Spy Satellites for archeology / Their capabilities come out

[spacemaverick]

http://spacecoastdaily.com/2014/05/nat-geo-cold-war-spy-satellite-images-unveil-lost-cities/



This 1961 satellite photo shows Tell Rifaat in northwest Syria; it's now completely surrounded by a modern town (Photograph Courtesy Internet Archaeology/ Jesse Casana, Jackson Cothren and Tuna Kalayci)

A study of Cold War spy-satellite photos has tripled the number of known archaeological sites across the Middle East, revealing thousands of ancient cities, roads, canals and other ruins.

This photo was taken in 1961 and you see what we had then.  Imagine what we have now.

In recent decades archaeologists have often used declassified satellite images to spot archaeological sites in Iraq, Turkey and Syria.

But the new Corona Atlas of the Middle East, unveiled Thursday at the Society for American Archaeology's annual meeting, moves spy-satellite science to a new level. Surveying land from Egypt to Iran—and encompassing the Fertile Crescent, the renowned cradle of civilization and location of some of humanity's earliest cities—the atlas reveals numerous sites that had been lost to history.


"Some of these sites are gigantic, and they were completely unknown," says atlas-team archaeologist Jesse Casana of the University of Arkansas, who presented the results. "We can see all kinds of things—ancient roads and canals. The images provide a very comprehensive picture."

The team had started with a list of roughly 4,500 known archaeological sites across the Middle East, says Casana. The spy-satellite images revealed another 10,000 that had previously been unknown.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/04/140425-corona-spy-satellite-archaeology-science/?utm_source=NatGeocom&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=pom_20140511&utm_campaign=Content

[spacemaverick]

Cold Warrior

The end of the Cold War led to the public release of Corona spy-satellite images by U.S. defense officials almost two decades ago. The spy satellite made images from 1960 to 1972, and the atlas samples only some of the 188,000 images taken from 1967 to 1972 by the last generation of the satellites. The images of the Earth's surface, intended to expose Soviet missile bases and military camps, had a resolution of two meters (6.6 feet).



A missile launch site near Chelyabinsk in the USSR is outlined in this 1969 image.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY NATIONAL RECONAISSANCE OFFICE

Current imaging satellites, such as the privately owned DigitalGlobe based in Longmont, Colorado, return better resolution images, but "they can't go back in time," says Casana.

The Corona images, he explains, were made before cities such as Mosul in Iraq and Amman in Jordan overran the many archaeological sites near them. Dams have also flooded river valleys, covering many other archaeological sites. As cities grew, the industrial farming and irrigation that supported them grew too, obscuring roads and sites clearly visible in the spy-satellite images. (Related: "The Dam That Will Flood Homes and History Across Southern Turkey.")

"Even with much better resolution, we can't see a site that someone has covered up with a building," Casana says.

Corona satellites photographed the Earth in swaths 120 miles (193 kilometers) long by 10 miles (16 kilometers) wide. Film strips were delivered from space inside parachute-equipped buckets, and the film's stretched and distorted views of the Earth required special optics to sort out. The existence of the photographs was officially kept secret until 1992.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/04/140425-corona-spy-satellite-archaeology-science/?utm_source=NatGeocom&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=pom_20140511&utm_campaign=Content

The full story at the link.

[ArMaP]

This photo was taken in 1961 and you see what we had then.  Imagine what we have now.

It looks like 2 metres per pixel, now we even have photos of Mars at 0.25 metres per pixel.

[spacemaverick]

http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB186/index.htm

Eyes on the Bomb
U-2, CORONA, and KH-7 Imagery of Foreign Nuclear Installations


Camera System / # of Missions / Years in Operation / Resolution

KH-1                        10                 1959-1960           40 feet

KH-2                        10                 1960-1961           25 feet

KH-3                        6                   1961-1962           12-25 feet

KH-4                        26                 1962-1963           10-25 feet

KH-4A                      52                 1963-1969            9-25 feet

KH-4B                      17                 1967-1972            6 feet

The final CORONA mission was launched on May 25, 1972. By that time another satellite program first authorized by President Eisenhower had achieved success. In 1960, Eisenhower had given the Air Force permission to go ahead with a program designated GAMBIT. Whereas CORONA was a search satellite whose mission was to produce photographs that showed thousands of square miles in a single photograph, GAMBIT was designed to photograph much narrower swaths of the earth (only about 120 square nautical miles) but with far greater resolution. The improved resolution would translate into an ability to produce better technical intelligence about military facilities, including nuclear facilities and weapons systems.

