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Overview
The United States has developed the most expensive and capable reconnaissance satellites the world has ever seen. American satellites can photograph terrorist bases, listen in on radio conversations, sniff out clandestine nuclear tests, and spot rocket launches anywhere in the world. The goal of these assets, simply put, is to prevent surprises.
In Shades of Gray, L. Parker Temple III describes the development of these capabilities in unprecedented historical detail and context. He taps recently declassified documents and melds them with his own behind-the-scenes experiences as an Air Force space expert at the Pentagon in the 1980s. In this work, Temple tracks the evolution of space reconnaissance systems from their seeds in the painful lessons of Pearl Harbor through the challenges of today. More than any other book, Shades of Gray places development of these capabilities into their proper context with the overall U.S. space program.
Synopsis
Temple (a former member of the U.S. Air Force Office of Space Plans and Policy) examines the history of the national security and defense aspects of the U.S. space program, as opposed to the civil and "national prestige" parts. The major themes that arise in his discussion are: the idea that space capabilities evolved in order to minimize the hazards inherent in using aircraft for intelligence collection, the waxing and waning influence of scientists on the shape of the U.S. space program, military information needs as a driver of program choices, and the impact of U.S. Air Force doctrinal change about operational thought on shifting space priorities. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR