Telescope idea could transform spy work

[Jared Moya]

An Air Force Academy researcher thinks he’s found a new space-based tool to spy on enemy lands.

One that could spot when North Korean leader Kim Jong Il hasn’t trimmed his fingernails, or determine what condiments Osama bin Laden is using on his roasted goat dinner.

Using lightweight materials similar to aluminum foil, Geoff Andersen says it’s possible to build a new type of satellite-borne telescope lens that would revolutionize spy satellites and open new vistas in the field of astronomy. Andersen said the new lens would zoom into targets hundreds of miles below with clarity that would allow operators to read newsprint.

America’s most advanced space telescope, the Hubble, has a 4-foot glass lens and weighs as much as a truck. The key to seeing more from space is a bigger lens, but launching massive pieces of glass into space is impractical.

http://www.gazette.com/display.php?id=1325576&secid=1

[fleecy]

there's a switch- more sophisticated technology without the matching price tag.

[Krell]

Real Genius



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