• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

How detailed an image can a top end military satellite REALLY get?

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Originally posted by: Skoorb
I hear crap like one meter, and then another person says they can read text on a novel and crap. Does anybody have a REAL idea based on facts, and not crap from some movie? Also, is there a pic of an example of their precision?

Cheers!
Click to expand...


I hear they can have resolutions of around 1 foot. That doesn't mean reading writing on things one foot across, that means that it can see a 1 foot object.

The talk about reading license plates or text on a novel are just wild ridiculous rumors. For one, license plates are mounted vertically on a car so how would a satellite (that takes pictures from above) be able to see it?

From what I've heard the newer US military spy satellites are very similar to the Hubble space telescope. They're still subject to atmospheric distorion.
 
Originally posted by: tangent1138
on the last west wing, they hinted that we have a military owned Space Shuttle that we've never seen. wonder if that's true...
Click to expand...

Uhmmm, have you ever seen a Space Shuttle launch?
They're kinda hard to hide.
 
Originally posted by: tangent1138
on the last west wing, they hinted that we have a military owned Space Shuttle that we've never seen. wonder if that's true...
Click to expand...

where would it blast off from? not Florida, people would notice, then know about it
it would have to be a pretty isolated location, and the russians/whoever (countries with detection capability) would have to keep quiet about it
 
Well I assume the LoD is sufficent to get wank worthy photographs of topless women on beaches, otherwise WTF is the point of building the thing in the first place?
 
All I can say is that half of the birds that go up never work, but the ones that do would surprise you. Your tax dollars at work.
 
Originally posted by: 91TTZ
Originally posted by: Skoorb
I hear crap like one meter, and then another person says they can read text on a novel and crap. Does anybody have a REAL idea based on facts, and not crap from some movie? Also, is there a pic of an example of their precision?

Cheers!
Click to expand...


I hear they can have resolutions of around 1 foot. That doesn't mean reading writing on things one foot across, that means that it can see a 1 foot object.

The talk about reading license plates or text on a novel are just wild ridiculous rumors. For one, license plates are mounted vertically on a car so how would a satellite (that takes pictures from above) be able to see it?

From what I've heard the newer US military spy satellites are very similar to the Hubble space telescope. They're still subject to atmospheric distorion.
Click to expand...

The earth is not flat my friend. If in a certain range in its GO, the sat can can very good angled shots.....
 
Originally posted by: Goosemaster


The earth is not flat my friend. If in a certain range in its GO, the sat can can very good angled shots.....
Click to expand...

The earth has an atmosphere my friend. Are they *trying* to photograph as much haze as possible or do you think they'd rather get a good shot?
 
Originally posted by: 91TTZ
Originally posted by: Goosemaster


The earth is not flat my friend. If in a certain range in its GO, the sat can can very good angled shots.....
Click to expand...

The earth has an atmosphere my friend. Are they *trying* to photograph as much haze as possible or do you think they'd rather get a good shot?
Click to expand...

Hell, if I can get my Fuji to take a nice picture, I bet theirs can do the same [/illogical nonsense]


🙂
 
Mr President:

Hello, this is Captain Roberts at SATCOM. Yes, I'm doing fine sir. We were calling you to let you know that your fly was down. Feel free to ask the VP to sheild it with the football. No problem sir.
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Hell, if I can get my Fuji to take a nice picture, I bet theirs can do the same [/illogical nonsense]

🙂
Click to expand...


Take a picture of something far out on the horizon and see how much detail you capture.
 
Grapefruit can be distinguished for oranges, size and color.

On Mars rocks down to about 6 feet can be catalouged..
 
There was a spy sattelite launched in the late 70's called "big bird" in the international book. It had the same focal length of the hubble telescope. That was in the 70's, consider what they have today.
 
Originally posted by: rahvin
There was a spy sattelite launched in the late 70's called "big bird" in the international book. It had the same focal length of the hubble telescope. That was in the 70's, consider what they have today.
Click to expand...

The focal length will not be the same, for obvious reasons. Things the HST photographs are much farther away.
 
Originally posted by: 91TTZ
Originally posted by: rahvin
There was a spy sattelite launched in the late 70's called "big bird" in the international book. It had the same focal length of the hubble telescope. That was in the 70's, consider what they have today.
Click to expand...

The focal length will not be the same, for obvious reasons. Things the HST photographs are much farther away.
Click to expand...

Huh? The focal length of any telescope is fixed by the length of the telescope and the number of mirrors used to extend the focal length. The principal focal length is simply the measurement from the first lens to the reception device (http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/geoopt/foclen.html). The HST and the spy satellite from the 70's had nearly the same dimensions, I'm sure the mirror and element spacing would be different for the distances being looked at but the magnification power of the two devices should be close to the same.
 
Originally posted by: rahvin


Huh? The focal length of any telescope is fixed by the length of the telescope and the number of mirrors used to extend the focal length. The principal focal length is simply the measurement from the first lens to the reception device (http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/geoopt/foclen.html). The HST and the spy satellite from the 70's had nearly the same dimensions, I'm sure the mirror and element spacing would be different for the distances being looked at but the magnification power of the two devices should be close to the same.
Click to expand...

I see what you're saying.

NASA gets good stuff, but the CIA gets the BEST stuff.
 
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Originally posted by: freebee
The satellite people must spend all day oogling nude babes sunbathing in their backyards.
Click to expand...

Fvck! I've sunbathed nude in my backyard before! :shocked:
Click to expand...

Just wait until there's a government leak and all the satellite nudie pictures the CIA takes get put up on the web...
 
Originally posted by: FoBoT
Originally posted by: tangent1138
on the last west wing, they hinted that we have a military owned Space Shuttle that we've never seen. wonder if that's true...
Click to expand...

where would it blast off from? not Florida, people would notice, then know about it
it would have to be a pretty isolated location, and the russians/whoever (countries with detection capability) would have to keep quiet about it
Click to expand...

If they were to do something like that, they could launch it from Vandenberg at night and say it was a missle test.
 
Originally posted by: notfred
Originally posted by: FoBoT
Originally posted by: tangent1138
on the last west wing, they hinted that we have a military owned Space Shuttle that we've never seen. wonder if that's true...
Click to expand...

where would it blast off from? not Florida, people would notice, then know about it
it would have to be a pretty isolated location, and the russians/whoever (countries with detection capability) would have to keep quiet about it
Click to expand...

If they were to do something like that, they could launch it from Vandenberg at night and say it was a missle test.
Click to expand...
Or they could launch it from some remote island in the ocean somewhere.
 
Originally posted by: 91TTZ
Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Hell, if I can get my Fuji to take a nice picture, I bet theirs can do the same [/illogical nonsense]

🙂
Click to expand...


Take a picture of something far out on the horizon and see how much detail you capture.
Click to expand...

Got an uncle who is former air force, his entire job (as I was told at least) was developing algorithms to correct for atmospheric distortion.

Viper GTS
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top