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”

Another step on the journey: Pt 2

Another step on the journey: Pt 1.

U.S. Geological Survey FOIA – “No Responsive Records Found”

Got back a response today from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). They found no records responsive to my request. Click here to view the USGS response. However… the response included this curious statement: “The National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) reports that the geodetic marks were set by the Army Corps of Engineers. These wereContinue reading “U.S. Geological Survey FOIA – “No Responsive Records Found””