In 1966 the CIA awarded the design and fabrication of the future Hexagon spy satellite to us at the Perkin-Elmer Corporation in Danbury, CT. Its purpose was to map the entire landmass of the earth and to photograph military assets of our cold war opponents. This was to result in stereo photos with the ability to see objects as small as 2 to 3 feet in size from an altitude of 100 miles.
Read MoreMy intent with this blog is to provide information about one of the best spy satellites ever flown by the United States. It was called Hexagon and flew between 1971 and 1986. It used film to capture images. The blog will include information about its development, technology and stories about some of the people involved. It will also include photographs that Hexagon took over the Soviet Union, and the United States. Most importantly it will explain how valuable it's photographs were to the US government security agencies in preserving the peace during the cold war. It turned out to become the most complicated satellite ever launched in space and when digital photography was introduced Hexagon became the last film based reconnaissance satellite.
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