I . 

( . 

I 

, \ . 

i 

r 

I 

! 

I I ' 

I 

I I . , 

j' . 1 

NRO 

Natl.lI Rec~I"lnce OffIce 

OPERAll·ONS 

. MANUAL. 

" 

TOP ·SECRET. 

HEXAGON . 

Han.dl. Via BYEMAN Control Only 

NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE 

DECLASSIFIED BY: C/IART 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 201i 

• 

HEXAGON CONCEPT· 

OF OPERATIONS. 

PUBLISHED FOR THE NRO BY 

NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION CENTER 

. SEPTEMBER 1970 . 

- . 

Contr~1 No. B·13092·70 

Copy ·N~. 0050 " 2 04 

. 28 pages 

Group I Exclucleci frOlll. AUtOlllltic 

Downtrading and Declass.lliceltl'" 

lOP SECRET· 

HEXAGON: . . . 

• ,0" • 

. . Handl •. Via BYEMAN COItfi'Ol D!'ly 

, '.~" . 
"."eL." ••. ;IYEJlAN· 

-:c.IS"'NATION·AL· ~ECONN.AISSANCE· ·OFFICE .. . . 

WASHINGTON,· O.~. 

THE NRO STAFF· 

. . 

MEMORANDUM FOR RECIPIENT 

. .. The HEXAGON Conc-ept of OperatioJls ·was prepa.red by the. 

~atellite Ope·rati~nsCenter ·(SOC) as a reference _and planning document for those agenc~es ~nvolved in the p.reparation, plannilig, and· 

conduct of HEXAGON missions. This document doe·s not disc.uss 

.. the fiim proc·essing, , fiim indexi~g, . or ·explQitation a <:tivf ties 

resulting from HEXAGON missions. H.~wever, it is felt that the· 

information presented here will be useful to those agencies who do 

plan and conduct these activities. .. 

. . This document describes organizational responsibilities and 

intel"facea for each phas.e of. HEXAGON operations. A .discussion 

of HEXAGON software capabilities is pro~ided to relate· software 

functions to mis aion planning and execution. •. 

This· operational concept will be impl~meDted by the 

HEXAGQN Reports Control Maliual. . Reports cc>ntrol manuals are. 

p·ubli.,hed as SOC ·directives and ·apply .to all organizations par;. 

ticipa,ting in mission planning and execution, film pr.o·cessing and 

..,valuation1 and ,other. related .acti~itie8 requiring million 

performance data. . . . 

Col<,)nel ... US:AF 

-Director 

NRO Staff 

EY 

HEXAGON 

NA ..... " •• 

.,. BYEMAN 

ce.T1tOt. Ivsn. 

"PSEIRH EXCLUDID nOM· "UTO."lIC IIIG" •• I~ 

DOD DIII.C'IIVI SI 00. '0 ..... OT ••• lY 

e .. ,I10 ..... BYE-1309Z-70 

e ... y ".. • 0' .24 II COP ... 

'''.1, ___ 0' ___ ' •••• 
NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE 

DECLASSIFIED BY: CnART 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 
/ 

NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE, 

DECLASSIFIED ·.BY:. C/IART . 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 

// " ••• 1. VII . ;'. BYEMAH' 18PSECRET B.I309~O 

Clitrel.S"t •• 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

CHAPTERI' 

. Organization 'Responsibilities 

Page 

General . .. ' ....... p' ••••• ' .••• ' ..................... ' ••••• '. , • , • , • " '.' • •• 1 

Participating Organizations ........... ' ......... ," .' ....... ': .... '. ~ '.. 1 

Re ·b·liti" . . , . - 2 . sponsl 1 es. . . . ... , . . . . '. ~ .... ~ ... '-. . . . . . . . . . . .... ' ...... ~ . , .. . 

8. System Design and Development ..... ;. ~ ~ . '.' .................. ,2 

b. Software Development ..... ~ .......... :..................... 2 

c. Mission Planning and Preparation ' ~ ....... ' ................. '. . 3 

d. ' OD-Orbit OperaiioDs ' .. : ..... ~ ... ' .. " ........ '. . . .. . . . . . . . .... .. 5 

e. Activities Concurrent with Oli-Orbit Operatioils '.' .' .. ; . . . . . ... 8 

f. Postflight'Activities ................. ~ ............... ~ . '. . . .. . .. 9 

CHAPTER 2 . . .. 

Software Capabi~itie8' . . 

General. " ........ " ........ ' ....... ' ......... " .. ~ ................ ': ..... 11 

Orbital SearCh .' ......... '. ' .. ~ . " ..- ........... '., ........... ; . . . . . . . . .. 11 

S.tatistical Prediction/Simulation .. ~ .......... '.' ... , ................ ' 11 

a. CRYSPER ...... · ... . ' ......................... ; ....................... '11 

b. HAMPER .......... ............... ~ ....................... 11' 

c. HSIM .. " ......... ' .................... ~" ......... ~ ' ......... 12 

Operations . . -~ .': ......... '" .. ' .. ; .... ' .' ... ~ ......... ' ............ ~." 12' 

'. . 8. 'TUNITY ..... . ' .................... ~ ... ~ ..................... 12 

b. 'Ve~cle and Telemetry Software . ................. ' .. " .... '.' .' 15 

'c. General SlipportSoftware ............. ' ............ ,. . . . . . . .. 15' . 

Operational Support .. .. ~- .. ~ ..................... '" ... ~ ..... ~ . .... 16 

a. ACCOMPProgram ............... ' .. : ...... ~. ~. " ........... 16 

b. Area Coverage Program ............. ' ....... ' ...... : . . . . . . . .. 16 

c. . Area History Program .... ' ... : ......................... ~ . .. 16 

- iii -

1111111 'II 

BYEM~N 

C •• tll' ·S,lt •• 
, NRO APPROVED -,FOR RELEAS'E 

DECLASSIFIED BY: C/IART .", 

-DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 

, ".I'It-'ll -'. ' 

BYEMAN 

. 'C' .. tr,1 S,lt,. 

fep SECRET 

CHAPTER3 ' 

Operational and.Organizational Interfaces 

, . 

~13092/70' 

Page 

. . 

General ..... ' .. , , , , .... " ........ , .. ' .. '. ~ . , . ~ ..... , ....... , ... , ...... ' 18 

Premission Information Flow .... " .. ' .. ;' .. , ........... ~ ....... , . . . .. 18 

On .. Orbit lDformation Flow .... ' ..... ~ ..................... ~ . . . . . .. 20 

P08tmission Information Flow ........ ' .. : .. : .... ' ................. : ' 23 ' 

Operations-ExpIQi~tion Interface. , . , , .... ~ ...................... ',' 23 

IJST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Table 2-1" Org~nizational Responsibilities for HEXAGON 

Mission Planning and Targeting Software . '. ' ................ '. 17 

Figure 3-1, HEXAGON Premission Interfaces ....... ; .. '. " . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 19 

Figure :,3-2 HEXAGON 'On-Orbit Interfaces ... :., ........... , ........ ' . .- 21 

Figure 3-3 HEXAGON P08tmissionInterfaces . .. ' ...... , ............. ' .. '. ,24',' 

. .. iv -

=rep SECRET 

· .... t'I'11 

BYEMAN 

e •• tr,' 'S,lt'. 

-.1\ 

lI 

,I' ' 

, ",I 

I 

.' f 

I 

I 

I,· . -

I . 

l ' , 

" 

t 
NRC AP'PROVED FOR RELEASE 

DECLASSIFIED BY: CIIART " . 

DECLASSIFIED ON': 1 OCTOBER 2012 . 

H' •• 'I Vil~ :. ',f8P ··'5ECR£l· 

BYEMAN' 

C,ntlll S,lt •• 

HEXAGON CONCEPT OF OPI.=RATIONs . ~. -'. ~~ . 

f ...... 

·CHAPTER 1 . J" 

.~ 

.' ORGANIZATION~L .RESPONSIBlLlTIES 

B-13092/70 

'.', . :.,. 

General. The HEXAGON Satellite Reconnaissance System: was developed' to' 

obtain high-resolution photojraphy 'ofsp8cified . geOgraphical areas' for search'and" 

surveillance' puiposes as set forth tJy the United States.' Intelligence Board. The. 

HEXAGON. will '.be capable of obtaimng stereo photography Of 1arge. land areas 

comparable to the current. search system, ·while at the88me time obtaining a q~ality~. 

of photographic coverage comparable to early versions of the, current high-resolution· 

surveillance system." . 

In order to 'accomplish t~e' HEXAGON system objectives, the .Dire~tor of 'the 

National,Reconnaissance Office (DNRO), with approval from the NRP ~xecutive 

Committee, has assigned responsibilities to participating ~rganizations With respect 

to program management, system development· .-and procure:ment,' software· . 

. development, and'mission management. and control. Those organizations actively. 

participating in conducting HE~GON premission, on-orbit, .. and poatmission 

operations are liatedbelow ... 

Participating Organizations. . 

a~ ·Committee on Imagery Requirements· and. Exploitation' (COMIREX), . 

