(5) Collection control data based on directed intelligence
requirements and mission assessment for the programming of the SAMOS
sensors.

(6) Quality control feedback including calibration date to
other sections of the SAMOS system.

(7) Mission review reparts and sumaries.

4. FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION

A. The major center functions needed for Phase I processing to
Produce the ebove outputs and to operate the over-all system in an
orderly manner include selected elements of:

1) Photo processing
Photo interpretation
Ferret analysis
Automatic data processing and computation
Display and intra-commnication of information
Scheduling and control of information flow and
processing execution.

(8) Computation of information relating to system

operation

(9) Storage and retrieval of information
5. “PHOTO PROCESSING

A. Data collected by each pass of a photographic vehicle is
received at the SAMOS Center as a vire transmission from a TAA station
or batches of primary records physically transported from the Tas
stations and recovered capsule camisters of exposed undeveloped high
resolution film. The information is transferred and recorded on fils
(primary records). Many of the center's Operations and the agencies
1t distributes source material to require photo data in different
form and size then the 35am 16" long striplets of the primary record.

It, therefore, goes through a number of processing steps upon receipt.

NAW Fw



_ types of Coverage are listed belov:
A. Baste Coverage

(2) Minety percent coverage Of the area of interest
is needed now. The resolution or Quality of the Coverage should be
the best possible that can be obtained in the shortest pertog of
time. This coverage vill be needed “Prroxinately every 6-12 months,
depending on the evaluation of the initial take,

(2) This type of coverage at 20" resolution wi11

most. On the other hand, the Greatest emphasis in our collection



16,000 linear adiies/aay
2.4 M square miles/day







4

3. Be2 System

Se Bo i 6 sp camara with 0 6° focal length leas Serigaed ~
to cperate at 260 statute miles, “ith the 70 ma format amd 100 11/am ‘Mise wee

3-2 system. Its design makes it © coverage tool. It is felt that it
has limitea “seeing” of particular targets since the final resolution
‘after seadout will optimistically be 300',” Strip cameras ere Rot useful
for mapping but @pproximate measuremeats of sual) objects detected is
_ Possible. Barring veather Considerations, this satellite could cover
Russia in twenty days. With Weather, one satellite would obtain hog
Coverage in tweaty days. According to weather study data, it vould

value in that the image formation, in flight Processing, Scamning, trenemission,
etc., are the seme as the E-2, Partial success of the E-2 program could

allow for evaluation and future RAD @uidaace or termination of the readout
Program before the end of CY-1961.



“nine fev years will continue to be the development problen due to the
uniqueness ‘of the unattended satellite platform as & collection systen,
‘his Ine Tequired advances tn the state of the art during the pest years,

B. The nature of the intelligence mission requires flexibility
Of operation with multi and/or adaptable sensors, It is improbable that
any model of sensor wilz be serially Produced in large quantities, Job
“top Hrotuction and special handling my be expected to key note the
Preparation of sensors for some time to come,

S. The types of informntion, collectable, inforustion rates,
scales and scope of Photographic coverage, high coverage repetition
rates for both visual and electronic Sensors, and the geo-time correlatable
nature of mixed sensor information, are relatively new and unique.
Carefully controlled experimentation and study of both the collection
‘oe te saaivets functions must be conducted during the RAD pertos

doctrine and: procedures, Dual development @pproaches are necessary in
many areas in order to optimize and/or assure success of the systen,

The selection of single approaches should be postponed unti1 Sppropriate
feasibility and reliabiiity can be demonstrated, Standardization, design
Sresise sof other “over control” during development can oly tnkthet tne
efficient development of this unique systen,



Read-out Limitetion Due to Sean Rate «= 6" fila per minute

No Read-out Stations 3 2 1
Read-Out Time/Station 5 50 25
(Min/Day)
Film Read-Out/Day
Inches 396 500 150
Peet 33 25 12.5
Linear Miles/Day ° 2,790 1,860 930°
Sq. Mi./Day 47,430 31,620 15,810
Average Length of .
Flight Line (Miles) 2,000 . 2,000 2,000

