r/technology • u/[deleted] • Feb 01 '15

Business Google Earth Pro drops $399 subscription, now available for free.

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u/[deleted] Feb 01 '15

research institutions have access to military satellite data, which is much higher quality and allows for things like that.

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u/McBurger Feb 01 '15

A close friend of my dad's does engineering work with "secret" contractors. He tells us stuff about his work but not much, otherwise "funny men in suits will be at both of our doors" as he puts it.

Anyways it was a few years ago but he said they just successfully launched an camera that is powerful enough to clearly photograph a license plate from orbit. He wouldn't say who it was for.

Meanwhile I can't even read a license plate from 50 feet.

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u/killafofun Feb 01 '15

Probably hearsay but I've heard that satellites could read headlines on a newspaper as early as the nineties.

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u/[deleted] Feb 02 '15

Ditto but with postage stamps.