258 - The History and Technology of Spy Satellites

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Guest: David Baker Host: Markus Voelter Shownoter: Alexander Grote

In this episode we speak with David Baker, who wrote a fascinating book about spy satellites. We cover the political and military context that drove their development, their (known and suspected) capabilities, methods of recovering the images, as well as typical orbits and the sartellites’ ability to change that orbit for quick repositioning.

Here are the videos I mentioned on the show:

• The Last Bucket Catch
• Corona Project: “A Point in Time” 1995 CIA
• First Spy Satellites: “Corona Project Overview”
• CIA Spy Satellites : The Corona Story
• The Top Secret Satellites Documentary
• Spy in the Sky – The KH-9 Hexagon
• HEXAGON – Sentinel of Liberty

Introduction of David Baker

00:01:53

Spaceflight Magazine and British interplanetary society | Davids books | Davids Spy Satellite Book | Boeing | Lockheed Martin | Northrop Grumman

Spy Satellites

00:08:53

Intelligence | Reconnaissance | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Wehrmacht | Soviet Union | NATO | Open Skies Treaty | V2-rocket | Orbit | International Geophysical Year | Spyplanes | U2-Spyplane | Bomber Gap | Sputnik (1) | ICBM | Wheat supply to Russia

Instrumentation on Satellite

00:29:23

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) | Stationary Orbit | EM-Spectrum | Airy Disk (optical resolution) | Radar | Corona | Kennen | Direct tv broadcast | Film bucket and Bucket recovery | Keyhole designation | Zenit 2 Rocket | Atlas Rocket | Thor Rocket | C119 | C130 | SR71 | SCUD Missle | Neutron Sniffer

Technical Details

00:56:15

Polar Orbit | Cape Canaveral | Stereo Camera | Secundary motor | Early warning satellite | Strategic defense initiative | Kinetic Weapon | Space proliferation treaty | Optical abberation | Dorian | Manned Orbiting Laboratory | Satelite refuelling | Tracking and Data Relay Satellite

Spy Satellites Today

01:49:03

Lacrosse

Outro

01:59:25