Air Force Spaceplane Readying For Launch

FleaPlus writes "The US Air Force is currently preparing for the launch of the secretive X-37B OTV-1 (Orbital Test Vehicle 1) spaceplane, which was transferred from NASA to DARPA back in 2004 when NASA opted to focus its budget on lunar exploration. The reusable unmanned spaceplane is set to launch in April on top of a commercial Atlas V rocket, orbit for up to 270 days while testing a number of new technologies, reenter the atmosphere, then land on auto-pilot in California."

Comments

Secretive Space Plane?

[WrongSizeGlass]

How secretive can it be if the launch is posted on /.?

Re:Secretive Space Plane?

[cheesybagel]

The photo caption in the article itself says: "The X-37B/OTV spacecraft undergoes final testing at Boeing. Credit: Air Force"

So no this project is not secret. It is an USAF project being handled by DARPA, but it is not secret.

Re:Secretive Space Plane?

[BigFootApe]

Everyone knows that the US has orbital photo recon. We don't have a 100% clear picture of what the capabilities are.

The fact that it's an X craft tells us this orbital space plane is a test vehicle. But a test vehicle for what? What are the ultimate objectives of the program? How does it tie in with Prompt Global Strike?

Re:Cool!

[Daniel Dvorkin]

The existence of this project seems to demonstrate that a lot of people didn't learn anything from the Space Shuttle.

The problem with the Shuttle was not that it had wings. The problem with the Shuttle was that it was designed (and redesigned, and redesigned ...) to be all things to all people. I guarantee you, if the Saturn V had been built the way the Shuttle was, it would have cost ten times as nuch and been lucky to get a tenth of the way to the Moon.

The lesson to be learned from the Shuttle is not "don't build spaceplanes," but rather "don't try to build one single vehicle for every mission that NASA, the Air Force, commercial operators, and my cousin's dog might possibly want to perform in space."