Here’s a Super-Secret Cold War Spy Satellite Program — Revealed!
- Posted on December 26, 2011 at 2:25pm by
Billy Hallowell
- Print »
- Email »
In this Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011 photo, Fred Marra, left, listens as Bob Zarba describes the camera operation of the Hexagon KH-9 secret spy satellite in Danbury, Conn. They have been meeting here for 18 years, whiling away a few hours nattering about golf and politics, ailments and grandchildren. But, until recently, they were forbidden to speak about the greatest achievement of their professional lives. Photo: Kathy Willens / AP
DANBURY, Conn. (AP) — For more than a decade they toiled in the strange, boxy-looking building on the hill above the municipal airport, the building with no windows (except in the cafeteria), the building filled with secrets.
They wore protective white jumpsuits, and had to walk through air-shower chambers before entering the sanitized “cleanroom” where the equipment was stored.
They spoke in code.
Few knew the true identity of “the customer” they met in a smoke-filled, wood-paneled conference room where the phone lines were scrambled. When they traveled, they sometimes used false names.
At one point in the 1970s there were more than 1,000 people in the Danbury area working on The Secret. And though they worked long hours under intense deadlines, sometimes missing family holidays and anniversaries, they could tell no one – not even their wives and children – what they did.
They were engineers, scientists, draftsmen and inventors – “real cloak-and-dagger guys,” says Fred Marra, 78, with a hearty laugh.
He is sitting in the food court at the Danbury Fair mall, where a group of retired co-workers from the former Perkin-Elmer Corp. gather for a weekly coffee. Gray-haired now and hard of hearing, they have been meeting here for 18 years. They while away a few hours nattering about golf and politics, ailments and grandchildren. But until recently, they were forbidden to speak about the greatest achievement of their professional lives.
This undated image made available by the National Reconnaissance Office shows a film canister from the Hexagon program parachuting to Earth before it was snagged by a plane for recovery. It was dubbed "Big Bird" and it was the most successful space spy satellite program of the Cold War era. From 1971 to 1986 a total of 20 satellites were launched, each containing 60 miles of film and sophisticated cameras that orbited the earth snapping vast panoramic photographs of the Soviet Union, China and other potential foes. Photo: National Reconnaissance Office / AP
“Ah, Hexagon,” Ed Newton says, gleefully exhaling the word that stills feels almost treasonous to utter in public.
It was dubbed “Big Bird” and it was considered the most successful space spy satellite program of the Cold War era. From 1971 to 1986 a total of 20 satellites were launched, each containing 60 miles of film and sophisticated cameras that orbited the earth snapping vast, panoramic photographs of the Soviet Union, China and other potential foes. The film was shot back through the earth’s atmosphere in buckets that parachuted over the Pacific Ocean, where C-130 Air Force planes snagged them with grappling hooks.
The scale, ambition and sheer ingenuity of Hexagon KH-9 was breathtaking. The fact that 19 out of 20 launches were successful (the final mission blew up because the booster rockets failed) is astonishing.
So too is the human tale of the 45-year-old secret that many took to their graves.
Hexagon was declassified in September. Finally Marra, Newton and others can tell the world what they worked on all those years at “the office.”
“My name is Al Gayhart and I built spy satellites for a living,” announced the 64-year-old retired engineer to the stunned bartender in his local tavern as soon as he learned of the declassification. He proudly repeats the line any chance he gets.
The film was shot back through the earth's atmosphere in buckets, which were snagged with grappling hooks by C-130 Air Force planes as they parachuted over the Pacific ocean. Photo: National Reconnaissance Office / AP
“It was intensely demanding, thrilling and the greatest experience of my life,” says Gayhart, who was hired straight from college and was one of the youngest members of the Hexagon “brotherhood”.
He describes the white-hot excitement as teams pored over hand-drawings and worked on endless technical problems, using “slide-rules and advanced degrees” (there were no computers), knowing they were part of such a complicated space project. The intensity would increase as launch deadlines loomed and on the days when “the customer” — the CIA and later the Air Force — came for briefings. On at least one occasion, former President George H.W. Bush, who was then CIA director, flew into Danbury for a tour of the plant.
Though other companies were part of the project – Eastman Kodak made the film and Lockheed Corp. built the satellite — the cameras and optics systems were all made at Perkin-Elmer, then the biggest employer in Danbury.
“There were many days we arrived in the dark and left in the dark,” says retired engineer Paul Brickmeier, 70.
