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The Shadow Space Race

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the much-better-than-my-rainbow-moonbeam-race dept.

vm writes "NOVA's recent documentary, "Astrospies," was written and co-produced by journalist and NSA expert, James Bamford. It details the U.S. Air Force's orbiting spy station program begun in the 1960s, the Manned Orbital Laboratory. Designed from a heavily modified Gemini 2 capsule and launched from a Titan III booster rocket, MOL was basically intended to be a Hubble telescope pointed at Earth with the sole intention of collecting photo intelligence on the Soviets using an impressive array of optics and gyro balanced cameras operated onboard by specially trained astronauts. The lab was never launched, however, due to the competing Corona unmanned spy satellite program funded by NASA and the National Reconnaissance Office. Partly spurred by the success of the Apollo missions, the Soviets, meanwhile, sent cosmonauts to its own succesfully launched spy platform, the Almaz. In addition to an onboard film lab and a space-to-ground image relay system, it included an alarming first in manned space exploration; a 23mm aircraft cannon — which is rather ironic in light of Russia and China's recent attempts to ban space weaponry. At a time when we're still unearthing details about the post 9/11 domestic spying debacle, it's a fascinating look at the history of technology used to look over our neighbors' fences." There is more to the story but what these sorts of stories always make me wonder, is since this was the 60s, what are they doing NOW!

3 of 192 comments (clear)

  1. Soviet reaction by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Funny

    The lab was never launched, however

    ...forcing the Soviets to cancel construction of "F" and "K"-shaped buildings of their new large space complex, leaving only buildings "U", "C", "Y", "O", and "U" for use.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  2. Re:Why Build new ones? Unless you want the Bigger. by Schemat1c · · Score: 4, Funny

    Then we could send their pictures of us to them from someone else with a note about us not liking them. Or better yet we could send them pictures with their own toothbrushes up our butts!
    --

    "Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everybody agrees that it is old enough to know better." - Unknown
  3. Re:HA HA by TrippTDF · · Score: 4, Funny

    That reminds me- in jr. high, we had a bonus question on a science test: "What will be the first country to land on Mars?" The teacher warned us it was a trick question. The correct answer was, of course "Multiple countries will have to work together."

    However, one very special girl answered "Countries can't move." She never lived it down.