Air Force launches top secret satellite

[JewelDigger]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/09/09/satellite.launch/index.html

<snip>
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida (CNN) -- The Air Force launched a top-secret satellite Tuesday for the National Reconnaissance Office, which operates the United States' fleet of spy spacecraft

<snip>

The National Reconnaissance Office would not reveal any details about the satellite, including its cost, purpose or which contractor built it.

"I cannot discuss what the payload is other than to tell you that it will provide additional capabilities for our nation's leadership and military," said Art Haubold, a spokesman for the NRO.

<snip>

The large antennas permit the satellite to monitor extremely faint signals, even individual cell phone conversations.

<snip>

[Chico Man]

1. No doubt about it

These things freak me out. As the world gets smaller due to technology, the ability to control populations through fascist means increases exponentially.

[RobertSeattle]

2. Shhhhhhh

Better put lots of tin foil all over the Dean Campaign Bus!

:tinfoilhat:

[bif]

3. If all these spy satellites worked so well

Why couldn't they find the so-called WNDs in Iraq? I personally believe these are way overrated.

[matcom]

4. cause there aren't any. my father worked with them

and tells me that the technology is so good today that these things can actually show what brand of ciggarette someone is smoking.

:scared:

[0007]

15. Wrong!

They knew! Just had to get our foot in the door so we could get the oil.

[underpants]

5. Boy I sure am glad that only CNN found out about this "secret"

Wow they are so covert.

[RobertSeattle]

7. Kind of hard to hide a rocket launch though

If that Vandenberg AFB + Shuttle facility had worked out (there's a huge waste of Reagan Defense bucks) they probably could have done more secretive launches, but it is kind of hard to hide a rocket launch 10 miles away from a public beach.

[underpants]

8. What was that?

What was what?

That missile what was that?

I didn't see any missile
(turns to an apparent stranger to his left)
Did you see a missile there stranger?

Huh no I didn't see any missile

Hey why are you guys wearing suits at the beach?

(the two suited men run off)

[Emboldened Chimp]

6. Anyone here doubt

that we DON'T live in a democracy any more? They won't tell US how they're spending OUR money, presumably because this satellite system may be used to spy on US. DARPA, anybody?

[BeHereNow]

10. ABSOLUTELY...

DARPA for SURE.

I hate these people.
I really hope it is not one of those nuclear powered things.

BHN

[donsu]

9. this is why the bloody hands bushgang infiltrated and now owns NASA

they want to rule space too.

[Robb]

11. They do secret launches often

Although it's always interesting when it's NRO.

You may recall this LBN thread from August. We kicked around the numbers and came up with roughly 1cm resolution. From orbit.

To which I say, "egad". Again.

[treepig]

19. ten to fifteen centimeters

seems to be the actual resolution currently achievable . . .

More Advanced Optical Imagery Satellites
Another type of satellite performs area surveillance. This type of satellite returns images to Earth via an electronic link and are known as 'Keyhole-class' satellites. Initially these satellites provided a lower resolution than those of film satellites however due to technological advances, this is no longer the case. The most advanced of these satellites have a resolution of around 10 - 15 cm. As an example, this type of satellite is not capable of reading license plates of vehicles but they can tell if a vehicle has one, and they cannot provide real-time images however other 'assets' such as spy planes can.



http://www.iis.ee.ic.ac.uk/~frank/surp99/article2/fb97/

[Ernesto]

12. "cell phone conversations"

"our nation's leadership"....... sounds like this could be Ashcroft's new toy!

[Nottingham]

13. More sattelites to spy with!

:bounce:

[0007]

14. If it's top secret why the publicity?

*

[5thGenDemocrat]

16. Or another possibility

Who says this rocket has anything on it for a payload? I suspect the goonies in the Pentagon and CIA already have spy satellites coming out of their, um, ears. But, if someone who was tied into a major defense contractor (koff DICK CHENEY koff koff POPPY BUSH koff CARLYLE GROUP) stuffed last week's garbage into a trash can and shot it into orbit, wouldn't that allow for, say, a few hundred millions of dollars of graft and theft to be covered up -- justified as a "Top Secret Super Spooky Spy-in-the-Sky Satellite" launch?
I say it's Coffee Grounds in Space and I say it's another ripoff.
John
These guys don't need satellites to listen in on you. They're probably already tapping your phone.

[wheresthemind]

17. KUCINICH IS A NUT FOR BANNING SPACE WEAPONS!!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=300060

..... all those provisions don't seem to implausible do they?

[tom_paine]

18. But this one is to spy ON US

You might say that's unremarkable, that America has always spied on it's own citizens to some degree.

But as the Enabling Act of 2001 broke down previous barriers, just as all the checks and balances of Democracy are breaking down like ovresoaked noodles, I have no doubt that this Bushevik Spy Sattelite GOES FURTHER AND DIGS DEEPER than any before it.

Hell, perhaps they'll rout their "Watergate 2004" efforts through it.

"National Security" you know.