A photograph of an unidentified object in low-Earth orbit, taken from Space Shuttle Columbia in 1996.
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 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.
Reproduced verbatim from the releasing agency.
AI summary
This file contains images captured by astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia during the STS-80 mission, which took place in 1996. The second image shows an unidentified object in low-Earth orbit that exhibits rotation, suggesting it is a free-floating object, highlighting the ongoing interest in UAPs and the phenomena observed during space missions.
