Source: “Sharing Space: The Secret Interaction Between NASA and the NRO: 1961-1995.” 1957 October: Soviet Union launches Sputnik, the first artificial earth satellite, ushering in the space age and the space race. 1958 January: United States launches its first satellite, Explorer-1, aboard Army Jupiter-C booster. February: United States begins work on a film-return photo reconnaissanceContinue reading “Chronology Of NASA-NRO Interaction: 1961-Present”
Author Archives: joepageii
New NRO Monograph: Sharing Space
I got this in the mail a week or two ago. I expected a stuffy manuscript of early NRO-NASA interactions up to the UPWARD series during the Apollo years. Boy, was I surprised… To name a few of the NASA and NRO programs covered within: Lunar Orbiter (reusing SAMOS hardware) Lunar Mapping and Survey SystemContinue reading “New NRO Monograph: Sharing Space”
Onizuka AFS history talk post-event thoughts
It’s funny to think that while I work with Timing (with a capital “T”), timing has never been my strong suit. When I started researching early book projects, I was usually a “day late, and a dollar short.” People who had worked on systems or in places I wanted to write about had already passedContinue reading “Onizuka AFS history talk post-event thoughts”
Well, he wasn’t wrong…
I’ve got another agency that does not like dealing with me when I ask for historical records. They, however, know the law and what they are supposed to do with an information request. To their credit, this agency has slipped in a double entendre when presenting me the redacted historical information:
An unexpected small reminder to “Never Forget”
Even with the location of Kirtland Air Force Base being within the city limits of Albuquerque, I would never think of this place as “a military town.” That moniker usually sticks to towns outside of Army posts that have a pathway of liquor stores, pawn shops, and (often) strip joints up to the entry checkpoint.Continue reading “An unexpected small reminder to “Never Forget””
Nothing to Say… Just Pretty Pictures from 1984
Burden of Proof or Why I cannot convince you of a negative
Yeah, I waste time on Facebook – this I cannot deny. I try to limit the time I spend there, but the diminishing rate of return (relevant information vs time spent) has been steadily decreasing over the last few years. (Note to my readers viewing this on FB: this is not an anti-FB rant) InContinue reading “Burden of Proof or Why I cannot convince you of a negative”
Riddle Me This… Gambit PET Reports
At some point over the last Christmas break, I got bored. I should have been planning my post-graduation future (oh, wait… I’m already employed), but I spent many hours making incessant FOIA requests to the NRO. If you want to know what excess is – there were 38 (KH-7) GAMBIT and 54 (KH-8) GAMBIT-3 launches.Continue reading “Riddle Me This… Gambit PET Reports”
