[Vision2020] National Reconnaissance Office: Nothing is beyond our reach

[Kenneth Marcy]

Two Items:

First:

The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office launched a new spy satellite 
Thursday evening on mission NROL-39 -- and the new logo and tagline are 
quite an eye opener.

The new logo features a giant, world-dominating octopus, its 
sucker-covered tentacles encircling the planet while it looks on with 
determination, a steely glint in its enormous eye. The logo carries a 
five-word tagline: "Nothing is beyond our reach."

Christopher Soghoian, principal technologist and senior policy analyst 
with the ACLU, raised a quizzical eyebrow at the new slogan.

"Advice to @ODNIgov: You may want to downplay the massive dragnet spying 
thing right now. This logo isn't helping," he wrote.

An agency spokeswoman told Forbes that there's a very good reason for 
the symbol: The octopus is intelligent, and therefore a good emblem for 
an intelligence agency.

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/12/06/nothing-is-beyond-our-reach-nro-new-logo-claims/ 


<[more story at the link above]>


Second:

*A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 501 rocket lifted off from Space 
Launch Complex 3E at Vandenberg Air Force Base on Friday at 7:14 UTC 
carrying the classified NROL-39 satellite to orbit for the National 
Reconnaissance Office. Also on board were 12 small CubeSats for release 
after the primary mission of the launcher was complete. Official 
information on the mission's progress was ceased at the point of Payload 
Fairing separation as the flight entered the customary news blackout of 
NRO missions.

Confirmation of mission success was provided after the successful 
release of NROL-39. The 12 CubeSats were released more than three hours 
after launch.

Although the payload of this mission is classified, the satellite hidden 
under the Atlas V payload fairing had been identified well before 
launch. Using clues such as the type of launch vehicle used as well as 
the launch time and navigational warnings that are provided for aircraft 
& ships, the NROL-39 payload was identified as the FIA Radar 3 
satellite. With the payload revealed, it was also clear what type of 
orbit was being targeted by the mission -- a circular Low Earth Orbit at 
1,100 Kilometers and an inclination of 123 degrees.
*

*http://www.spaceflight101.com/atlas-v-nrol-39-launch-updates.html
*

*<[much more story at the link above, including rocket images with 
octopus logo, and photos of spy gear and rocket launch]>
*

*
Ken
*

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