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After Almost Two Years, The Air Force's Mysterious X-37B Space Plane Lands (space.com)
An anonymous reader quotes Space.com:
The record-shattering mission of the U.S. Air Force's robotic X-37B space plane is finally over. After circling Earth for an unprecedented 718 days, the X-37B touched down Sunday at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida -- the first landing at the SLF since the final space shuttle mission came back to Earth in July 2011... The just-ended mission, known as OTV-4 (Orbital Test Vehicle-4), was the fourth for the X-37B program... The 29-foot-long (8.8 meters) X-37B looks like NASA's now-retired space shuttle orbiter, only much smaller; indeed, two X-37Bs could fit inside a space shuttle's cavernous payload bay...
Most of the X-37B's payloads and activities are classified, leading to some speculation that the space plane could be a weapon of some sort, perhaps a disabler of enemy satellites... But Air Force officials have always strongly refuted that notion, stressing that the vehicle is simply testing technologies on orbit. "Technologies being tested in the program include advanced guidance, navigation and control; thermal-protection systems; avionics; high-temperature structures and seals; conformal, reusable insulation, lightweight electromechanical flight systems; and autonomous orbital flight, re-entry and landing," Captain AnnMarie Annicelli, an Air Force spokeswoman, told Space.com via email in March.
Most of the X-37B's payloads and activities are classified, leading to some speculation that the space plane could be a weapon of some sort, perhaps a disabler of enemy satellites... But Air Force officials have always strongly refuted that notion, stressing that the vehicle is simply testing technologies on orbit. "Technologies being tested in the program include advanced guidance, navigation and control; thermal-protection systems; avionics; high-temperature structures and seals; conformal, reusable insulation, lightweight electromechanical flight systems; and autonomous orbital flight, re-entry and landing," Captain AnnMarie Annicelli, an Air Force spokeswoman, told Space.com via email in March.
Kinda sad he still makes you so angry. Do you want to have sex with him, but can't? Is that why you're so angry?
"the vehicle is simply testing technologies on orbit" -- why is it so secret, then?
Have gnu, will travel.
Rebut can also mean to prove false, and refute can also mean simply to deny (though it's not how I would read it).
"But Air Force officials have always strongly denied that notion" would have been much simpler.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
I've observed this satellite, OTV4, in orbit several times over the last couple years; it being large and reflective enough to be easily seen by the unaided eye. I figured the day would come when it would be brought in but since it was a secret project the landing date was anyone's guess. Glad it was a happy landing.
That was the turning point of my life--I went from negative zero to positive zero.
"Nawww, the spaceplane isn't a weapon (which is technically true). What's in the cargo hold includes these experiments..."
Probably included bleeding edge spy electronics in actual service, the only reason for such an extended mission beyond exercising for stress test reasons new electron8cs and materials, which Nasa would have covered already in ongoing missions.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
Isn't "drone" the word we use for "unmanned plane?" "Classified X-37B orbital drone" sounds to me like a better description for this machine.
well... using it as a weapon for two years before re-landing would seem odd, unless it is using an extremely light and small form of ammunition
Monkey-wrenching other satellites may be another purpose, but it would require phenomenal amounts of fuel to match orbit and approach a single satellite, much less many satellites
I am inclined to believe that it is an observation platform that can make up for weaknesses in our current surveillance satellites, which have well known orbits and periods of observation of certain areas.
just my 2 cents
"Technologies being tested in the program include advanced guidance, navigation and control; thermal-protection systems; avionics; high-temperature structures and seals; conformal, reusable insulation, lightweight electromechanical flight systems; and autonomous orbital flight, re-entry and landing," [...]
Coming to a Walmart near you!
well... using it as a weapon for two years before re-landing would seem odd, unless it is using an extremely light and small form of ammunition
Monkey-wrenching other satellites may be another purpose, but it would require phenomenal amounts of fuel to match orbit and approach a single satellite, much less many satellites
I am inclined to believe that it is an observation platform that can make up for weaknesses in our current surveillance satellites, which have well known orbits and periods of observation of certain areas.
just my 2 cents
IDK. How important is the satellite network to communications in so-called first world nations? Pretty damn.
Not just for your internet and cable, either; as a prelude to a military offensive, blinding your opponent is a sweet sucker punch.
To paraphrase Eddie Murphy, "I could whoop Stevie Wonder's ass!"
