Misty (classified project)

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Misty is the name of classified project to operate stealthy satellites conducted by the National Reconnaissance Office. The first satellite launched for the program was deployed on March 1, 1990 by the Space Shuttle Atlantis as part of Mission STS-36. Objects associated with the satellite decayed on March 31, 1990, but the satellite itself was seen and tracked later that year and in the mid-1990s by amateur observers. It was a testbed for the Zirconic series of satellites. Misty is reported to have optical and radar stealth characteristics, preventing it from being detectable by other nations.

The satellite camouflage, as reviewed in patent #5,345,238 , takes the form of an inflatable balloon. It can be quickly deployed and made rigid upon exposure to both outside and internally-created ultraviolet radiation. This shield can be tailored to a particular spacecraft and orbital situation. Once deployed, the cone-shaped balloon is oriented to deflect incoming laser and microwave radar energy, sending it off into outer space.

While an intriguing bit of high-tech handiwork, whether or not this stealthy idea is an active ingredient of the MISTY satellite series is not publicly known.

Tracking apparently resulted from a misunderstanding on the part of the satellite's operators of the geographical distribution of optical observation sites.

Porter Goss, a former Congressman and former CIA director, and George Tenet, former CIA director, have both vigorously supported successors to Misty, despite several attempts by Senators Dianne Feinstein and John D. Rockefeller IV to terminate the program. The primary contractor is Lockheed Martin Space Systems. The program may have involved as many as three satellites, with the second launching in 1999.