2100 hours, Captain James S. Steward of the United
States Air Force straps on his G-suit and goes over his
mission briefings one last time. He walks out into the
hanger and awaits his chariot. The SR-71 Blackbird, the
fastest plane in the world with it's twin turbine engines
and slick black radar absorbent skin make him a flying
shadow in the air. His mission, to fly a covert
reconnaissance mission over Moscow, the heart of the USSR
Intelligence believe that the Russians have a build up of
nuclear missile silos around the capitol. With the Cuban
missile crisis at hand, the United States cannot let their
guard down on a sneak attack from the Communists.
'Another suicide-run,' says Captain Steward to his
flight maintainer.
'Yes, sir,' replies the private.
Captain Steward squeezes into his cockpit seat like a
sardine in a can. Little switches, gauges, and buttons
embellish the cockpit, each with a crucial part in flying
the aircraft.
United States
United States
This image was selected as a picture of the week o...'Ready to rock n' roll.'
Steward pulls the Blackbird out of the hanger like a
cumbersome Oldsmobile, but only this special Oldsmobile can
travel over twice the speed of sound undetected by enemy
radar. With a push of the throttle the twin-turbine engines
roar with authority. The bird takes flight disappearing
into the night skies evanescently. The only sign that it
exists is the trademark sonic boom as it passes the sound
barrier.
After approximately seven hours flight time and two in-
flight re-fuelings, the Blackbird reaches its destination,
Moscow, Russia. The thermal imaging camera, located in the
bird's hull, depicts the radioactivity from nuclear silos as
bright yellow and orange blobs on the terrain. The images
show seas of yellow throughout Moscow. The city resembles a
giant missile base up and operational. Captain Steward
pulls a 180 and...