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
I guess they don't count the SpaceX booster returns
The X-37B's test objectives, "advanced guidance, navigation and control; thermal-protection systems; avionics; high-temperature structures and seals; conformal, reusable insulation, lightweight electromechanical flight systems; and autonomous orbital flight" are almost exactly the technologies that you need to accomplish this. The only thing that's missing is in-space refueling.
Taxation without representation is tyranny! Statehood for DC, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands & Pacific Territories!
Rebut can also mean to prove false, and refute can also mean simply to deny (though it's not how I would read it).
"But Air Force officials have always strongly denied that notion" would have been much simpler.
No, actually "We can neither confirm nor deny" would have been much simpler, would have eliminated the bullshit semantics around rebut vs. refute, and quite frankly, would have conformed to governmentspeak tradition.
Yes AC, its all about the dreams from that Corona (satellite) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... project.
Part of the US thinks that with ever better look down it will never need the services of a CIA or MI6 with humans on site.
No amount of fences, restricted areas, sealed off parts of a nation or secure mil sites can be protected from now random reconnaissance times.
No nation can now track most of the traditional US reconnaissance satellites and take measures not to be doing things under the US satellites.
But with a space plane the US can be over different nations at very unexpected times capturing their complex projects out in the open.
Lots of contractors, support, over time, funding, new hardware.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
Remote tracking from earth, or advanced software that lets someone on the ground say "shoot that", and who can prove it wasn't random space junk that took out that satellite.
Oh shit, if you don't hear from me tomorrow start a gofundme to get me a lawyer.
I think it's primary mission is as a roving spy satellite platform which can change orbit. Maybe even as a platform for the deployment and possibly retrieval of micro satellites. Lets say you want to observe an area that you think is active only when typical satellites are not overhead. You could launch a micro sat with stealth tech to do short term undetectable observation. This is highly likely I believe. Less probable but maybe even more useful would near silent reusable small sats that could sync back up and refuel as well transfer it's data.
Another future use (after they perfect the former) would be as a platform to launch interceptor drones that could sync up and to other satellites so as to be ready to disable the satellite on command either though temporary jamming (likely) or permanently from small EMP/Xray like devices which would be preferable to blowing the satellites up. Prime targets would be all the global positioning satellites going up from Russia and China as well as of course foreign and commercial spy satellites. This one is more of a theoretical.
Is your point that Trump's voters are violent, thin skinned, fruitcakes and uneducated hillbillies?
Actually it was launched to temporarily replace two of the mind control satellites, which had been put out of action by collisions with space debris. The new replacements were launched from the government's secret facility in Dwaynesville, PA. Unfortunately there was a brief interruption of service in late 2016, around November 8, but there don't seem to have been any major consequences.
Grab your pacifier and head for your safe space, it'll all be OK.
Space is not safe. Apart from not having any air to breathe it is really hot and cold at the same time. Also stuff is fast and if it hits you it hurts. There are these invisible wells full of gravity which tend to suck.
In safe space nobody can hear you scream 'SAFETY'
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
What does that have to do with the article? If you're going to complain about him, at least do it somewhere relevant. Otherwise you look like a (worse) fool.
"Nawww, the spaceplane isn't a weapon
In unrelated news, police and firefighters were called to the scene of a house bursting with popcorn early this morning. Homeowner Jerry Hathaway was unavailable for comment.
What is with the decontamination suits they're wearing? Why are they necessary?
Actually, not true. He said, "I HATE POPCORN!!!"
Uh, no.
Space.com is owned by the Purch Group, which is an American media company based in New York.
and refute can also mean simply to deny
Not really. It's just another instance of the media and politicians picking up a nice new technical-sounding word and not bothering to check what it means before using it. Of course the sheer volume of mis-use does in time change the actual meaning, but I don't think "refute" is quite that broken yet.
See also epicentre, code, chad, hacker, etc...
Can you explain why all Trump supporters are so obsessed with cocks and cuckolding please.
Can somebody explain to me what the need is for the elaborate suits the ground crew is wearing? They look like full on Biohazzard suits.
"It wasn't carrying any weapons this time."
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Yes really. When people misuse a word often enough, it stops being a misuse.
https://www.merriam-webster.co...
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
Weapons in space are illegal under treaty law. Refusing to deny illegal activities is not usually the best way to go.
"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
The plane is simply using the Air Force's new warp technology to check out some neighboring solar systems for conquering ... ummm, I meant colonization.