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QuotesOct 2

NASA-UAP-D031, STS-80 Unidentified Object Image 2, 1996

Kind
Photo
Agency
NASA
Incident date
1996
Location
Low-Earth Orbit
Released
Jul 10, 2026
Record
NASA-UAP-D031

The file opens on war.gov, the Department of War's PURSUE site.

WHAT THE RECORD SAYS

The government's own description, as released.

During STS-80, between November 19 and December 7, 1996, astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Columbia captured a series of three images of an unidentified object in low-Earth orbit. In the second photograph, the object is visible near the center of the frame, to the right of the limb of the Earth. It appears to have rotated or tumbled about its major axis, which is consistent with the behavior of a free-floating object.

RELEASED WITH

Photo

NASA-UAP-D030, STS-80 Unidentified Object Image 1, 1996

Photo

NASA-UAP-D032, STS-80 Unidentified Object Image 3, 1996

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