United States Intelligence Board .(USIB) . . 

b. . Eastman 'Kodak Company (EK) . . . 

c. Global 'Weather Central (GWC), Air Weather Service; USAF 

. d. Imagery Collection Requirements Subcommittee (lCRS), COMlREX' . 

e. . National Photographic InterpretatioJ) Center (NPIC) . 

. f. Office of Special Projects (OSP), CIA . . 

g. Satellite Operations Center (SOC), National Recomiaissan~ Office (NRO) 

h. Satellite Test Center· (STC), .Air Force Satellite Control Facility (AFSCF) . i. Sensor Subsystem Project Office (SSPO), OSP . . 

j.' System Project Office (SPO), Directorate· of ~pecial Projects, Office of 'the 

Secretary of the Air Force (SAFSP) .' 

k. U~S. Air Force Special Projects Production Facility (SPPF) 

1. U.S. '~y Topographic Command. (TOPOCOM) 

-1-

10 •• 1 Vii 

BYEMAN 

C,.trIIS,st .. 

" 
NRC APPROVED FOR RELEASE 

'DECLASSIFIED BY: C/IART 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 

Hlull YI. ' 

BYEMAN 

, C •• tnl, S,ltl" 

Responsibilities. ' 

lap' SECRET , 

a. System Design and Development. 

B-13092/70 

(1) SPD. The' Director of Special l?rojects, SAFSP" is designated 8S the 

HEXAGON System 'Project Director (SPD). 'He directs and 8uperviies the 

deve,lopment and production 'Qf all subsystems except the sensor 8ubsystem.,'~ , 

includes overall 'system engineerini (including, master, sys~m specificatione) "and' 

system integration (including subsystem' interface specifications) and overall-system 

master planning, program,ming, ',arid budgeting'. 'The SPD iiDot expected to 

accomplish ,~ngineering analyses' of .the sensOlsubsystem except as required. by his 

overall systems engineering and integration role·or unless his assistance is ~licited 

by -the SSPO. ' , ' 

, (2) SPO~ The SPD has ~stabli8hed the HEXAGON System Project Office : 

(SPO) specifically to discharge assigned functions and ~sponsibilities. In addition 

.to the above SPD ~sponsibilities~' the SPO is responsible 'for the development' and' 

, production of the spacecraft, the bOoster, the recovery vehicle (RV) subsystem~ and 

'the stellar-terrain (ST) camera subsystem. 

'(3) SSPO.,The Director of Reconnaissance, CIA directs andsupervi8es the ' 

development' and, production of the total sensor sub8yste'Di~ He reportS directly to the, 

DNRO.,Tbe Director of Reconnaissance, CIAhss established it HEXAGON Sensor 

Subsystem Project ,Office ,(SSPO) and designated a Chief th.ereof, responsive ,and 

respoDsi-ble through him to the DNRO for total sensor subsystem development and 

production.:TheDirector, SSPO is responsive and responsible to the SPD for overall 

system mattera, to, include adherence 'to master system specificatioJil, sQbsyatem 

interface specifications, and'master project schedules ,established by the SPD. For 

teclmical and perfonnancematters whol~y internal to ,t~ senior subsystem, the 

SSPO is ,responsible to the DNRO arid not . the" SPD. By definition,- the sensor 

subsystem, 'includes the complete primary camera 8ssemblies, close~in and ,fine 

camera, enviroilmental control, ,and close-in ,and camera-peculiar electronics or 

pneumatics, film supply spooli, the (lim transPort mechanism, film cuttnd Wrap, or 

film splice mechanisms;, and film ~eup ipools in t~e recovery vehic,les;., , ' 

b. Software Development. ' 

(1)' SAFSP. SAFSP, under the direction 'of ,the SPD, is respOilsible -for the' 

design, developm.,nt, and operation of an mission operational sOftware 'to, be 

operated at the, STC,to include 'command generation and targeting SQftw~. ' , 

(2) SSPo. ,rhe SSPO will, participate in the development, of on-orbit -

command, control, and analyiis, Software in support of the SPD and under his 

direction. Further, SSPO will participate, in all software deveiopmerii to the full 

,'fep SE£RET 

1'.'.1 'II IYEMAN 

CI.tnl 5,lt'. 

r 

r 

.,.,.' 

-I 

'-I :' 

f 

I 

I, 

f 

I 

I 

,I 

L 
r. 

N~O APPROVED FOR RELEAS~ 

DECLASSIFIED. BY: C/IART .. 

. DECLASSIFiED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 II.~I. VII . . 

., BYEMAN .. . Cllt,11 S,lt ••. 

'F9P SECRET ·B .. 13~O 

. extent ne~esiJa" to ass:ure optimum utilization of sensor· capabilities and 

compatibility with all sensor interfaces, and will hav~ full and cOmplete a.CC8SS to all 

software development activities. 

(3)OSP. OSP is responsible for the development of software for the purpose .. 

of simulations· and special studies, as relates to the HEXAGON system, and for the 

development: of mission .. planning· data for the SOC. OSP software -will be applicable 

to premisiion and ,postmission activities, as well as· off~line monitoring·and reporting 

of oli-orbit operatio~s, all in support of the ~OC. . . 

(4) SOC. The SOC will partiCipate in S~~P software deyelopl~utnt to t~~· extent necessary t() insure that the software is responsive to the search and, 

surveillance req~bieDts ~stabiished by usm. The' SOC will participate· in OSP 

softWaredewlopment to ins\11'8 that the developed software provides the suppolt 

needed ~y the SOC to func~onas a HEXAGON operations center. ' , 

c .. ·Mission Planning and Preparation. 

(I)' ICRS/COMIREX~ The ICRS will p~ovide the SOC with mission 

. guidance and current intelligence requirements not covered·by.·the US~ standing· req~ements. . 

(2) SOC. The SOC is responsible for accomplishing the following prem~ssion 

activities: . . 

, ·(a) Select Launch pate., The date and.ti~e of launch are 'determined by 

the~SOC in consultation. with, and in consideration of reconlmenda,tioDS from; the 

SPD, . alld (lnnouDced to the' intelligence community and all organizatioDs 

participating in mission preparation and execution. The . launch date' and time are 

based on the' status of the standing (USm) requirements, current intelligence 

'requirements, ,availability of payload, launch vehicle, launch pad, and .climatolog)\ . -. . 

(b) Select Orbit. The SOC selects,the orbit·to be flown from a library of 

allowable orbits developed by the·· SPD~ In the orbit selection prOCS88. the SOC shall 

consider current intelligence, requirements and. 'mi88ion guidance provided by 

ICRS/COMIREX . and mission simulatioDs and orbital. Performance predictions 

. provided by OSP. 

(c) Establish MiSsion Objectives. Upon·receiptofthe currentintelligen~ . 

requirements from ICRS/COMIREX, the SOC provides OSP with ,special mission 

coverage requirements, control parameters, and miasion objectives. OSP then 

furnis1t.es the SOC With mission-planning documentation containing recommended 

81"ea weighting data, current StatUI· of standing intelligeQce requirements, and a 

statistical prediction of mission performance against' all intelligence and mapping 

needs. ,The SOC, in consultation with ICRS/COMIREX, then approves those area 

- 3 - . 

19P" SEERET 

la •• ',·'la IYEMAN 

C.ltr" 's,.t •• 
- . NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 

DECLASSIFIED BY: 'C/IART 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 .•••••• 'I. ' 

BYEMAN 

" Clltr.' S,lt •• 

'l 

f.8P, SECRET '~13092/70 

weights·· and control paiame~rs to be transmitted to, the STC fo~' use wit~ th~ 

targeting 8OftW~e. 'Final mission objectives and guide~nes ~e p~ded· by t~e SOC 

, ~ the HEXAGON Operations Command Post ~t the STet ' , ,.., " ':. -

'(3.) OSP. OSP is responsible for providing premission software iupport to the 

.SOC as follows: ' . 

(a) Maintain. Historical nata ,Baie. Area history files Will be, maintained 

I' 

. ',I" 

I .' 

r 

for missiOn planning and requirements stat~~ reporting. This data 'base willbe used I : 

'in cOD~ucting simulations and predicting missioriperformance~' Standini' 

, requirements will be accounted for by l:50,()OO World·Aeronautical Chiut mosaics 

(WAC cells), which are areas approximately 12 'by 18 nauticaJ miles in siz~. ' . ,'I , . ,(b) Condu~ Orbital Performance PredictioJis. oSP·~n. predi~t the. 

performance of each orbital candidate from' a library of orbits tow8J"d satisfying the . 

'mission objectives. These data wi~l assiat th~ SOC In selec~ing that orbit w~ch best, 

satisfies the mission requirements. . .' , 

(c) Perform Mission Simulations .. OSP will conduct HEXAGON mission , "., 

simulations: to assist the SOC with sPecial.studies' and mission' planning, and., to 

. validate'its oWn statistical predictions. ' . 

(d) Predict Mission Performance. OSP ·will generate ,. statistical, 

prediction ~ mission performance against the collection requirements. 'An iterative 

process of parametric variation is performed ,ag~D8t the ~c;>l1ection requirements 

utitilthe desired results are obtained. The prediction addresses expected ~1Di, 

utilization, level of satisfaction to be achieved, and ~he impact on future. miesiqns 

with resPect to categories of in~l1ige~ce requirements. ' , ", 

. (e) Recommend Weighting' and Control Parameters . .In. conjunction with 

the ~tistica1' prediction, OSP alSo recomniends to the SOC"area weights an4' 

control parameters to be uied in order to achieve the mission obj~ves . 

