Flashlights in the dark

Later this week the National Reconnaissance Office is going to reveal information on two of its Cold War era satellite programs, HEXAGON and GAMBIT, and publicly unveil hardware that has been classified for decades. GAMBIT was started in 1960, with a first launch in 1963. HEXAGON started in 1966, with a first launch in 1971. Both programs operated until the mid-1980s. Both used cameras that recorded their images on film that was parachuted to Earth. Both were highly successful. And both represented the pinnacle of American Cold War intelligence collection technology, unmatched in capabilities by any other nation.

According to several sources, the NRO plans to display several declassified objects on the grounds of the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Museum for a short period of time, possibly only on September 17. One of these objects is the massive camera system from the KH-9 HEXAGON. Another is the camera system from the KH-7 GAMBIT. Several other objects may be displayed as well. After a very brief appearance at the museum, the objects are going to be hauled away for display at the US Air Force Museum in Dayton. It is not clear if they will return to the Udvar-Hazy Museum, which is busy preparing for the exchange of the Enterprise with the space shuttle Discovery next year. Although the Air Force played a vital role in these programs, the Dayton museum is not as easy to reach as the Udvar-Hazy Museum, which is also located only a few kilometers from the NRO’s headquarters.