Average Number of
Times Over Zach
Flight Line to
Obtain Coverage 1.07 2.15

(Russian Block#160°)
19.2 M Sq. Mi.
No. of Satellite
days Required for
Coverage bbs 666 2333

Weather Degradation
50% 688 1332 2666

Feriod Degradation
Control Degradation
Reliability Degradation
Film Size = 2.75"x12,5: (150")
150"$ 2.75 © Sh. sh (the number i7-mile untts in 150" )

54. 54x17 2 930 (linear miles forward direction )
Single frame © 17 mi x 930 mi or 15,810 8q. mi.



and correlate with navigation data. The attitude information is
Menage MPO MM ereregica pstticn andthe Foree ag
is funy calibrated. these Products wily include:

(a) ttt1ea duplicate. transparencies of the original
Photo records tn both positive ang negative forns,

(>) Setectea end titlea Photography on a OR" wide
format at ®pproximately 20 lines/m,

(c) Minto numbers Of selected and titlea rectified
and unrectitied Prints. :



camera capable of covering large areas on each Bide of the flight path.

If it vere required, or desired, to maintain continuous point
surveillance and it was possible to obtain horison-to-horizon coverage,
eight satellites on four different polar orbits (300 miles) or a total
of 32 satellites would be required. This assumes that position of the
Satellites in respect to each other can he vigidly controlled and
maintained.

For the case of Sampling the complete earth every revolution, 36 orbits

are ‘required with one Satellite in each, it is clear that the continuous

Pattern from that of frequent Sampling vith a limited field of view.
AS pertains tu the E-2 with a 300 mile svath coverage Capability
: and as it exists today with a 17 mile swath oF coverage Capability, the
following information is listed. Basea on weather prediction studies
and Providing for darkness » the estimated number of satellite days
required to obtain a Coverage Probability of 9 is as follows: .

300 Mile Swath 17 Mile Swath
Summer Winter Summer Winter

ll 22 255 hha



E. Information collected of intelligence value during any
Portion of the Progran, including initial Rep take, will be made @vailable
to the intelligence community. It ig Sonsidered to be a manda‘ objective





wy

establishment of information flow requirements, mission Planning

the Processing placed 88 soon ag Possible into intelligence channels





actions which Vill place the uses of U.S, reconnaissance satellites
ina Politica) and Psychological Context most Tavorable to the us. *



man

categories: (a) selentific ang technical, (p) economic, (c) Political,
(4) mtittary (air, ground ana sea), (e) Sociological, (rf) Segraphic,



3. Objectives for saung

A. The national importance of timely intelligence is fully
recognized. % ewmminng hov well SANDS vill contribute to sattefying
Se isteliigrace oeeds of she comtry the follaving potate must be tay
in mind:

(a) It ts capable of unlimited Geographic access vith
the least risk of major political ramifications.

B. The SAMOS RAD effort is likely to produce, as @ result
of its Rap testing, intelligence information of 5 great value vitich
WALL be reflected in modification of the requirements. The system mst

to postpone the stringent assignment of Pperticular requirements for an
Cperating system until more is learned of systen capebilities, inforwation

C. Detailed intelligence requirements to be satiefied by



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SUBJECT: SAMOS Program



FP. It is not Possible, for instance, to take immediate
sivantage of the state of the art imrovenents in equiaent ant
techniques on a mss Production basis. The standardization of equip-
ment necegsary for force-vide use within the air Force restrict us,
time-wise and money-wise, to major equipment improvements, thoroughly
tested and Programmed, and for the Operation of vhich large nunbers

G. Security of the Operation is yet another complex Problen,

the results, methods and techniques obtained and learned during the *
Planned Rap Program, will provide a Preliminary yardstick to determine
the firm future course of actions,

H. Therefore, She SAWS Employment Progran should be guided by the
following considerations:

(1) Remain Completely flexible to permit fulfiliment of

changing requirements (compression of lead time between expression of
need and examination of flight results),





nm Si Geis sa experience gan thoxgh be ayrten experimentation,
simulation testing, and Processing evaluations conducted during the
R&D program at the STC. ARDC's Fesponsibility for the Processing

