as if i was completely wrong.

i just found keyhole.com, recently acquired by google. it was initially funded by Sony Broadband and also invested into by the CIA's non-profit investment fund, In-Q-Tel. satellite imagery of the entire Earth and Mars, on your screen and updated every 2 months to 3 years, with resolution down to about a foot. all for $29 a year.

sources:

• http://www.keyhole.com/body.php?h=about
• http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/28/google_buys_keyhole/

images: