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newyorklily
10-17-2014, 11:05 PM
An unmanned space plane, the size of a shuttle, landed in California today after nearly two years of orbiting the Earth. The spokesperson did not say what the plane did for all that time but it sounds like there will be more launches in the future. Read about it here http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/mysterious-x-37b-space-plane-returns-earth-after-nearly-two-n226846

WildMage
10-19-2014, 12:45 AM
actually this was the thread I was looking for :)

from Japan's Kayuga lunar probe mission:

No Outline:
1256

With Outline:
1257

do you see what I see? ;)

Maybe it was flying to a moon base... resupply, and pickup mission... but the images above remind me of a terminal or hangar leading to underground facilities. Is it possible Japan over flew a facility with the space plane sitting outside the hangar?

Edgar Fouche
10-19-2014, 01:11 AM
.
X-37 Secret - But Not So Much!

From what I'm told the X-37 was first test flown in 2008. Now the latest version is the X-37B with program management from the USAF and DARPA.

one seems to know much about the Air Force's X-37B secret space plane except that it appears to be working exactly as designed. The unmanned Boeing-built craft, which resembles a miniature space shuttle, returned to Earth on Friday after nearly two years — 674 days, to be exact — in space. It's the X-37B program's third mission to space and by far the longest.

The plane landed at 9:24 a.m. local time on Oct. 17 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Air Force's 30th Space Wing announced.

"The 30th Space Wing and our mission partners, Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, Boeing, and our base support contractors, have put countless hours of hard work into preparing for this landing and today we were able to see the culmination of that dedication," Colonel Keith Balts, 30th Space Wing commander, said in a release. "I'm extremely proud of our team for coming together to execute this third safe and successful landing. Everyone from our on console space operators to our airfield managers and civil engineers take pride in this unique mission and exemplify excellence during its execution."

But just what did the X-37B do up there? The Air Force isn't telling.

To be fair, experimental military-funded space projects aren't exactly the kind of thing you expect the brass to talk about in public. Inquiries over the years, and this week by NBC News, have always been met with polite but firm "no comment."

http://media4.s-nbcnews.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050527/050527_spacecom_whiteknight_hmed2p.grid-6x2.jpg

What is known is that the X-37B has no human pilot, or at least not one in its windowless cockpit. It's operated remotely and lands on its own. The details of its launches aren't secret, but nor are they particularly interesting: it rode an Atlas V booster on Dec. 12, 2012, and assumed orbit about 180 miles above the Earth. That last part, notably, was figured out by a network of curious astronomers, not released publicly by the Air Force.

The plane's size means there isn't room on board for much except avionics equipment, fuel for the thrusters, and a mysterious cavity about the size of a truck bed that could contain all manner of sensors, experiments, hardware — perhaps even a plant or some bacterial colonies. Of course, no one can be sure what's inside.

Until the Air Force decides it's time to spill the beans, the X-37B will keep its secrets, even if they happen to just be ordinary testing of still-classified radio hardware or radiation-resistant materials. For now, the X-37B (and its siblings, however many there may be) will be locked away at Vandenberg Air Base in California, waiting, perhaps, to break its own record for days in orbit.

Many Pictures of the X-37:
https://www.google.com/search?q=X-37&biw=1920&bih=947&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=6KpBVPSpA82dygS9woHIAg&ved=0CJABEIke

http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app4/x-37a.jpg
Made from the X-40 design for the US Air Force.

To implement the Future-X "Pathfinder" goals, NASA received submissions from Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
Boeing's proposal was to build a spacecraft based on its X-40/SMV design for the U.S. Air Force.
This was accepted by NASA in December 1998, and in July 1999 a contract was signed for construction of one X-37A vehicle.

