It is highly unlikely that you can see a coin on the ground from LEO, given the size of the telescope and the laws of physics[1].
Assuming a great number of things, a larger than Hubble 3 meter aperture, 200km orbit, red 750nm light, zero atmospheric distortion, the resolving power cannot be better than 6.1 centimeter resolution.
tan(750e-9/31.22)200000
= 0.061
If you want the best possible example of NRO's capabilities, the best example in recent memory is when trump unintentionally disclosed them with the highest resolution satellite image I personally have ever seen [2]
Assuming a great number of things, a larger than Hubble 3 meter aperture, 200km orbit, red 750nm light, zero atmospheric distortion, the resolving power cannot be better than 6.1 centimeter resolution.
tan(750e-9/31.22)200000
= 0.061
If you want the best possible example of NRO's capabilities, the best example in recent memory is when trump unintentionally disclosed them with the highest resolution satellite image I personally have ever seen [2]
[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angular_resolution
[2] https://www.npr.org/2019/09/05/758038714/can-president-trump...