3.Skylab incident
Before the crew of Skylab 4 mission was sent into space, they received a security briefing. Among other things, they were told that the only location on Earth they weren’t allowed to photograph from orbit was Area 51. Naturally, the moment the astronauts got their hands on a camera, they turned it towards Groom Lake and “inadvertently” took photos of a facility that officially didn’t exist. Upon their return, their photos were sent to National Photographic Interpretation Center, which was to review all photos taken from space on an agreement between NASA and CIA. Once they spotted Area 51 on film, CIA higher echelons promptly entered the panic mode. Unfortunately, the discussion regarding the incident between directors of CIA and NASA wasn’t recorded. We’re sure it would provide for a very entertaining reading.
