Mysterious Mission of a Mysterious Space Craft, The X-37B

www.EducatingHumanity.com ^ | Tuesday, June 5, 2012

[Yosemitest]

Mystery Mission, Mystery Space Craft the X-37B will have been in space almost a year


- The X-37B has been circling the Earth at 17,000 mph and was due to land in California in December
- Mission of highly classified robotic plane extended for unknown reasons
- Will now land in mid- to late-June


The U.S Air Force’s highly secret unmanned space plane will land in June - ending a year-long mission in orbit.
The experimental Boeing X37-B has been circling Earth at 17,000 miles per hour and was due to land in California in December.
It is now expected to land in mid to late June.

At launch, the space plane was accompanied by staff in biohazard suits, leading to speculation that there were radioactive components on board.
The men and women of Team Vandenberg are ready to execute safe landing operations anytime and at a moment's notice,' said Colonel Nina Armagno of the U.S. Air Force's Space Wing.
The plane resembles a mini space shuttle and is the second to fly in space.

It was meant to land in March, but the mission of the X-37B orbital test vehicle was extended – for unknown reasons.
The first one landed last December at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California after more than seven months in orbit.
The 29-foot, solar-powered craft had an original mission of 270 days.

The Air Force said the second mission was to further test the technology but the ultimate purpose has largely remained a mystery.
The vehicle's systems program director, Lieutenant-colonel Tom McIntyre, told the Los Angeles Times in December:
'We initially planned for a nine-month mission.
Keeping the X-37 in orbit will provide us with additional experimentation opportunities and allow us to extract the maximum value out of the mission.'



The unmanned space plane is the second to sent up by the U. S. Air Force, it's purpose has never been explained





Scientist in protective suits inspect the solar power craft before take off



However, many skeptics think that the vehicle's mission is defense or spy-related.
There are rumors circulating that the craft has been kept in space to spy on the new Chinese space station, Tiangong.
However, analysts have pointed out that surveillance would be tricky, since the spacecraft would rush past each other at thousands of meters per second.



Top secret robot plane is expected to land mid to late June 2012



And Brian Weeden, from the Secure World Foundation, pointed out to the BBC:
‘If the U.S. really wanted to observe Tiangong, it has enough assets to do that without using X-37B.’
Last May, amateur astronomers were able to detect the orbital pattern of the first X-37B
which included flyovers of North Korea, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan,
heightening the suspicion that the vehicle was being used for surveillance.
Other industry analysts have speculated that the Air Force is just making use of the X-37B’s amazing fuel efficiency
and keeping it in space for as long as possible to show off its credentials and protect it from budget cuts.



Lift off of the X-37B on top of the Atlas Rocket from Cape Canaveral Florida

After all, under budget cuts for 2013 to 2017 proposed by the Obama administration, the office that developed the X-37 will be shut down.
According to X-37B manufacturer Boeing, the space plane operates in low-earth orbit, between 110 and 500 miles above earth.
By comparison, the International Space Station orbits at about 220 miles.
The current flight launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in March.

[Yosemitest]

I believe I heard Fox News say that it landed at ab out 1:19 AM PDT this morning at Vandenberg AFB, but I'm not sure.

Here are some more links to more information.

Secret mission accomplished: Space plane to land after a year in orbit

Air Force's Secretive X-37B Space Plane Will Land Soon

Air Force's mysterious X-37B space plane survives first year in orbit

Air Force officials launch Atlas V carrying X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle

The Militarization of Outer Space: The Pentagon’s “Space Warriors”

Revealed: How America's secret space plane has been in orbit for over a year - and no one knows what it's doing

US military's top secret X-37B shuttle 'disappears' for two weeks, changes orbit

Boeing X-37



Secretive US X-37B Space Plane Could Evolve to Carry Astronauts

X-37B Space Plane Mission Extended

Boeing-built X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Successfully Completes 1st Flight

X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Completes First Flight

Boeing-built X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Successfully Completes 1st Flight

Boeing X-37B unmanned spacecraft successfully completes first flight

X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle

I thought it was interesting.
Why is this coming out on the day that the Democrats are getting their butts kicked in Wisconsin?

