Several weeks ago, I was contacted by Robert Andrews, who informed me that he had worked for General Electric on Satellite Recovery Vehicles (SRVs) for several early American satellite reconnaissance programs, notably the first reconnaissance satellite CORONA, which first launched in 1959, and the high-resolution GAMBIT-1 satellite, that first launched in 1963. I encouraged Robert to write about his experiences, noting that although both programs are discussed in numerous declassified documents and official histories, the stories of the individuals who made these programs successful have rarely been told. Who were they? Where did they live and go to school? How did they end up working on these programs and what was that like? In the course of our discussions, I learned that Robert also worked on an obscure part of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program: a small reentry vehicle that would enable MOL astronauts to return film to Earth before they ended their mission and returned in their Gemini spacecraft. I encouraged him to discuss that project as well, including what happened when MOL was canceled in summer 1969. What follows is Mr. Andrews’ recollections of his work during these early years of satellite reconnaissance. — Dwayne A. Day