I sent this in as an article to Slashdot, but given the retarded quality of their articles lately, I figured I’d post it here too, just in case.
A friend of mine in the Air Force ROTC program was looking through Google Maps recently and discovered their new satellite functionality. He found that his old base while he was enlisted (Nellis AFB) was in plain view. This is where the Air Force is testing out the new F-22 fighters that are the latest and greatest in air superiority. You also need a top secret clearance to even get near them. In the photograph, you can see them on the runway (they’re the line of planes of which 2 have desert camouflage).
I did a bit more research to see what other interesting things we can find satellite images of:
- The White House (completely blurred)
- The Pentagon (completely visible)
- Naval Station, Annapolis (see the pretty aircraft carriers)
- Nellis Air Force Range (contains Area 51, but you can only zoom in so far)
- Fort Bragg, Pope AFB (one of the largest/most active Army bases in the US)
- Fort Drum, NY (close to here)
- Peterson AFB (home of NORAD)
- Edwards AFB, CA
- Paris Island (training for Marine Corps)
Kinda scary, ain’t it?
Edit: If you look at the Edwards AFB map a little bit closely, you’ll notice that the data is different than the data collected of the surrounding area. Lots of green, pretty images, until you get into a square of brown that contains Edwards. Looks like some of this stuff is probably supplied to Google.
