Description

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.

🏛️ Official U.S. government release — batch 4 (Jul 10, 2026)
Released by: NASA
Official file: NASA-UAP-D031
When: 1996
Where: Low-Earth Orbit