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{
    "url": "https://mailman.amsat.org/hyperkitty/api/list/[email protected]/email/KLA4BCTYWLG3M3GZ5WQQ5WCCKSH4JNYX/?format=api",
    "mailinglist": "https://mailman.amsat.org/hyperkitty/api/list/[email protected]/?format=api",
    "message_id": "[email protected]",
    "message_id_hash": "KLA4BCTYWLG3M3GZ5WQQ5WCCKSH4JNYX",
    "thread": "https://mailman.amsat.org/hyperkitty/api/list/[email protected]/thread/KLA4BCTYWLG3M3GZ5WQQ5WCCKSH4JNYX/?format=api",
    "sender": {
        "address": "kf6kyi (a) gmail.com",
        "mailman_id": null,
        "emails": null
    },
    "sender_name": "Mark VandeWettering",
    "subject": "[amsat-bb]  More on imaging statellites...",
    "date": "2009-10-16T17:57:20Z",
    "parent": null,
    "children": [],
    "votes": {
        "likes": 0,
        "dislikes": 0,
        "status": "neutral"
    },
    "content": "> Getting an image is clearly possible, but only if you can get a certain\n> agency known by its initials to do it.  Recall that Skylab, circa 1973, took\n> some damage on launch.  Some amazing pictures were provided by said agency,\n> among others, to assess what was needed for repair.  Now imagine 35 years\n> later.  However, that is not going to happen, and in any case, there is\n> little to be gained, though of course we are all curious.\n\nI was interested in the details of this, and dug around on the web to\nfind some more information.  It appears that on May 16, 1973, a KH-8\n\"Gambit\" spy satellite was launched.   These were apparently a \"film\nreturn\" satellite, that would deorbit film cannisters.   Their\nresolving power was said to be about 1/2 a meter on the ground from\norbit.   These satellites appear to operate in fairly low orbits (say,\nbetween 220km and 350km), so let's take 300km as a reasonable orbit\nheight.  That means that their resolving power was around .3 arc\nseconds, which implies that their imaging optics were about 15 inches\nminimum in aperature.  (I am assuming a straight heads down imaging\ngeometry, if the resolution could be achieved at a different angle,\nthe imaging optics would have to be increased, and this didn't take\ninto account any atmospheric effects.   The reality is that .3 arc\nseconds is probably fairly challenging through the atmosphere no\nmatter what size optics you have, at least without adaptive optics).\nA bit more research bears this out: the KH-8 carried a 44 inch optic\nwith a 77 inch focal length.\n\nAnyway, Skylab launched on May 14th.   The first crew launched on May\n25th.     So, an interesting question was what imaging opportunities\nwere there between the sats?    Luckily, somebody else did all the\nheavy lifting and made a nice webpage (thanks Ted Molczan!)\n\nhttp://www.satobs.org/columbia/Skylab.html\n\nRanges as low as 138km were acheived between the KH-8 and Skylab.   At\nthat range the nominal resolution of a 44 inch optic (which might be\nachieved without atmpsheric effects) might approach just 7 cm.\nIndeed, very good resolution.\n\nCheck out more info on Ted's webpage:\n\nhttp://www.satobs.org/columbia/KeyHolesattosat.html\n",
    "attachments": []
}