Spy!

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Summary of Article

This article focuses on the once top secret satellite images that were obtained during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. These images have recently been declassified and are available to the general public. Find out how images made by US satellites may have altered the course of the Cold War. Images contain US and Soviet airfields and Soviet missile sites. The article examines the advent of the US CORONA satellite program and how the intelligence information obtained was used to analyze the "missile and intelligence gap" of the United States’ Cold War enemy. This increase in surveillance capability was crucial to averting nuclear war between the two adversaries.
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Suggested Age/Grade Levels

Age Level: 12 - 15
Grade Level: 7th grade - 10th grade

Related Topics

History Discuss the historical concept of the Cold War and its participants. Discuss how the use of satellite technology was important for military applications during this era.
Geography
Examine maps of the participants of the Cold War and discuss how satellites aided in gathering information for large land areas.
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Objectives

After studying the article, students should be able to:

Explain how and why the CORONA satellite system was used to obtain reconnaissance information.
Define missile gap.
Define intelligence gap.
Understand the concept behind using intelligence information for policy making.

Classroom Activities
Be Part of a Remote Sensing Satellite

Objective: This activity will allow students to pretend they are part of a remote sensing satellite. The purpose is to help them understand why sensors of different wavelengths can only see certain colors and why they can only produce certain colors on photos.

Prior to this activity, there should be an introduction to remote sensing, color, and light. Discuss the basic parts of a remote sensing satellite, such as the platform, the sensors, and the filters. Students should have some basic understanding of the colorwheel, too. It would be a good idea to show them some examples of different types of remotely sensed images (true color, infrared, etc.). This will let them see that color can vary from image to image. These images will also help students to understand the perspective of viewing the Earth from above.

Materials:

one set of "glasses" for each student (red, blue, or green, depending on which group they are in; see directions below)
red, blue, and green pipe cleaners (enough to distribute several to each student)
10-15 sheets of green, blue, and red acetate (or overhead projector sheets)

Prior to Activity

Directions for making "glasses":: 1. Cut out pieces of the acetate large enough to cover the students' eyes.; 2. Give each student a different color of the acetate to use as lenses in the "glasses."; 3. Spread out the pipe cleaners on a grassy area outside; they should not be hidden.

Procedure

1. Divide the students into three equal groups; one group for red "glasses," one for blue, and one for green.
2. Pass out the "glasses" before going outside. Be sure the students cover their eyes with the colored "glasses" before they near the area where the pipe cleaners are located.
3. Explain the situation and the rules to the students.: a. The students will pretend they are the sensors of satellites and, as satellites do, they will search for things that they can see through their colored "glasses."; b. Students can only look through their "glasses" to find the pipe cleaners.; c. When a student sees a pipe cleaner, he or she will pick it up.; d. When the time limit (10-15 minutes) is reached, have the students look to see what everyone picked up. (You could have the students trade colors to see what happens when looking through different colored "glasses."); e. Have a discussion about why students were only able to see certain colors through their "glasses."

Image Analysis: (must have Internet access)

Objective: This activity will allow students to analyze CORONA images and determine what is in them.

Materials needed:

Computer with Internet connection

Pen and paper

1. Divide the class into groups small enough to work on a computer that is linked to http://www.nro.odci.gov/corona/imagery.htm
2. Have the students analyze certain images to determine what is in the coverage (roads, buildings, trees, etc.).
3. Discuss what the students have noted and what limitations there are, such as poor image resolution, grainy images, etc.

Questions for Discussion

Q: What occurred as a result of the satellite images being obtained by the US during the Cold War?
A: The images that were received by the satellites were used to assess whether there was a missile gap between the US and the Soviet Union. This information shaped national and international policy.
Q: What did these images prove?
A: The images showed that the Soviet Union was installing missile launch sites in Cuba.
Q: How did the United States react to the information obtained in the images?
A: The images provided policy makers with valuable information as to what the enemy was doing. This allowed them to ascertain their strengths and weaknesses and allowed them to react accordingly. For instance, during the Cuban Missile Crisis President Kennedy felt it was better for the US to impose a shipping blockade around Cuba instead of invading.

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Quiz

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Just the Facts

The CORONA satellite was the first operational satellite that was used to obtain military intelligence information on the US' Cold War enemy.

The US government opted to use satellites to obtain intelligence information since they could no longer rely on their high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft.
Satellites are used for military and commercial applications.
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Links to Relevant Web Sites and Additional Resources

http://observe.ivv.nasa.gov/nasa/exhibits/spy/spy_7.html

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Vocabulary

classified data: information that is designated as being secret and available only to authorized personnel.

declassified data: information that is not designated as secret and is available to anyone.

intelligence gap: the difference in obtained information one entity has over another.

missile gap: the difference in the number of missiles one side has over the other.

photoreconnaissance: a survey of a region performed with an aerial photography platform (e.g., a U-2 plane).

reconnaissance: a survey of a region in order to ascertain the locations of objects.

space reconnaissance: a survey of a region performed with a space-based platform (e.g., CORONA satellite).

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For Fun

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