[Yosemitest]

"the space plane was accompanied by staff in biohazard suits,
leading to speculation that there were radioactive components on board."

Wrong speculation ... My experience with the military would lead me to believe they were working around HYDRAZINE which is deadly poisonous if inhaled, and it is colorless and odorless.

But I'm guessing.

[Eye of Unk]

I absolutely and completely believe that Obama has been kept out of the informative assets briefing, where a new President elect is briefed on exactly what assets both public and under cover is going on.

Even four years after the election the doofus elect still has no clue what goes on outside the Whitehouse. And I sincerely hope that when his mulatto backside hits the pavement that he is informed that he was never considered to be a satisfactory security risk, something about a lack of background data.

[FES0844]

The WH will soon be leaking the “secret” information to the world.

[caver]

Does the number 37 have some significance?

[Southack]

It drops drones inside areas that have very good aerial perimeter defenses. Imagine parachuting into a prison, straight up is the least-defended point...only these bad boys are going into hostile nations.

[no-to-illegals]

Thanks Yosemitest! Truly, an amazing ship!

[NonValueAdded]

ping

[thackney]

Sequential numbering in future technology development programs.

X-1 series included Chuck Yeager flight to break the sound barrier.

[SampleMan]

Or iocane powder.

[Yosemitest]

"Does the number 37 have some significance?"

I'm guessing not.
It's probably just a project number assigned by the government or the Boeing company, that hadn't been used before, to any significant level.
But again ... I;m guessing.

[CPOSharky]

Last May, amateur astronomers were able to detect the orbital pattern of the first X-37B which included flyovers of North Korea, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, heightening the suspicion that the vehicle was being used for surveillance.

Unless it is an equatorial orbit, it will pass over most every country on Earth.

[Eye of Unk]

Hyperkinetic weapons could very well be the future, get anything going fast enough and have it designed to withstand the atmosphere you can have a completely destructive weapon. Too fast to be tracked and targeted.

Being a fan of science fiction it has been discussed about even something the size of a baseball but with a stasis field surrounding it that makes it absolutely impenetrable even if launched into the sun, its accelerated to near the speed of light and targeted upon a planet. Theoretically a planet killer.

Yes the KIC (kenyen in chief)is deliberately left out of the loop of Americas best technological advancements, at best they just perform a dog and pony show of suitable items he is qualified to view.

Like reruns of Mighty Mouse and Underdog.

[GreyFriar]

Yes, it is the project # in between 36 and 38. Of course the XP-38 became famous as the WWII Lockheed Lightning twin-engined fighter.

[Yosemitest]

"Regardless of how the X-37B prototype pans out,
we can be certain that as the U.S. imperialist empire continues its long trek on the road towards failed statehood, the Pentagon,
always eager to expend the blood and treasure of the American people on endless wars of conquest,
will continue to build new and ever-more destabilizing weapons"

I believe the writer's assumptions are mostly wrong, here.
A weapon as described here would save "the blood and treasure of the American people" in future wars,
by needing less of our people to inflict unthinkable damage to our enemies.

The way this weapon would waste "the blood and treasure of the American people" would be ... IF

some traitorous backstabber like Barack Hussein Obama II were to give this technology to our enemies,
you know (HIS friends, the communists and the muzzl'ems) all those who hate US.

[shove_it]

..."“Rods from God,” tungsten projectiles lobbed from space at 36,000 feet per second that can “hit a cross-haired target on the ground.”

Are you listening Iran? So much for those "impenetrable nuclear bunkers".

[Little Ray]

I’m betting you are right.

[Carry_Okie]

“With the anticipated increase in networked-microsatellites in the next few years, such a platform might be the best–and–only–means of collecting technical intelligence in space.”

With a robot arm, couldn't it steal them?