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# Declassified Intelligence Satellite Photographs

### Fact Sheet 090-96 (February 1998)

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 ||Landsat MSS Image || Summary of Satellite Missions || Available Products || || WWW Access || Information  || 

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Recently declassified photographs from spy satellites are an important addition to the record ofthe Earth's land surface held by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

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| 1963 declassified image over Cape Canaveral, Florida | 1992 Landsat image over Cape Canaveral, Florida |

More than 800,000 high-resolution photos taken between 1959 through 1972 were madeavailable by Executive Order of the President. The collection is held at the USGS EROS DataCenter, near Sioux Falls, S. Dak., and are offered for public sale. For some purposes in earthscience studies, these photos extend the record of changes in the land surface another decadeback in time from the advent of the Landsat earth-observing satellite program.

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1992 Landsat Multi-spectral Scanner Image
In the Cape Canaveral, Florida, image pair (at right), the Landsat MSS image (acquiredMarch 1992) shows how agricultural use of a marshy region near Cape Canaveral has expandedsince the declassified image was acquired (Mission 9059A, October 30, 1963).  In thedeclassified image, the region is dissected by ponds and small stream channels.  In the Landsatimage, acquired more than 28 years later, many of the small streams have been modified by damsand reservoirs, a network of roads has been constructed in the area, and agricultural developmenthas increased.
Summary of Satellite MissionsSatellites MissionMission NotesKH-1Dates:  June  59-Sep.  60Ground Resolution:  25 ftNotes:  Single cameraFrames:  1,432KH-2Dates: Oct.  60-Oct.  61Ground Resolution:  25 ftNotes: Single cameraFrames:  7,246 KH-3Dates:  Aug.  61-Jan.  62Ground Resolution:  25 ftNotes: Single cameraFrames:  9,918KH-4Dates: Feb.  62-Dec.  63Ground Resolution:  25 ftNotes: Two camerasFrames:  101,743 KH-4ADates: Aug  63.-Oct.  69Ground Resolution:  9 ftNotes: Two camerasFrames:  517,688KH-4BDates: Sep.  67-May  72Ground Resolution:  6 ftNotes: Two camerasFrames:  188,526KH-5Dates:  Feb.  61-Aug.  64Ground Resolution: 460 ftNotes:  Global coverage, mapping cameraFrames:  38,578KH-6Dates:  July  63Ground Resolution:  6 ftNotes:  Panoramic cameraFrames: <910|| Top || Main table of contents ||
Available Products
Products available from the USGS include contact-scale, black-and-white, positive film,negative film, and paper prints.  In addition, custom enlargements are available if customerspurchase a contact-scale paper print and annotate on that print the area to be enlarged and theamount of enlargement.  The National Archives and Records Administration holds the originalnegatives as well as technical mission-related documents that include the orbit parameters foreach mission. 
World Wide Web accesss
An online description of this photographic collection is available on a USGS World WideWeb server.  The Web address for this document is edc.usgs.gov/products/satellite/declass1.html
Information
For prices and other information, visit the Declassified Satellite Imagery-1 Web site at edc.usgs.gov/products/satellite/declass1.html.  To preview and order images, visit the earthexplorer.usgs.gov Web site.  Currently, only ARGON images can be ordered on Earth Explorer. For information on ordering CORONA and LANYARD images, contact the USGS Customer Service.

For information related to image products from this collection, contact:

Earth Science Information CenterEROS Data CenterSioux Falls, SD 57198Telephone:  605-594-6151Fax:  605-594-6589E-mail: [email protected]

For information related to mission documents, contact:

National Archives and Records AdministrationCartographic and Architectural Branch(NNSC)8601 Adelphi Rd.College Park, MD 20740-6001Telephone:  301-713-7030Fax:  301-713-7488E-mail: [email protected]

For information on other USGS products and services, call 1-888-ASK-USGS,  or visit the general interest publications Web site on mapping, geography, and related topics at erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/pubslists/.

For additional information, visit the ask.usgs.gov Web site or the USGS home page at www.usgs.gov.

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*Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does notimply endorsement by the U.S. Government.  This document has undergone official review andapproval for publications established by the National Mapping Discipline, U.S. GeologicalSurvey. Some figures have been modified or added to improve the scientific visualization ofinformation.*

U.S. Department of the Interior —     U.S. Geological Survey — 509     National Center, Reston, VA 20192, USA **URL:***http://     erg.usgs.gov    /isb/pubs/factsheets/fs09096.html* — **Contact:**http://erg.usgs.gov/feedback.html**Page Maintainer:** USGS Eastern Region Geography **Last modified:**     10:49:18 Mon 04 Oct 2004    — USGS     Privacy Policy and Disclaimers — Accessibility