The X-37A airframe is essentially the X-40A scaled up to about 120%. In addition to the X-40A's features, the X-37A is fully equipped for space flight, having a rocket engine for orbital maneuvers, an advanced reusable thermal protection system, a payload bay and a navigation/flight-control system for orbital and atmospheric flight. As such, the X-37A is to all intents and purposes identical to the USAF's planned X-40B SMV.

http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app4/x-37a-1.jpg

In early 2000, the Air Force agreed to participate in the X-37 program, and the X-40A was transferred to NASA to serve as a testbed for the X-37A's approach and landing phase. For this purpose, the X-40A was modified with a Space Integrated GPS/INS (SIGI) system, a Calculated Air Data System (CADS) and modified instrumentation and telemetry equipment. For the NASA trials, the X-40A was carried aloft to 4500 m (15000 ft) beneath a CH-47D helicopter. Between 4 April and 19 May 2001, the vehicle successfully conducted seven free flights.

The original schedule called for orbital X-37 flights as early as 2002. The X-37A was to be carried into space inside the Space Shuttle cargo bay (which dictated the maximum possible wing span), and released for automatic landings. However, in 2001 the USAF pulled out of the project, and the ensuing funding difficulties inevitably led to delays. But in 2002 the X-37 contract was amended to cover two instead of only one vehicle, one for the atmospheric drop tests (dubbed Approach and Landing Test Vehicle, ALTV) and one for orbital tests. At that time, the atmospheric tests were scheduled for late 2004, while the first orbital flight (launched by an expendable booster) was tentatively planned for 2006.

However, in late 2003 NASA told Boeing to reduce workload on the orbital vehicle, and still later that part of the program was completely put on hold. In early 2004, NASA stated that the X-37 no longer fitted its long term agenda, and in September that year, control of the X-37A program was transferred to the DOD's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).


X-37A X-40A
Length 8.38 m (27 ft 6 in) w/o pitot: 6.70 m (22 ft 0 in)
(pitot: 1.5 m (5 ft))
Wingspan 4.57 m (15 ft 0 in) 3.51 m (11 ft 6 in)
Height 2.76 m (9 ft 0.5 in) 2.20 m (7 ft 2.5 in)
Weight 5400 kg (12000 lb) 1200 kg (2650 lb)
Speed Mach 25 (on reentry) subsonic
Propulsion Rocketdyne AR2-3
liquid-fueled rocket; 31 kN (7000 lb) none

http://www.theoutpostforum.com/tof/newreply.php?do=postreply&t=1837

The X-37B is being expanded into 4 to 6 larger models in secret. Probably at Boeing or Palmdale stealth facilities.
The official name of the spacecraft is OTV (Orbital Test Vehicle) and was built at the Boeing plant in Southern California.
It can go into orbit via a rocket (Vandenburg AFB CA) & (Cape Canaveral) , riding on top or bottom of high altitude USAF planes, or via the
White Night commercial plane. I think it's only about 1/3 the size of the Space Shuttle. It's MUCH LIKE the SCRAMP (Scramjet) SR-74 I
talked about in the early 90s while it was still Top Secret. Edgar Fouche

I think this information has been posted elsewhere. I've started searching theoutpost forum before posting so I don't start another thread.

This vehicle seems to be a quick turnaround vehicle, if necessary to test new sensors, stealth tech, cloaking tech, electronics-countermeasures, and avionics.
Ed

http://images.gizmag.com/inline/x_37b-11.jpg
Great Article: http://www.gizmag.com/x37b-manned-spaceplane/20175/

newyorklily
10-19-2014, 01:24 AM
actually this was the thread I was looking for :)

from Japan's Kayuga lunar probe mission:

No Outline:
1256

With Outline:
1257

do you see what I see? ;)

Maybe it was flying to a moon base... resupply, and pickup mission... but the images above remind me of a terminal or hangar leading to underground facilities. Is it possible Japan over flew a facility with the space plane sitting outside the hangar?
That looks very interesting!

spacemaverick
10-19-2014, 03:32 AM
We heard here in Brevard County Florida that there are hangars being built at the Cape for the X-37B's....

Let me correct myself:

http://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2014/10/08/secretive-x37b-space-plane-will-use-nasa-space-shuttle-hangars/16930223/

They will use the shuttle hangars.

The Air Force did not comment then but had previously confirmed it was studying potential savings from consolidating X-37B operations, housed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, near their Cape Canaveral launch site. The program's budget is classified.