lgn1 - 1:02 pm on Mar 17, 2009 (gmt 0)

Re: US spy satelite resolution.

Actually the resolution of US spy satellites is limited by something called the Rayleigh Limit for optics.

We did this exercise in an Astrophysics course I took two years ago (it keeps my synapses firing in my aging brain).

Based on the current maximun mirror size (which is determined by payload parameters of the largest US rockets), we calculated that no spy satellite can resolve anything smaller than 6". With image post processing, they may be able to extrapolate down to 3".

Sorry, the stories of being able to read Russian newspapers from space or license plates, is all Science fiction.