MMC
06-18-2012, 01:14 AM
http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/vCj9R_KG_osiUG6fMvpYaw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Y2g9MTYyNjtjcj0xO2N3PTMwMDA7ZHg9MD tkeT0wO2ZpPXVsY3JvcDtoPTEwMztxPTg1O3c9MTkw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/dddbb03fe92ab710120f6a706700e1f1.jpg http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/kMPGU3Y8WlXvWSpTCmu2hQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Y2g9MTM5Mztjcj0xO2N3PTEwNTg7ZHg9MD tkeT0wO2ZpPXVsY3JvcDtoPTI1MTtxPTg1O3c9MTkw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/477831c5e92ab710120f6a7067002d51.jpg
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An unmanned Air Force space plane steered itself to a landing early Saturday at a California military base, capping a 15-month clandestine mission.
The twin X-37B vehicles are part of a military program testing robotically controlled reusable spacecraft technologies. Though the Air Force has emphasized the goal is to test the space plane itself, there's a classified payload on board — a detail that has led to much speculation about the mission's ultimate purpose.
Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, who runs Jonathan's Space Report, which tracks the world's space launches and satellites, said it's possible it was testing some form of new imaging.
Defense analysts are divided over its usefulness.
Joan Johnson-Freese, professor of national security affairs at the Naval War College, said such a craft could give the U.S. "eyes" over conflict regions faster than a satellite.
Yousaf Butt, a nuclear physicist and scientific consultant for the Federation of American Scientists, thinks the capabilities of the X-37B could be done more cheaply with a disposable spacecraft.
The arc of the X-37 program spans back to 1999 and has changed hands several times. Originally a NASA project, the space agency in 2004 transferred it to the Pentagon's research and development arm, DARPA, and then to the secretive Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been poured into development, but the current total spent remains a secret.
McDowell of the Jonathan's Space Report sees a downside. He noted it'll be tough for the Air Force to send up such planes on short notice if it has to rely on the Atlas V rocket, which requires lengthy preparations.....snip~
http://news.yahoo.com/unmanned-air-force-space-plane-lands-calif-143802366.html
Associated Press – Sun, Jun 17, 2012<<<<<
Landed at Vandenburg.....I believe the other thread we had up on this was in the science room. Where they had talked about that this took an orbit as if slicing from North Pole to South Pole but over the ME and specifially Afghanistan. Again Speculation on Advanced Imagery is the talk of the town. Not so much as a Weapon.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An unmanned Air Force space plane steered itself to a landing early Saturday at a California military base, capping a 15-month clandestine mission.
The twin X-37B vehicles are part of a military program testing robotically controlled reusable spacecraft technologies. Though the Air Force has emphasized the goal is to test the space plane itself, there's a classified payload on board — a detail that has led to much speculation about the mission's ultimate purpose.
Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, who runs Jonathan's Space Report, which tracks the world's space launches and satellites, said it's possible it was testing some form of new imaging.
Defense analysts are divided over its usefulness.
Joan Johnson-Freese, professor of national security affairs at the Naval War College, said such a craft could give the U.S. "eyes" over conflict regions faster than a satellite.
Yousaf Butt, a nuclear physicist and scientific consultant for the Federation of American Scientists, thinks the capabilities of the X-37B could be done more cheaply with a disposable spacecraft.
The arc of the X-37 program spans back to 1999 and has changed hands several times. Originally a NASA project, the space agency in 2004 transferred it to the Pentagon's research and development arm, DARPA, and then to the secretive Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been poured into development, but the current total spent remains a secret.
McDowell of the Jonathan's Space Report sees a downside. He noted it'll be tough for the Air Force to send up such planes on short notice if it has to rely on the Atlas V rocket, which requires lengthy preparations.....snip~
http://news.yahoo.com/unmanned-air-force-space-plane-lands-calif-143802366.html
Associated Press – Sun, Jun 17, 2012<<<<<
Landed at Vandenburg.....I believe the other thread we had up on this was in the science room. Where they had talked about that this took an orbit as if slicing from North Pole to South Pole but over the ME and specifially Afghanistan. Again Speculation on Advanced Imagery is the talk of the town. Not so much as a Weapon.