The X-37B DID NOT Land at Vandenberg AFB today

i do not know whats the deal, but according to NY2O, the X-37B still can be tracked there.
www.n2yo.com...

OTV 2 (USA 226)

Now its either the media if giving us false info, or the tracking system data is really really off.
Or, I have been tracking the WRONG thing in the past few months????

It did not land...says so on your link.

MYSTERY MINI SPACE SHUTTLE LANDING DELAYED - It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a mysterious unmanned mini-space shuttle on a classified mission. But it won't be landing today. The Air Force has delayed landing for the X-37B, an unmanned aircraft built by Boeing that has spent more than a year on a classified mission in space. Weather conditions were not favorable for the landing today. Officials said the craft could land Saturday. A landing window for the X-37b lasts through June 18.

From your link

Is this the same craft that dissapeared of course for several months last year?

Their window runs through Monday, so they have until then to try to land. It's setting an amazing record every day for time in space, considering it was designed for 270 days at a time.

I would love to know what that thing has been up to for the past year.Aside from obvious military aim i cant even guess.

reply to post by AgentX09


The leading theory was following the Chinese "space station", but it wasn't in the best orbit for that. It COULD be following in the orbit it was in, but it would have periods where it was out of sight, or at such a distance they couldn't see it easily.

It did land according to this video here.
NOW I am really confused....

www.vandenberg.af.mil...://www.vandenberg.af.mil/shared/xml/rssVideo.asp?mrsstype=3&contentid=123306242&contentt ypeid=1&type=video&pos=0

Just copy the rest of the link.

reply to post by Zaphod58


The Chinese have a space station? Damn, where have I been

Originally posted by darpa999
Now its either the media if giving us false info, or the tracking system data is really really off.

That website doesnt actually do any tracking.
Did you think it has access to a bunch of big real-time radar dishes looking at the sky?

That site, and others similar to it like heavens-above, merely run mathematical models based on orbital data like this...

GPS BII-09 (PRN 15)
1 20830U 90088A 06309.09710768 -.00000032 00000-0 10000-3 0 265
2 20830 54.7168 260.7569 0097904 157.1221 203.2965 2.00567202118167

This data actually comes from NORAD, who have less radar installations that you might imagine.

Your "problem" at n2yo will go away when they get a new updated data file from NORAD.

This should work afterall.

www.vandenberg.af.mil...

Enjoy.

Too bad, because I wanted to know which approach pattern it took into the VBG AFB and all that good stuff...

As far as the data from tracking websites, I am not suprised if there were a delay. Thats because of national security.

Just imagine if it were real-time data....If this thing had actual spying technology then of course it will not be real-time data...Its not. It just a marketing term so people can visit the site.

reply to post by Juggernog


It's two capsules docked together. Hence the "space station".

This is the one that stopped Elenin.

Check the dates.

reply to post by Zaphod58


Ahh, ok. is it manned? If so, wth are they doing up there?

as I unnerstand it, the Chinese have a docking module for test purposes, and the actual station goes up next year. they just put a female astronaut in orbit.
is this a coincidence, or did the Air Force get their ship out of the way before a female pilot crunched it?
just kidding of course.

Sometime very soon, China will be launching three Taikonauts to their new space station, making them only the third country ever to accomplish such a feat. The station, Tiangong 1 (it means Heavenly Palace, which sounds like a place I have a take-out menu from) was launched back in late September of last year. If you were to compare it to the first space stations launched by the old Soviet Union and the US (which everyone will), it seems incredibly modest and small. But that would be doing the Chinese space program a disservice, since they don't really intend it to be a space station at all.

They have a much better plan in mind— it's not really a secret, but it's also not the story given to most media right now.

It's really a prototype of a cargo ship for a future, real space station.

jalopnik.com...

It's eventually going to carry cargo up to their "real" space station that will be launched in the coming years.

Im wondering how much more can really be learned from having a space station?
How many more experiments need to be performed in zero gravity? I think its worthless, waste of money that could be better be spent elsewhere.

reply to post by Juggernog


Take a look at all the technology that we have now that we wouldn't have without the space program. It's impressive. There are a lot of small experiments going on in orbit that are going to have long term repurcussions for life here on earth.

gizmodo.com...
en.wikipedia.org...
www.nasa.gov...
www.complex.com...

Those are just SOME of the technologies we've gotten from the space program.

Originally posted by darpa999
This should work afterall.

www.vandenberg.af.mil...

Enjoy.

Thats amazing. Who needs people.

Thanks.

Originally posted by Juggernog
Im wondering how much more can really be learned from having a space station?

IMHO, Most of the value comes in getting life support systems to be better.
Current technology doesnt really allow for a trip to Mars, for example, because current life supporting machines would break down or run out of supplies before they got back home.

They need improving, need a space station for that testing.

reply to post by darpa999


G'day There is more than one X37B originally(2) rated for 270days flight/Orbit Now this landing was a push from USAF for a full? Flight time These Craft can stay up longer their Solar remember, landing home now in preparation for OTV 3's launch from the Cape in mid-October.
( I have to Catch up myself)
regards
Zelong.