Window on the Soviets

From the outset, Space Shuttle Mission 51-C was supposed to be shrouded in secrecy. Last December the press was told only that the upcoming flight would be the first of many manned shuttle missions carrying purely military payloads. The precise launch time was not announced, to make it more difficult for the Soviets to track the flight. On the morning of the launch, which was pushed back a day because ice formed on the shuttle during a cold snap at Cape Canaveral, journalists were informed simply that the countdown was "proceeding smoothly." Finally, at 2:41 p.m., there was a more specific announcement: "T minus 9 minutes and counting." At 2:50 the shuttle lifted off flawlessly and disappeared into the clear winter sky.

The launch time was perhaps the best-kept secret of the mission. Many other details had been leaked to the press, prompting the Pentagon to start an investigation of the alleged security breach. The shuttle's main cargo was a military intelligence satellite called a SIGINT (for "signals intelligence"), which is able to intercept electronic messages. The 6,000- lb. bird was to be spring-ejected from the shuttle, then rocket-propelled into a geostationary orbit 22,300 miles above the equator. The satellite will allow the U.S. to eavesdrop on traffic between Moscow and Soviet missile command centers. Using radar and infrared, the SIGINT will also be able to "see" Soviet launches. Said a U.S. military official: "Our country needs to have a better assessment of our response capabilities where the Soviets are concerned, whether it is One-fifth of the next 70 shuttle flights are scheduled as military missions, and future payloads may include controversial Star Wars technology. In the meantime, the U.S. is moving swiftly to assign and deploy even more advanced space surveillance systems, including "low- look" satellites that can take pictures of the numbers on a car's license plate from 80 miles above the earth.