. ' .' (f) Format and, ·'Transmit· ~Targeting Software Inputs.' Following . SOC. 

approval of area weights and control parameters to be used for the misSion, ,asp 'win 

format' and transmit these data to the aTC for the SOC. ' . ' . .' "; 

(g) Generate HP A Look-Ahead. Provide a list of higlr.priority tarleta and ' 

other areas of'special interest, as determined by ICRS/COMIREX, ~ the SOC, 

along with the number of eacli oib~tal revolution on which thee. areas 8re.acc~ssed. 

. (4) SPOt ~e SPO is re8PO~ible for ~i~on prepar.atio~ ~ (ollo~: 

<a> DetennineVehicle Performance Characteristics·. Vehicle parameters 

for all subsystems are collect~d .,nd colla·ted by the SPO leading to the 

determination of vebicleperformance charaoteristics. These'data are 'provided to the 

STC for input· into the mission sOftware data baie. " 

, -.4 .. 

19P SECRE=F 

1.ll1l. ". - BYEMAN 

C.ltr.,S,.t •• 

I I 

I 

I 

I .. 
NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE· 

DECLASSIFIED· BY: C/IART . 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 

"'1.1. VII .' ,. .' 

BYEMAN 

. C •• t,.1 S,st.. .. 

Tap SECRE,T B-t3092/10 

, (b) Establish 'Flight 'Obj$·ctives~ Flight obj~ctives &re:8stabliibedand' 

provided:OO the ·STC to,:prOVldti guidance fQr .. miSaio1i~plaiuliilg'·.cti~tles~'{ .... ' 

(c) Establish.OparatioDs CODstraints. Vehicle and operations colistr~rits . 

are established and pubiished'by'the 'SPO in cODsidetatiCJIt"":of' all.aspects of the 

. vehicle :and ground station systeJ;Ds. 'These'conatraintSate piovided to ·the-STC and, 

'whereapplicable, to tbeSOC ·for consideration'iIi orb~tselection.. . ~."'. 

. .(d) Vehicle Launch Preparation. 'nIe SPO.monitors the assemblage·and 

checkout· of -the total satellite system includiq boOa~r~ spacecraft,' and payload 

s~bsY8tem8 pursuant to launch operation8~ . , . 

. ' . '(e) Launch' an·d Mission Opefations~p,eparation.'The SPO·'Dlonitorsthe· 

launch and mission,operations preparations aDd rehearsal activities.of'~l supporting 

agencies and proVides guidance as ·required.' ' 

(5) ·,8SPO .. The SSPO' is re8po~sible to· the SP)) t<, p8rti~ipate 'in 'overall . 

systeJIi aaaembly'andprelaunch activities" to c;eltiiy at appropriate time$ that the 

aensOr' s;ubsystem is, ready, and to act as the principal senSOr aaai~iant to the SPI>. 

Spe~cifically, the SSPO is· responsible, for thephy.ical installatiQD, in~gration, and 

checkout of the sensor subsystem in the spacecraft. .. ..' , . 

'(6) sTc. 'The STC, in support ~f the SPD, prepares fQrthe on-orbit 

, command and control of the vehicle. and 'payload subsystems. . ' 1.. ..' , 

, . (a) Mission ·Profile. The STe constructs the . missiOn profile of events 

desiped to accomplish the objectives set forth by the SPD and' the SOC~ . 

. (b) ,Software~TheSTC constructs,th~ softW~ .d~t$Jla~, incl~ding .~ mission objectives and control parameters received from the SOC, ad perfo~m', a . . 

checkout of the entire STe software system. In consonance with the SOC and ·under 

supervision·of·t'he 'SPD, the .STC will establish certain'ioftware data base 

parameteis to be used in the. software targeting algorithms. , 

.. . (c) ·;Reh~araals. The STe,. in c~unction with· the, tracking· station 

network, con~ucta a flight rehearaill. for the pulp~ 'of ·refming rught ,procedures, 

v~lidating' so(tw&re system oPeration, and demonstrating flight 8Upport'~adiriess. ".' . . ..' . ,.. .... 

(7) NPIC. The NPIC . provides the STe With a listing of m.~llip'nce targets 

'Yhich are ~Q.be reported in ,the daily Mission Performance Report (MPR) duriDgOD~ . 

?:lb~o~!ati~ns~ -. ..' 

. d. On-Orbit Operations. 'The System Project Director. baa . full· and complete 

responsibility f()r HEXAGON operations from launch thrOugh recovery and will 

conthiuoualY· operate a HEXAGON Operations Command Post at th~ STe during 

each iniSiioJi:' The HEXAGON'. Operations Command POst' Will consist at smail 

staffs repre.8~nting the SPO/SAF'SP, Sspo/6sp,: ~TC/AFSCF, Aerospace· 

- 5 -. 

T8PSECREt 

1.1111. '11. 

BYEMAN' 

C.itrtl S,II1. 
. . . 

NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE"· 

DECLASSIFIED. BY: ·C/IART. . . . 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 . . I ••••• VII 

BVEMAN . C •• trel S,it •• 

Tep'SECRET 

Corporation, and each major subsystem contractor. '1)e SOC'has broa4 operatiaDa! 

authority over the .mission· and will'operate a HEXAGON Operations Center at the 

Pentagon. .' . ' 

(1) STC~ The HEXAGON Operations Command Post will conduct the o~­

orbit operations of:~he HEXAGON system at the STC. The HEXAGON Oper~tioDS 

Command Poet, ·hereafter referred to as the STC, is responsible for the following OD·. 

orbit activities: ,.... . 

. (a) The STC will operate the command. ge~eration and targeting 

software. Specific revolution-by-revolution camera operations ·\¥ill be determined 

considering ~ei·ghts,. control· parameters, and mission guidance provided by the 

SOC, cloud-cover information from G we, and mission accomplishmen~ to date. All . 

vehicle:expendables" to include film,' will be managed and co~trolled at theSTC. 

(b) Requests for weather fo~casts and assessm~nts are provided to G WC. 

The weather forecast request informs GWO of the area of interes~ and requests cloudcover· inforination to assist in determining which areas to photograph on a specified 

orbital revolution. The. weatherasselsment req~est informs GWC of areas 

photographed and requests a~ after-the-fact cloud-cover evalua.tion. . .' 

. ' (c) The ~TC ~11 direct theeffort& of the. recovery forces. Tiansportation 

of the recovered caPsules to.' their destination is accomplished by the Military Airlift 

Command, llSAF, under schedule arrangeme,nts coordina~d. by the ·SP~. . 

(2) SSPO. The'Director, SSPO is the principal sensoraB8istant to the SPD.·· 

A-ccordingly, SSPO· representatives' will be located at, the STC HEXAGON 

Oper~tion8 Comm~d Post and will be responsive to ,the SPDfor .assigned on-qrbit 

activities. ' 

. (a) The SSPO will assist the SPD in on-orbit sensOr plaDDing,operati~ns, and performance analysis activities. . . . . 

, (b) The SSPO will, in suppoit'of the 'SPD, conduct p08tlecoverY film' . 

-analyses in order to 'evaluate the sensor performanee and. make necessary changes to 

camera settings. A Payload Evaluation Report fo.r the sensor subsystem will be made . 

available' following each recov~ry to those agencies requiring such information for 

mission assessment and on .. orbit planning .. , - , 

. :(3) SOC. The soc. will operate'· a HEXAGON Operations Center ~~ng .. 

miB8io~s and'willdeal principally and directly with the HEXAGON' Operations Command ,Post. . '. . 

<a> The SOC must be responsive to the intelligence community through. 

ICRS/COMIREX~ during HEXAGON missions. As mission requirements are 

changed ·or as new' intelligence needs develop during the course of the miSsion, the 

- 6-

18P·SECRET 

HIIilIl VI. 

BYEMAN 

C •• trlIS,s' •• , 

r 

[ 

I" . .,. 

I 

I 

-I 

r 

f 

-I 

J 

( 

I . 

I' 

. t ' 

, . 
. ." NRO APP,RovED FOlfRELEASE " 

, DECLASSIFIED BY: C/IART . 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 

H'IIIII VI.-·· <, ' .' ,tap ·SECRET 

,'BYEMAN 

C'.tr,1 S,lt •• 

. B-13092/70 

SOCis.re$ponsible for ttranslating: these,reqdirements into a form~t a~~eptable to the 

SrC-operated· targeting, softWare'~:This"is accomplished~i~her; hy-deve1oping:new 

weighting and ,~ontr~1.,parame~r assignments. or providing new' ~issioD guidance to 

the STC. If changes are,signi{icantenough to affect the, original mi8siOD~obj8ctive8, 

the, SOC will conduct, on-or~it trade-off studies and evaluate ~he-impact._ These---

effects will be reported" to ICRS/COMlREX . and new :,mission objectives and· 

, parameters Will he- determined by'the SOC, in consultatio~ with "ICRS1CqMIREX, 

and'furnished""tO the STC. ,',' ',:' :.. ..' .' " ;' " , . . " . ,. ~. . 

