Air Force Extends Secret Space Plane’s Mysterious Mission

The Air Force’s mysterious X-37B space plane just got a little more mysterious. The 29-foot-long reusable mini-shuttle was designed to spend up to 270 days in orbit. The 270th day of the winged spacecraft’s second flight is today, but the military has no intentions of bringing the billion-dollar robotic vehicle back to Earth just yet. “It’s still up there,” Maj. Tracy Bunko told MSNBC.

Exactly what the X-37B is doing is a secret. The Air Force insists the X-37B, built by Boeing in its soon-to-closed Huntington Beach facility, is meant only for conducting orbital science experiments in its pickup-bed-size cargo bay, but analysts say the X-37B is capable of much more than that. It could be an orbital spy. It could even be used to sneak up on and tamper with enemy satellites. It could haul small batches of supplies to the International Space Station. In October, Boeing program manager Art Grantz proposed to build an enlarged X-37C model that could also carry astronauts to the station, filling a gap left by the retired NASA Space Shuttle.

Whatever it’s up to, the X-37B will be doing it longer than anyone imagined when the diminutive spacecraft launched atop an Atlas rocket for the first time in April last year. The Air Force said last year that the X-37B could last nine months in orbit before its power and fuel ran out. (In comparison, the longest manned shuttle mission lasted just 17 days.) In October, Air Force program manager Lt. Col. Tom McIntyre said an extension might be possible. Now it appears the Air Force is taking it day by day, carefully monitoring the X-37B “as it sips power and fuel like a Prius,” in the words of one source involved in the development of military spacecraft.

More: www.wired.com...

So what does ATS think about this unmanned space shuttle? I know there are plenty of threads on X-37, I've read those threads over the years, but what I don't recall is anyone giving us a good idea what it's doing up there in space? In the Wired article, the writer gives us some idea, but I'd like to hear what ATS members think.

What's up with the bio-suits? I never really paid any attention to see if they wore them when the Space Shuttle came back to Earth. If not, then what is the payload that is so dangerous. I am sure if it uses benzine or some other dangerous chemicals they might need them.

I think they are keeping a close eye on Iran and sneaking up on it's satellites,maybe causing little"accidents " to happen.

I had come across some documents that I posted in one of those threads about.
I will try to dig them up.

I did not want to speculate on what it is doing...but that is the first time I have seen biohazard suits with the orbiter...do you have a date when that photo was taken?

I started another thread on the topic earlier...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by Jason88


9 months in space before its power runs out... What is it running on.. I hope it is not nuclear we dont want it crashing to the ground if it is....

Tell you what I think. This is just me.

Okay, in less than a week, there has been two Iranian uranium facilities destroyed. The Iranians are not coming out specifying who or what may be responsible for this. This is strange coming from a country that captures and labels any western citizen a spy that is caught in their country. In other words, you know they'd love to come out and blame the west. So why don't they?

First lets look at this X-37b. This "mysterious" space plane that the media loves to gloat about ever so often. What is the real mission of this plane? I think it's the next drone, or the evolution of drones if you will. Why have a drone in the sky that requires to be based nearby when you could have one constantly orbiting the globe and be anywhere in half the time? Many reports that have been coming out are saying the X37b is the Rods from God program that has been talked about since the Reagan admin's Star Wars program.

So this is also nothing new. This media is saying it is, the only thing new is the testing. But so to speak, this weapon does not exist. So, if the Iranians come out and say that we blew up their uranium facilities using what "they think" is space based weapons, how crazy and conspiratorial would they sound to the rest of the world. Especially the billions of people who aren't privy to these space weapons.

But the thing that is almost poetic about it all is how a non existent weapon has been taking out non existent nuclear weapon facilities. That plan...if this is the case, is almost beautiful.

Here you go.
Go check this out.

X-37 SPACE VEHICLE: STARTING A NEW AGE IN SPACE CONTROL?

www.dtic.mil...

Lots of goodies in this report.

reply to post by purplemer


It is running on hydrogen peroxide and solar power...

If the public knows about it, then it is not a secret...sheesh!

Right, like they are going to tell us about their new "secret" space-plane!

What a joke!

Can you say: DECOY?

