Posted on 02/02/2011 4:43:38 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Russian Space Forces researchers are working on an unmanned reusable spacecraft similar to the US Air Force's Boeing X-37 orbital test vehicle, the head of the armed forces unit dedicated to military space operations has revealed.
Oleg Ostapenko, speaking just weeks after the end of the X-37B's maiden, 220-day mission, said: "Something has been done along these lines, but as to whether we will use it, only time will tell."
A move by Russia to develop a reusable spaceplane harks back to the Soviet Union's Buran space shuttle project. Buran was similar in concept and size to NASA's Space Shuttle, though the orbiter was designed to carry a much larger payload to orbit - 30,000kg compared with 17,000kg for the Shuttle.
According to NASA, Buran was launched once, in November 1988, orbiting twice before returning to the ground. The programme, however, was cancelled in 1993.
(Excerpt) Read more at flightglobal.com ...
And Obama has NASA working on Muslim outreach. *rolling eyes*
Hussein needs to pick up the phone and tell the Ruskies that we’ve decided not to weaponize space, therefor they shouldn’t either...
But....But...But...But....But...But...we signed a treaty, a TREATY that the Russians and Us wouldn’t Militarize space! I have read books saying how the SDI was IMPOSSIBLE!How the space plane idea belonged in movies not in real life! This MUST be a mistake!
An interest in thing is the tile that our shuttle is covered with.
It is made of a rock that is only available in a couple of spots in canada and the US.
I climbed a mountain/hill (1400 foot) made of the stuff at night.
A misplanted foot caused a slide and it looked like a sheet of blue electricity down the side of the trail.
Interesting piezoelectric properties
Ping.
Bump
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