![]() ![]() Discoverer II, launched April 13, 1959, was the first satellite to be stabilized in orbit in all three axis to be maneuvered on command from earth, to separate a reentry vehicle on command, and to send its reentry vehicle back to earth. 28, 1959, was the first polar-orbiting satellite. With 38 public launches, the Discoverer program was described as an experimental effort developing and testing satellite subsystems and a scientific initiative exploring the environmental conditions in space. After two days, the salt plugs in the capsule would dissolve causing the capsule to sink, preventing the enemy from capturing the film. Navy boats had two days to recover the buckets. In case the aircraft missed, the capsule was designed to float. With a parachute slowing the descent, the capsule or "bucket" was captured by an Air Force C-119. The exposed film would then be transferred to recovery vehicles and de-orbited for mid air or ocean recovery. Equipped with a panoramic camera, Corona would fly over and photograph Soviet Bloc countries. ![]() The Corona Project was a highly classified satellite reconnaissance program, developed and tested under an existing Air Force Weapon System 117L - the Discoverer program. Studeman, acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency, observed in 1995, "CORONA was conceived in … an era when facts were scarce and fears were rampant." As the press explored the bomber and later the missile gaps, there was a need to define the threat to the nation. Two years later they unveiled a long-range bomber and the intercontinental ballistic missile followed soon thereafter. In 1953, the Soviets became a nuclear power. In the 1950s, the United States was making great advances in weapons technology, but the Soviet Union also saw significant gains. It also provided an insight into the early Cold War. The release of more than 860,000 photos, taken between 19, has helped scientists explore ancient habitation sites and track environmental changes. In February 1995, President William Clinton signed an executive order declassifying early satellite imagery.
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