He recalls the very first briefing on Hexagon after Perkin-Elmer was awarded the top secret contract in 1966. Looking around the room at his 30 or so colleagues, Brickmeier thought, “How on Earth is this going to be possible?”
One thing that made it possible was a hiring frenzy that attracted the attention of top engineers from around the Northeast. Perkin-Elmer also commissioned a new 270,000-square-foot building for Hexagon – the boxy one on the hill.
Waiting for clearance was a surreal experience as family members, neighbors and former employers were grilled by the FBI, and potential hires were questioned about everything from their gambling habits to their sexuality.
“They wanted to make sure we couldn’t be bribed,” Marra says.
Clearance could take up to a year. During that time, employees worked on relatively minor tasks in a building dubbed “the mushroom tank” – so named because everyone was in the dark about what they had actually been hired for.
Joseph Prusak, 76, spent six months in the tank. When he was finally briefed on Hexagon, Prusak, who had worked as an engineer on earlier civil space projects, wondered if he had made the biggest mistake of his life.
“I thought they were crazy,” he says. “They envisaged a satellite that was 60-foot long and 30,000 pounds and supplying film at speeds of 200 inches per second. The precision and complexity blew my mind.”
Several years later, after numerous successful launches, he was shown what Hexagon was capable of — an image of his own house in suburban Fairfield.
“This was light years before Google Earth,” Prusak said. “And we could clearly see the pool in my backyard.”
There had been earlier space spy satellites – Corona and Gambit. But neither had the resolution or sophistication of Hexagon, which took close-range pictures of Soviet missiles, submarine pens and air bases, even entire battalions on war exercises.
According to the National Reconnaissance Office, a single Hexagon frame covered a ground distance of 370 nautical miles, about the distance from Washington to Cincinnati. Early Hexagons averaged 124 days in space, but as the satellites became more sophisticated, later missions lasted twice as long.
This Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011 photo shows the crossed-out "top secret" designation from recently declassified documents about the Hexagon spy satellite program in Danbury, Conn. At one point in the 1970s there were more than 1,000 people in the Danbury area working on The Secret. And though they worked long hours under intense deadlines, sometimes missing family holidays and anniversaries, they could tell no one - not even their wives and children - what they did. Photo: Kathy Willens / AP
“At the height of the Cold War, our ability to receive this kind of technical intelligence was incredible,” says space historian Dwayne Day. “We needed to know what they were doing and where they were doing it, and in particular if they were preparing to invade Western Europe. Hexagon created a tremendous amount of stability because it meant American decision makers were not operating in the dark.”
Among other successes, Hexagon is credited with providing crucial information for the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1970s.
From the outset, secrecy was a huge concern, especially in Danbury, where the intense activity of a relatively small company that had just been awarded a massive contract (the amount was not declassified) made it obvious that something big was going on. Inside the plant, it was impossible to disguise the gigantic vacuum thermal chamber where cameras were tested in extreme conditions that simulated space. There was also a “shake, rattle and roll room” to simulate conditions during launch.
“The question became, how do you hide an elephant?” a National Reconnaissance Office report stated at the time. It decided on a simple response: “What elephant?” Employees were told to ignore any questions from the media, and never confirm the slightest detail about what they worked on.
But it was impossible to conceal the launches at Vandenberg Air Force base in California, and aviation magazines made several references to “Big Bird.” In 1975, a “60 Minutes” television piece on space reconnaissance described an “Alice in Wonderland” world, where American and Soviet intelligence officials knew of each other’s “eyes in the sky” – and other nations did, too – but no one confirmed the programs or spoke about them publicly.
In this Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011 photo, former Hexagon program workers, from left, Bob Zarba, Ed Newton, Fred Marra, and Edmund DeVeaux talk at a mall in Danbury, Conn. during a meeting of former Perkin-Elmer engineers and designers who worked on the top secret spy satellite program. They have been meeting here for 18 years, whiling away a few hours nattering about golf and politics, ailments and grandchildren. But, until recently, they were forbidden to speak about the greatest achievement of their professional lives. Photo: Kathy Willens / AP
For employees at Perkin-Elmer, the vow of secrecy was considered a mark of honor.
“We were like the guys who worked on the first atom bomb,” said Oscar Berendsohn, 87, who helped design the optics system. “It was more than a sworn oath. We had been entrusted with the security of the country. What greater trust is there?”
Even wives – who couldn’t contact their husbands or know of their whereabouts when they were traveling – for the most part accepted the secrecy. They knew the jobs were highly classified. They knew not to ask questions.
