From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Misty (satellite)
Misty (satellite)
Misty is reportedly the name of a classified project by On June 21, 2007, the Associated Press reported that
the United States National Reconnaissance Office to op- Director of National Intelligence John Michael McConnell
erate stealthy reconnaissance satellites. The satellites are had canceled the Misty program. While a spokesman of
conjectured to be photo reconnaissance satellites and the McConnell declined to comment on the report, he con-
program has been the subject of atypically public debates firmed that McConnell has the authority to cancel pro-
about its worthiness in the defense budget since Decem- jects.[3]
ber 2004. The estimated project costs in 2004 dollars are
US $ 9.5 billion (inflation adjusted US$ 11 billion in
2012).[1]
See also
• KH-11
• Enhanced Imaging System
Launches • Future Imagery Architecture
The first satellite (USA-53 or 1990-019B, 19600 kg)
launched for the program was deployed on March 1, 1990
by the Space Shuttle Atlantis as part of Mission STS-36.
References and external links
Objects associated with the satellite decayed on March [1] ^ Keefe, Patrick Radden (February 2006). "I Spy".
31, 1990, but the satellite itself was seen and tracked later wired.com. http://www.wired.com/wired/
that year and in the mid-1990s by amateur observers.[1] archive/14.02/spy.html?pg=3. Retrieved
The second satellite (USA-144 or 1999-028A) was 2010-12-27.
launched on May 22, 1999, and by 2004 the launch of a [2] Priest, Dana (2004-12-11). "New Spy Satellite
third satellite was planned for 2009.[2] Debated On Hill: Some Question Price and Need".
Washington Post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/
Design articles/A56171-2004Dec10.html. Retrieved
Misty is reported to have optical and radar stealth char- 2010-12-27.
acteristics, making it difficult for adversaries to detect [3] ""Misty" Stealth Spy Satellite Program Cancelled?".
(and thus predict the times it would fly overhead). satnews.com. 2007-06-26.
Almost everything about the program is classified in- http://www.satnews.com/stories2007/4677/.
formation--but one clue about satellite camouflage has Retrieved 2010-12-28.
been found in the patent literature. Patent #US 5345238 • Allen Thomson. Stealth Satellite Sourcebook (from
describes an inflatable balloon that can be made rigid on Federation of American Scientists)
exposure to ultraviolet radiation that can serve to low- • Globalsecurity.org article
er the radar and optical signature of the satellite. Once • Leonard David (January 3, 2005). "Anatomy of a spy
deployed, the cone-shaped balloon could be steered to satellite". Space.com. http://www.space.com/
deflect incoming laser and microwave radar energy by businesstechnology/technology/
sending it off into outer space. Whether or not these mystery_monday_050103.html.
stealthy ideas are actually used in the MISTY satellite se- • The Spy Satellite So Stealthy that the Senate
ries is not publicly known. Couldn’t Kill It (Excerpt from The Wizards of Langley
on MISTY)
Criticism • Jeffrey T. Richelson (2005). "Satellite in the
shadows". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 61 (3).
Porter Goss, a former Congressman and former CIA di-
rector, and George Tenet, former CIA director, have both
vigorously supported successors to Misty, despite several
attempts by Senators Dianne Feinstein and John D. Rock-
efeller IV to terminate the program. The primary con-
tractor is Lockheed Martin Space Systems.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Misty_(satellite)&oldid=470623738"
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Misty (satellite)
Categories:
• National Reconnaissance Office satellites
• Lockheed Martin satellites and probes
• Black projects
• Reconnaissance satellites of the United States
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