Earlier on the morning of September 21, 2010, an Atlas V rocket launched a spy satellite into space from Vandenberg Air Force base. This spy satellite  became part of our Black Ops network we have to keep our country secure.

Trevor Paglen, author of Invisible and Blank Spots On The Map, correctly identified the launch as NROL 41, or National Reconnaissance Official Launch 41.

Nobody outside the military or the deepest halls of Federal government knows more about Black Ops than Trevor. A geographer by training, he uses detective-like methods to track the money, physical assets and people of the Black Ops world.  His secret? Track three things: 1) the money 2) the physical assets and 3) the people. Trevor finds the places where the “secret” world intersects the real world.

Trevor wrote Invisible and Blank Spots on the Map to help him “wrap his head” around the Black Ops world. As you’ll see from this interview, he has a firm grasp on this ephemeral world. Listen below: