Thread by @ODNIgov

#DYK @CIA and @usairforce launched the nation’s first operationally successful film-return reconnaissance satellite, codenamed CORONA, 60 years ago? #ICinHistory

Spurred by the Cold War, CORONA provided unmanned aerial reconnaissance of denied spaces and increased photographic coverage over areas like the Soviet Union. Here’s a look at the first images snapped on Aug. 18, 1960.

Photo interpreters from the National Photographic Interpretation Center, now @NGA_GEOINT, would view the CORONA imagery on light tables and look for key pieces of intelligence for @DeptofDefense and other partners. Light tables were essential for seeing what the eye couldn't.

In 1972, the then @NatReconOfc CORONA program ended after 145 missions and the imagery was declassified in 1995. Read more about the program here: nro.gov/History-and-St…