Spies in Space1 Ted Spitzmiller. Spies in Space2 Seeking “High Ground” to observe the Enemy

Spies in Space 1

Spies in Space

Ted Spitzmiller

Spies in Space 2

Seeking “High Ground” to observe the Enemy

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The “High Ground”

Science Fiction of the 1930s foresaw space travel as a domain for conflict

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German V-2 1942-45

• First large liquid fueled rocket

• Made long range intercontinental missiles possible

• Technology enabled the move into space

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The Cold War

• Soviet Union subversive socialists

• A threat to world peace• Sinister espionage

network• Copycat technologists

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The Need for Information• Led to developing the U-2

• High resolution cameras

• Illegal over flights• Allowed viewing Soviet capabilities

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How long could these flight continue without being shot down?

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First Artificial Satellite – Sputnik I

• Soviet Union 1957

• More than a triumph of technology

• Impact took on powerful dimensions well beyond technology

• Brought science fiction into the present

• President Eisenhower’s concern for satellite right of “overflight”

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America’s Complacency Shattered

• Soviets have the ICBM?

• Could they dominate Earth from space?

• How could this have happened?

• How can we protect ourselves?

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?

Concern over Soviet Technology• Hidden behind a veil of

secrecy• Without the U-2 America could

only guess• But how long could the U-2

continue to fly?

• Enabling technology– Soviet ICBM… the R-7– 3 X power of US ICBM

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Sputnik Established Soviet Union in World Power Politics

• Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev achieved credibility with world leaders

• Allowed influence of Communism to spread into many non-aligned countries

• Solidified Khrushchev’s power base within the USSR

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DiscovererA replacement for the U-2…

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May 1, 1960 U-2 Shot Down over Soviet Union

Ike promises “no more Flights”

Major international incident

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Project CORONA• Reconnaissance Satellites of 1960• Used “Discoverer” series as a cover

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Mig-29 from 200+ miles

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Impact of Corona

• Became a critical espionage asset following downing of U-2 in May 1960

• Ability to assess the size and disposition of Soviet forces

• First success Discoverer XIV– 1,432 frames of photos– 3,548 feet of 70-millimeter film – 1.65 million square mile – More data than from 4 years

and 20 U-2 flights

• No Missile Gap

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SAINT—SAtellite INTerceptor

• Program approved in Jun 1959

• Unmanned 2400 lb. satellite launched by an Atlas D

• Rendezvous with “unknown” satellite

• Use TV cameras to inspect

• Destroy or “Spay paint” to disable sensors

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Space as a Battleground?

• 1958 U.S. Air Force initiated DynaSoar

• Orbital “interceptor” and reconnaissance platform

• Perform potential hostile satellite “inspection”

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Inaugurated the term ‘Aerospace’

• Two man crew• Test Vehicle designated X-20• Reusable

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First Air Force Astronaut Selection

• April 1960, seven astronauts secretly chosen

– Albert H. Crews Jr– Henry C. Gordon– William J. "Pete" Knight– Russell L. Rogers– Milton O. "Milt" Thompson– James W. Wood – Neil Armstrong

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Death of the DynaSoar

• Escalating cost of advancing the state-of-the-art

• Questionable role of man in space• Limited maneuverability once in orbit • Less costly unmanned satellites

showed great promise• Sec Defense McNamara accepted a

compromise in 1963—cancelled X-20 initiate MOL

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Manned Orbital Laboratory—MOL

• Reference to “lab” emphasized scientific aspect

• Sophisticated spy satellite• Use Gemini spacecraft

being developed for NASA

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A Space Station

• Ten foot in diameter• Seventy feet long• 30,000 pounds• Two man crew

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14 astronauts were selected in three sets over a period of three years

Maj. Robert H. Lawrence (not shown), America’s first black astronaut died in a training accident (Dec 1967)

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• Nov 3, 1966 only MOL launch—unmanned test of the full configuration

• Gemini spacecraft was recovered

• Cost over-runs and schedule slippages

• MOL Project Cancelled—1969

• Military Experiments flown on – Skylab in 1973-74 – Space Shuttle

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Soviet Equivalents

• Raketoplan (DynaSoar) — canceled May 1964

• Soyuz-R and Soyuz-P (MOL) — canceled

• Almaz (MOL) — Several iterations flown – designated Salyut 2, 3, and 5 – 1973 through 1977– Only known weapon (23 mm cannon) fired in

space

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Almaz

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SpySats To The Present

• Only one part of a comprehensive array of ships, planes, radar and communication interception sites, and seismic detection stations

– IMINT; Imagery intelligence – SIGINT; Signals Intel– ELINT; Electronic Intel– COMINT; Communications Intel– FISINT; Foreign Instrumentation Signals INTelligence

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National Reconnaissance Office

• Design, build and operate nation's recon satellites. – Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)– Department of Defense (DoD), – Warns of potential trouble spots around the world, – Help plan military ops, and monitor environment.

• DoD agency staffed by DoD and CIA personnel. – 16-member Intelligence Community,

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NRO Launch 21 (NROL-21)

• Also known as USA 193• Launched December 14, 2006• Weighed about 5,000 pounds

15 feet long and 8 feet wide• Malfunctioned—lost ability to

communicate • Destroyed February 21, 2008• Modified $9.5 million SM-3

missile fired from USS Lake Erie • Kinetic energy “impact””

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Into the Future

• Advances in electronics, computers and imagery will continue to forge new intelligence pathways

• Still seeking an “inexpensive access” to space (the primary purpose of the Shuttle)

• Relevance of the human presence in space is still a question given…– high cost of safety and – life-support issues

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Additional Reading

• Deep Black, William E. Burrows, 1988

• Mayday, Michael R. Beschloss, 1988

• Astronautics, Ted Spitzmiller, 2007

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Questions?

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Credit: © Mark Wade

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Credit: © Mark Wade

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Credit: © Mark Wade

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A Space Station