On August 14, 1960, a revolution quietly occurred in the 
reconnaissance capabilities of America. When the Air Force C-119 
Flying Boxcar Pelican 9 caught a bucket returning from space with 
film from a satellite, the American intelligence community gained 
access to previously denied information about the Soviet Union. The 
Corona reconnaissance satellite missions that followed lifted the veil 
of secrecy from the communist bloc, revealing, among other things, 
that no "Missile Gap" existed.

    This revolution in military intelligence could not have occurred 
without the development of the command and control systems that 
made the Space Race possible. In Spying from Space, David 
Christopher Arnold tells the story of how military officers and civilian 
contractors built the Air Force Satellite Control Facility (AFSCF) to 
support the National Reconnaissance Program. The AFSCF also 
had a unique relationship with the National Reconnaissance Office, 
a secret organization that the U.S. government officially concealed 
as late as the 1990s.

    Spying from Space fills a gap in space history by telling the story 
of the command and control systems that made rockets and 
satellites useful. Those interested in space flight or intelligence 
efforts will benefit from this revealing look into a little-known aspect 
of American achievement. 

_________________________________________________________

DAVID CHRISTOPHER ARNOLD, a graduate of Auburn University, 
received the Gill Robb Wilson Award from the National 
Reconnaissance Office for his writing on national defense. He taught 
for a number of years at the U.S. Air Force Academy and now lives 
in Colorado Springs, Colorado.


Number Twelve: Centennial of Flight Series


What people are saying about this book

"His book is a useful and essential contribution to the history of 
the Air Force, the national space effort, and, more precisely, the 
satellite reconnaissance program. It is recommended to all those 
interested in these aspects of history."—Air Power History

"This book fills a gap in space history by telling the story of the 
command and control systems that made rockets and satellites 
useful."—Space Heritage, Summer 2006

". . . a major contribution to the ongoing discussion of the social 
construction of technology. The relationship between technical 
innovation and the institutions using it is a major element of the 
West's history in particular."—Dennis E. Showalter, Colorado 
College


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