C. Scope of SS I Processing

(2) Conceptually, the Processing of Samos derived dete wil)
be accomplished in three Seperate but related Phases. Phase I is the
initial mission review Processing which is tied to the SAMOS systen
and is Sipected to be accomplished at the SAWS center, at the sic





Fin Sowoted 9f CSDORAE aod Departaent of State, vecome active 1,

B. (1) The problen Of political approval has become increasingly
More difficult ang Complex. Detailed discussions ang guidance concerning
the following are required,

bases it they Participated in future 2 flights and ite @llocation or
significance to y.s. launching bases and Ta, stations,


Recent studies shoy that recovery Systems have gains in
information conteat over readout systens by factors between 260 and
850, Gepending upon the film width used. Since recovery is best for
‘the reconnaissance Content, it must be realized that it is more
important for accurate measurement and mapping considerations. The
E-1 and E-2 systems claim Position accuracies Good to one mile, using
& strip or panoramic Camera, and a television readout with its
attendant sweep linearity Problems. Experience indicates that this
figure is umrealistic. :

coverage lost during down time are still unamsvered. It is not known
whether electronic tracking is accurate or timely enough for closely
scheduled "camera on" and "camera off" times. The ability to evaluate
the end results and correct for slit width, Imc, focus, Yaw, ete., are
attendant major Problem areas.

deficiencies. .



9. DATA PROCESSING AND INFORMATION STORAGE
—_—$——<——— A SECRMATION STORAGE

Moat of the data Processing and storage and retrieval of
information is done by the “Central Data Processor." This is a flexible
electronic Computing system to which most of the other equipment in the
center is directly connected, Operators in the center can communicate
airectly with the Central Data Processor to enter data into the com-
puting system and to obtain informition from it in the form of
displays and Print-outs.

10. DISPLAYS .

To assist various operatars and to give Center Control information
it needs for its decision-making functions pertaining to system control
and operation. A number of visual Aisplays can be generated end kept
up-to-date with information stores in the Central Data Processor.

11. PROCESSING CONTROL
. ——__ a EEROL

The basic functions are workload Programing, evaluation of
the Processing operations and results, and general management of the
Center operations.
12. CENTRAL PHOTO STORE

A Semi-automatic store of SAMOS photo take plus required selected
Photo reference material is stored in the form of center format filn
chips. These chips have unique maching readable numbers which ere cross
referenced inside the Central Data Processor and can be recalled as
requested by analysts by input to the Central Data Processor.







Deantime, evaluation of this initial take, improve Guidance and/or
Weapons systens, technological developments, ete., wilt determine the

Row and would be used for detsiled analysis of targets, This type of



~, . ; =) se

Effective and efficient satellite operation is dependent upon the
type and amount of coverage that can be obtained by the airborne photo-
@rephic system. Instantaneous coverage is the area of the earth fron
which usable information can Potentially be collected by a given sensor
in orbit. Tastantansous coverage from a given altitude can be Physically
limited for a given sensor by two conditions: (1) the maximum slant
range of a sensor, and (2) the minimum angle of. incidence of the line
of sight tc a point on the earth for adequate sensing information.

These limitutions are called range limited and angle-limited coverage.

The sensing devices used to generate Surveillance data will be
limited in their Pangr, either by Signal power Linttaticons or from
resoluvion considerations. angle-linited coverage is necessary
because of terrain characteristics or atmospheric attenuations.

The effect of the varicns angies of inclinaticn of the edge of
a fiels of vier to the surface of the earth is listed below. ‘The
E-2 © 53° fer soo mile oblique swath and 36.4° for 17 mile vertical swath.

(Hal? angle of ceveraue uf the lens ts 1.64, subtracted from 90° results
in 36.45),
oo 190 ae Wye 60? 759 ay. ye

Distance visible }
on the earth's ¢ 1300 mi. 1175 mi, 1000 ml. 525 ms. Fmi. 175 mi. 2
Surface 300 mi. )

altitude. )

chaaber :f orbits )

require? for com-)

Plete carth covey 2 6 ow 5 5
age per day ct thot .

