Originally Posted by
Buster11
Thank you for that, A. Van. Being a bit of a cynic, I had wondered if aircraft like the Myasishchev M-17 and -55 might have had uses other than geophysical research, ...
I see no cynism, but only realism in your words
But maiden flight of M-17 was in mid 80's and M-55 (as its deep modification) flew in late 80's when Gorby had already become "Mr. Yes" for Uncle Sam and there was no intention to use it for spy purposes. Plus, a good sat network was already in place by that time.