HistoricalUnresolvedImage

NASA UAP-D031 — STS-80 Space Shuttle Columbia: Unidentified Object Photograph 2, 1996

Source: NASAReleased: July 10, 2026Incident: November 19, 1996
ANALYSIS SUMMARYThis analysis was prepared by Dr. Elara Voss using publicly available source material. It should be verified against the original source documents.

NASA-UAP-D031 is the second of three photographs from the STS-80 mission documenting unidentified objects in low-Earth orbit. The existence of multiple distinct photographs suggests either multiple separate objects were photographed, or a single object was documented across multiple orbital passes or time intervals. Together with D030 and D032, this constitutes the most concentrated set of UAP images from a single NASA mission in the PURSUE program to date, surpassing the single Apollo 17 archival image and single Apollo 12 debriefing from earlier releases.

Overview

A second photograph of an unidentified object in low-Earth orbit, taken from Space Shuttle Columbia during the STS-80 mission in 1996. Published as NASA-UAP-D031 in PURSUE Release 04. Part of a three-image STS-80 series (D030, D031, D032) showing multiple observations from the same mission.

Key Facts

  • Second photograph of unidentified object in low-Earth orbit from STS-80 mission
  • Part of a three-image series (D030, D031, D032) from the same mission
  • Most concentrated set of UAP images from a single NASA mission in the PURSUE program
  • Published as NASA-UAP-D031 in PURSUE Release 04 (July 10, 2026)
  • Designated unresolved

What Remains Unresolved

  • ?Is the object in D031 the same as in D030, or a different object photographed separately?
  • ?What time interval separates the three STS-80 photographs?
  • ?Do the objects show any consistent characteristics across the three images?

Related Topics

NASAPURSUED031STS-80Space ShuttleColumbia1996Low-Earth OrbitHistoricalRelease 04

Official Source

https://www.war.gov/ufo/
This page summarizes publicly available source material. It does not prove or suggest extraterrestrial origin for the described observations. All summaries should be verified against the original official source documents. UFO Files Watch is an independent educational site not affiliated with any government agency.
Dr. Elara Voss

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