*quatcr 300 mi.

(Polar orbit)

The above figures indicate the high degree of compatibility between



situations; technological sdvancements; required changes in Programming ;
“ppropriations; organization, Procurement, etc.
(7) Other factors are Special project Clearances, lack
' Of continutty of experienced Bags. staff Personnel, lack of established


3B. The SAMOG recovery program further requires the developing
and processing of large batches of 5” vide, high resolution film.
6. PHOTOGRAMMETRY

Photogrammetry is performed on cover from photo vehicles to
aid in the identification of the areas photographed for the file
Blotting, titling and indexing operations as vell as fur feedbeck -
to improve the orbital information.
7. PHOTO IWTERPRETATION

Cover obtained by photographic vehicles is screened and
interpreted by P.I.'s to identify and report objectives of
immediate intelligence interest. In addition, mission assessment
is made and the photography is examined in detail to determine
characteristics of the system performance.
, & FERRET DATA ANALYSIS

Blectronic intelligence data telemetered from ferret vehicles
ia received by the SAMOS Center from the ThA stations (the same
stations that collect the photographic-vehicle data), in the form
of binary-coded and analog wire messages. This data, which inclutes
communication intercepts as well as rader intercepts, ere immediately
transferred to magnetic tape in preparation for processing. Part of
the ferret data processing is automatic; the rest is mui-automatic and
1s done by the computer vith the assistence of on analyst. Reports are
Prepared on electronic activity and copies of both digital and analog
tapes are made for using agencies.





pertains to system capabilities, Information concerning the progran
‘at not been made readily available to the national intelligence
Comminity and the relationship of the program to all of the other

Operational aystem, has retarded the research and development aspects
Of the Frogram as well as the possibility of early availability of
useable end products. The SAMOS intelligence requirements are beset
on & capentlity rather than the Job to be dove far a specific tine
period. Te Performance of the E-2 package 1s such that it degrades
She sitvantages thet are inherent in satellite type of operation and
“oeizee THY complax data reduction equipments thet would not normally
be required,



(c) Hhsse ITT - Thenerging of S4M08 vith all source data
for analysis and evaluations resulting in MIE's, Technical Intelligence, ete,

locations. The output products and formats of Subsystem I will be



on @ non-time critical basis for through put.

(2) System design and equipment develoyments must remain
Flexible enough to accommodate sensor changes of format and type vithout
major systen upheaval.

testing to provide the basis for determining “vorth" factors and future
operational planning exercises. The extremely costly operational
Ground stations and exploitation Plan of SAMOS must not impose rigidity
on future systems vhich will more completely fulfil national
intelligence goals,

(4) Development program should take into account needs of
intelligence uses in order that equipments developed and system outputs
Will be useful to other elements of the intelligence community,

(5) All extra AF elements of the intelligence community
(Aray, Navy, CIA, ete.) should Participate in the system RAD similation
and testing to better understand the system and to contribute to the
overall development goals and test evaluations.

2. TRETTAL EXPLOTTATION AND SUBSEQUENT SAMDG DEPLOYMEN?
A. Qutline or Initial Exploitation of RAD Take

‘ie General SMOG exploitation plan can and should remain flexibip
while the system “vorth" factors are being experimentally determined,
This flexibility should not adversely effect the Processing of the ray
intelligence collected end vill provide the basis for the orderly



13
(2) Retain abtitty to tncarparste extremely complex
experimental equipment into its operations. This means that very close
sontact with ARDC developers is required,



capitalize on these advantages, 1.e., camera Performance need not
Gegrade the satellite performance, Utilizing the Rroper camera
equipments it is now Possible to obtain basic cover and mapping

type coverage of the World effectively and efficiently and in the
most economical manner possible. Properly timed and planned, specific
type coverage can also be accomplished, in a worthwhile manner (time,

effort, and expense as compered to the relative value of the end results).

but it must be based on the evaluation of the basic and mapping type
coverage.