“We were born into the World War II generation,” says Linda Bronico, whose husband, Al, told her only that he was building test consoles and cables. “We all knew the slogan `loose lips sink ships.’”
And Perkin-Elmer was considered a prized place to work, with good salaries and benefits, golf and softball leagues, lavish summer picnics (the company would hire an entire amusement park for employees and their families) and dazzling children’s Christmas parties.
“We loved it,” Marra says. “It was our life.”
For Marra and his former co-workers, sharing that life and their long-held secret has unleashed a jumble of emotions, from pride to nostalgia to relief – and in some cases, grief.
The city’s mayor, Mark Boughton, only discovered that his father had worked on Hexagon when he was invited to speak at an October reunion ceremony on the grounds of the former plant. His father, Donald Boughton, also a former mayor, was too ill to attend and died a few days later.
Boughton said for years he and his siblings would pester his father – a draftsman – about what he did. Eventually they realized that the topic was off limits.
“Learning about Hexagon makes me view him completely differently,” Boughton says. “He was more than just my Dad with the hair-trigger temper and passionate opinions about everything. He was a Cold War warrior doing something incredibly important for our nation.”
For Betty Osterweis the ceremony was bittersweet, too. Not only did she learn about the mystery of her late husband’s professional life. She also learned about his final moments.
“All these years,” she said, “I had wondered what exactly had happened” on that terrible day in 1987 when she received a phone call saying her 53-year-old husband, Henry Osterweis, a contract negotiator, had suffered a heart attack on the job. At the reunion she met former co-workers who could offer some comfort that the end had been quick.
Standing in the grounds of her late husband’s workplace, listening to the tributes, her son and daughter and grandchildren by her side, Osterweis was overwhelmed by the enormity of it all – the sacrifice, the secrecy, the pride.
“To know that this was more than just a company selling widgets … that he was negotiating contracts for our country’s freedom and security,” she said.
“What a secret. And what a legacy.”
Popular Stories
Does Misstated Marathon Claim Prove Paul Ryan Is Dishonest? (POLL) 694 Comments
Paper Details Obama Admin’s Alleged Secret Note Sent to Iran: If Israel Attacks, We Won’t Get Involved 501 Comments
Roseanne Barr: Most Billionaires ‘Violent Pedophiles’ & ‘Heartless’ Cocaine Addicts 354 Comments
‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 336 Comments
This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 325 Comments
Faith
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 325 Comments
Pakistani Muslim Cleric Accused of Framing Disabled Christian Girl in Koran-Burning Case Read More- ‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 336 Comments
Meet the Controversial German Imam Accused of Brutally Beating His Wife & Pushing Sharia Law Read More
‘Self-Proclaimed Messiah’ & Unification Church Leader the Rev. Sun Myung Moon Has Died — Here’s His Life Story Read More
Business
President Obama Issues Major ‘Green Energy’ Executive Order 248 Comments- Germany’s Upcoming Court Ruling Will be Huge for the EU Read More
Ford Looks to Beat Toyota for Best-Selling Car in 2012 With This Model 148 Comments
Bernanke & QE3: Here’s What You Need to Know Read More- ‘Extortion’: Why Did the Labor Department ‘Drop the Hammer’ on Oregon Farmers? 302 Comments
Technology
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 325 Comments
‘TaserDrone’: Hackers Weaponize Quadcopter With Actual ‘Shocking’ Technology Read More
Ever Heard of the Wild ‘Burning Man’ Festival in the Middle of the Nev. Desert? Here’s Your Primer Read More
Stanford Develops Technology ‘Better Than Steroids’ for Athlete Recovery Read More
Have You Pretended to Know What ‘the Cloud’ Is? You’re Not Alone Read More
Submitting your tip... please wait!
Comments (58)
AmericanStrega
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 7:17pmIt’s really sad to realize that most Americans today would not keep national secrets as those mentioned in the article. Now-days they’d want to tell it all so they could have their 15 minutes of fame that they think they so deserve. I grew up during the Cold-War and know what it was like to be afraid. I wish American citizens could be as patriotic or more-so as the men and women of the “Big Bird” project. But I guess, as the old, old saying goes; “If wishes were horses, beggers would ride.”
Report Post »Cause4Liberty
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 8:18pmYea… like how the Clinton Adminstration sold Military tech to China. :/
Report Post »You’re full of it to think that “WE the People” can NoT keep confidentially classified info a ‘Top Secret.’ Wikileaks you might reply exposes secrets? Well, just show me where you can find the Plans on how to design and manufacture a F-35? Ha. You CANT! Our secrets woud ONLY be revealed if our elite and money is involved.
