Sputnik the first satellite
Picture Source: NASA

Satellites race over our heads every day. No one knows for sure how many satellites are up there and how many are still active. We certainly will never run short of satellites as new ones are always being added and the number of countries launching satellites is increasing. Satellites have various duties, the first one, Sputnik was sent up to increase the prestige of the Soviet Union and decrease the prestige of the United States. It succeeded for a while, but like everything else in life, including military victories, its success was short lived.

One problem with launching satellites is that they sometimes don't get to the orbit they are supposed to be in or they get a wrong command and are misplaced. Since satellites cost hundreds of millions of dollars, you don't want to be the person that sent up the wrong command. I remember a few years back a boy with his home computer was able to get into the controls for a telephone satellite and moved it. The company couldn't find where the satellite had gone and I don't remember if it was ever recovered.

Syncom IV satellite
Source: JSC-NASA

The world is moving fast scientifically, and these advances are also being applied to satellites. There is a claim being made that satellites, along with all their other abilities, can now read the minds of anyone on earth. See the full story by John Fleming at http://www.20kweb.com/weird_stuff/satellites_spy.html. According to Mr. Fleming, three satellites can cover the whole world. He cites a book by G. Harry Stine that states the satellites can take the output of electroencephalographs and decipher our thoughts from them. This seems like some pretty far out stuff, but remember we are working on mind control for piloting planes and uses by paralyzed persons where they can interact with a computer.

Aside from mind reading, satellites can now use all sorts of detection devices. Has anyone ever noticed those detailed satellite photos? Well those are the ones that the government lets you see. According to many different sources, satellite photos can now detect a pimple on a face from orbit. Even the commercial satellite photos are something to behold, though not as high resolution as the military ones. With the advent of digital photography these satellites can take an inexhaustible amount of photographs and beam them instantly to earth. There are more and more cameras mounted everywhere and it is not clear if any satellites are linked to them. But optical capabilities are only a small portion of satellite capabilities. Satellites also use infrared sensors to detect heat. When you hear about this, the government usually says that this is for missile launch detection, and some of it is, but can this infrared detection technique also be used to detect people? Some say yes, that we have the ability to detect individuals even when they are deep inside a structure. Imagine a satellite photographing your every move, then detecting you when you went inside a building. If a laser were tied into this system, we could eliminate anyone on earth without their ever knowing what hit them, couldn't we? Some say we have this ability. We have also mastered techniques that can pick up conversations. One such instance is a device that can detect conversations by vibrations of glass windows, and there are probably many other types of voice detection.

Landsat 7's launch
Picture Source: NASA

Here is a list of U.S. Based Satellite Companies: (Source: NTIA)
Boeing Commercial Space Company
GE American Communications, Inc. (GE Americom)
Globalstar
Iridium
Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications
Loral Skynet
Orbital Sciences Corporation
PanAmSat Corporation
Scientific Atlanta
Skybridge
Space Systems/LORAL
Teledesic Corporation
Vulcan Communications

New technology is making satellites smaller and smaller. Because of the shrinkage in size, more satellites can be launched at a time. Unfortunately this technology is also making satellites cheaper, putting them into the hands of more and more nations. It seems to be just a matter of time until someone decides to launch a satellite with nuclear missiles. This satellite would be a threat that would circle over everyone's head every day. But fear not because there is yet another type of satellite up there. This is the killer satellite that serves the purpose of protector. It can shoot down other satellites, but it is not the only protection. We also have missiles and yes, the Aurora. The Aurora is a plane that the U.S. Government has yet to admit to, but is said to have the ability to achieve low orbit. It is said to be very fast and carry missiles capable of shooting down satellites.

Deploying a communications satellite
Picture Source: JSC-NASA

The system of DSP (Defense Support Program) is the infrared detection system deployed by satellites. The government says that this is for missile launch detection. It is going to be replaced by the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), an advanced infrared surveillance systems in support of four primary missions: missile warning, missile defense, technical intelligence, and battle space characterization. Technical intelligence may open a whole new can of worms . We may never know the capabilities of these new satellites as pertain to the ordinary citizen. In the old days, you had to be physically followed to be spied on. Will the temptation of being able to watch someone without their knowledge be too much to control? Will you be able to take that bath without having several people learning at you on a computer screen a thousand miles away? I think that this new technology calls for new laws to protect our rights and I hope we get them soon.