U.S. spy satellites were returning film payloads to Earth as late as 1986:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KH-9_Hexagon

never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes reentering the atmosphere

Been there, done that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CORONA_(satellite)

They'd drop their film back down to earth.

If they're heavy enough, it doubles as a space fountain.

railgun microSD

but seriously, the first spy satellites used to drop film rolls and they had a crazy way for the military to track and catch them via planes

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CORONA_(satellite)

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