S.P.O.T. SATELLITE SEES ALL SELLS ANYTHING 

(Editor's note: In the beginning computers could only communicate in capital letters. This is one of 20 columns from Dr. Tomorrow's original series, included here to indicate change as well as describe it. Those columns also hold another story, that change is swift and offers both disaster and opportunity.)

EIGHTY YEARS AGO THE UNITED STATES CAME UP WITH THE TIMELY INNOVATION OF FASTENING CAMERAS TO PIGEONS FOR AERIAL SURVEYING. TIMES, TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES CHANGE.

TODAY THE FRENCH ARE UPSETTING THE AMERICANS (AGAIN) WITH THEIR INNOVATION - S.P.O.T. (SATELLITE POUR OBSERVATION DE LA TERRE). THEIR "PHOTOGRAPHS", NOW AVAILABLE FOR SALE TO ANYONE, ARE SHOWING U.S. MILITARY SECRETS. WHEN I FIRST WROTE ABOUT THIS PENDING DEVELOPMENT SOME YEARS AGO, NO ONE WOULD BELIEVE THE U.S. WOULD/COULD LET IT HAPPEN. IT HAS. TODAY MORE THAN A DOZEN NON-CENSORABLE EARTH STATION RECEIVERS SCATTERED AROUND THE WORLD CAN PICK UP SUCH SIGNALS AND PROCESS THEM. A FEW YEARS AGO THE SOVIET UNION AND THE U.S. MILITARY HAD A MONOPOLY ON SUCH FACILITIES.

THESE PICTURES ARE JUST THE BEGINNING.

SOON, EVEN HIGHER RESOLUTION -- DOWN TO THE GRAPEFRUIT-SIZE OBJECTS NOW AVAILABLE TO THE MILITARY -- WILL BE OFFERED BY THE PRIVATE SECTOR. I HAVE ALREADY SEEN SOVIET MILITARY PHOTOS OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER DELTA. EVEN POOR EYES CAN SPOT PLANES ON THE RUNWAYS AND SHIPS IN DOCK. REPORTEDLY TAKEN BY THE SOVIET HIGH RESOLUTION KFA-1000 CAMERA, THESE APPEAR TO BE BETTER QUALITY THAN EVEN S.P.O.T. PICTURES. THE RUSSIANS WILL PUT THESE ON SALE SOON.

THE TYPICAL U.S. LANDSAT PICTURES ARE LIMITED TO ANYTHING 33 YARDS (30 METRES) ON ONE SIDE. THAT'S ABOUT THE SIZE OF A FOOTBALL FIELD.

THINGS LIKE LARGE SPORTS STADIUMS SHOW UP BRIGHT AND CLEAR. S.P.O.T. AND NOW THE JAPANESE MOS-1 CAN PRODUCE PICTURES AS SMALL AS TEN METRES PER SIDE. THAT'S YOUR HOUSE. CANADA, WEST GERMANY, BRAZIL, INDIA AND CHINA ARE LOOKING INTO LAUNCHING SUCH TECHNOLOGY FOR THEIR OWN USES. THE JAPANESE RECENTLY CAME UP WITH A COMPUTERIZED ELECTRONIC ENHANCMENT PROCESS THAT CONVERTS SUCH BLACK AND WHITE PICTURES TO COLOR, AND FACILITATES DETECTION OF SMALLER OBJECTS.

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS? A KEY ELEMENT OF ANY MILITARY STRATEGY IS SURPRISE -- THE SO-CALLED "FIRST STRIKE" LAUNCH. THAT IS NO LONGER POSSIBLE. YOU CAN'T MOVE 100 PEOPLE ANYMORE WITHOUT IT BEING KNOWN. OR 50 TRUCKS OR TEN SHIPS. EVEN SINGLE AIRCRAFT CAN BE MONITORED. SOME DAY NEWSPAPERS WILL ROUTINELY PUBLISH VERY CLEAR SATELLITE PICTURES TO IMPROVE THE CONTENT OF THEIR NEWS STORIES.

DURING THE U.S. INVASION OF GRENADA, THE MILITARY KEPT MEDIA CAMERAS AWAY FROM THE TROOPS AND THE ACTION. MUCH THE SAME THING HAPPENED WITH THE BRITISH IN THE FALKLANDS AND WITH THE U.S.S.R. IN AFGANISTAN. NOW WITH YOUR FRIENDLY, PRIVATELY-OWNED "NEWS HAWK IN THE SKY", NOTHING IS SECRET ANYMORE. TIMES ARE GETTING TOUGHER FOR POLITICIANS AND THE MILITARY.

THIS PRIVATE SATELLITE BUSINESS WILL GROW -- TO A SEVEN BILLION DOLLAR LEVEL BY THE THIRD MILLENNIUM, ACCORDING TO ESTIMATES BY A KODAK SUBSIDIARY. THAT'S BIG BUSINESS.

SLEEP SOUNDLY. GOVERNMENTS NO LONGER CONTROL THE SKIES.

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