The Corona Story
America's first
satellite surveillance.
Corona featured an evolving series of marvelously sophisticated cameras that used a special polyester film base designed just for the program - though we all use it now, under its later name "mylar". After the cameras photographed the world from polar orbit, the exposed film was jettisoned back to earth near Hawaii, in a capsule fitted with a parachute designed to be snagged
by special planes.
(Thanks PVC)
