Since 1961, the National Reconnaissance Office has been launching satellites to keep an eye on things in the Soviet Union, the People's Republic of China, and plenty of other countries. During the NRO's first operation, called Corona, the sats would drop film capsules for the Air Force to recover in mid-air. It was so secretive that Corona wasn't declassified until 1995, just three years after the existence of the NRO itself was declassified (though the first hint of the NRO was leaked to the public in 1971).

The NRO is a little more transparent now, with new satellite launches announced ahead of time. But make no mistake, the intelligence agency seems to relish in its reputation of secrecy and world manipulation, as demonstrated by the amazing and sinister patches commissioned for their reconnaissance imaging satellites. Nothing conveys a sense of security and personal liberty like a giant octopus engulfing the Earth underlined by the phrase, "Nothing Is Beyond Our Reach" (see NROL-39).



These are the best mission logos the NRO has used to publicly flaunt its control over your puny life.