Well back of envelope for 1' resolution 8 bit grey-scale (Black and White) on 1 mile squared is ~27 gig. Each Kh-9 Strip was ~380 miles long, so for each mile of coverage you are looking at maybe 10 TB uncompressed. With decent compression, maybe a 1/2 TB. It's jut mind boggling, 10 TB per mile.
I'm seeing that each frame shot by Hexagon could capture 370 nautical miles at a time, while each satellite was loaded with 60 miles of film.. https://www.wired.com/2012/08/cia-deep-sea-spy-sat/Was there more film capacity as the program evolved?
Hog: is that image a photoshopped Hubble?
Hog where did that image with all the black blocks on it come from?
Quote from: Star One on 12/24/2017 07:45 pmHog where did that image with all the black blocks on it come from?It was a joke added to a presentation by Alan Dressler; it is Hubble with some black blocks on top of it.
Kevin, when I originally read your post, you wrote "Each Kh-9 Strip was ~380 miles long" I incorrectly thought that you meant that each bird was loaded with approx. 380 miles of film, not that each "capture was approx. 380 miles long.
Quote from: Silmfeanor on 12/24/2017 07:55 pmQuote from: Star One on 12/24/2017 07:45 pmHog where did that image with all the black blocks on it come from?It was a joke added to a presentation by Alan Dressler; it is Hubble with some black blocks on top of it.Oh OK. Thanks for the clarification.
In fact, I have started to doubt that KENNEN or LACROSSE transmitted directly. GRAB/Poppy required Presidential authorization to transmit over Russia, and all later Sigint satellites seem to have used recorders. The AFSCN ground stations were all located far away from the Red Bloc so that LEO satellites would only be active when they were over the horizon from "hostile" tracking stations. Why should this radio silence policy have been abandoned for KENNEN? Even if they used a directional antenna pointed up, there would be side lobes the Reds could tap. Why was there such secrecy about KENNEN images if the NRO didn't have absolute confidence in the security of the raw data? The alleged ground station at Fort Belvoir is also badly placed for direct relay.So I suspect that KENNEN records its images over Eurasia, and plays them back later on the same orbit to an SDS loitering over Canada. The tape recorder isn't a backup, it is the standard method.
Quote from: Jim on 12/28/2017 05:04 pmOn October 15, 2008, the NRO declassified its three Mission Ground Stations: ADF-East, ADF-Colorado, and ADF-Southwest. Also, some presence is noted at RAF Menwith Hill and Joint Defence Facility Pine GapNRO started out with ground stations elsewhere. The system evolved over time.
On October 15, 2008, the NRO declassified its three Mission Ground Stations: ADF-East, ADF-Colorado, and ADF-Southwest. Also, some presence is noted at RAF Menwith Hill and Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap
S-band radio observations have shown USA 161 and USA 186 in ground locked states above Western Canada and Western Europe, indicating active control from ground stations within the area of visibility.
Quote from: satwatcher on 12/28/2017 09:40 pmS-band radio observations have shown USA 161 and USA 186 in ground locked states above Western Canada and Western Europe, indicating active control from ground stations within the area of visibility.Do you have a link on that?
Interesting, from a 950km apogee, a 1.6 degree field of view gives a 26.5km (16 miles) ground radius, so up to 50km (32 miles) wide with a line sensor, or 37km x 37km (23x23 miles) with a 2d sensor. Assuming it has silicon large enough to cover the entire FOV this provides some upper limits on wide area coverage. ...
Dwayne Day has published an article on the early history of the Satellite Data System, based on a declassified NRO history:http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3440/1