Using the ISS To Do Military Recon?

Cosmonaut Photographed South Ossetia From ISS, Aviation Week

“On Aug. 9 Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko used a digital camera equipped with an 800mm telephoto lens and a video camera to photograph “after-effects of border conflict operations in the Caucasus,” according to the ISS status report for that day published by NASA on its website.”

NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 9 August 2008

“Also working from the discretionary task list, Oleg Kononenko conducted another session of the Russian GFI-8 “Uragan” (hurricane) earth-imaging program, using the D2X digital camera with the F800 telephoto lens and the HVR-Z1J SONY video camera. Uplinked target areas were glaciers on the north slope of the main Caucasus Ridge, the Dombai region, after-effects of border conflict operations in the Caucasus …”