, ' .. ,':';(br'The, soc re·cetve~. a'I'I!~ihig of cle~~ yVAC.'c~l1s fro~ O$r,,"~~~ . determined from a cloud-cover assessment o( ,the photography obtained from ~ach ,of . 

the first three iatellite ~coveryvehicles (SRV). These areas are reviewed folloWhig 

each recovery to determine those clear' cellswliich satisfy :the ~i88ion' objectives'-A. 

final list of clear WAC cells for each SRV'18 sent to the S~TC for on-orbit uPdating of' 

the. misiion objectives. . .: . . 

(4) oSP. OSP is charged with the following on-orbit operatiOnal support to' 

the ,SOC: . ' . 

<a> Perform miSSion ~imulation8, as requested by the, SOC. These 

simulations will ~e used to check updated performance predictioDs or to assist the 

SOC in trade-off studies. whenever· miSsion 'objectives are significaDtly, changed, 

either by new intelligence requirements or system malfunctions; and when such 

support is specifically requested by the SOC. . . 

'(b) Recommend new weighting' and controi paraineters' and update . 

miision perfolmancepredi~~ons when reque~tedby the SOC.· Such replanning'will . 

not be a"normal requir8ment~ This pl8Jlning' is' contemplated only In the event 'that 

the mission objectives are substantially changed. [ '. , . 

. (c) Generate an updated high-priority target acquisition list (IiPA Look- .' 

Ahead), as required. ' . -

(d) Provide the sod with a listing a~d computer plot 9f clear WAC ~Iis as determined from those NPIC and TOPOCOM 'cloud~coverasse8smeilt8 of 

photography reCeived from thei1l8t three SRV's. 

(5) GWC. GWC is responsible for providing weather forecasts and 

. assessments to the STC and the SOC. Weather forecast data ,are piovided for each 

eighth of the full HEXAGON swath width for each orbital revolution and are 

expressed in percent'probabilitY that the area will be at least·90 petcent. clOud~~ .. '. 

Weather assessments are also expressed in the same m,annet, bllt apply only to'thOSEf 

,eighths of the, swath that were actually phot~aphed. ·Special weather information 

is'provide4 .. to the STC upon request. These special reports·· might be, for ·ex.ample, , 

. d.aily snow cover reporf;s or a weather foreca~~ for the recovery area.' ' 

-7 -

TOP SEERET 

1, •• 1. , •• 

BYE~N' 

C •• tIlIS,lt •• 
NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE, 

DECLASSIFIED BY:, C/IART 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 

1 ••• 11 'I. 

BYEMAN 

C •• t~.1 S,stl" 

.lap SECRET r. 

-r" 

(6) EK and· SPPF., EK and SPPF are responsible· for accepting'delivery of ' 

the SRV tilmload and processing the two working prints to be u';d initially by the f,' 

NPIC Readout Team and the SPO/SSPO P08trecoVery Aiullysis Team. These'prints . 

are then shipped to NPIC and TOPOCOM for final,film readout~ , 

(7) NPIC. . .. I 

<a> NPIC will provide a'prelimi~ary film readout team to support the 

, SOC in 'on-orbit evaluation of mission. performance, effectIveness, and I 

accomplishments. The readout team will be at· the film processing site and will 

quickly assess the photography from each of the first three SRV's,on a rust-priority 

basis. The readout 'infOrmation 'p .. Ovided to the SOC, will be used in updating the ( 

mission objectiv~s for th~ .,remainder ~ the~i~on. , ' " ' ' 

, . 1. 'The team willa.e8S 'the cloud .. cover conditions and usable quality 

'ofeach 15-degree ·scan segment of each frame of photography from~Jle of the 

panoramiccainera sys~ms. This information is then furnished to the SOC and OSP~ , . . ' 2.' The team will determine' ,cloud~cover conditi~ns .and ' 

interpretability of SOC-spacified high-priority. targets and areas, of .special interest 

from the photography of both pan cameras. ' 

(b) The NPIC team will supervise ·breakdown and packaging of material ' I' 

derived fr-om each· SRV. . ' , , , . 

(8) TOPOCOM. The U.S. Army TOPOCOM will perform a final operational I 

film readout of each SRV to, provide cloud-cover information' to OSP. This ' 

, information will be processed by OSP for use, by, the SOC in accounting for actual' 

mission accomplishmentS and; when possibl~, for updating mission objectives for ~he ' I . remainder of the current mission., . 

e. Activities Concurrent, with On-Orbit -Operations. There' are' a number of . ( 

mi88ion-~lated activities which are "off li~e" in nature in that they dQ Dot in~ract . ' 

directly with s~tellitecommand and control. These activities are, for the moat part, 

monitoring and planning functions. . . 

(1) STC. The STC provides, 

.' 

the following information concerning 

.' 

vehicle 

performance: ' ' 

(a> The STe will keep the SOC informed of on-orbit ·activities and 

events, to, include vehicle and payload health, selected camera operations. data, 

expendables' ,status, planned and execllted orbit' adjustments, and recoveries, 8S. 1 

,well as malfunctions which might affect the iiltelligencecollection miisiOn. . 

(b) The' Misaion Performance Report (MPR) will be 'provided on a daily 

~aais to' the' SOC, OSP,NPIC, EK, SPPF, and TOPOCOM, as well 'as those t-

, organizations not directly involved in misSion execution, but requiring performance 

- 8 -

'Fep SECRET ' 

H.IIII, 'II 

BYEMAN 

elltr.1 S,lt •• 
NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE' ., \ 

'DECLASS,IFIED,BY: C/IART, _ . 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER' 2012 Hli~l. VI, " Tap "SECKET ,', B~13092no 

BYEMAN 

C' •• tral S,lt,.' . 

, , 

,data, such as th8' Defense Int&DigenC8' Agency (DIAY- ari~ the" 'UJS}' Air Force 

Aeronautical Chait and Informatiort Center ,(ACIC).: ,A:de'-complete diacuision' of 

the contents of the MPR can be'found in Chapter 2 undert'TUNITY~ " " " .:; > .. ' ' 

. . '( c)STC will ~ompile a 'daily iisii~ of W Ab' ~.lIs :pho~~~hed~ ~d t~ir . GWC'~~ather aSStlssment. These ~ata Wi~fbe provided to~~~~',S9C and,OSP~ " .. ' 

(d) A predicted ephe~eris will be provided to ,08P and G we'. '. ' 

(e) Predicted' ground. tracks based· on . the, predicted ephemeris will be, 

provided, to the SOC, 88 required. , ' " 

(2) SOC. The SOC will monitor the mission and continllally·· evaluate the 

mission accomplishments and payload performance with respeCt to the mission 

objectives, area weights, and control parameter~ set forth ,prior to launch. 

. (3) OSP. OSP will provide the follo!Jing BUpport: 

. <a> Prior to launch OSP proVided a list of high-priority t~ets and oth~r .. 

,areas of spe~ial interest to the SOC with the number of each orbital revolution on , 

which these .areas were to be. accessed. This target· look-ahead will beupelated as 

required throughout t~e mission. : , ' 

(b). Following each day of. HEXAGON operations, OSP will provide to 

the SOC a daily summary -0( camera operations, intelUg~nce categ()ries and target· 

clusters photographed" probable, and actual- accomplishments to' date, and 

requirements satisfaction levels. This report is based on th~ MPR and WAC 

Cell/Weather ~~ment listing receiv~ from the STC.· ',' 

(4) NPIC. NPIC will maintain a backup capability to the Missi()n ' 

Performance Report (MFR). In the event the MPR cannot be made availabJe, NPIC 

, will develop ephemeris an~ frame data', baaed on telem'etry tapes provided from the 

. STC and actual film formats. This informati~n will then be made available to all 

MFR recipient.. 

f. Postflight Activities. The on-orbit operations end and postflight activities 

begin, for purposes of-this document, upon delivery of the last SRVto its 

destination. , . . . , ' '. 

, (1), EK .and, SPPF. EK and the SPPFwill accomplish film handling, 

processing, ~nd distribution, to include developing and printing processes, 'titling" 

breakdown, inspectio~, packaging, and shipment to the customer~ , . " 

(~) NPIC. NPIC will provide a team ,to the processing site to supervise 

breakdown and packaging of material4erived from the mission... ' 

(3) TOPOCOM. The U.S. 'Army TOPOCOM will perform a final operational 

film readout of the entire mission (exc~uding readout performed durin; the mission) 

- 9 -

'fap" SECREf 

H •• IIII" •• 

BYEMAN 

C •• trel 's".". 

- . ',j I 

I . ! 

, , 

I 
. NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE·' .. 

DECLASSIFIED BY: C/IART " . 

. DECLASSIFIED ON:.1 OCTOBER 2012 

HI ••• I Via . . 

BYEMAN 'Tep SECRET'· B-lS092/70 

CI.bll S,.tlil 

iD order to provide cloud-cover informatio~ to OSP. After the 'cloud-cOver data are 

co~lated'to the ephemeris and' p~essed by OSP, this informatioQ will be returned 

to TOPOCOM in two' form&--.· computer plot o{ clear W ~C cells and a magnetic 

tape of cloud boundaries defined by geocieticcoordinates. These d~ta are used as the . 

