EVALUATION OF BLACK SHIELD MISSION BX6723

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP69B00041R000700050086-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 24, 2003
• Sequence Number: 86
• Publication Date: September 29, 1967
• Content Type: CABLE

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S'JBJt EVALUATION OF BLACK SHIELD MISSION BX672'3 fi
1o CAMERA TYPE I (115A), UNIT C WAS USED Ott MISSION BX67230
PROCESSING WAS ACCOMPLISHED I N THE FIELD. THE FISSION CONTAINS
19022 TITLED FRAMES.
2. BOTH CAMERAS OPERATED SATISFACTORILY THROUGHOUT THE
MISSION, DURING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL PORTIONS OF THE FLIGHT (CAMERA
UNCAGED AND THE VEHICLE IS WITHIN THE CAMERA SYABILIZATION LIMITS
IN ROLL AND PITCH) ESTIMATED GROUND RESOLUTIONS OF APPROXIMATELY
19 INCHES (ONE BAR PLUS ONE SPACE) WERE ACHIEVED NEAR VERTICAL
PORTIONS OF THE FRAMES. IN SOME. INSTANCES THE IMAGERY APPEARS TO
BE EQUAL TO OR BETTER THAN THE BEST FROM OPERATIONAL MISSIONS TO
DATE, IN A COMPARISON OF COVERAGE EXPOSED BY TAE FORWARD AND AFT
CAMERAS, THE AFT FRAMES APPEAR TO BE OF SLIGHTLY BETTER QUALITY.
3.. CROSS TRACK IMAGE SMEARING (IMAGE ELONGATION) ASSOCIATED
WITH VEHICLE MANEUVERING AND CAMERA CAGING IS PRESENT INTERMITTENTLY
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THROUGHOUT. EXAMPLE FRAMES ARE: 408j409,412,413,416,417,
420,421,472,473,476,477,480, AND 481. ON FRAMES 412 AND 413
IMAGE SMEARING, NEARLY PARALLEL WITH THE LINE OF FLIGHT, IS ALSO
PRESENT. DEGRADATION IS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 18 INCHES FROM THE
START OF SCAN ON THE FORMATS AND COULD POSSZBI.Y BE ASSOCIATED WITH
MANEUVERING A9OtJT THE YAW AXIS.
4. THE ENTIRE MISSION WAS EXPOSED AT 1/190 OF A SECOND. ALL
FRAMES RECEIVED MAXIMUM DEVELOPMENT. IN COMPARING GROUND AREAS
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EXPOSED IN THE FORWARD AND AFT CAMERA AT THE SAME TIME, THE AFT
FRAMES GENERALLY HAVE HEAVIER DENSITY, THE DENSITY OF THE BASE PLUS
FOG IS HIGH AND DISCOLORED (YELLOWISH CAST%
5. LONGITUDINAL MINUS DENSITY STREAKS ARE PRESENT INTERMITTENTLY
THROUGHOUT THE MISSION. THEY ARE MINIMAL ANI* ONLY MINOR DEGRADATION
IS APPARENT, THE TIME TRACKS ARE VARIABLE I?N SIZE, SPAPE, AtD
DENSITY; ON THE DATA BLOCK EDGE OF THE FORWARD, THE TIMING MARKS
ARE VERY DENSE AND 0.1 INCH LONG. EMULSION LIFTS ARE PRESENT ON
APPROXIMATELY 29 FRAMES. FRAME 69 AND 72 CONTAIN MINOR EMULSION
SCRATCHES.
6. OVERLAPPING OF CONSECUTIVE FWD/AFT FRAMES IS PRESENT
INTERMITTENTLY THROUGHOUT THE MISSION AND- RANGES BETWEEN 0,05
INCH AND P. INCHES- THE DATA BLOCK ENCROACHES INTO THE IMAGE AREA
OF EVERY OTHER FORWARD FRAME, FOR ABOUT HALF THE DATA BLOCK WIDTH,
7. PROGRAMMED V/H IS USED ON THE RNTIRE MISSION. THE INS
DATA INDICATES THE CAMERA IS CAGED FOR '55. FORWARD FRAMES. THE
CAGING LIGHT WAS ON FOR FOUR FRAMES WHEN TH INS TAPE INDICATED
UNCAGED STATUS AND OFF FOR FOUR FRAMES WHEN CAGED STATUS WAS
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INDICATED. THE INS LONGITUDE IS PLUS TWO MINUTES AT THE BEGINNING OF
THE MISSION WITH A GRADUAL DRAFT TO PLUS ONE MINUTE AT THE END OF THE
MISSION. THE DATA BLOCK CLOCK CONTAINS A 46 MINUTE 21 SECOND BIAS
THROUGHOUT, CORRELATION OF THE INS DATA TO FILM WAS DIFFICULT
BECAUSE OF THIS BIAS*
8. CLOUDS OBSCURE 55 PERCENT OF THE MISSION. GROUND HAZE
IS MINIMAL AND IN CLOUD FREE AREAS GOOD QUALITY PHOTOGRAPHY IS
AVAILA!3LE.
9. THE ZERO PRIORITY REPRODUCTIONS AND REGULAR REPRODUCTIONS
APPEAR TO BE OF EQUAL QUALITY.
S E C R E T TOR 2923032 SEP 67
S E C R E T
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