Since the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, the contribution made by satellites to society
has been enormous: instant awareness of sporting, political, and human events
across the globe; immediate communication undreamt of 50 years ago; and the
chance to see close-ups of planets and stars and share the excitement of astronauts
in space. But this book casts a spotlight on a little-known aspect of the Space Age
- the military dimension and how the superpowers used spy satellites.

Today, military satellites represent 25 percent of all satellites in orbit. In Spies in the
Sky, Pat Norris argues that the development of spy satellites has prevented nuclear
Armageddon. He believes that the 'race to the Moon' between the two superpowers
was a side effect of the Cold War, and that the most important event was the use of
spy satellites by military powers to prevent the Cold War becoming a 'hot war.' He then
focuses on the regional tensions of today, and looks ahead to what the future holds
- a time when spy satellites could be the only defense against a nervous nuclear power
using its nuclear weapons needlessly.

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Springer Praxis Books ISBN: 978-0-387-71672-5
Buy online: Springer-Praxis Spies in the Sky