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Science Friday > Archives > 2001 > April > April 13, 2001:

Hour Two: Intelligence Technology / The World's Forests

Earlier this week, following days of diplomatic negotiations, China agreed to the release of 24 members of the U.S. military who had landed on Hainan Island following the collision of a U.S. EP-3E ARIES II surveillance plane with a Chinese fighter plane. The flight, miles off the coast of China, was apparently for the purposes of monitoring Chinese radio transmissions. According to the U.S. Navy, "the 11 aircraft in the Navy's inventory ... provide fleet and theater commanders worldwide with near real-time tactical SIGINT (signals intelligence). With sensitive receivers and high-gain dish antennas, the EP-3E exploits a wide range of electronic emissions from deep within targeted territory."

A one-meter resolution, color satellite image of the Lingshui military airfield on the southeastern coast of Hainan Island, collected at 10:32 a.m. local time on April 10, 2001. image credit: spaceimaging.com. Copyright © 2001 Space Imaging. All Rights Reserved.

Satellite-based imaging technology is also forging ahead. One-meter resolution images, such as the one shown above, are commercially available to civilians at prices as low as $12 per square kilometer. Half-meter capabilities are on the way, scheduled for launch within the next few years. The U.S. government is reportedly developing a new satellite system, to be in place by 2005, capable of resolving objects on the ground the size of a baseball.

A program for electronic signals surveilance, the so-called "Echeleon" system, reportedly collects and searches through electronic communications worldwide looking for key words.The U.S. National Security Agency allegedly runs Echelon with Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand to scan radio transmissions, computer transactions, and telephone calls for information of potential interest to the intelligence community.

In this hour of Science Friday, we'll talk about the state-of-the-art in electronic surveillance. Just what are we -- and other countries -- capable of? Are manned flights of EP-3E aircraft really necessary, in a world of space-based systems? We'll take a peek...

Plus - the world's forests. Though forest areas in many parts of the world are still in trouble, wood growth is actually on the rise in other parts of the world. It's a function of many factors, from governmental controls to improved efficiency in agriculture. But can the world's forests truly handle the many needs that humans have, such as providing wood and paper, providing habitat for wildlife, and sucking up carbon dioxide? We'll talk about it. Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255, and share your opinions online in our Listeners' Lounge (registration required)

Listen to this program in RealAudio!

Guests:
David Folghum
Senior Military Editor
Aviation Week and Space Technology
Washington, DC

John Pike
Director
Global Security.org
Alexandria, Virginia

Jesse Ausubel
Director, Program for the Human Environment
Rockefeller University
New York, New York

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