Google earth

just wondering
how far back in years would one have to go before our current google earth images are better quality than the defence satelites of the day.
im aware that some areas have" permanent cloud cover " but there is still quite a bit of information to be gained from the available images.
anyone?
how far back in years would one have to go before our current google earth images are better quality than the defence satelites of the day.
im aware that some areas have" permanent cloud cover " but there is still quite a bit of information to be gained from the available images.
anyone?