JF Mezei
2023-07-03 07:04:30 UTC
Hexagon KH-9 satellite
It was declassified in 2011, but just stumbled on it.
Spy Museum interview with Phil Presser, designer of the camera system.
(40 minutes)
The prototype satellite used to debug working ones was sent to Wright
The film was 16.6cm wide , and rolls contained 32,000 metres of filk at
first and later increateed to 48,000 metres (that is 30 US miles of
film) Made by Kodak. There were 2 cameras each with their own supply
of film. Film was fed from huge wheels onto rotating cameras (so they
could do a panorama spanning 120° angle onto very wide stereo picture)
About 600km * 16km of ground was photographed in each shot.
Exposed film was spooled into one of 4 returning capsules which when
full, would be commanded to detach, deorbit and deploy parachute. And
they were able to succesfully capture the dropping capsuled with planes
before they reached ground. 75 of the 76 returning capsules were
succesfully captured in flight by the planes (one failed to deploy
parachurte and was recovered from bottom of Pacific Ocean (though no
usable imagery)
SpaceX had tried to recover fairings as I recall and abandonned it. This
was "routine" back in the 1970s and early 1980s while this program lasted.
It was declassified in 2011, but just stumbled on it.
Spy Museum interview with Phil Presser, designer of the camera system.
(40 minutes)
The prototype satellite used to debug working ones was sent to Wright
https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/195921/hexagon-kh-9-reconnaissance-satellite/
Phil Presser presenting in front of the satellite : (1 hour)The film was 16.6cm wide , and rolls contained 32,000 metres of filk at
first and later increateed to 48,000 metres (that is 30 US miles of
film) Made by Kodak. There were 2 cameras each with their own supply
of film. Film was fed from huge wheels onto rotating cameras (so they
could do a panorama spanning 120° angle onto very wide stereo picture)
About 600km * 16km of ground was photographed in each shot.
Exposed film was spooled into one of 4 returning capsules which when
full, would be commanded to detach, deorbit and deploy parachute. And
they were able to succesfully capture the dropping capsuled with planes
before they reached ground. 75 of the 76 returning capsules were
succesfully captured in flight by the planes (one failed to deploy
parachurte and was recovered from bottom of Pacific Ocean (though no
usable imagery)
SpaceX had tried to recover fairings as I recall and abandonned it. This
was "routine" back in the 1970s and early 1980s while this program lasted.