Description
On February 24, 1995, President Clinton signed an Executive Order,
directing the declassification of intelligence imagery acquired by the
first generation of United States photo-reconnaissance satellites, including
the systems code-named CORONA, ARGON, and LANYARD. More than 860,000 images
of the Earth's surface, collected between 1960 and 1972, were declassified
with the issuance of this Executive Order.
Image collection was driven, in part, by the need to confirm purported
developments in then-Soviet strategic missile capabilities. The images
also were used to produce maps and charts for the Department of Defense
and for other Federal Government mapping programs. In addition to the
images, documents and reports (collateral information) are available,
pertaining to frame ephemeris data, orbital ephemeris data, and mission
performance. Document availability varies by mission; documentation was
not produced for unsuccessful missions.
Resources
| Name | Format | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Download this dataset | HTML | Query and order satellite images, aerial photographs, and cartographic products through the U.S. Geological Survey. Log in as a guest or as a registered user. Registered users have access to more features than guests do. If you plan on using EarthExplorer frequently, you may wish to register. Please note that this site uses Session Cookies and Java applets. | Open resource |