Spy Photos
4. Soviet
Union, 1983
The
defense magazine Jane's Defense Weekly
published highly classified satellite imagery of a Soviet aircraft carrier
under construction at the Nikolaev shipyard on
the Black Sea. The images, including this one, were taken by an American KH-11
reconnaissance satellite. Leaked by U.S. naval analyst Samuel Morison, the
images gave the general public around the world a first glance at the
capability of America's classified reconnaissance satellites. The resolution of
this image is about one and a half to three feet per pixel; when the satellite
is directly overhead, it can resolve objects four to six inches in diameter.