·basis for preparing map overlays of. areas photographed clear this misSipn. and to 

depict' graphically the' statUs of the USlB search requirements." These . overla~ are 

provided:to the SOC to facilitate future' mission plannin~. . . 

(4) OSP. OSP pe~orms the followhig p08tmission tasks in. 8U~pOrt of th~ 

SOC: 

(&) Account for actual mission.accomplishments in terms of clear Wf\C 

cells and target coverage, :hased on the TOPOCOM assessment of the. photography", 

and store these da~ in the historical data base.-

(b) Provid~ . TOPOCO·M .. with mission· accomplishm~nt tapes .and . 

. . computer plots to assist in their graphical support to the SOC. 

(c) Provide the SOC with a statistical missi~n summary of s~ding and 

current intelligence requirements which were satisfied' on the mission and a status 

report on s~ding requirements satiifaction levels. . . . 

(d) Assist the SOC with software support and· simulations for . p08tmission analyses. ' 

. (5) SOC~ The .sOC will evaluate the mission accompllshments in light of the . 

mission. objectives and weighting and control parameters provided to "the STe prior ' 

to . launch . and during the mission. The· SOC will report, the· mission results to 

ICRS/COMIREX. .. 

(6) SPD.The SPD, with the support of the SPO~ STC, a~d SSPO, Wi.l 

perform p'ostfligh~ analyses of all aspects. of spacecraft . arid total syste.m 

.pe~ormance, . on-orbit . ope~atioD8, targeting and command .geperalj~n. eotl'!~ . support functions, and laUD~h, tracking, and recovery operations. A Command POet 

Mission Report will be written following these analyses. . 

(7)' SSPO. ·TheSSPO will perform postflight analyses of sensor subsystem' 

performance, to include a film quality evaluation. :The SSPO will proVide a Payload 

. Evaluation Report for the entire mission to the ··SPD for inclusion in bis' Command 

POst Miesion Report. 

- 10-

lap SECRE:r 

,1.1111. VI. 

BYEMAN· 

C •• I,tl ·~'It •• 

·r 

1· 

r' 

I 

. r . 

.1 

,( .. 

r' 

I 

I· -

I 

. ~ . 

I . I 

. ! 
NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE 

DECLASSIFIED BY: CilART . 

DECLASSIFIED ON:1 OCTOBER·2012 

H ••• 'I VII· . . "fep :~ SECRET BYEMAN 

'. Clltrel S,ltl" 

CHAPTER·2 

.. SOFTWARE CAPABILITIES' 

General. This chapter provides· a general description of the major ,softw~ . 

. progr~m •. used in HEXAG9N planning;a~d . execution, . their capabilitiei, and some 

of their' prOducts, 'in order to' better understand the part. they 'piay in the overall 

conduct of· a mission~ Table 2-1.summBrizss the specific· mtelligenee pIaDtrlng' and 

targeting sOftW!Ue available. .. , . 

olbital"Seaich. The Orbital Perfolm~n~ ~diction Pr~am is operated by: 

'oSP to assist ,the SOC' in the·o~b~tselection prQCess. The SOC.wiUsubmit seve.ral. 

'orbi~al candidates to OSP based on a ·librBrY. of'a11ow8~leorbits provided by the 

SPD. These· orbits are defmed in terms pf biitial or injection conditions, which 

consist of active mission life, inclination, orbital period, launch date· and time, 

altitude and latitude of pe~gee, drag factOf, planned times .and ·revolution numbers 

for ()J"bit adjustments with the new expected orbit, cODd~tions, and s~cial comments 

and· limitations. In· considera·tion of the orbit, climatology,· and obliquity 

requirements, the, Orbital Performance Prediction Program· provides' specific data· 

for SOC cODsideration~ Such data might include, for each orbit under consideration, 

the- probability of acquiring cloud-free photography for specified 'areas or the number 

of opportunities to photograph particular target clusters and special interest areas· 

during the mission. . 

Statistical Prediction/Simulation.' 

a. CRYSPER .. The , Sensor Subsystem Performance· Prediction Program . 

(CRYSPER)· is used to aSsist in the selecticm. of optimum weighting and' control 

parameters for the mission. As a part· of, the mission planning, support, OSP will 

provide to the SOC a ,mission simulation which Will· provide predicted ground 

_ resolved di~tanc.,s (GRO) f~.l,c.ted:_taqets,.In tb~ GRD prediction the CRYSPER 

propam will consider the fundamental operating .cbaracteristics of the sensor 

subsystem to be flown, the type of filmaelected for the mission, the selected orbit. 

.. and time of launch, ,haze characteristics, and the contrast and reflectance. of the 

indiyidual targ~ta. . . ,- ,. . . _ . .. ., 

b. HAMPER. The HEXAGON Analytic MiSsion Planning Estiination Routilie . 

(HAMPER). isueed to· statistically predict miiSion perf()miance~ With respect to 

satisfying intelligence collection requirements, and ,to generate ·:recominended 

weighting and·, control parameters on' a WAC. ,cell basis for use' in ··the targeting' . 

software. HAMPER will perform the following fU~lctions: 

(1) Predict performance level against complex surveilluce, area search, and 

special areas of interest unique to the mission being planned. 

-11.-

.. ". 19P, SECRET. 

H ••••• Vii 

BYEMAN' 

C .•• lr.1 ·5,.1 •• 

, 

I . " 
.NRO APP~OVED,FO~'RELEASE DECLASSIFIED BY: C/IART . 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 

'Hal4l, VII 

BYEMAN 

Clltrel' S,ite. 

B-13092/70· 

, . 

. (2) Estima~ amount of:film'required to satisfy the ini~iono~jectivea. 

. . (3) Generate curVes depicting levels. of performance versUs the amounts of 

film required to attain these performance levels for eilch target clu~ter, target cluster 

-grouping, search category, or 'speeiallydesipated area. . 

(4) .. Report current status of intelligeD~ collection requirements aDd pre(tict 

expected status by completion of the mission. . . ' 

(5) 'Generate recommended WAC cell .parameters. Specifically, these param~ters' are . the .weight· and: acceptable probabilistic level of successful 

. photographic coverage for each' .cell. The program. ~ll' have tpe capability to 

generate, upon request, suggested camera scan angle limits to 'improve on 

- Pilotographic resolution at "the expense of area coverage; should ~s option·be 

desirable. ' . . . . . 

, , c. HSIM. The lIEXAGON Simulation' Program (H8IM> will' be e~pable of 

rapid simulation of HEXAGON camera operatioDS by taking into consideratiOn·the 

orbit to be flown, standing and mission unique collection requirements, h8rdware 

constrain~s, fIlm management, actual cl~ud-cover conditioDs from historical data on 

file, targeting software camera operation selectioJl logic,- and weighting and control 

parameters ·provided . from HAMPER and the SOC. HSIMwill generate these 

iimulatio~ . for use by the SOC in ·performing studies" miSsion planilmg~' orbit. 

selection, and on-orbit repblnning. . 

Operations. 

a. 'TUNITY. The' TRW 'Unified Information. Transfer Software. System 

('TUNITY) will perform on-orbit mi~on targeting, command, and control, and 

mission reporting. 'It is a software package made up of many computer programs and 

routines. ' 

(1) General System Functional Requirements: 

(a> Mission Targeting functions aqco~pli.shed ,by -'TUNITY are as 

follows: 

1. Store and maintain descriptive information pertaining ·to areas of . 

interest to the intelligenc8community.· . 

. 2. A-ccept dynamic changes to mission~specificareasrequiring 

intelligence collection: . 

!:. Allow area weighting and control par~meters ,to be easily modified 

at any time prior to or during the mission. 

lap ,SECRET 

1 ••• 1i VI. 

IYEMAN 

" C •• tr.1 's,.t •• 

'-1"" . 

r 

r' 

r 

I 

I 

I' 

I' 

t 

. t 

J. 

·1 

. I' 

I 
. . 

NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE 

DECLASSIFIED BY; C/IART. 

DECLASSIFIEP ON~ 1 OCTOBER 2012. 

•••• 1. VII . . 

aYEMAN ' 

Clltrel S,st •• 

l6P SEC-RET' ~-13092/70 . 

4. Identify all areas of interes.t.Within view of the camera system for 

specified time periods. . " . -

6. Select t;he· actual areas to be .photographed, subject to the 

maximization Of intelligence value per unit Of film expended. . 

. 6. Provide to the operator sufficient intermediate information to allow. 

effective manu~ control over the ·abovetasks. . . 

(b) '1VNITY Command and Control functions will: 

1. Generate commands required to allow the seitsor and·' vehicle to 

accomplish th~ selected photographic operatioDs. 

. 2. Translate the above comma~ds into a conflict-free command 

message and identify'any conflicts should theyexist. 

S. Construct a command message for tranSmission· to. the .remote ' 

tracking stations. '. 

4 .. Maintain a ground-based up-to-date image of the commands stored 

. in the vehicle command memory. 

·5. Provide sufficient intermediate information to allow effective 

manual control over "the above tasks. . . 

(c) 'TUNITY Reporting and Assessment functions can: . 

