
Google Maps Mystery Actually Spy Satellite Targets - sbashyal
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/11/17/mysterious-symbols-in-china-desert-are-spy-satellite-targets-expert-says/
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draz
out of curiousity -- could the Manhattan grid be naturally used for satellite
calibration (thus masking intention)? Could we install objects on top of
buildings to help calibration (surreptitiously)?

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jplewicke
The first thing that comes to mind here is the enormous red bullseyes that
Target puts on top of all of its stores. They're visisble from airplanes and
satellites, but their symmetry would make them less useful for calibration.

An example: <http://craphound.com/images/googleeasrthad.jpg>

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icarus_drowning
That's a brilliant move on Target's part-- how easy must it be to find your
nearest target on Google/Bing/Etc Maps? Pretty forward thinking of them, if
you ask me...

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carlosag
What about this that is just next to the weird circle thing. Did noone catch
this, or is there a good explanation for this one:

[http://maps.google.com/maps?q=40.457985,93.392801&hl=en&...](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=40.457985,93.392801&hl=en&num=1&t=h&vpsrc=0&z=16)

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OstiaAntica
"In other words, the Chinese military probably uses radar instruments to send
signals down at the target from above, and determine how much radar bounces
back to the instruments from the fighter jets..."

I'm curious, what type of radar is used in spy satellites? Is there any health
risk for people on the ground?

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Duff
The military probably has radar on satellites similar to aircraft-mounted
battlefield management systems like JSTARS

(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-8_Joint_STARS>)

Basically, they can identify tanks, buildings, and other large objects via
radar. There are also millimeter band radars that can produce images.

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regularfry
Satellites can do _much_ better than just identify large objects. Resolution
depends on the aperture width, and a satellite in orbit can pretend to have a
very wide aperture indeed...

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shareme
Did we find their area 51 yet?

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pault
Do we have to link to fox news?

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icebraining
That's somewhat prejudiced, no? Besides, the content is originally from
here[1], Fox News just republished it.

[1]: [http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/mystery-structures-
china...](http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/mystery-structures-china-desert-
spy-satellite-2184/)

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Lagged2Death
_That's somewhat prejudiced, no?_

The point of avoiding Fox is to eschew prejudice, I'd say.

You could summarize this story as "Yep, China has spy satellites," which isn't
actually news to anyone who's interested. It's exactly the sort of "keep the
people afraid" non-news Fox has become infamous for.

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rick888
CNN, MSNBC, and aljazeera are also all biased. In fact, all news is.

The only difference is that you don't agree with the politics of Fox news.

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faboo
I don't know about CNN, MSNBC, or Aljazeera, but Fox News admitted to
fabricating stories and lying in court (bizarrely, they won the right to lie
and call it news in said same court).

[http://ceasespin.org/ceasespin_blog/ceasespin_blogger_files/...](http://ceasespin.org/ceasespin_blog/ceasespin_blogger_files/fox_news_gets_okay_to_misinform_public.html)
[http://digg.com/news/entertainment/the_daily_show_fox_news_l...](http://digg.com/news/entertainment/the_daily_show_fox_news_lying_dynasty)

(I'm for totally ignoring CNN, MSNBC, and Aljazeera as well if they admit to
intentionally misleading the public.)