In July 1963, the first GAMBIT satellite was launched, carrying the KH-7 camera system.
Including the final KH-7 mission in June 1967, the GAMBIT/KH-7 program successfully returned imagery on 34 of the 38 missions, which ranged in duration from one to eight days. Thirty missions returned usable imagery for analysis. The quality of resolution improved from about four feet for the initial missions to about two feet in 1966. (Note 5)

KH-7 imagery allowed U.S. photointerpreters, using the U.S. reactor at Hanford, Washington, for comparison, to estimate the reactor's productive capacity. Oblique images of nuclear facilities, particularly Chinese facilities, were often taken to provide data on the location, size, and shape of their transformers. The CIA already understood the capabilities of Soviet transformers, and high-resolution images of the ones on Chinese facilities would allow superior estimates of the power going in and the nuclear material coming out.

In 1966, the first of a new generation of GAMBIT satellites would be launched with a new camera system that would completely supplant the KH-7 system after the final mission of June 1967. The camera system for the new generation, the KH-8, would commonly produce images with a resolution of six inches - and on occasion far better. While all KH-7 imagery, other than that of Israel, was declassified in September 2002, no KH-8 imagery has been declassified. All CORONA imagery was declassified in 1995 and is available at the National Archives and Records Administration II facility in College Park, Maryland. All U-2 imagery is also available at NARA II.

Soviet and Chinese nuclear facilities were the most important targets of U.S. aerial and satellite imagery between 1960 and 1972 and for a number of years beyond. But these were by no means the only nuclear facilities photographed by U-2 spy planes or the CORONA and KH-7 satellites. During that period, the nuclear facilities of France, India, Israel and Taiwan were also targets of U.S. overhead reconnaissance activities. Specific targets included nuclear weapons design laboratories, uranium mining facilities, uranium enrichment and plutonium production plants, nuclear reactors, and nuclear test sites.

The images presented below represent some examples of the images obtained between 1960 and 1972. The photographs were located and extracted from the reels of film held at NARA II by Tim Brown of Talent-Keyhole.com. Two of these (Image 5 and Image 14) were obtained specifically for this briefing book, while the others were collected as part of the research behind the new book, Spying on the Bomb: American Nuclear Intelligence from Nazi German to Iran and North Korea, by National Security Archive Senior Fellow Jeffrey T. Richelson. (Note 7) In addition to the images, some of the photo interpretation reports for the target facilities are included in this briefing book.

Taken from this link:

http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB186/index.htm

Found on living moon:

http://www.thelivingmoon.com/45jack_files/index.html

Under spy satellites

http://www.thelivingmoon.com/45jack_files/02archives/US_Satellite_Imagery_1960-1999.html

Current Systems
The United States is presently operating at least two satellite imaging systems. One is an advanced version of the KH-11, three of which have been launched, the first in 1992.
The advanced KH-11 satellites have a higher orbit than that exhibited by their predecessors--operating with perigees of about 150 miles and apogees of about 600 miles. In addition, they also have some additional capabilities. They contain an infrared imagery capability, including a thermal infrared imagery capability, thus permitting imagery during darkness. In addition, the satellites carry the Improved CRYSTAL Metric System (ICMS), which places the necessary markings on returned imagery to permit its full exploitation for mapping purposes. Additionally, the Advanced KH-11 can carry more fuel than the original model, perhaps 10,000 to 15,000 pounds. This permits a longer lifetime for the new model--possibly up to eight years.22

A second component of the U.S. space imaging fleet, are satellites developed and deployed under a program first known as INDIGO, then as LACROSSE, and most recently as VEGA. Rather than employing an electro-optical system they carry an imaging radar.  The satellites closed a major gap in U.S. capabilities by allowing the U.S. intelligence community to obtain imagery even when targets are covered by clouds.23

