Sep 172011
The Smithsonian seems to have gotten it’s mitts on some spy satellites. Just unveiled at Udvar-Hazy, and shown photographically here:
KH-7 GAMBIT-1 / KH-8 GAMBIT-3 / KH-9 HEXAGON
Neat stuff.
6 Responses to “KH-7 GAMBIT-1 / KH-8 GAMBIT-3 / KH-9 HEXAGON”
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I went to the link, but there’s no photos there – do you have to be a member to view the images?
Anyway, NRO posted all the stuff today on their website:
http://www.nro.gov/foia/declass/GAMBHEX.html
> do you have to be a member to view the images?
Yup. Don’t cost nuthin’.
I’ll probably sign up.
I just watched the video on the KH-8 Gambit, and it’s strange to see what got redacted; unfortunately including the photos of the Soviet N-1 launch pad after the second launch attempt fell on it and destroyed it.
The video on the KH-9 is very interesting, as they show how the whole rotating twin camera system operated with drawings and working models…film feed had to be up to 100 inches per second!:
http://www.nro.gov/foia/declass/GAMHEX/Videos/2.mov
Kodak kept improving the film as time went on, making it thinner so that more could be carried and with a far finer grain so that the photos could be enlarged more.
when I was in high school the “Star Wars” hype was in full swing. And the KH series satellites were already the stuff of mythology. Capabilities such as being able to read license plates were talked about. Claims were made that the KH7 could not only count plates at a picnic but also determine the difference between burgers and steaks. The conspiracy minded and paranoid believed feverishly that the capabilities were actually *better* than what the “leaks” were saying.
It’s gonna be great to see what the actual performance stats of these birds really are!
Here are some photos
http://www.space.com/12997-photos-declassified-spy-satellite-pictures.html
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1931/1
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1927/1
Frankly, I’m more impressed with the proposal here:
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1691/1
With SLS on the horizon, I’m hoping Space Radar will be talked about again–and here might be a reason why:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/09/15/lightsquared-did-white-house-pressure-general-shelton-to-help-donor.html
If it turns out that wireless systems are causing more and more trouble, having larger assets to punch through noise might be the way to go. perhaps something like the Orbital Antenna Farm can make a comeback of sorts.
The Light Squared scandal–if indeed that’s what it is–is bigger than the Solyndra Hype. I have no problem propping up solar power myself, This on the other hand, if it gets out..
http://www.nrc.gov/materials/fuel-cycle-fac/laser.html
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.278f9d820a1f216c793eed28ab2562c0.2a1&show_article=1