Manned Orbiting Laboratory Declassified: Inside a US Military Space Station

By Elizabeth Howell
published

Read The DORIAN Files Revealed

NRO

Many of the photos seen in this slideshow were part of a massive image and document release by the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office on Oct. 22, 2015. That data release included The DORIAN Files Revealed (PDF), a 232-page compendium of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program.

For more in-depth reading of all the declassified MOL documents, visit the National Reconnaissance Office MOL page here.

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Elizabeth Howell
Elizabeth Howell
Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time, freelancing since 2012. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science since 2015. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace