US releases 1996 Columbia shuttle UFO photos

The United States Department of Defense disclosed three photographs of an unidentified aerial phenomenon recorded by NASA astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia during the STS‑80 mission (Nov 19‑Dec 7 1996). The images show the object near the edge of Earth, appearing to rotate in one shot and later positioned directly over the planet, following a trajectory between the shuttle and the Earth. Officials have not identified the object and say the material does not confirm an extraterrestrial origin. The release is part of the fourth batch of the "Pursuit" program, a joint effort by the Defense Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to make UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon) documents public, with additional files to be issued gradually.