Well, US intelligence did miss the first N-1 test launch. If you read books published before the fall of the USSR you often find reference to the first N-1 launch being the one that resulted in the destruction of the launch pad. That was actually the second. They also only refer to three launches, when there were four.

Agreed, the longer it stays up the more likely it is to be spotted.

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"The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common: They don't alter their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts to fit their views." The Doctor, Doctor Who: The Face of Evil.