The first VEGA was launched on December 2, 1988 from the space shuttle orbiter Atlantis (and deorbited in July 1997). A second was orbited in March 1991, from Vandenberg AFB on a Titan IV, and a third in October 1997. The satellites have operated in orbits of approximately 400 miles and at inclinations of 57 and 68 degrees respectively.24

When conceived, the primary purpose envisioned for the satellite was monitoring Soviet and Warsaw Pact armor. Recent VEGA missions included providing imagery for bomb damage assessments of the consequences of Navy Tomahawk missile attacks on Iraqi air defense installations in September 1996, monitoring Iraqi weapons storage sites, and tracking Iraqi troop movements such as the dispersal of the Republican Guard when the Guard was threatened with U.S. attack in early 1998. VEGA has a resolution of 3-5 feet, with its resolution reportedly being sufficient to allow discrimination between tanks and armored personnel carriers and identification of bomb craters of 6-10 feet in diameter.25

The LACROSSE/VEGA satellite that was launched in October 1997 may be the first of a new generation of radar imagery satellites. The new generation will apparently have greater resolution, and constellation size may be increased from 2 to 3.

Commercial Imagery
The U.S. intelligence community has also used imagery, including multispectral imagery, produced by two commercial systems --LANDSAT and SPOT. The LANDSAT program began in 1969 as an experimental National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) program, the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS).  Currently there are two operating LANDSAT satellites--LANDSAT 4 and LANDSAT 5--launched in 1982 and 1984.27
LANDSATs 4 and 5 operate in 420 mile sun-synchronous orbits and each carries a Thematic Mapper (TM), an upgraded version of the Multispectral Scanner (MSS) on earlier LANDSATs. A typical LANDSAT images is 111 by 102 miles, providing significant broad area coverage. However, the resolution of the images is approximately 98 feet--making them useful for only the coarsest intelligence tasks.

SPOT, an acronym for Le Systeme Pour l'Observation de la Terre, is operated by the French national space agency. SPOT 1 was launched in 1986, followed by three additional satellites at approximately four year intervals. SPOT satellites operate in about 500-mile orbits, and carry two sensor systems. The satellites can return black and white (panchromatic) images with 33 foot resolution and multispectral images with 67 foot resolution. The images are of higher-resolution than LANDSAT's but cover less territory-- approximately 36 miles by 36 miles.28

U.S. intelligence community use of commercial imagery will expand dramatically in the coming years if the new generation of commercial imaging satellites lives up to expectations--which include images with 1-meter resolution. Such imagery and the reduced cost of attaining it when purchased commercially will permit the U.S. intelligence community to fill part of its needs via such commercial systems.

Among the commercial satellites that are expected to produce high resolution imagery are the Ikonos satellites to be launched by Space Imaging Eosat (which also operates the LANDSAT satellites). The first of the satellites, scheduled to be launched in the summer of 1999 from Vandenberg AFB, is designed to generate 1-meter panchromatic and 4-meter multispectral images. A similar satellite is scheduled for launch in September 1998.29

Also promising to provide 1-meter panchromatic imagery and 4-meter multispectral imagery are the satellites to be developed by EarthWatch and Orbital Sciences. EarthWatch's 1-meter resolution Quickbird satellite is scheduled for launch in late 1998 or 1999. Orbital Science's OrbView-3 satellite is to be launched in 1999. It is expected to have a 3-5 year lifetime and produce images covering 5x5 mile segments with 1-meter resolution.30

I look at this information in light of MH 370 and wonder.......

[1967sander]

Ahum and what about the extreme poor resolution by the Clementine in 1994? If they were capable of so much higher solution why this poor camera system?

[robomont]

In the eighties we had sattelites that could read license plates.so fron meters to inches in twenty years.maybe millimeters now would be my guess.

[spacemaverick]

Ahum and what about the extreme poor resolution by the Clementine in 1994? If they were capable of so much higher solution why this poor camera system?

