Mysticism isn't the only thing that generates myths, technology has its fair share too.

Have you ever seen that movie, what's its name? "Patriot Games"? Starring Harrison Ford?
There was a scene in the movie where a view-screen in CIA headquarters showed what
was supposedly a "spy satellite" infrared view of a terrorist camp in Libya.
It showed moving images of SF personnel attacking the camp.
Can a spy-satellite do that?....Show "live" IR moving images
showing the physical outlines of human bodies moving about for a few minutes?

What does physics have to say about it?

Well...let's assume a "Keyhole" spy-satellite is orbiting very low [125 miles up; 200 km].
Not likely that low, but let's assume.
Now assume that the optical system onboard that KH spy-satellite is comparable to
the HST. That would mean a maximum resolving power of about 0.05 arc-seconds.

The rest is easy. [0.05 arc seconds] x [206,265] / 200,000 meters = smallest resolvable object.
The smallest resolvable object would be?.... roughly 1/20th of a meter [about 2 inches in diameter].
But 0.05 arc-seconds is only resolvable in the ultraviolet, NOT in the infrared!
Near-infrared resolution would probably be between 0.1 and 0.2 arc-seconds.

Now what about a KH spy satellite tracking movements on one location on earth for a few minutes? Ftrom 125 miles up? You'll be lucky to get 50 seconds of high-resolution motion imaging & tracking.
So much for Hollywood.

Jacob