From: "Mark W. Eichin" <eichin@paycheck.cygnus.com>
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 94 15:32:15 PDT
To: dat@@.spock.ebt.com
Subject: Re: CU Crypto Session Sat
In-Reply-To: <9404262122.AA01185@helpmann.ebt.com>
Message-ID: <9404262226.AA05855@paycheck.cygnus.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



A couple of years ago, IEEE Spectrum did an article which took the
premise that spy-satellite optics could be made that were as good as
the Hubble Space Telescope optics (for various reasons, pointing
Hubble at the earth "just wouldn't work" :-) They came up with some
number like "1 foot resolution" -- and then did some processing on a
photograph to demonstrate what that meant. 

The picture used was a rear view of a VW Bug, with a copy of Isvestia
resting on the upper edge of the trunk. Basically, you could tell
there was something sitting there, but you couldn't read the headlines
:-) 

Unfortunately, my library is at the moment unindexed, due to a recent
move, or I'd include a reference to the article; perhaps someone else
here saw it... it covers the physics involved rather well, and lists a
lot of the relevant engineering details.

				_Mark_ <eichin@paycheck.cygnus.com>
				... just me at home ...