Friday, April 28, 2017

X is for the X-37B Space Plane

Image: The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle on a runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base, in California, in June 2009.
Credit: U.S. Air Force
 
I've never heard of this plane, but according to a post from Live Science ( X-37B Space Plane Returns: 5 Theories About Its Secret Mission by contributor Elizabeth Howell, Oct. 27, 2014), it spent almost 2 years in orbit on a secret mission. A plane in space for 675 days? How wild is that?

And what is it doing up there? Spying on the Middle East? Preparing to bomb something? Maybe, but the problem with these ideas is that adjusting the position of a vehicle in orbit would take a lot of fuel. Other theories like interfering with satellites or spying on the Chinese space station are also problematic, but the space plane could be releasing a satellite of its own.

If you want to see a 3 minute video on this unmanned robotic plane, here's one from Space.com.




Have you heard of this plane? What do you think it's doing up there?

20 comments:

  1. It would have to be unmanned to stay up that long.

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  2. That's a long time to be up there! I too, wonder what its mission was.

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  3. Never heard of it. Wonder if it was intercepting satellite communications.

    Emily | My Life In Ecuador | Xanthophobia, Xenoepist, Xyzlacatosis

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  4. secret mission hmmmm. my mind is racing w/ ideas lol.

    Joy @ The Joyous Living

    #AtoZChallenge

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  5. I haven't heard of it. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but I bet there are a lot of things going on in the world, politically and militarily, that the average person has no clue about.

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  6. I'm going with testing the technology itself and conducting experiments. There has long been a huge list of experiments hoping to get a little space time.
    Perspectives at Life & Faith in Caneyhead

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  7. I don't know what it's doing there but I'll bet it's up to no good! :)

    Nilanjana
    Madly-in-Verse

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  8. Secret mission? Is that for real? If so, they it's probably something totally innocuous. Like, testing long time space flight. Like a Mars mission, perhaps. (I seem to recall, depending upon windows, it should take about 18 months to get from Earth to Mars.)

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    1. Did you read the Martian by Andy Weir? Now that was a book that really sank its teeth into Mars. I wouldn't be surprised if that book is to thank for this expedition.

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  9. Way to keep people guessing, eh? I don't think the mission would be secret if it was doing something beneficial.

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  10. On a secret Mission...there's so much about Nasa I don't know. And unmanned? Just makes you think.

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  11. Fascinating. Love that it's unmanned and reusable, and (I assume) saves the space program money. Lots of potential there.

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  12. Very strange! If it's so secret, how do we even know about it? But why has it not been announced like all the space programs that make the U.S. so proud?

    Y Is For Dr Yes And Other Oriental Get Smart Characters

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  13. There are a lot of things our government is doing that I wonder about... And I see your Ursa Major book advertised in your sidebar!!!

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    1. Yeah, I really need to get my act together and get that back on Amazon.

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  14. It has to be unpiloted if it's up there so long!

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  15. Never heard of this one at all! You've certainly picked some great topics!

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  16. Handouts from your educator must be examined in information as you prepare for your last faa private pilot practical test standards. This is the time to see if you have a full collection of handouts and also obtain duplicates if you do not.

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