Spy Photos
4. Soviet Union, 1983
The defense magazine Jane's Defense Weekly published highly
classified satellite imagery of a Soviet aircraft carrier under
construction at the Nikolaev shipyard on the Black Sea. The images,
including this one, were taken by an American KH-11 reconnaissance
satellite. Leaked by U.S. naval analyst Samuel Morison, the images
gave the general public around the world a first glance at the
capability of America's classified reconnaissance satellites. The
resolution of this image is about one and a half to three feet per
pixel; when the satellite is directly overhead, it can resolve
objects four to six inches in diameter.