I can only guess with the answer but I would assume it might have had something to do with the actual mission of the craft:

During the past decade, the Department of Defense and the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, BMDO (formally the Strategic Defense Initiative, SDIO) of the US Department of Defense (DOD) have invested heavily in space technology, focused on the development of lighter, more cost effective components and systems for spacecraft. In May of 1990, the NASA Discovery Science Working Group endorsed a study of incorporation of SDIO developed technology into civilian scientific missions. In September 1990, NASA Administrator Richard Truly formally inquired of Deputy Secretary of Defense Donald Atwood as to the possibility of utilizing the advanced, lightweight technologies being developed by the Department of Defense in a joint space exploration mission. After a six month effort by NASA, DOD, and industry, it was concluded that a mission to a near-Earth-asteroid was desirable and feasible from both organizations' standpoint. In addition to the scientific value of an asteroid flyby and of the potential benefit of technology transfer between the agencies for NASA, there was clear benefits to DOD. In early 1992 the mission was incorporated into the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization Sensor Integration Program. The mission was subsequently expanded by two months to include mapping of the Moon to demonstrate spacecraft and sensor performance prior to the demanding asteroid flyby mission. The interstage adapter of the spacecraft, housing the solid rocket motor, was also designated as a platform to remain in highly eccentric earth orbit as a radiation experiment platform and additional sensor target

http://www.vgl.org/webfiles/jon/techspec.htm#intro

via livingmoon.com   Jack Arneson's files...

[1967sander]

In the eighties we had sattelites that could read license plates.so fron meters to inches in twenty years.maybe millimeters now would be my guess.

No that is impossible. The satellites have to "look" through earth's atmosphere and the reflections, air turbulence, dust particles and other conditions make that it is impossible to focus that sharp. However when a spysatellite would observe a heavenly body without an atmosphere (so no disturbing conditions) ...  let's say our Moon ... than they could see extremely far and razor sharp.

[spacemaverick]

http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=731

http://www.thelivingmoon.com/45jack_files/03files/Clementine_ISAS.htm

http://www.thelivingmoon.com/43ancients/41Group_Lunar_FYEO/02files/FYEO_Clementine_01.html

http://www.nrl.navy.mil/clementine/clm/

http://www.nrl.navy.mil/clementine/

These are all dealing with Clementine and presents a background of the mission.

[spacemaverick]

No that is impossible. The satellites have to "look" through earth's atmosphere and the reflections, air turbulence, dust particles and other conditions make that it is impossible to focus that sharp. However when a spysatellite would observe a heavenly body without an atmosphere (so no disturbing conditions) ...  let's say our Moon ... than they could see extremely far and razor sharp.

See entry above in thread:

In July 1963, the first GAMBIT satellite was launched, carrying the KH-7 camera system.
Including the final KH-7 mission in June 1967, the GAMBIT/KH-7 program successfully returned imagery on 34 of the 38 missions, which ranged in duration from one to eight days. Thirty missions returned usable imagery for analysis. The quality of resolution improved from about four feet for the initial missions to about two feet in 1966.

They were down to 2 feet in 1966 and it is 2014 now and they have advanced the satellites to KH 11 which right now is classified due national security reasons.  So logic follows that we would have much greater capabilities now.

[ArMaP]

Ahum and what about the extreme poor resolution by the Clementine in 1994? If they were capable of so much higher solution why this poor camera system?

High resolution photos cover a smaller area than low resolution photos.

It's the same thing as painting a wall (for example), do you choose a small brush to have the best quality or do you choose a large brush, so you can finish the work in the time you have for doing it?

[ArMaP]

In the eighties we had sattelites that could read license plates.so fron meters to inches in twenty years.maybe millimeters now would be my guess.

I always think of something when I see people saying that: how can a satellite see a licence plate that is mounted vertically on the front and back of a vehicle?

[ArMaP]

They were down to 2 feet in 1966 and it is 2014 now and they have advanced the satellites to KH 11 which right now is classified due national security reasons.  So logic follows that we would have much greater capabilities now.

As far as I know, the only method of seeing far away things remains the same, optical lens, so while the technology for the rest of the satellites as become much better, the quality is still limited by what is optically possible.

And while we now have things as super-resolution and the possibility of using it on high speed video, the optical limits do not disappear.

[Norval]

I always think of something when I see people saying that: how can a satellite see a licence plate that is mounted vertically on the front and back of a vehicle?

Quite simple, , , it is taken from a SIDE view ArMaP, , , FYI. 

[ArMaP]

Quite simple, , , it is taken from a SIDE view ArMaP, , , FYI. 

I would like to see that.