HOMEINCIDENTSNASA-B12-025
UNCLASSIFIED
▶ VIDEO AVAILABLE◈ IMAGE AVAILABLE
NASA-B12-025 · 1996-11-28

STS-80 Columbia UAP Objects 1996

NASALow Earth Orbit — STS-80 MissionSpace / Orbit#1996Orb / Sphere350 km LEOSeveral minutes
EVIDENCE GALLERY

Visual reconstruction and recovered media extracted from the incident dossier. Includes motion playback from the released archive.

Representative official gallery image traced to an official public-source archive

MEDIA STATUS
Official gallery media is shown as representative archive context for this case.
SOURCE TYPE
Sensor capture, analyst notes, and released archive media.
VIEW MODE
Still view highlights silhouette, environment, and encounter geometry.
AT A GLANCE

NASA cameras on Space Shuttle Columbia's STS-80 mission captured footage of multiple objects performing formation maneuvers near the orbiter. Dr. Story Musgrave — one of NASA's most respected astronauts — stated during the mission he could see the objects from the cockpit and that they were real.

PRIMARY WITNESSES
STS-80 crew, NASA Mission Control
EVIDENCE PROFILE
STILL EVIDENCEVIDEO PLAYBACKORB / SPHERE
FILE ID
NASA-B12-025
DATE
1996-11-28
AGENCY
NASA
REGION
Space / Orbit
SHAPE
Orb / Sphere
ALTITUDE
350 km LEO
OBSERVED BEHAVIORS
Formation / GroupRapid Acceleration
DECLASSIFIED DETAILS

During Space Shuttle Columbia's STS-80 mission in November 1996 — the longest Space Shuttle mission in history at 17 days 15 hours — NASA cameras captured footage of multiple objects appearing to perform formation maneuvers near the orbiter at 350 km altitude. Veteran astronaut Dr. Story Musgrave — who flew on six Shuttle missions and is one of NASA's most respected and scientifically credentialed astronauts — noted during the mission that he could see the objects directly from the cockpit and characterized them as genuinely unusual. The footage shows objects performing lateral movements inconsistent with orbital debris or ice particles. After retirement, Musgrave stated publicly and on the record that he believed the objects were genuine anomalous phenomena, not space debris. The STS-80 footage has been analyzed by multiple photographic experts including Dr. Jack Kasher of the University of Nebraska, who published a mathematical analysis concluding the objects demonstrated controlled propulsion. The case is considered one of the most credible NASA astronaut UAP testimonials given Musgrave's reputation and scientific stature.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS
  • Story Musgrave direct cockpit observation
  • 17-day mission longest Shuttle flight
  • Kasher mathematical propulsion analysis published
  • Musgrave post-retirement public statement
  • Multiple objects formation maneuver
ORIGINAL SOURCE

This incident is indexed as file NASA-B12-025inside Now Declassified's research layer. The nearest official source trail for this agency points to NASA UAP Study, where archive records, imagery, or supporting context are published for public review.

OPEN OFFICIAL SOURCE CONTEXT →
EVIDENCE STRENGTH
MODERATE
Video Record
25
Still Imagery
15
Witness Credibility
14
Sensor Corroboration
0
Physical Evidence
0
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Apollo 14 — Astronaut Edgar Mitchell Lunar UAP Observations

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RESEARCHER DISCUSSION

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