Phil Karn comments on spy-satellite resolution:
[Technical argument with which I agree, leading to approximate one-foot resolution limit, deleted.]
... goes away fast at higher angular frequencies. So all in all, I am inclined to think that the best ground resolution attainable with a 2-meter aperture from orbit is about an inch. That is in fact just about enough to read a ... Of course, a possible way around this limit is to put up a larger, segmented mirror... -- Jay Freeman Could the same effect (as a segmented mirror) be achieved by taking multiple pictures (from the same mirror) and processing them together? E.g. does synthetic aperture radar actually produce higher resolution than achievable from a single "snapshot"? If so, then this might work (at least for slow-moving targets :-)... Enchoiring Mimes Want to Know! -- dat@ebt.com (David Taffs)