COMMENTS ON(Sanitized) PAPER 'REMARKS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A HIGH RESOLUTION RECONNAISSANCE SYSTEM' DATED 1 JUNE 1964

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78B04747A000900100001-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 1, 2001
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: August 13, 1964
• Content Type: MF

13 August 196+
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STA~ INTL
STAT~NTL
STATINTL
Comments on paper ,Rema,ksSJjA1TINTL
the Development of a High Resolution Reconnaissance
System" dated 1 June 1964
1. The subject proposal and its appendixes were reviewed and analysed
by five members of our staff having highly diversified tcbhnical back-
grounds. The following comments, are a composite of their thoughts on the
subject.
2. Looking at the overall picture it is more those things which are
left unsaid than whet actually has been said that bothers the reviewers.
3? laa to have a revolutionary new emulsion; however, quoting
from Page 5 ,it has not yet been possible to trade off its resolution for
speed.." This is awfully big "exception". Molecular films such as
Diazo or car assn materials are not particularly new and they exhibit these
very sane characteristics -- ultra high-resolution but with low speed and
inadequate gray scale. In fact, there is so little contrast range in some
of these materials that they are not satisfactory as good reproduction
materials let alone as an operational photographic medium. If, in fact,
has made some sort of break-through in obtaining a molecular grain
size emulsion with reasonable speed, we are extremely interested. Never-
theless, if they hav .wed (or can even rroach) reasonable speed
and contrast characteristics, they should be able to readily demonstrate
this to our satisfaction on test specimens. In addition, they should be
able to provide us with test materials, with which we can then duplicate
their results. If they cannot provide this evidence then we have heard
many other claims and seen other proposals similar to this one in the past.
4. We would like to be highly enthusiastic; unfortunately, past
experience with other contractors' claims on molecular grain size materials
has left us somewhat skeptical.
Declass Review by NIMA / DoD
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'SGT; Comments on Paper...
4. Assuming the desired material does exist there are a number of
other questions and problems that arise. Materials of 10,000 lines sound
wonderful but they are not necessarily meaningful because of the restric-
tions inoaed by the size of the wave lengths of visible light. We
would nave to look at the images with "erotic tools" such as, hard
ultraviolet, x-rays or possibly through the use of electron microscopes.
There appears to be a practical (not theoretical) limit at about 1000
to 15M lines/irk, we currently require +0O to 600 line optics or better
to look at 160 line materials in order to insure complete transfer of
the low contrast information. This would indicate that we would need
microscopes resolving 2500 lines mm or better to? look at 1000 line materials.
Even then we would. require oil emersion objectives (a problem with film
5. Assuming such a high resolution film, it appears very logical
build ultra small cameras with microscope lenses as objectives since, as
the author suggests, we can use exotic refractory elements such as, cal.
objectives to obtain very high numerical apertures; however, the crystals
are not large enough to be used in the construction of conventional camera
lenses. In addition, it is true that microscope objectives have high
L A.' a and are highly corrected. At the same time there are things here
left unaaid.
a* first,, f/i is about the limit for dry (non-oil emersion)
objectives.
b. Lenses generally do not perform the some when used back-
wards. The lenses used for visual microscopy and those used
for microph6tOgraphy are usually quite different. When the
eye is the integrating device, it actually looks at only one
very l"ea or portion of the total field at a time. A
camera looks at the total field all at once,. therefore, the
degree of optical correction required for visual viewing is
generally not as high as that required for camera recording.
For instance, the requirements for field flatness are not as
stringent in a microscope as in a camera.
c. Generally, when a camera gets smaller, I.M.s, becomes
less difficult to implement. This is true to a point; but,
if the camera then passes this point and becomes ultra small,
so that the I.M.C. motion moves down into the micron range it
appears the problem becomes, conversel, extremely difficul
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1W "W
To make a minute, ultra precise motion-extremely fast-appears to
be a Pant tie problem. The precision required for ultra criti-
and the difficulty of first constructing, and then
bending the film over a curved platen becomes considerably more
difficult to the r
d. the resolution increases, "wise" from atmospheric
scattering, etc . , remains the same and therefore its magnitude
in respect to the size of the objects resolved becomes greater,
consequently the signal to noise ratio should be lowered.
Moreover, an the displacement between images decreases (1000 1/i
plus) the dimensional requirements of the film and emulsion
become more critical. The required emulsion would have to be
molecularly thin and ultra-uniform (no waves). This appears to
be a problem of considerable magnitude. These problems can,
doubt, be solved. They are only mentioned because the proposal
treats them so lil. ? STATINTL
proposed for aspherizing the 1 meter mirror is neat
contract) to accomplish asrpherizing through thin film
intri in and perhaps feasible; however, if our attempts
evaporative techniques are any indicators, this approach will be easy
to describe in theory but extremely difficult to implement; nevertheless,
the rewards would be great. Needless-to-say, it they can produce a 1 meter
focal, length f/, reflective lens this would be a fantastic collection sys-
tem even using more conventional films.
7. From a P1 standpoint, the proposed system would present
problem areas:
a. The viewing microscope problem already discussed.
b. The high-resolution would probably obviate the use of
rear projection viewers as we know them.
e. it would present many obvious reproduction problems.
d. One really big problem would be locating, at that stale,
what you went to look at.
s. The images would be so minute that the smallest particles
of dust would be completely intolerable in any stage of the
processing; processing, reproduction viewing (p1), measuring
or storing of the film . In fact, all of VIC would have to
become a clean room.
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Paper. .
f . Such materials would require sub-
mensuration.
8. It must be emphasized that none of these problems are really
insolvable; however, should such a system be undertaken, it would require
a cons der le blead time and a massive equipment development program on
our Part. 1n eft, we would need practically all now exploitation equip-
ment, "from the ground up".
Other than the obvious advantages of a small acquisition package
provide some definite PI advantages In that it is a natural
for the chip alpproach, would reduce our storage requirements and decrease
the wise of the optical elements in our viewing systems.
10. If you believe it appropriate, we vould be glad to evaluate saamples
r photo sensitive material from an exploitation point of view, how-
ever, will take no further action on this matter without instructions
from you.
Development Breech, P&DS
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