Air Force to launch robotic winged space plane this month

Sadly, telemetry was lost 9 minutes into a planned 30 minute flight. I hope they at least got some useful data.

Nice information shadow...is there any other information you can share with us about new projects related to space?

reply to post by jakemill


This is hardly the future of space travel, it's a reworked shuttle that was itself designed in the 60's
I reckon they have stuff that moves much faster than a shuttle & doesn't need 26 tons of gunpowder to get off the ground

quick question(s):

• is the X-37B capable of maneuvering in orbit?
  
• is it possible to instruct the X-37B to approach another satellite?
  
• should the need arise, can the X-37B put a satellite in its cargo hold for purposes of retrieval, etc?
  
• does it have enough space in its cargo hold to possibly carry off another satellite?
  

An adrift Intelsat satellite that stopped communicating with its ground controllers last month remains out of control and has begun moving eastward along the geostationary arc, raising the threat of interference with other satellites in its path, Intelsat and other industry officials said.

Link

Perhaps the USAF launched the X-37 on a SAR mission to get the Falcon Hypersonic V-2 back before some other gov't gets a hold of it. I just finished reading an article that implied that DARPA has pretty much said "Oh well, at least we got 9 minutes of telemetry, darn we we're lucky we got something!" Who cares about the cost.

The total projected cost for the development, fabrication and flight test of the two HTV-2 vehicles is $308 million, a DARPA spokeswoman said.

Tell me what you think? I, for one, believe them (cough's into hand-Bull#!)

Originally posted by Springheel Jack
Perhaps the USAF launched the X-37 on a SAR mission to get the Falcon Hypersonic V-2 back before some other gov't gets a hold of it.

How would the X-37B, which is in orbit, recover the HTV-2, which is sitting somewhere ocean floor? I don't understand.

I just finished reading an article that implied that DARPA has pretty much said "Oh well, at least we got 9 minutes of telemetry, darn we we're lucky we got something!" Who cares about the cost.

While more telemetry would have been great of course, it was never meant to be recovered regardless if the mission was successful or not.

How would the X-37B, which is in orbit, recover the HTV-2, which is sitting somewhere ocean floor? I don't understand.

Well there's the kicker, perhaps it did not have an ocean impact, perhaps it achieved escape velocity... would you use a 154 million dollar Mach20 experimental vehicle just to crash it into the ocean? I don't think so, but you are entitled to your opinion. I think it's borderline idiotic to think they would ditch it in the ocean. I find it hard to believe they don't know exactly where its at...but my post was just speculation, who knows?

I was just guessing at what could possibly motivate the USAF to send it up and be so cryptic with their "We don't know when its coming back." reply. Seems if they wanted to use a plausible cover story, they couldve told the public "It's a weather satellite" or some such, it's worked in the past. It just seems odd how they went about it is all.

"Secret X-37B Space Plane Spotted by Amateur Skywatchers"
www.space.com...

reply to post by Larryman


Good find. Also some new stuff here. www.nytimes.com...

Brian Weedon, a former Air Force officer now with the Secure World Foundation, a private group based in Superior, Colo., said the duration of the X-37B’s initial flight would probably depend on “how well it performs in orbit.” The Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office leads the X-37B program for what it calls the “development and fielding of select Defense Department combat support and weapons systems.” Mr. Payton, a former astronaut and senior NASA official, has acknowledged that the spacecraft is ultimately meant to give the United States new advantages on terrestrial battlefields, but denies that it represents any kind of space weaponization.