On the analysis of the Aquatone overhead reconnaissance program materials as a source for the research on the history of technology on the territory of Ukraine

Imagery materials of the aerial and satellite photography of the earth’s surface are increasingly used not only for their intended purpose, but also as source of information for research in disciplines related to the study of landscape changes over time. Recently, materials that had been previously classified became available. One of the sources of such imagery for the territory of Ukraine is the Aquatone overhead reconnaissance program using specially built U-2 high-altitude aircrafts, widely known for its political aftermath. At the same time, the imagery itself obtained as a result of these flights were not available for research due to their secrecy until recent. This source is of particular value due to the fact it was created in the time gap between the making of the German-flown aerial imagery of the WWII and later Corona/Keyhole satellite imagery dataset both widely used by the researchers. It is also valuable that the photos of the Aquatone program are of a better spatial resolution than those that could give satellite photography in its early years. This publication presents the results of the search and analysis of the existing and available materials of the Aquatone overhead reconnaissance program for the territory of Ukraine, and indicates the fragments of the territory and time span for which such information is available. A preliminary assessment of the quality of the materials was carried out.