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US Air Force Launches Secret Flying Twinkie

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the that's-one-big-twinkie dept.

Spectrummag writes "One of the most secretive US Air Force spaceflights in decades, launched this month, is keeping aficionados guessing as to the nature of the secret. The 6000-kilogram, 8-meter X-37B, nicknamed the flying Twinkie because of its stubby-winged shape, is supposed to orbit Earth for several weeks, maneuver in orbit, then glide home. What's it for? Space expert James Oberg tracks the possibilities."

1 of 234 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Recover, Repair, Refuel Satellites by SuperBanana · · Score: 0, Troll

    Also is folks listened to the MIT lectures on building the shuttle, they mentioned that the engines in the shuttle wouldn't have to be torn down and rebuilt between flights if the electronics were built onto the engine such the engines could be tested without removing them.

    Sigh. Because NASA never thought of that?

    Weight matters. So does complexity.

    Is it just me, or is the only thing they teach at MIT arrogance?

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    Please help metamoderate.