Eye in the Sky: The Story of the Corona Spy Satellites

by Dwayne A. Day

Presenting the full story of the CORONA spy satellites' origins, Eye in the Sky explores the Cold War technology and far-reaching effects of the satellites on foreign policy and national security. Arguing that satellite reconnaissance was key to shaping the course of the Cold War, the book documents breakthroughs in intelligence gathering and achievements in space technology that rival the landing on the moon.

Genres: Space, History, Nonfiction, Technology, Military Fiction, Science

320 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 1998

Reviews

[Ian Divertie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly useful book in so many ways. It illustrates clearly how during this period of the Cold War how far ahead of the soviet Union we really were. Too many secrets from us at the time. If we had known what our leaders knew from around 1956 to 1962 the entire 1960's and 1970's might have been totally different... Global warming studies and Nasa Earth Sciences grew out of this program, to hint at how thought provoking this book can be beyond its merely military/political implications.

[Maarten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wealth of technical information on the development of satellites and the U2, CORONA and Zenits. Political/historical side receives relatively little attention and there is much overlap in this area between the chapters; more careful editing would have helped internal coherence and balance.

[Louis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Goes with the History of NASA. There are alternate versions of our history in space. Depends on what you want to believe.

[Javier HG · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Eye in the sky" es la historia de CORONA, el programa secreto estadounidense (se desclasificó en 1995) de los 50, 60 y 70 que desarrolló los satélites espía. Este es un libro que solo interesará a los frikis de la carrera espacial y la tecnología. Porque CORONA fue el "otro" programa espacial. Más de 145 lanzamientos desde 1959 hasta 1972 de un programa que en principio iba a ser temporal hasta que la Armada de los EE.UU., desarrollase un sistema más sofisticado.

Pero la sofisticación del programa naval (enviar casi en tiempo real imágenes escaneadas desde el espacio) supuso fracaso tras fracaso, mientras CORONA conseguía un tesoro de información. Tecnológicamente el sistema era una "labor de chinos": mejoras a través de prueba y error (los primeros doce lanzamientos fueron un fracaso), el desarrollo de tecnología fotográfica que operase en condiciones de vacío y bajísimas temperaturas, y el envío de las fotografías en una cápsula que se interceptaba en el aire desde un C-130. Aún con todo esto y el coste que supueso (800MnUSD de la época), el programa fue todo un éxito y probablemente supuso rebajar el nivel de histeria prebélica: antes de CORONA se pensaba que la URSS tenía entre 50 y 200 misiles nucleares. Tras el análisis de las fotografías esas estimaciones se rebajaron a menos de 25.

Un libro para tecnólogos dedicados.

[Cade · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of the Corona program is very interesting, and this book covers it well. However, this book is intrinsically limited by its structure. This book is an edited compilation of accounts from many participants in the program. The primary purpose seems to be to record first-hand accounts for the sake of putting them "on the record" and making them accessible for analysis/comparison. As such, there is a lot of repetition as many of the same events, people, challenges, etc are described from multiple viewpoints with only some new facets in each chapter. As such, the book is a bit of a slow read if you are just reading it cover to cover for recreation.

[Michael Ginsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great look into the early days of the CIA and the spy satellite program. Readers will appreciate how challenging developing the first spy satellites was, the risks associated with them, and the extraordinary successes they ultimately provided to change the entire way we collect intelligence. If you like technology, space, history, and/or spy stories, this is a great book.

[Kernel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good collection of stories, perspectives and analysis of the corona program and it's impact on history.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though it's about spy satellites, this isn't a spy thriller. Be prepared for some dry, technical descriptions of surveillance satellites and the political and budgetary pressures that drove them. But if you're interested in the topic, this is an unmatched retelling of all the (unclassified) information about the early generation of US spy satellites and their Soviet counterparts as well. The sections about the aborted Manned Orbiting Laboratory and the first spy satellites that required canisters of exposed films to be dropped from orbit and caught by planes are especially interesting. Not for all audiences, but if you're of a nerdy bent and interested in how the US evolved from manned reconnaisance to an an automated fleet of "eyes in the sky," it's all here.

[John Fulcoly · Rating 4 out of 5]

TOUGH to read but I got through it. VERY neat to learn how these folks tackled the technological problems. First 13 flights failed! First successful flight outdid all prior U-2 flights. Especially interesting how the results contributed to strategic arms reductions.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit tedious in some parts with the politics, but overall very interesting.