Xref: utzoo sci.space.shuttle:2226 sci.space:8957
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!bionet!agate!eos!steve
From: steve@eos.UUCP (Steve Philipson)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle,sci.space
Subject: Re: orbital photos
Message-ID: <2196@eos.UUCP>
Date: 22 Dec 88 23:51:59 GMT
References: <2777@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu>
Reply-To: steve@eos.UUCP (Steve Philipson)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Calif.
Lines: 31

In article <2777@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu> jwm@aplvax.UUCP (Jim Meritt) writes:
>In article <184@maths.tcd.ie> ftoomey@maths.tcd.ie (Fergal Toomey) writes:
>}I remember seeing a TV program about this some time ago.
>}Apparently the cunning ruskies in Leningrad or some place used to
>}haul out giant rubber submarines just when the american spy satellites
>}came overhead. ...

>I strongly suspect this comes under the heading of urban myth.
>Perhaps a deliberate one.

>As you inflate a large balloon it does NOT look vaguely real, and even
>a minor wind/current would cause a floating balloon to behave extremely
>unlike heavy steel.

   I don't know about the Soviet use of blow-up subs, but the Allies
actually did use blow up tanks, artillery, trucks, etc. during WWII 
to deceive German recon aircraft.  They did have a problem with things
getting blown around when the wind came up, but usually were able to
tie things down or weight them.

   In modern times, we do it a little differently.  Aviation Week reported
that the modern day Allies set up fake fighters made out of tent poles
and fabric to fool Soviet recon planes and satellites.  Av Leak even ran
photos of them.  There's no reason to think we couldn't do the same thing 
with fake subs.  The blow up models wouldn't be cheap, but they would be 
virtually free compared to the cost of a real sub.
-- 

						   Steve
					(the certified flying fanatic)
					    steve@aurora.arc.nasa.gov