. 1. Provide information such that assessments ~f the relative 

accomplishment of the mission objectives can'·be made, based on· photographic 

accomplishments to date. 

2. Retain information for later targeting and .command and control' 

functions discussed earlier. . . 

. .a.. Provide. sufficient intermediate information to allow effecti.v~. 

manual control over the above tasks. . 

. 4. Evalua~ ~i88io~ performance. 

5. Report on million performance. A more detailed di8CU88ionof this 

report is found ~ the following paragr~ph. . 

(2) The .Mission Performance Report (MPR). The MPR will be received and 

used by more organizations than any other software output. It is.therefore di~ssed 

in detail in this docu~ent, as it is the basis for vehicle performance monitoring and 

evaluation, exploitation planning, and~ film distribution; and aids in the imagery 

interpretation process. 

- 13 -

'lap SECRET 

1.1' •• VI. 

BVEMAN 

C.ltrt. ·Stlt •• 

. I 

'r 
NRO 'APPROVED FOR RELEASE 

DECLASSIFIED BY:, C/IART ' 

DECLASSIFIED ON: '1' OCTOBER 2012 

H.ltlli VI. 

BYEMAN 

, Ca,tre', s,.~ •• 

MP ,SECRET ~·l3092/70 ' 

(a), General. The MRP will be provided from the $TC' daily on' a 

'revolution-by-revolution processing basis. It utilizes, as' a starting point 'for its 

execution, the following: ' 

1. Best~fit ephemeris, to define the vehicle position as a function of 

time. ' 

2.. History of executed commands. 

3. Frame reference times 'for frames of ' film ,exposed by the cameras. 

(b) Data Content. ',Each ·MPR will contain general information on the 

vehicle, orbit, ,and camera systems and specific data for ~ach orbital revolution (rev), ' 

camera ,operation, photogr~phic frame, 'andphotograpbic ~rame'B target content. ' 

1. General Information. Each MPR will be dated and' Will state the . -- ' mission number, vehicle number, ephemeris identification, and, th~ rev' span for 

which the report is applicable. Time correlation alid initial orbital parameters will 

be ,displayed along With physical earth constants. The 'report will alBo cont8in the 

times of orbit adjustments and' reentry vehicle fuings, with their attitudes and rates 

of thrust. - ' 

2. Camera Information. ,Camera identification numbers and lens aerial' 

numbers,along with the film types, filter type, and focal length used, With each " 

camera, are 'provided in each report. A display of the main c$meras' 32 slit ' 

calibiations is provided for correlation of slit width in' inches with the slit settings 

listed in the photographic frame data part of the report~ , , 

3. Orbital'Revolution Data. Ea~h rev is defined by its rev" Dumber, 

numbered' sequentially from' the start of the mission, its date, and, a 20-point ' 

ephemeris. ' ' 

, 4. Ph~tograpbic operatjo:ns are de~ned as "camera.on to camera off." 

They are numbered sequentially throughout the mi~ion. Photographic operations ' 

are listed 'in'-the· MPR 'by 'operation number, rev llumber, date, -reference system 

, times for the first arid last' frames of the operation, and the geodetic latitude' and, ' 

longitude, of the four comers of the area photographed by the, operation.' The scan 

angle or. scan mode and scan center· placement in degre,s from ,nadir are also 

provided for the main camera. The exposure overlap mode of the stellar-index 

camera Will be reported for each oPeration. ' , 

5. Each frame of photography is numbered sequentially beginning 

with'each photographic operation. A frame of palloramic photography will vary in 

length according to the scan' mode selected for the operation; however, each frame . 

within an operation will be the same length. Each frame' of photography Will be 

listed in the MPR with the following frame data: ' 

1b Revnum~r 

, - 14 -

feP SECRET 

,H •• ,II. Via 

BYEMAN 

C •• tflIS,st •• 

r', , 

'I 

" r' 

r 

f . 

r 

t 

t ' 

.( 

t 

I 

} 

·1 

I 

" { 

1 

l 
NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE 

DECLASSIFIED BY: C/IART 

DECLASSIFIED ON:1 OCTOBER 2012 . 

HII~I. VII 16P , S£ERET , B~13092/10. , BYEMAN ' 

CI"rel S,ltlll 

b. Opera~ion Dumber. tQw::hicJl, frame beloDgS £:. Frame number .. .., '" , 

, d. Optical bar designator for frame (forward or aft pan ,cameras 

, only). 

. !! Frame reference times (system and vehi~le) . 

f. Geodetic latitudes and longitudes of the frame reference 

, point, vehicle nadir, and flame comer points (pan cameras only). . ' 

I! Solar elevation and azimuth 

,h. Vehicle flightpath angle' , 

i. Slit number used (correlate with main camera slit widtli' 

display in earlier section of report). ., ' . ' 

j. Vehicle altitude at-frame reference time 

k. Velocity and azimuth of ground track' 

L.. Vehicle inertial velocity and azimuth 

m. Commanded FMC rate (stellar/terrain cameras only). 

n. Commanded and computed velocity-altitude ratio, fllm· 

speed, and optical bar rotation rate (pan cameras only). 

" '2: Right ascension and declination of each stellar axis 

(ste.1lar/terrain ,c~meras only). '. 

6 .. The targets totally or partially' photograph8dby a pUu'cular' frame 

will be listed according-to frame. The'degree to w~ch the target was framed, its ID 

number, geodetic latitude and longitude of the target center,· frame coordinates 'of, 

,. the target center, and target elevation will be provided in the MPR. Thisappliea· , 

. only to main camera photography. ' 

b. Vehicle and:Telemetry Software. Computer 'proirams are ,available to. the ' 

SPD to auist him in the preparation and 'conduct of HEXAGON missions. These 

. programs will be applied to HEXAGON . vehicle and telemetry functions. 

Specifically, they will support vehicle testing, aerospace vehicle pad testing, aaCent. " 

guidance, and telemetry analysis. ., . 

c. General Support Software. SAFSP ,and, STC, computer programs, w~ch 

,support various satellite systems, will also support HEXAG·ON. These general 

computer programs will provide the following capabilities: 

(1) Orbit determination and ephemeris generation ' 

(2) Orbit maintenance and orbit adjust determination 

Gi) 'Command and tracking station acquisiti9n data and sChedu~ng.' 

(4) Telemetry processing and display, 

(5) Vehicle-clock-to-GMT calibration ' 

- 15 -' 

19P SECRET 

I ..... Vt. 

BYEMAN, 

. C'ltnl .,1". 
NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE 

DECLASSIFJED BY: C/IART: ' 

. DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 

H.I.II Via 

BYEMAN 

taltr,I, S,lt,. 

lap ·5ECRET B-13~O· . 

(6) Data handling,. display~ ·and command message transmission to remote 

tracking stations. : , .. . . 

(7) . Ascent/reentry determination 

(8) Computer operation ~nd utility programs 

(9). Remote tracking station software 

Operational SUPPort .. Area . coverage history and' accounting' programs 8re . 

operated and maintained by osp in·support of the SOC. These programs are used to 

generate statistical data which are used in all phases of HEXAGON· operations. 

These programs are, for the most part, oriented to' 12-by-18-nautical-mile WAC 

cells. . . . . . . 

8. ACCOMP Program. The ACCOMP Program maintains the status of the 

mission objectives and intelligence requirements satisfaction during. and after the· 

mission. The 'TUNITY output. of WAC cells photographed and ~he corresponding 

assessed weather information is used hy the ACCOMP. Program to establish 

probabilistic levels' of satisfaction for each. intelligence requirelllent category. The 

ACCOMP Program is updated as. actual film readout is obtained and processed by 

the Area Coverage' Program. This -information is provided to ~he ·SOC in a . daily 

mission status report. .. 

b. Area Coverage Program. The Area Cove~age Program is one which accepts a 

cloud-cover assessment of each' frame of exposed .film and. transforms this cloud 

inform.tion, defiried· in terms of frame coordinates, to groUnd . coordinates by 

merging ·wi ih the. MPR. .Then the ground· . coordinate cloud definition is 

superimposed upon the appropriate WAC cells intemally·by the·software to 

determine tlie number of tWenty-fourths or 3-by-3-mlle WAC cell sectors which are 

cloud covered and cloud free. Those WAC cells having 22 or more cloud~free sectors 

or subcells are considered cloud free. This information updates the previousliating of 

WAC·cells arid their prob8bilis~c cioud-~ene8S derived lromweather __ ents~·· 

c. Area History Program. The Area History Program will draw from the 

ACCOMP Program files and store WAC cell historical data. The Area History file . 

will contain the mission number· and date of each photographic attempt arid each 

photographic succe. on a WAC Cell basis~ This· program will generate data to 

support H8IM, HAMPER, and 'TUNITY. . . 

. - 16 -

19P SECRET 

1.lill. Vii 

BYEMAN . Cllt,,1 ·S,lt •• 

r

o

• 

1-

r· 

r 

l·· 

r 

f 

I 

L 

I 

(. 

I 

I.. 

{ . 
NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE . 

DECLA$SIF.IED BY: C/IART 

DECLASSIFIED ON: ~ OCTOBER 2012 

H ••• I' Yla BYEMAN 

C •• trla Syst ••. 