Bum thrower
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 9:12pmExecute a few of these ‘wanna be’ “saviours of the world” and the nonsense will settle down.
Look at history; AMERICANS dealt harshly with trators; Bradley Mannig being the latest progressive “hero”; if it was them……………to the wall with him!!
Report Post »randy
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 9:42pmYeah, the problem we have now is that out muslim traitor in the white house has access to all of our national secrets. I’m sure to pass along to the rest of the muslim world after he is voted out in 2012
Report Post »Poggle The Stick
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 10:32pmWhat makes you think Obama is a Muslim? If anything, he‘s atheist if he’s not Christian/Jewish/Catholic.
I don‘t support Obama’s campaign, but I don’t think you should talk about him like a little child. Besides, Joe Biden is even worse, so hope that Obama stays alive during his term.
And the REALLY sad thing is that I’m only THIRTEEN YEARS OLD. And, I talk with more reason than you. What you said was NOT funny.
Report Post »USAMEDIC3008
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 11:29pmIce Station Zebra…
Report Post »Ted H
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 1:10amAre we talking about the Administraion who revealed enormous amount of secret details in order to take credit for eliminating Osama Bin Laden. With all of the data extracted from the compound in Pakistan, the intellegence and Special Ops people lost “real opportunity” to remove many more of these despicable terrorists, because the cat was let out of the bag. It was all a big show. As a retiree and having served time in Special Ops., it is hard to believe the self-serving that would jeopardize such an opportunity.
Report Post »teamarcheson
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 10:04amObama is giving our enemies all of our classified information. One more act of Treason.
Report Post »SimpleTruths
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 12:51pm@TEAMARCHESON
Report Post »I’m sure you have proof of that statement, right? NO? Didn’t think so.
scheduler
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 2:25pmThat was interesting.
http://politicalbowl.com – Political Videos
Report Post »Rayblue
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 6:48pmMost of the secrets are already out. It’s if you prefer to believe them or not that makes the difference. Obama has a passing knowledge of many though he has to be told which can be used to suppress freedom. Psychological warfare has been employed by the progressives but the conservatives have been alerted and cannot be suppressed by the old methods anymore. And new ideas are not the forte’ of progressives. New ideas are the possession of the forward sighted visionaries of our ilk.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 9:59pmThe biggest secret left is the TEA PARTY, and we aren’t telling them s–t!!!
Report Post »2012….TEA
UrbanCombatSurvivor
Posted on December 27, 2011 at 4:53pmYou DO realize that the overwhelming majority of “conservatives” are no less part of the progressive movement than the other side, right?
Bush signed the “Patriot Act”, no. Obama.
Bush created the TSA, not Obama.
The disease has taken over BOTH parties, and until everyone realizes it they will continue undermining and destroying our country.
There is only ONE non-collectivist in the race. Easy enough to discern who, he’s the one that BOTH progressive parties are attacking.
Report Post »Mikev5
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 6:31pmThe problem now is betraying your own Nation is the cool thing to do like a badge of honor our youth have no moral standards like we did back in the 50‘s 60’s and 70′s they think it’s a cool game to play they never had to deal with the communist threat we dealt with. They don’t see it as a bad thing communism sounds like utopia to them.
Communism always sounds like utopia till it happens then the want out ASAP when they find out the price of such a system and the loss of their freedoms that come with this utopia.
When you vote in change you are in control but in a takeover you lose control of everything chaos takes over and we all lose our ability to vote in change.
Report Post »TH30PH1LUS
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 6:15pmJust imagine if we accidentally lost first generation technology to some maniac dictatorship like Iran…. oh wait, we just did. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/12/06/drone-lost-in-iran-was-joint-cia-military-reconnaissance-plane/
Report Post »tharpdevenport
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 11:10pmYes, if Obama has been President then, the Hexagon would have somehow magically landed in Soviet Russia.
Report Post »Detroit paperboy
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 5:37pmI bet we are so infiltrated with spies and double agents at the present time, on second thought, O ama just gives em what they want…….
Report Post »NotaLemming
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 8:09pmHere you go. http://yourdaddy.net/2011/08/16/3-members-of-muslim-brotherhood-in-obama-administration-named-by-tarek-fatah/ next?
Report Post »Exiled
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 10:37pmI doubt that our military commanders have actually given our current president any secrets of importance.
