Slow moving across sky, stopped and after about a half minute it shot directly verticle in elevation instantanously.

In the winter of 1967 or 1966, myself and my girlfriend were sitting in my car on a rural mountain near Vaucouleurs, Lorraine, France and we saw what was first thought of as a shooting star (comet) moving horizontially from our left to right(approx. 45 degrees) across the sky and then just stopped to our right, after abt. a half minute of watching it.  It was motionless for abt. 20 seconds and then just shot up verticly to abt. 80 degrees instantanously and again was motionless.  It appeared to be way above our atmosphere.  At that time we became frightened and left the area and returned to Vaucouleurs.
Date is approximate.  PD