August 25, 2021
In 1965, President Johnson announced the Department of Defense’s $1.5 billion Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL). Publicly, this was an Air Force program to place military personnel in orbit to conduct scientific experiments. The classified, actual mission of the MOL program, was to place a manned surveillance satellite into orbit. More information about MOL can be found here.
Illustration of a Gemini B reentry vehicle separating from the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL). Credit: USAF