← Declassified UAP case filesNASA-UAP-D030DECLASSIFIED · R04

UFO photo 1 of 3 from Space Shuttle STS-80, 1996

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

Published Jul 10, 2026 · Updated Aug 7, 2026

Incident date

1996

Incident location

Low-Earth Orbit

Agency

NASA

Released in

R04 · 2026-07-10

File type

Image

A photograph of an unidentified object in low-Earth orbit, taken from Space Shuttle Columbia in 1996.

IMG · ANALYSIS

Brightness1.00Contrast1.00Saturation1.00

Presets

Key facts

Official file ID: NASA-UAP-D30 (cited as NASA-UAP-D030 in this file)
Document type: Image
Agency: NASA
Released in: R04 · 2026-07-10
Incident date: 1996
Incident location: Low-Earth Orbit
VIRIN: 260710-O-D0360-1134

Official 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 first photograph, the object is visible near the center of the frame, to the right of the limb of the Earth.

✦ AI visual analysis

Photograph taken through a Space Shuttle window looking down at Earth. Bright white cloud cover fills the left half, with the dark silhouette of the window frame and orbiter structure on the right. A small thin elongated white object is visible against the clouds. Red telemetry markings run along the left edge; the film is grainy and slightly hazed by window reflections.

space shuttleorbitearthcloudswindowelongated objectwhite objectgrainy filmNASAlow-earth orbit

Generated with AI from the official file — may contain errors.

Source: U.S. Department of War / AARO — public domain · war.gov/ufo