>> The idea would be that the astronauts would be able to take pictures and interpret film on-orbit That is a modern take on the problem. At the time, the ast

>> The idea would be that the astronauts would be able to take pictures and interpret film on-orbit That is a modern take on the problem. At the time, the astronaut's role was to interpret the situation and ensure the best photographs were taken. Getting a spy sat to point at the correct location, at the correct time, and take a good photograph was a huge engineering challenge. But a person looking through a viewfinder could ensure that every snap was useable rather than another picture of Russian trees. They were never going to sit in space with magnifying glasses and do actual image analysis, a process that takes hours and many different people. They would evaluate a target for the most interesting details and ensure those details made it into frame. And unlike satellites, a manned station could take photographs of targets of opportunity, targets that cannot be pre-programmed such as a moving ship.