Lockheed Martin U2

[nopassn]

old-school spy plane...

[Matra et Alpine]

Deployed in the Gulf operating out of UAE
One of them went down on return from a flight in Afghanistan.
These are the later models.

The original models didn't fair so well with a reported 80-90% of them either shot down or crashing

Lots of good pics ( but not hi enough res ) from Fairford base in the UK -- http://www.fairfordbase.org.uk/FairfordBase/Album14.htm

[NSXType-R]

In this day and age of long range missles it's a waste of money deploying these. Why bother with these when there are loads of satellites waiting to be used?

[clutch-monkey]

In this day and age of long range missles it's a waste of money deploying these. Why bother with these when there are loads of satellites waiting to be used?

or remote control spy planes, like the one that flew from the US to Australia..i can't remember the name but i think its the only craft the USAF allows to land at an international airport by remote/computer or something.

[jaromull]

These birds have been produced at the time when Lockheed was an independent subject. Lockheed U-2 would be better.

[Matra et Alpine]

In this day and age of long range missles it's a waste of money deploying these. Why bother with these when there are loads of satellites waiting to be used?

It can take DAYS to position a satellite over a location.
And then it can only stay in contact for a few hours at MOST.
For a satellite to rotate at the same speed as the ground ( and hence stay over a location for many hours/days ) then it has to be 45,000 miles out. Then being out there it can take WEEKS to get into location and has limited life before propulsion system is empty.
A U2 can be readied and airborne in hours and multiple flights can mean on station for days.
But the new UAVs are the way forward

[nopassn]

A satellite moving at the same speed as the ground, to basically "hover" in one spot on the earth is called geosynchronous orbit.

[Matra et Alpine]

A satellite moving at the same speed as the ground, to basically "hover" in one spot on the earth is called geosynchronous orbit.

Really ? wow

[nopassn]

Really ? wow

I'm sure you probably knew that... but I know some here didn't... more importantly, I just wanted to use the word "geosynchronous"

[Matra et Alpine]

I'm sure you probably knew that... but I know some here didn't... more importantly, I just wanted to use the word "geosynchronous"

I'd heard that you thought it was THE "G"-spot

[Smithy]

there's enough up there they probably don't have to move too much...

[Matra et Alpine]

there's enough up there they probably don't have to move too much...

Photograpic imaging are all low orbit with limited life.
By the time you go out 45,000 miles then it's hard to get images to <1M resolution

But if you REALLY want to see wehre they are this helps ..... http://science.nasa.gov/realtime/jtr.../JTrack3D.html
PS: Set it to 1/4 s update and x100 time and watch them all buzz by

The lack of a few over Iraq makes me suspect that NSA are keeping all the "black" satellites off the tracking

[Smithy]

thats cool..nice link...

Antarctica seems to be collecting them...