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This undated image made available by the National Reconnaissance Office shows a declassified photo of a man standing next to a satellite control section from the Hexagon program. It was dubbed "Big Bird" and it was the most successful space spy satellite program of the Cold War era. From 1971 to 1986 a total of 20 satellites were launched, each containing 60 miles of film and sophisticated cameras that orbited the earth snapping vast panoramic photographs of the Soviet Union, China and other potential foes. The film was shot back through the earth's atmosphere in buckets, which were caught with grappling hooks by C-130 Air Force planes as they parachuted over the Pacific ocean.