Report Post »Tired of Idiotic Comments
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 5:19pmThis information was made public years and years ago. I remember reading about it, probably in Popular Science, or Popular Mechanics Magazine. Its admirable that these men were able to not talk about it, but there are always publications (N.Y. Times, Wikileaks, Govt. “leaks”, etc.) that are eager and willing to give away our nations secrets to our enemies.
Report Post »Hickory
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 5:08pmAll of us who worked on projects like this did so because we loved our country and would do what we had to in order to protect it. Most of us were also veterans. The present generation has provided warriors who, out of the same love for their country, do so at the peril of their lives. No matter what you read in the newspaper about things such as OWS and ACORN, some still step up to the mark when asked to. Be proud fellow Americans of those who do.
Report Post »Hoosier
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 5:03pmI hope these type of missions are still done and kept secret in these wiki leak days. Loyalty is something I have discovered isn’t honored anymore like it was only 20 years ago. It could even be a cause for concern in today’s world.
Report Post »kevin
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 4:37pmthe secret stuff see’s thru walls now .have you seen the movie eagle eye? its that good, on steroids !we are but animals in a zoo. welcome to skynet! if you are reading this you are the resistance
Report Post »Hyena
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 4:23pmI have to say this is one of the most interesting and “kewl” stories I’ve read on this site or any other for quite some time.
Very well done!!
Report Post »randy
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 9:44pmVery, Very well done!
Report Post »First story I have read in it’s entirety since coming to The Blaze.
eric6161
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 4:06pmI remember seeing a boxing match on satellite TV in the early 80s with Marvin Hagler fighting at Madison Square Garden. During one of the many overhead shots the announcer told us that we were seeing a shot from a satellite from 24,000 miles up. It looked like the camera was in the camera booth. I then knew that the government could see everything we were doing and had that capability for about 10+ years.
Report Post »dmforman
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 3:57pmI can’t help but wonder if many of our young people would be willing to keep their mouths shut and keep secrets like this now. These men sacrificed for their country and I thank them for it.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 10:11pmThey might be able to keep their mouths shut, but not many would be willing to work 8 hour a day, much less extended time. Lazy hippie kids.
Report Post »AAB126
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 3:55pmTo all of those who participated in that project, I say thank you for serving your country. You can be proud of your accomplishments because they did, indeed, make for a safer United States of America and a safer world.
Report Post »Cause4Liberty
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 3:53pmInteresting story…
However, an off topic subject: Saudi Arabia. They have announced that they are seeking nuclear capability just like Iran. So a question for you ANTI-paulists. What do we do now? Do we Invade Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, Pakistan, and Yemen!!!???? Are we suppose to spread preventive wars in the name of protecting our homeland? If you say yes, then that is exactly what Hitler propagandized during WWII. So all of you comparing Ron Paul to an isolationist-racist, you woulda been the Nazi supporter‘s whom Would’ve supported invading Poland, France, Norway, and so forth. Not to mention the potential support of the bombing of London, as a pre-emptive strike to ensure homeland security. Just a little food for thought.
Report Post »YepImaConservative
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 4:07pmI kind of like the poster above you (DMFORMAN) who asked the question…
“… wonder if many of our young people would be willing to keep their mouths shut and keep secrets like this now.”
Well, I don’t think a traitor like Bradley Manning could? You know, the guy who Ron Paul calls a “hero” and “patriot?” Jus‘ sayin’ as a side topic… to your… off topic.
Report Post »Cause4Liberty
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 5:16pm@ Yep.. Back to your original self i see…. On your side topic: Manning is an alleged ‘whistleblower’ for the unconstitutional wrong doings, illegal killings, which usually are considered War crimes. I bet you also condemned the people whom blew the whistle on Enron. If you knew something is wrong and go along with it, you ARE just as guilty as the perps who committed the wrong doing.
Now how about answering my question: In your eyes, What do we do about Saudia Arabia? Should we invade Saudia Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan, in the name of a ‘pre-emptive’ war ensuring homeland security?
Report Post »YepImaConservative
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 6:01pm>CAUSECELEB.
You said it CAUSE… “ an alleged” whistleblower? Ron Paul “alleges” that he is a whistleblower, a hero and a patriot. Now on to proving he’s a traitor (like we need any proof… right?).
Okay, fair is fair. Me personally? I think we should have invaded Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan at the same time, then worked our way over to Iran, then Iraq then Syria… am I forgetting anyone? I hope that kinda’ answers your question. But knowing that Saudi Arabia and Iran aren’t big buds, it‘s only fair in Ron Paul’s world that they have a Nuke too for protection from Iran… right? Like India and Pakistan. The Saudis might know something Paul doesn’t. He should suspend his campaign and talk to them… now. Show America, and our very good ally Israel and the radical Middle East (Paul’s ally) how it’s done!! Lol.
