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What is the Pentagon’s secret space drone doing?
The New York Post ^ | September 28, 2014 | Sharon Weinberger

Posted on 09/28/2014 1:32:13 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

For almost two years, an unmanned space plane bearing a remarkable resemblance to NASA’s space shuttle has circled the Earth, performing a top-secret mission. It’s called the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle — but that’s pretty much all we know for certain.

Officially, the only role the Pentagon acknowledges is that the space plane is used to conduct experiments on new technologies. Theories about its mission have ranged from an orbiting space bomber to an anti-satellite weapon.

The truth, however, is likely much more obvious: According to intelligence experts and satellite watchers who have closely monitored its orbit, the X-37B is being used to carry secret satellites and classified sensors into space — a little-known role once played by NASA’s new retired space shuttle....

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; Military/Veterans; Science
KEYWORDS: airforce; space; spaceshuttle; surveillance
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1 posted on 09/28/2014 1:32:13 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
The drone ... talks to me. It tell me to do things ... bad things.

"Jump the fence" it tells me.

"The atmosphere is collapsing" it tells me.

"Tell the president" it says.

2 posted on 09/28/2014 1:37:19 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy ("Now is not the time for fear. That comes later.")
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

It’s a great re-usable orbital testing platform.


3 posted on 09/28/2014 1:37:34 PM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (Pubbies = national collectivists; Dems = international collectivists; We need a second party!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

looking for a place for the Obama Presidential Library


4 posted on 09/28/2014 1:38:29 PM PDT by molson209 (Blank)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
What is the Pentagon’s secret space drone doing?

Obviously it's droning secret space.

Pay attention, man.

5 posted on 09/28/2014 1:39:54 PM PDT by humblegunner
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if the 2-year “mission” was just a case of “we locked the keys inside (lost the encryption key/had an onboard computer failure/etc), so now we can’t bring it down”?


6 posted on 09/28/2014 1:40:28 PM PDT by Little Pig
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Ask the Russians or Chinese.


7 posted on 09/28/2014 1:42:13 PM PDT by Jonty30 (What Islam and secularism have in common is that they are both death cults)
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To: Little Pig

They sent the encryption key to the IRS in an email and ... well ...


8 posted on 09/28/2014 1:44:41 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy ("Now is not the time for fear. That comes later.")
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To: Little Pig
Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if the 2-year “mission” was just a case of “we locked the keys inside (lost the encryption key/had an onboard computer failure/etc), so now we can’t bring it down”?

It will auto-land. In a fiery way, though.

9 posted on 09/28/2014 1:46:48 PM PDT by TangoLimaSierra (To win the country back, we need to be as mean as the libs say we are.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

” the X-37B is being used to carry secret satellites and classified sensors into space — a little-known role once played by NASA’s new retired space shuttle....”

There ya go. That’s about it. A cheap means to test things without humans involved.


10 posted on 09/28/2014 1:48:15 PM PDT by CodeToad (Islam should be outlawed and treated as a criminal enterprise!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

You can download for free, print out, and put together a paper model of the X-37b.
http://jleslie48.com/gallery_models_postapollo.html

Paper model for sale.
http://www.ecardmodels.com/index.php/catalogsearch/result/?q=X-37b&x=0&y=0


11 posted on 09/28/2014 1:48:31 PM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (Pubbies = national collectivists; Dems = international collectivists; We need a second party!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I read the article. They don’t have a clue.


12 posted on 09/28/2014 1:50:56 PM PDT by Ben Mugged (The number one enemy of liberalism is reality.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Looking for Obama’s real Birth Certificate?


13 posted on 09/28/2014 1:53:13 PM PDT by FreeAtlanta (Liberty or Big Government - you can't have both.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
What good is having a reusable space plane if you just launch it and leave it in orbit? Rather than having three launches it should have had a dozen. The military needs to focus on quick replacement of GPS, communication and recon satellites in event of a major war. I expect the Chinese and Russians will use anti-satellite capability to knock out our satellites and we risk a revolution and end of American democracy if the DirectTV satellites are taken out during football season.
14 posted on 09/28/2014 1:57:37 PM PDT by KarlInOhio (The IRS: either criminally irresponsible in backup procedures or criminally responsible of coverup.)
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To: Ben Mugged
I read the article. They don’t have a clue.

Yet every couple of years, someone writes a long article about how we don't know what it is doing.

15 posted on 09/28/2014 1:59:52 PM PDT by Vince Ferrer
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

In my non technical opinion, I say it’s broken and the Air Force can’t bring it back down for reuse. Two years is a long time for a re usable space craft to float up in space.


16 posted on 09/28/2014 2:01:33 PM PDT by Redcitizen (.)
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To: humblegunner

Q. What is the Pentagon’s secret space drone doing?

A. I’m bringing home a baby bumble bee. Won’t my mama be so proud of me?


17 posted on 09/28/2014 2:04:01 PM PDT by Conspiracy Guy (Stop wishing for a perfect world. You may get it. Who will you talk to then?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

It’s watching the White House fence for jumpers while the Secret Service is on break.


18 posted on 09/28/2014 2:15:48 PM PDT by jyro (French-like Democrats wave the white flag of surrender while we are winning)
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To: Redcitizen

In my non technical opinion, I say it’s broken and the Air Force can’t bring it back down for reuse. Two years is a long time for a re usable space craft to float up in space.


In my own opinion... It’s a long duration test bed. I can imagine new materials being tested out in a very hostile environment.

On the other hand one of my nutty co-workers says it’s a remote controlled bio-lab for super-dangerous organisms.

‘You pays your money, you get’s what you gets.’ According to the barker at the local carnival.


19 posted on 09/28/2014 2:27:16 PM PDT by The Working Man
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

probably mapping out obama’s us citizen “enemies”.


20 posted on 09/28/2014 3:44:08 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man ( Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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