Slashdot Mirror
The Shadow Space Race
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!
If you think about it manned space stations are rather unpractical (especially today). Photographic surveillance can be done just fine now with remote controlled, or even robotic systems. The US government has tracking stations all over the world, so that at no time is a satellite out of contact with America. I would be surprised if the US had any weapons on ships today. Weapons, ammo, and a remote firing mechanism take up precious space that could be used for better spying. Theres no threat of a Moonraker-esque space battle in the future, so having short range weapons seems kinda pointless.
their currrent stance because.
1. The US can do it so much better
2. They will do it anyway and hope to hamper the US's ability to do it.
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
If they have good enough optics they could listen to enemies from space. All they would need was for the enemy to be in a room with a window. They could measure the vibrations of the window and turn the measurements into a reproduction of the sounds inside the room.
Speaking of which, how is it they found Saddam Hussein in a couple of months but they can't find Osama seven years later? I'm starting to suspect they don't WANT to find him. How many spy satellites do they have now? Haven't they known where Bin Laden was in the past? Isn't he supposed to be hiding in Pakistan, and isn't that particular dictatorship sopposed to be our friend?
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
I thought the issue was the NSA listening to people making phone calls to remote regions of Ohio.
"So many ways we could be utilizing space for the benefit of the human race...and this is what we come up with?"
Yeah, I can't believe we dared to try and develop high end optics, image correction software, gyroscopes, or any of the other myriad technologies that are required for a satellite like this. THE HORROR!
I wonder how many weather satellites have benefited from this "waste"...
So many ways we could be utilizing space for the benefit of the human race
You never heard of the ISS?
We're not going to make it,
I never thought I'd reach 40. The world is now a far safer place than it was when I was young. For instance, kids today don't have "duck and cover" drills to prepare for Armagheddon like we did. Of course, you never had to go through a metal detector to get your license plates renewed, either, but that's just government officials' cowardice.
and we don't deserve to
Speak for yourself. I say we do, but if you say you don't I'll take your word for it.
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
Oh bullshit. It will be a race as long as there are differing national ideologies and goals.. which means for the foreseeable future. The world isn't nice and cuddly.. deal with it.
a) Hubble was mothballed for many years because of the challanger disaster. It was perfectly finished in the 80s
b) They made 5meter mirrors before that.
c) They had bigger lauch vehicles available (anybody know what a saturn 2, or even 5, could lift to a polar LEO?)
d) They could use film. Earth is plenty bright to that low quantum efficiency doesnt hurt, and they would have a person up there to handle it. Hubble is using a decade-old ccd technology (the original before the retrofit operation was a technology now a quarter century out of date). Because they had to (observing dim objects, need for fully electonic path even though the tech was still immature).
There are spysats around that are bigger than hubble, today, too. Just because we dont hear about them doesnt mean they dont exist. Hell, even the shuttle as we know was made to be as big as it is in order to lauch those spysats.
HI O WISE PRINCE. WHT TOOK U SO DAM LONG?
They'll 'find' him, but not until a few weeks before the US presidential election.
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.