. "Fep. SEEREf B .. is092/70 

TABLE 2-1-

. Organ;zatifllai RlsponsiiJi/,iies for H.EXAGOJI Musion P~ing and Tllrget~1. S()l!wa~t. 

MISSIoN PLANNING AND TARQETING SOFl'WARE 

Develooed B! Funded B! ManaK!:d B! ()PeratCd~! 

Orbit Performance Lockheed NRO OSP OSP 

Predictial Program 

CRYSPER . Perkin-Elmer 'NRO OSP OSP 

Eastman-Kodak 

HAMPER TRW NRO OSP osp 

HSIM' OSP/TRW CIA/NRO 'osp' OSP 

'TUN lTV TRW NRO SAFSP STC 

ACCOMP Pr9gl'am Lockheed NRO OSP OSP 

Area Coverage Program Lockheed NRO OSP OSP 

Area History Program Lockheed NRO OSP OSP 

.. 17 -

fep SECRET 

SuPPOrting 

'SOC 

SOC 

SOC .. 

SOC •. it. 

STC 

SOC, .f. 

SOC.'· . 

. soc 

.1 ••• 11 VI. 

BYEMAN 

C •• tr.1 ·S,lt •• 
NRO ApPROVED FOR 'RELEASE 

DECLASSIFIED BY: C/IART ' 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 

Haildl, Vii 

BYEMAN 

, C'.lrol S,SI'. 

Tep SECRET 

CHAPTER ,3' 

, ' " ' '\ .. 

OPERATIONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL INTERFACES , , 

;.:. ~ 

B-1S092f70 

. General. Chapter 1 discussed' the organizational responsibilities 'for the' 

development, preparation, planning, execution,' and analysis of HEXAGON ' 

missiOns., Chapter' 2' i~entified HEXAGON software programs and the~functions. 

This 'chapter will highlight the info~ation preSented in Chapters ,1. and 2 by 

presenting a, chronological flow of data from one organization to another, for the 

premission, on .. orbit, and p08tmission operational phase's of a typical HEXAGON 

mission. It must be recogniz~dthat this chapter p~sents only ·the communication of 

data' from one organization to another. It does not address inte~ organizational 

functions 'and' data flows which occur in connection with the preparation and 

execution of a mission. ' ' 

'Premismon Information Flow. The activities depicted graphically in Figure 3-1 

begin following ~n anilouncement of the launch' date by the SOC. The 'SPO/SSPO 

informs, the STCof vehicle parameters, paylQad constraints, and flight ,objectives. 

Operational status reports are provided back to the SPO/SSPO from' the STC as 

mission p~eparatioDs prOgress. 

ICRS will provide current intelligence requirements and mission guidance to'the 

SOC to the extent nece~ary to' enable the SOC, to '881e~t an orbit. Normally,the 

standard sun-synchronous HEXAGON or~it will be flown, ~ut other orbits may be 

considered in light of ICRS mission-specific requirements. Orbit candidates are 

provided to the SOC 'from the SPO whenever a nQnstandardorbit is being 

considered. The SOC will :call upon OSP for an orbit peiformance prediction plior to 

selecting ,a, nonstandard orbit~ The, SPO/SSPO, STC, and OSP are. notified by the, 

,SOC of the orbit selected. 

OSP 'provides the SOC with a statistical report showing the launch-date status 

of the usm standing requirements. Concurrently, ICRS finalizes its' mission 

guidance and,mission-specitic requirements for current intelligence'collectionto the 

SOC. After evaluating the total mission requirement 'and current su.tus of standing 

requirements, the SOC will supply OSP with the mission, objectives and control 

parameter aS8ignmen~. These control parameter assignments might include such 

specific WAC-cell-oriented, parameters as maximum acceptable resolution, 

maximum or minimum obliquity of scan, desired frequency of coverage; minimum 

acceptable solar elevation" acceptable probabilistic level of satisfactory coverage" 

and d~ction of photography, e.g., photograph east side of target only. 

Tap SECREf 

h •• 11 v •• 

BVEMAN 

c •• trt. S,II'. 

f 

\ 

I ' , ' 

I 

I 

I 

, , ,I 

I 

I, 

I 

I 

l. 

! 

I 

I, 

" I 
n 

• • ::'w_ !!.-<: "m_ -t'E. 

:~c Iz. 

~ 

I 

C 

R 

S '--

0 ---

S 

'. 

'p 

Minion Guidlnce ..... 

Currtnt Inmlli"nee . 

-

Requirtmlnts 

Predicted 

Minion Accomplishments 

. Orbit Candidatel 

SellCtld 0dIit 

Million O.ctiYil 

Control Parllllter Anignments 

Orbit Performance Prediction ' , 

. Requirements Status 

Million Performl. Prldiction . ..- Recommended W,.lIting 

lid Cantrot PIrIme~" 

HPA Look-AIttId -.' . , 

HEXAGON PREMISSION INTERfACES 

S Vehicle Parlmeters 

-

-- Orbit Candidates Payload Constraints - . P. Flight Objectives 

0 .. -

S 

Selectad Orlait 

- S -.. Operationll Status .. 'p - Reports 

0 

S 

0 Selected Orbit Minion Objectives 

Wei,hting and Control P.II.tirs 

c 

.. 

111 

p' Reportint Tlrget Lilt 

I 

C ,. 

. Fi9ur~ 3-: J .. H~xAGON, Pr.mission In,.,iOc.s 

~ -

S i 

-- ·1 : 

, , I 

'. I 

I 

i 

I 

C'. 

.. ; 

' - i 

• 0-·· 

COZ 

mm;:o 

naazO 0 0 

=, -< = 5: 5: », :: m.=: en en ." 

!!. M. ~ - en en ." :s:;; :;; ::0 . "'Z-- - 0 :. m m < 1 CCm 

om

C . 

z-<." ····0 -Q,::o 

0;;::0 O;:om 

-I-Ir-' o m , m» 

tl:' • 

m en 

;:0 m 

N 

o -

N 

"'""' ~. 

~ ,S 

.0 
NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE " 

,DECLASSifiED BY: C/lARr 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 , ,HI.~I. VII' , 

, BYEMAN 

elitreIS,II'. 

. - .' 

TOP SECRET B .. 13092no· 

'. ' 

, 'OSP runs HAMPER ,and,' when required, HSIM programs. The outputs· are 

formatted into a, statistical performan~e prediction, which estimates what can be 

accomplished by' this' mission towards satisfying" the' mission objectives. This 

predictio~ and the, accompanying weightbig and control parameters .. ienerated from 

HAMPER are studied by the' SOC in consultation with ICRS until a proper balance 

of film expencUt~es and expected intelligence ' collection accomplishments, is 

achieved. The parameters . which will best accomplish the Dii~on objectives will be , approved by the 'SOC and released for'~ansmi88ion'to the HEXAqON Operations . 

Command Post at the STC for use with the, 'TUNITY targeting software. The SOC 

then provides leRS with· the (mal prediction of expected mission ·accomplishments. 

OSP provides the SOC with ,a mgh-priority target access prediction, called the HP A: 

, Look-Ahead'. NPIC will format and transmIt th~ rep9rling target list to the' STC'for 

use by 'TUNITY in generating target imoi'mation in the MPR. 

On-Orbit'lnformation Flow. The HEXAGON Operations Command Post will 

operate continuously at the STC throughout ,the mission to accomplish the rev-byrev paylOad and vehicle command and control functions. Decisions for activating the 

cameras over designated areas will' be determined at the STC by the 'TUNITY, 

camera operation selection process. 'TUNITY processes timely forecasts of cloud- ' 

cover conditions over accessible ateas' of interest, along with the, weighting and 

cQntrol parameters previously provided by the SOC, to arrive at such decisions .. , ' 

Before camera operations can be considered for selection, the STC must first 

request a weather forecast from.GWC for the specific areas to be accessed. The GWC 

weather prediction is received by the 'TUNITY selection algorithm just prior to the ' 

command generationproc8ss' (see Figure 3-2)., 'TUNJTYselects the moat efficient' 

scan .mode, scan center, and camera on and off points to obtain the highest, 

intelligence score per. unit of fIlm. The camera' operation. selections are formatted 

and transmitted to the', apPl"Opriate remote tracking' stations (RTS) where the . 

,selected operations &re, commanded to the, satellite. The SOC receives a message 

from the STC which lists the camera operations selected and commanded,' . , 

The RTS will furnish tracking and telemetry data to the STC as· it becomes ' 

available. Part of. the' data' are used to provide' the SOC With' a vehicle and payload 

status report. Tracking and telemetry data are, also 'used by 'TUNITY to generate . 

the MPR. The STe disseminates the MPR to appropriate organizatio~, 8S shown in 

FilUJ'8 3-2.' ' ' 

,·20-

Tap 5Ee~ET 

II.~I. VII 

BYEMAN 

C •• tr •• S,.t •• 

" f--

r, 

r 

I', '. 

I 

[ 

I 

, f 

.{ 

I 

( 

I : 

,I 

I., 

[ 

l.. 
n 

• • ::"0'1. !!.-<: 

Mm~ 

... ~. 

::.~ .. IZiii 

~ 

. , 

----

S --

0 

C --' 

--

HEXAGON ON-ORBIT INTERFACES 

Raquirlmlnu I Chlngl. 

