Comments on: Looking for a Security-Minded Space Telescope Director . . . https://habitablezone.com/2014/09/19/looking-for-a-security-minded-space-telescope-director/ Thu, 09 Apr 2026 15:15:13 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2014/09/19/looking-for-a-security-minded-space-telescope-director/#comment-31853 bowser Sat, 20 Sep 2014 04:26:32 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=47420#comment-31853 I will admit that even if it were strictly US, I was a bit over the top. I will admit that even if it were strictly US, I was a bit over the top.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2014/09/19/looking-for-a-security-minded-space-telescope-director/#comment-31852 ER Fri, 19 Sep 2014 23:49:49 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=47420#comment-31852 Be careful, that way lies madness. Look up the Wikipedia article on this spacecraft. There are 19 nations besides the US involved in this project. Its highly unlikely this would be some super secret boondoggle when we could do that easily under DOD or CIA cover and no one would know anything about it. I know a little bit about astronomy and a little bit about IMINT, and take my word for it, this is just what it appears to be, the orbital characteristics and the on-board sensors peg this to what it really is, the Infrared Astronomy successor to the Hubble. As for the "launching mechanism", its being launched by the French on one of their Ariane rockets. The mission and the tech behind this bird are pure science, so it will be as difficult to hide its purpose and capability as it was Hubble's. There are too many fingers in the pie, and there are too many subscribers to its product. It just doesn't make sense, when we can do all the espionage stuff we want with very little supervision from the press or the outside world. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. OTOH, if you really want a conspiracy to chew on, a sensitive infrared telescope would not only be a perfect tool for routine astronomical research, it would be just what we need to search for Dyson Spheres and other evidence of Kardashev Type II civilizations. Maybe that's what that reference to LGMs in the article Dan linked to was really all about. 8) Be careful, that way lies madness.

Look up the Wikipedia article on this spacecraft. There are 19 nations besides the US involved in this project. Its highly unlikely this would be some super secret boondoggle when we could do that easily under DOD or CIA cover and no one would know anything about it. I know a little bit about astronomy and a little bit about IMINT, and take my word for it, this is just what it appears to be, the orbital characteristics and the on-board sensors peg this to what it really is, the Infrared Astronomy successor to the Hubble.

As for the “launching mechanism”, its being launched by the French on one of their Ariane rockets.

The mission and the tech behind this bird are pure science, so it will be as difficult to hide its purpose and capability as it was Hubble’s. There are too many fingers in the pie, and there are too many subscribers to its product. It just doesn’t make sense, when we can do all the espionage stuff we want with very little supervision from the press or the outside world.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

OTOH, if you really want a conspiracy to chew on, a sensitive infrared telescope would not only be a perfect tool for routine astronomical research, it would be just what we need to search for Dyson Spheres and other evidence of Kardashev Type II civilizations.

Maybe that’s what that reference to LGMs in the article Dan linked to was really all about. 8)

]]> By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2014/09/19/looking-for-a-security-minded-space-telescope-director/#comment-31850 bowser Fri, 19 Sep 2014 22:49:36 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=47420#comment-31850 All we know about it and what it will do is what we have been told BY THEM. I believe it is entirely possible we have not been told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And I also agree with you, that undoubtedly the technologies of the telescope and launching mechanism are secret from the American people. I have no doubt the Russians and Chinese know them already, only the American population is ignorant of them. All we know about it and what it will do is what we have been told BY THEM.

I believe it is entirely possible we have not been told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

And I also agree with you, that undoubtedly the technologies of the telescope and launching mechanism are secret from the American people.

I have no doubt the Russians and Chinese know them already, only the American population is ignorant of them.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2014/09/19/looking-for-a-security-minded-space-telescope-director/#comment-31849 ER Fri, 19 Sep 2014 19:49:35 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=47420#comment-31849 I can't think of a worse orbit, or a more useless optical system, for a spy satellite. No, I just think the spooks like to classify stuff because its good for their careers. I can’t think of a worse orbit, or a more useless optical system, for a spy satellite.

No, I just think the spooks like to classify stuff because its good for their careers.

]]> By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2014/09/19/looking-for-a-security-minded-space-telescope-director/#comment-31848 bowser Fri, 19 Sep 2014 19:44:30 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=47420#comment-31848 I think it likely that you are correct - the technologies involved would require a high clearance. They aren't going to send a de-tuned telescope out there. AND I believe it equally likely that the US will not spend that kind of money without DOD clearance, that there is some DOD use for it. I just don't trust those folks. Paranoid? Yep. I believe they lie, I believe they spend billions upon billions and then more billions on things they don't tell me about and that, in fact, they regard what the government does as none of my business. I think it likely that you are correct – the technologies involved would require a high clearance. They aren’t going to send a de-tuned telescope out there.

AND I believe it equally likely that the US will not spend that kind of money without DOD clearance, that there is some DOD use for it.

I just don’t trust those folks.

Paranoid? Yep. I believe they lie, I believe they spend billions upon billions and then more billions on things they don’t tell me about and that, in fact, they regard what the government does as none of my business.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2014/09/19/looking-for-a-security-minded-space-telescope-director/#comment-31847 ER Fri, 19 Sep 2014 19:19:40 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=47420#comment-31847 Astronomical telescopes are not optimized for Earth surveillance tracking and targeting, and this one will be orbiting out at the 2nd Lagrangian point, too far from Earth to do much good for espionage. It is also set up for observing in the infrared, it specializes in mapping cold gas clouds in deep space, not objects on our planet. I can't think of any potential reconnaissance or IMINT application for this bird that couldn't be carried out much better and cheaper by some dedicated spook platform. This is also an international project, other nation's space programs and the ESA are involved. All this suggests there is no need for security here. Observing times on space telescopes are competitive and have to be scheduled and approved months in advance, and extensively rehearsed. Kicking a science user off-line unexpectedly to do some intel work would give the whole show away, not to mention that the data telemetered back to earth is non-encrypted, and vulnerable to eavesdropping. All I can think of, and I am totally speculating here, is that some of the technologies aboard this spacecraft are classified, or that the US does not want to add to the tiny pool of people in the world who can do this sort of work without making sure they're on our side. It might give away too much about our intelligence gathering capabilities. Or maybe, just maybe, they really expect to find something "out there" they want to keep us in the dark about as long as possible. Astronomical telescopes are not optimized for Earth surveillance tracking and targeting, and this one will be orbiting out at the 2nd Lagrangian point, too far from Earth to do much good for espionage. It is also set up for observing in the infrared, it specializes in mapping cold gas clouds in deep space, not objects on our planet. I can’t think of any potential reconnaissance or IMINT application for this bird that couldn’t be carried out much better and cheaper by some dedicated spook platform. This is also an international project, other nation’s space programs and the ESA are involved. All this suggests there is no need for security here.

Observing times on space telescopes are competitive and have to be scheduled and approved months in advance, and extensively rehearsed. Kicking a science user off-line unexpectedly to do some intel work would give the whole show away, not to mention that the data telemetered back to earth is non-encrypted, and vulnerable to eavesdropping.

All I can think of, and I am totally speculating here, is that some of the technologies aboard this spacecraft are classified, or that the US does not want to add to the tiny pool of people in the world who can do this sort of work without making sure they’re on our side. It might give away too much about our intelligence gathering capabilities.

Or maybe, just maybe, they really expect to find something “out there” they want to keep us in the dark about as long as possible.

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