with their altitude give the satellites a complete view of the Earth's surface, including the north and south poles. Lacrosse 5 appears to differ somewhat from the previous four satellites. As determined by amateur observers, there are subtle differences in its orbit, and its color is somewhat whiter than the distinct red-orange tint of the earlier ones. Most strikingly, it sometimes fades from brightness to invisibility within the space of a few seconds while still in full sunlight. (Amateur observers call this rapid fade its "disappearing trick", although it appears to be an accidental phenomenon due to the design of the craft and not a reconnaissance feature.) In pop culture The story of the 1994 Andy Sidaris film The Dallas Connection involves a series of codes necessary to control a Lacrosse reconnaissance satellite. The plot of the 2018 Hindi movie Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran involves a Lacrosse satellite as the US intelligence eye in the sky. See also Quill (satellite) SAR-Lupe, a German radar imaging reconnaissance satellite References Jeffrey T. Richelson, America's Secret Eyes in Space, New York, Harper & Row, 1990 Stansfield Turner, Burn Before Reading, New York, Hyperion, 2005 "Spy Satellites: Entering a New Era", Science, 24 March 1989 External links Lacrosse at Encyclopedia Astronautica Globalsecurity.org page on Lacrosse Globalsecurity.org page on TDRSS Lacrosse 2 orbit at Heavens Above Lacrosse 3 orbit at Heavens Above Lacrosse 4 orbit at Heavens Above Lacrosse 5 orbit at Heavens Above Lacrosse at satobs.org Imagery by amateur astronomer using 10'' reflector Photometric curves showing Lacrosse 5 disappearing trick Lockheed Martin satellites and probes Military space program of the United States National Reconnaissance Office satellites Synthetic aperture radar satellites Satellite series Military equipment introduced in the 1980s