Leslie Kean, a freelance journalist with with financial backing from the SciFi Channel, filed a Freedom of Information Act request for documents related to the Dec. 9, 1965, incident in Kecksburg, Pa., the Chicago Tribune reported Monday.

However, she filed a lawsuit in December 2003 when the space agency claimed not to have any documents related to the incident.

"In the beginning, they probably saw Leslie's request and thought, 'Oh, she's after UFOs,'" said her attorney, Lee Helfrich of Washington. "Maybe they just didn't treat it seriously at first."

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan said in ordering NASA to perform a more thorough search of its records that its efforts comply with the information request thus far have been a "ball of yarn."

"I can sense the plaintiff's frustration because I'm frustrated," the judge said.