C 

R Rlquirllllints ' . 

Impact S 

C.mma.ndldCamera Opel'ltiolll: Expendablll Status 

Vehicle/Payload Hutth; M~R: Predicted Ground T~b 

Acceptlltle WAC calls; ~hanges to Mission Objectives 

Upda .. d Control raramate,. 

Chan.es to -- Minion Objectives 0 MPH: WAC CaU/ Assauad WxO~ta 

-- Ephimeris Predict 

MiDi.n StilUl Apt S' 

HPA Loak·AhIld . P CIeIr WAC Calls - NPIC Prelimilllry - MPH 

SRV Coverage Plot Rim Assessm.nt , Raviild pranning , 

RI"~ EK \ 

0111 

MPR . T -' Praci_ F'dm Postrecovery .. 0 . ,-- Postracovary Report ' SPPF Report p 

0 ·,·1 

taaA RudOl1 RlquirelDU' -- -- NPIC Pnliminary Film:AlMssmtat 

'NPIC HPA Heldaut PO •• COVlry Rlport 

Figure 3-2. HEXAGON On-Orbit Int.rlaces 

Requesta for 

Weith., Data ... EpIIemeris PradiCi 

. , 

.. W ... her Predictions 

-- . W.a.her.AsMllllllnts 

. Speciel Reports 

S 

-'" T . Vehicle/Payload . - Commands .. 

'C - TrackingITM 

-- Dati 

- MPR ... 

.. 

'. 

SHY 1. 2. 3. 

Postrecovwy Report " 

-

I 

G 

W 

C 

R 

T' 

S 

, 

NPIC I 

'. DIA I 

. ACIC 

! 

ccz 

mm:::u 

ftCD_O 0 0 

!~i~ ~> c;~-enen" 

-~cen'en " ~z·--:::u .. :!!':!!o 

: mm< -. eem 

om e 

z-<-n ··,'··0 ..a.Q:::u 

05>:::u 

~::u.m 

'0 -I Jii 

m . >. 

m en 

::u m 

N" 

o ..a. 

N ' 

.tI' 

• , 100-& ···1 

0' 
NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE 

DECLASSIFIED BY: C/IART 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012·. 

Ht.~I. ·'11 I, 

. BYEMAN 

C.Dtr.1 SJlt',M 

Tep, SECRET· , . 

, B-13092/70 

The STC will receive a' weather assessment from GWC, upon request, which . 

indicates probabilistic 'cloud-cover conditions over those areas, previously 

,piiotographed. The, assessment data are used by 'TUNITY to account for mission 

accomplishments in the missi9n objectives file, to implement WAC cell deweightiDg 

'prior to future accesses to the areas already photographed, and to generate for OSP a . 

listing of WAC cells photographed and the correspondlng weather aSsessment for ' 

each cell. OSP will provide the SOC with a daily collection status report derived 

from the MPR, GWC weather· asse88ments,and (ibn readout, when available. The 

, ACCOMP and Area Coverage Programs are used by OSPto pr~88 this information 

for the report. . . 

GWC provides special weather reports and meteorological data to the STC upon 

request. ,The STC "Will provide predicted ephemeral data toGWC and OSP, as' 

required, throughout the mission. The STC will also provide the SOC with predicted 

ground tracks'derived from ephemeral data. OSP will update the HP A Look.Ahead, 

which was provided to the. SOC prior to launch, as required, based on the latest 

ephemeral data. . . 

Aft-er recovery, each of the first thiee SRV's will be delivered to ODe of the two 

proceuilll sites ..... EK or SPPF -- while on-orbit operations are continuing. After the 

.rust working prints 8l"e available, the NPIC team ~egins its preliminary . f11m 

assessment to determine cloud conditions on· the photography. A complete 

. assessment of the coverage obtained from one camera is made and transinitted to the 

SOC and OSP. A target readout ifJ performed on those targets previously designated 

by the SO,C. The target cloud":cover information IS· obtained· from the coverage of 

both main cameras and sent to the ,SOC. ConcUrrently, a poatrecovery analysis of " 

the film and senSor subaystem performance is eondu~tedby SPO/S~PO. 

OSP' will process the film 8sSeB$ment data" obtain~d from the NPIC 'team usiq 

the Area' Coverage ,Program and provide the SOC with a listing of clear WAC cells. 

~d ~ computer plot ~ depicting clear coverage., The 'iisting, and plot are reviewed in 

light of special mission requirements. ThOse clear WAC cella accepted as satisfying 

the mission objectives are sent to the STC to update the 'TUNITY mission objective 

flltt.' -

As SoOD as tile analysis of the working print .is completed at the processing site, 

the print is shipped to" TOPOCOM for a final cloud-cQver assessment. "The 

TOPO.COM assessment is treated as an update' to the NPIC assessinent and is 

prOcessed similarly at OSP and the SOC. . 

;. 22 -

f9P'SECRET 

...... v •• 

BYEMAN 

C'ltrel 'S,lt •• · . 

'r 

r 

r'· 

r' 

I . 

r 

r 

r 

I 

,( 

I 

( 

I 

I 

t, ' 

l. 
NRO APPROVED FOR RELEASE 

DECLASSIFIED BY: C/IART' . 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 1 OCTOBER 2012 

H •• ~~~V1. . . BYEMAN 

C •• 'rel SJst .. i . 

Changes to th~ prelaunch intelligence. requirements are expect.ed during the 30-

day miuion duration, and the SOC is prepar8d to bnplement such changes on short . 

·notice. When·such. changes are received from ICRS/COMIREX, the SOC'will update . 

the weighting and control parameters preViously sent to the STC.lf the changes are . 

significant and appear to seriously impact on the mission obj~ctives, the·SOC.will 

. request a rerun of HAMPER or aSIM, 8S required. This will. not preclude 

implementing the' change immediately when suoh changes are urgent .. OSP will 

provide the SOC with necessary data to conduct' r8planning and to advise 

. ICRS/COMIREXof the impact afthe change, either befOre or after the change is -

. implemented. The on-orbit phaSe of the mission te.rminates upon reCovery and" 

delivery of the 

. 1', 

: fourth SRV to the procesaing site. .-',- .• .' 

. Poatmission Information Flow. The postmission phase of the operation begins 

atter arrival of the final SRV to either processing·site. The postflight analysis of the 

film and payload performance is conducted at the proceseing site by SPO/SSPO 

using one· of .two working prints. This print is sent to TO~OCOM forassessmelit 

folIowing the postrecovery analysis. The' second working print is ~nt directly ~o . NPIC. . . . 

'" After OSP·:has. p~ocessed all TOPOCOM SRV assessments,··~ mission 

accoJ;nplishments tape .is generated by ·the Area Coverage·Program which provide~ 

the SOC with a final mission status report and provides TOPOCOM with both the 

cb::'ar coverage obtained, by' frame, and a computer ·plot. of the ~otal mission 

accomplishment .. These data are used by TOPOCOM to produce a mission 

performance graphic ~nd a requirements ·status or "holiday" graphic'for the SOC~ 

The soc will provide a requirements status _ report- to ICRS/COMIREX. OSP 

continues to\-provide study and simulation ,data on req':1est to the SOC for mission 

evaluation and future mission plannitig. . 

-OperatiOD8~ExploitatiOD 'Interface. The Mission'Performance RepOrt: >(MPR) is 

provided daily throughout 'themission to' organizations requiring mission' 

performance d.ta for exploitation planning purposes. The TOPOCO)4 cloud.;cover 

assessment of the' film~ as processed- by OSP, is .al80···available to orgaiuzatioDs 

requiring this information for photo ind,xing or miuion analysis purposei. Two such • 

organizations, GWC and DIA, are deplcted in Figure 3-3. . 

- 23 -

mp' SECRET 

1 ••• 11 VI. 

aYEMAN 

C •• trl. S,lt •• 

I 
• "• :rail. 

... 

~-<= ·m .. -=.~. :r~c .z. 

~ 

EJ( 

or 

SPPF 

~ 

SRV4 

Procesiad - NPIC . Film 

Proce_d 

Film 

T 

0 - P - 0 

C 

0 

M 

HEXAGON POSTMISSION INTERFACES 

~ 

( . 

Photogrlphic Cloud-Cover· Olti 

.. 

Film 0 Miaiion Status '. 

Asallment ~ 

Report 

S 

MisSion p'. Olta S Requirements 

Accomplisl .. paots - Requests Status 

0 

Study Ind C Simulation Om -

Mission Performlnce Grapbic .. Requirements StltUI 6rlphic 

Figure 3-3. HEXAGON PosI~;Slion Inl.rlaces 

--.,.. 

ewe 

.. - and 

OIA 

-- leiS 

, . 

. . 

----, 

CCZ 'm m :;u ID~OOO. 

;-<=~>~ :: ~ ! en en ." 

!!. ~ c £e £e :;u -='Zii::!!::!!O 

:. m m < .• CC'm 

.• omC 

Z-<." ··.··0 

~·e:;u 

O;;':;u O:;um 

........ .- o m 

m :. 

m en 

:;u m 

N 

o 

~ 

·N 

tiD 

~ 

~ 

'$ 

SO