Best bet is really the most outlandish idea, and that's to carry select personnel eg; navy seals to an objective anywhere in the world in a specified time. The idea is not new and was mooted before, so maybe it's catch-up time. High speed and maneuverability seem to be its assets, ideal for the above scenario, (although that'll be the 'C' model to include personnel) If it has radar fitted it could do a bit of zapping though, UFO's, (see Roswell) or satellites maybe. No doubt there is NASA/Nasa money in there too, courtesy of USAP. NASA/Nasa can never balance the books. It could be all a distraction too.

Originally posted by jeichelberg
reply to post by purplemer

 

It is running on hydrogen peroxide and solar power...

That's the plutonium blonde driving it

Photo credit goes to: US Air Force. As do these. I hadn't see the hazmat suits either, now that is a bit odd. Are hazmat suits needed to be worn around all vehicles returning from space?







reply to post by J.Son79


That is a very interesting theory. It's like a catch 22 - two things that do not exist, one cannot blame the other without acknowledging its existence.

Check this out. This is on Fox News front page today, been up there all day. Here's the link to the full story:

www.foxnews.com...

Okay, now look at the picture from the link. Look inside the cargo hold of the shuttle. What does that look like? Here it is:




Now, The Rods from God, here is what it looks like, or some artist sketches of the what the planned weapon would look like:




And another:



The payload is tungsten rods.

Here is a vid of how the shuttle would launch the weapon, this is not actual of course but the best demonstration you'll see to date. It starts at 4 seconds in.

Come to think of it maybe X37b has already done a specific mission, some burger threw a spanner at the Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft when it was up,

www.youtube.com...

The link is in Engrish.

reply to post by J.Son79


I remember the rods from god weapon, this seems like the perfect targeting vehicle to use those things. Good call.

What about this theory: This shuttle has a robot in its bay, like R2D2, that can plug-into foreign satellites to read their data and recalibrate them? So it's not only a craft but a robot too that can mess with everything up in space looking down on us.

reply to post by smurfy


That's an interesting video; I can't make out what that this that flies by the Chinese craft, though it is possible it's a piece of satellite packaging that they just launched? Either way, I can envision the X-37 lurking nearby watching this thing, paying close attention to its behavior and adding it to a target tracking list.

reply to post by smurfy


First off, I think it's fair to say this is not a secret. Whatsoever. Here's an article from an official government channel about it: www.airforcetimes.com...

I like you idea, but wouldn't life support systems add burdens to its design and capabilities? Also, I saw a graphic somewhere, on a Chinese site, where it shows how big a person is compared to this shuttle, and while yes someone would fit in there, it would tight and maybe fit 3 people tops. I'll look for that graphic.

Edit: I re-read the story, the X-37C can hold people. Interesting.

This is an interesting topic, first i've heard of this space ship. Did anyone maybe get the idea that maybe its a way to communicate with aliens? I mean it does fit the description. Though it could be spying like I said this is the first time i've heard of this aircraft. But my opinion? It could be used to talk with aliens somehow.

Originally posted by TehSlenderMan
This is an interesting topic, first i've heard of this space ship. Did anyone maybe get the idea that maybe its a way to communicate with aliens? I mean it does fit the description. Though it could be spying like I said this is the first time i've heard of this aircraft. But my opinion? It could be used to talk with aliens somehow.

Don't "hear" about one of these unless it crashes like in Mogadishu or the Navy Seals advanced blackhawk "prototype" that the enemy wasn't supposed to destroy (and collect wreckage).

Illegal Congress doesn't care war what we think. It looks like a version of the space shuttle (smaller). I doubt the DOD has planes that can fly interdimensional though 270 days in low earth Orbit is kind of impressive. What is going on with the Sci-Fi bio suits. Part of the alien exchange of technologies program? CONNECT with the friendly ET's?

Originally posted by Jason88
reply to post by J.Son79

 

I remember the rods from god weapon, this seems like the perfect targeting vehicle to use those things. Good call.

What about this theory: This shuttle has a robot in its bay, like R2D2, that can plug-into foreign satellites to read their data and recalibrate them? So it's not only a craft but a robot too that can mess with everything up in space looking down on us.

Space Age "Rods from God." Gene Roddenberry would be fancy delirious.

What happened to those spider web experiments on the ISS?