Top-secret U.S. surveillance satellite, now declassified, gets a public showing in Virginia

Before the Global Hawk and Gorgon Stare surveillance drones ? in fact, way, way before ? there was the Big Bird.

The Big Bird, formally known as the KH-9 Hexagon satellite, was first placed in orbit in 1971 after its development by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), making it one of the most advanced spy satellites of its time. It is believed to have produced images of the Soviet Union, China and other countries that held strategic importance for the U.S. government through the Cold War. But it was never seen outside the intelligence community.

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Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=a45ee68706389a63868953cf68fe794f

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