I also think we should invade Mexico, because it’s a failed state and in our best interest. He77, the only ones left there alive and not in the US are the Cartels… so let‘s have at ’em I say!!! Lol.
Report Post »Cause4Liberty
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 7:30pm@yep… Thank you for actually answering the question! However, you PROVED my point. You DO support these “pre-emptive” wars and would take it one step further. You said that you would’ve invaded saudi arabia b4 Iraq, somewhat logical, in the sense that majority of the hijackers were from there. But, you forgot Yemen, Libya, Syria, Ubekistan, Turkey, Tunsia, Egypt, and Somalia. I prolly even left out a few. I saw that you added mexico in a deranged way of thinking, that only cartels and their affiliates still live in Mexico. LOL. WOW.
Pre-emptive Invasions of other countries in the name of Homeland security, IS a NAZI tatic, like it or not. Congrats, you’re indirectly a Nazi supporter! Paul is AGAINST these Reich like tatics, so in essence, he is the ANTI-Nazi. But you say he is anti-semitic!? Why was he the only one who voted in favor of Israel’s choice to Bomb a nuclear facility?
Explain why he basically stood alone on supporting Israel on that issue, ye ol’ furher yepimanazisupporter!???
:)
Report Post »West Coast Patriot
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 10:30pmHey Yep, Thank you for sharing with everyone the fact that you are a Progressive Neoconservative. It let’s everyone understand that your views are that of the enemy, and that in fact makes you an enemy of liberty. All of you who would follow this person are destined to live a life of inner misery. That is your right though. Do what you may, but remember this, people are seeing you for what you really are, a Progressive.
Report Post »John 1776
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 3:43pmWhat are we using now? Given the current POTUS, he probably believes spy satellites and national security are so “yesterday” that there is no point spending money to keep any of these programs going. I am sure the funding has been redirected to the eternal campaign effort, and the remaining employees have been reassigned to do Muslim outreach….
What are we using? Probably nothing…. Or maybe Google earth.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 10:21pmThe biggest method of obtaining secret information about the terrorists is hacking into Obama’s Blackberry.
Report Post »Miami
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 3:30pmOh, wait I know we could find the missing people that signed Obama‘s Indian voter’s petition
Report Post »Miami
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 3:26pmI wonder if Pelosi used this tech to pick out her vineyard…?
Could we find Obama’s birth certificate with one of these…? Just kidding…? or am I LOL
Report Post »ares338
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 3:21pmWhen you have big government you always have secrets. I’m sure the Soviets were peeking in on us as well. It’s still going on and will until man evolves a little further.
Report Post »Miami
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 3:34pmThe only reason the Soviet Union even came close to keeping pace with our technological advancements was the fact that we had so many traders giving/selling them our secrets…
Report Post »chips1
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 10:39pmARES338:
Report Post »What do you mean by evolve? All of the programs about the past, shows that they were smarter than we are. Lifting 1000 ton rocks, building pyramids, having a calender that’s more accurate then ours, and knowing more about the planets movements without telescopes and other knowledge of life. Somethings not right. We are evolving backwards. Human nature causes civilizations to destroy themselves and start over again. Hope the next one does better than we did!!!!
Southernsoul
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 3:16pmIf truly pressed I wonder what ‘surprises’ this nation might be able to come with to protect ourselves. Many years ago, my wife and I toured the Dayton Air Museum. They had a F117 Stealth Fighter on display. What amazedme was the thought that if they would let you get this close to breakthrough tech what did they have that we didn’t even know about?
Report Post »Thors Hammer
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 3:16pmThank you, secret warriors, for helping to keep us safe. Unsung heroes finally getting some spotlight.
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 3:05pmI worked with a guy that used to be the boom operator on the C-130′s that used to catch the canisters. For years he always tried to convince us he was “Catching Satellites”, we always told him “If you don’t want to tell us what you do, fine, but stop BSing us.”
Report Post »jakartaman
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 3:05pmPatriots — Thanks
Report Post »Polwatcher
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 3:05pmWith Google, I can see the 6″ wheel on my trash can. No telling how good the new secret stuff is.
Report Post »LANE131
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 2:52pmYes very cool, but i wonder what cool stuff they are using now.
Report Post »Phoneguy
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 2:46pmPretty cool!
Report Post »