
• 7 sightings from Los Alamos
• 1 sighting from Vaughn
• 6 sightings from Holloman AFB/Alamogordo/White Sands
• 6 sightings from other areas in Southwest New Mexico

What Were the Conclusions Drawn by Project Twinkle?

The final report from Project Twinkle was written in November 1951 by Dr. Louis Elterman,² the then-director of the program. According to the report, the project was a failure as no further information was gained about the green fireball sightings.

A good many of the observations reported are attributable to ordinary man-made objects such as airplane, balloons, smoke rockets, etc.¹

Project Twinkle claimed that the sightings were either: (1) balloons, or (2) small emissive clouds from atomic installations. It also quoted Dr. Fred Whipple’s August 9, 1950, memo, which indicated instances of “small detached clouds”¹ mistakenly identified as aerial objects.

However, this didn’t reflect a conclusive opinion on the incident. Instead, it sparked further discourse, especially given some inconsistencies.

There is considerable doubt in the minds of some of the project personnel that this is a natural phenomenon. As long as a reasonable doubt exists, it is not wise to discontinue entirely the observations.¹

What Is the Significance of Project Twinkle in Modern Ufology?

While Project Twinkle was widely considered a failure in its mission to explain the green fireball sightings, it still succeeded in carefully documenting a UAP phenomenon.

The establishment of a comprehensive action plan to capture the unidentified objects underscored the U.S. military’s seriousness about the situation. This makes the project one of the earliest attempts to scientifically study the phenomenon.

Today, it is often cited as a precursor to modern UFO investigations, demonstrating that the government recognized the potential truth behind the matter.

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