Clyde Tombaugh

Clyde William Tombaugh (February 4, 1906 – January 17, 1997) was an American astronomer who discovered the planet Pluto in 1930.

Near-Earth satellite search

Tombaugh's offer may have led to his involvement in a search for near-Earth satellites, first announced in late 1953 and sponsored by the Army Office of Ordnance Research. Another public statement was made on the search in March 1954, emphasizing the rationale that such an orbiting object would serve as a natural space station. http://www.roswellproof.com/Satellites_LATimes_SciNL_1954.html However, according to Donald Keyhoe, later director of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP), the real reason for the sudden search was because two near-Earth orbiting objects had been picked up on new long-range radar in the summer of 1953, according to a Pentagon source of his.

Related Topics:
Satellites - Ordnance - Space station - Donald Keyhoe - National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena - Pentagon

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By May 1954, Keyhoe was making public statements that his sources told him the search had indeed been successful, and either one or two objects had been found. http://www.roswellproof.com/Satellites_Keyhoe_May1954.html However, the story didn't really break until August 23, 1954, when Aviation Week magazine stated that two satellites had been found only 400 and 600 miles out. They were termed "natural satellites" and implied that they had been recently captured, despite this being a virtual impossibility. The next day, the story was in many major newspapers. Dr. La Paz was implicated in the discovery in addition to Tombaugh. La Paz had earlier conducted secret investigations on behalf of the Air Force on the Green Fireballs and other unidentified aerial phenomena over New Mexico.

Related Topics:
Aviation Week - Green Fireballs

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La Paz vehemently denied his involvement in the search, although the New York Times reported on August 29 that a source close to the project said that the story was true and La Paz was indeed involved, in fact had been the one to spot and identify the objects as natural rather than artificial satellites. The same source denied the search had anything to do with flying saucers. http://www.roswellproof.com/Satellites_NYTIMES_1954.html

Related Topics:
New York Times - Flying saucers

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However, both La Paz and Tombaugh were to issue public denials that anything had been found. E.g., the May 1955 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine reported: "Professor Tombaugh is closemouthed about his results. He won't say whether or not any small natural satellites have been discovered. He does say, however, that newspaper reports of 18 months ago announcing the discovery of natural satellites at 400 and 600 miles out are not correct. He adds that there is no connection between the search program and the reports of so-called flying saucers." http://www.roswellproof.com/Satellites_PopMech_Oct55.html

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In 1959 Tombaugh was to issue a final report stating that nothing had been found in his search.

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