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. This file consolidates the three-image sequence (D030, D031, D032).
In the first photograph (D030), the object is visible near the center of the frame, to the right of the limb of the Earth. The second image (D031) shows the object at a different position relative to the shuttle. The third image (D032) captures the object in yet another configuration. The three images together document what appears to be a coherent object maintaining its presence across multiple frames during the orbital mission.
The case was submitted to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) for formal assessment as part of the office's centralized UAP reporting pipeline. AARO reviews all reports submitted by military branches, intelligence agencies, and other government bodies, applying standardized analytical criteria to determine whether observed objects or phenomena can be identified as conventional aircraft, drones, atmospheric phenomena, or sensor artifacts, or whether they exhibit genuinely anomalous characteristics warranting further investigation.
This material was among records identified in response to Congressional oversight requests and was publicly released as part of the Department of War's disclosure initiative. The release is intended to promote transparency and enable independent analysis of UAP-related records held by the U.S. government.
The official conclusion of AARO is that this case remains an unresolved UAP report. The available evidence does not provide sufficient information to conclusively identify the phenomenon as any specific conventional platform, nor does it contain observable characteristics that can be definitively categorized as anomalous. The designation "unresolved" reflects the determination that the available evidence is insufficient to reach a positive identification or to rule out conventional explanations.
This case is representative of a category of AARO reports where the duration and quality of the available data are inadequate to support a definitive analytical conclusion. Such cases remain open in AARO's case management system and may be revisited if additional data becomes available.
- Q.01What was the true nature and origin of the unidentified object captured in these three STS-80 photographs? Is it a single object observed across three frames, or multiple distinct objects?
- Q.02Were the three images captured in rapid succession or at significant time intervals? What was the object's apparent motion relative to the shuttle across the three frames?
- Q.03Did other STS-80 crew members observe the object visually, or was it only captured by the camera? Were any other sensors (radar, IR, etc.) operating simultaneously?
- Q.04Has NASA or any independent analyst performed image analysis to determine the object's distance, size, or velocity? Are there additional images from the same mission that were not released?