Satellites, Reconnaissance
Satellites, Reconnaissance.American reconnaissance satellites provide images of the Earth and monitor electronic emissions of terrestrial and airborne communications and radar systems. These automated spacecraft normally are positioned about the Earth in circular, low‐altitude polar orbits; in highly eccentric orbits (with a low perigee and extremely high apogee); or in geosynchronous equatorial orbits, in which a satellite remains fixed over a given spot above the equator.
In the years after World War II, America's political leaders sought to prevent the recurrence of an intelligence failure like the attack on Pearl Harbor and to obtain advance knowledge of any attempt at an atomic surprise attack on the United States. The U.S. Navy and Air Force first examined Earth satellites between 1946 and 1949. In 1950, the Research and Development Board...
[The entire page is 1118 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Oxford University Press Titles
