Скачать или смотреть Astronauts Discuss Secret Military Space Station Spy Program

FAIRBORN -- A panel discussion took place at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Thursday night focusing on top secret details about a 1960's era military space program. Astronauts involved say it could have been a game changer when it came to the Cold War with the Soviet Union. If you're under 60 you probably have never heard of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (M.O.L.). It was a program run by the U.S.A.F. in the mid-1960's. "I don't think a lot of people know that there were other astronauts besides the NASA astronauts. We were strictly working with the military," said Robert Crippin a former astronaut. The government sold it as a way to prove how valuable manned space stations could be for the military but it never left the atmosphere. "They developed unmanned technology that we were thinking about doing. I still think if we had humans in the loop we would've been much better," said Crippin. M.O.L. equipment could focus on tiny areas with very high resolution. It could spot a softball in a parking lot from space. Even though the program was scrapped in favor of unmanned satellites the work helped advance several other areas. "That work led to some other things even though the program was cancelled, both in hardware and software technology and the people who were on the program also accomplished a lot after the program," said Crippin. Crippin says even though the program never lifted off, he's just happy to have been a part of it. "I think I was doing something for the country and something for the future so it was very exciting for me personally," said Crippin. "I grew up when there weren't any astronauts but I always wanted to fly and I figured going into space, higher and faster is better." Crippin still thinks having military man in space would serve the U.S.