Digital BW, The Print

The original Corona program was declassified some years back as was the 
fact of the National Reconnaissance Office. Corona was the first space 
based imaging system. There are quite a few details on the optics on the 
NRO webpage, www.nro.gov.  While these programs are highly classified ( 
the very existence of the NRO was classified until about '92), we have 
seen bits and pieces from these sensors from time to time. The most 
spectacular may have been the eruption of Mt. St. Helen. There is a lot 
of speculation about these systems. Might want to do a google search.

The technology used is highly classified and is very expensive. It will 
be quite a few years before we see it in consumer cameras.

Today there are commercial satellite photo systems flying that sell 
images. You tell it where you want imaged, pay them and they deliver the 
images on the next pass. The Spot system flown by the French comes to 
mind, but there are others.  These images are quite good considering it 
is a commercial venture.  

When I was with Loral we were in the process of designing a multisensor 
space based system to provide services to the agriculture business. We 
were going to fly long wave length IR, short wave length IR, EO and a UV 
sensor.  Data from these sensors were processed to determine the water 
content of the crops, if they needed fertlizer, potential fungus 
infestation, etc. We validated the technology from aircraft. The goal 
was to provide this service at about one dollar per square mile of area 
covered per pass.

I don't know if Loral Space is still looking at this program or not. 
This technology might have been transfered to Lockeed Martin when Loral 
merged with Martin.

Truman



grnskl wrote:

>Perhaps this is tangential, but given today's black and white 
>newspaper images of the missiles beside the mosques, perhaps not. 
>Does anyone know what sensors are used in the satellites that are 
>capable of resolving license plate numbers from miles above the 
>Earth? Where would one begin to track this down? How soon will we be 
>seeing this technology in consumer cameras? 
>
>  
>



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