Secret Satellite (20 of 28)

The method grew out of mail pickups and drops used in World War Two.
Harry Conway, an Army Air Corp vet with CIA connections, was the most outspoken advocate of using planes for covert missions.
In a series of demonstrations, Conway proved the technique by pulling crates from the sea and drone planes from land.
To make his point that even delicate cargoes could withstand the stress, Conway himself volunteered to be snatched.
When the aircraft comes in with its pole protruding and it has a bronze hook, and when he makes contact, and of course he goes straight up, I mean climbs to altitude.
And like with a man, myself, I am sitting in this same position just like this.
And when they make contact, I raise up about three or four feet, and then whew, it would take right off.
And their contact speeds are anywhere from ah, I think on, on a B-26, it was a hundred and six and that is almost stalling speed.
But, I was picked up once with a B-29 and ah, I took fifty-nine G's at that point.
I had a hard time getting insurance.
Air recovery was first used for the secret balloon reconnaissance programs.
After the camera payload separated from their balloons, they floated down on parachutes.
An air crew would throw out hooks to snag the parachute lines.
Once snagged, the payload was then reeled into the back of the plane.
The same technique was applied to plummeting CORONA capsules.
To keep CORONA film from falling into enemy hands, a squadron of C-119's was sent to Hawaii.
It took air crews months to perfect the satellite recovery technique.