The X37 is coming home!

[montyben101]

Look at this: http://news.yahoo.com/secretive-x-37b-military-space-plane-could-land-132030466.html

[Streetwind]

And we still don't know what it was doing all this time... a riddle, wrapped in a mystery!

[rtxoff]

Of course the military is doing science which is in no way associated with experimental weapons.

[Camacha]

And we still don't know what it was doing

It can't be much good.

[CaptainKipard]

Of course the military is doing science which is in no way associated with experimental weapons.

This is worrying because it's illegal. Just why would an air force keep spaceplanes?

I'm speculating that it's a reusable anti satellite program.

Edited October 15, 2014 by Cpt. Kipard

[CptRichardson]

This is worrying because it's illegal. Just why would an air force keep spaceplanes?

I'm speculating that it's a reusable anti satellite program.

What moron would take out satellites in orbit? That's just asking to deny space to everyone!

Unless... well, what if it eats satellites? That'd be a reason to make an anti-sat spaceplane!

[Elthy]

Is anything known about the orbit it flew in?

Sadly satellites are so expensive, otherwise someone could have build one with a equiped camera to come very close and take some photos of the payload. That would be another great idea what to do with cubesats, taking photos of all those secret satellites to find out what exactly they are doing.

But maybe thats what the X37 is doing, checking out other spy sats up there...

[Tommygun]

....or it could be a testbed to develop technologies and procedures that will be needed to eventually make and daily operate a practical, affordable and reliable space plane.

[Carter]

I for one fully support the X37 project and hope to see an entire squadron of them in orbit someday. Each with lasers and cannons and missiles and laser-missile cannons, whatever that would be. Obviously we will need an Orbital Operating Base because there's not much use for a Space Force if there's no Space Troops to call in spacestrikes on space bad guys. We're also going to need space bad guys.

[Kryten]

This is worrying because it's illegal.

A common misconception. The outer space treaty only bans weapons of mass destruction in space, and weapons testing or military facilities on celestial bodies such as the moon. Orbital conventional weapons are a-ok.

Still, it's very unlikely this is actually what it is, especially as a direct ascent missile such as developed by the Chinese would be far cheaper than something that requires an atlas V.

Edited October 15, 2014 by Kryten

[cantab]

Two years is way too long for it just be a test of the vehicle. Testing some sort of propulsion technology (like the infamous em/cannae drive stuff) is an outside bet. It could have been spying on the ground, but the US already has much more capable spy satellites than anything the X37 could handle.

So snooping on or even tampering with other satellites is my guess. For example, what if it planted devices on Russian and Chinese spy satellites, allowing the US to sabotage them later on without it even being obviously an attack?

What moron would take out satellites in orbit? That's just asking to deny space to everyone!

Suppose a nation puts its spy sats in a somewhat higher orbit, somewhere they reckon others can't get a satisfactory spy sat into, then deliberately Kesslers the lower orbits. They'd enjoy a huge advantage for a fair time. Edited October 15, 2014 by cantab

[Tommygun]

The x37 isn't a stealth aircraft and can't get near another satellite without being detected by another country.

At the moment there is probably nothing the x37 can do that can't be done better and cheaper by a satellite.

Someday I think that will change as the technology gets better and this is what the x37 is really doing.

It may have a secondary role up there, but I would guess that secondary role if any, is an afterthought of what to do with its cargo bay.

What's in that cargo bay may be just a mundane materials study test on long term exposure to space.

[Nibb31]

Is anything known about the orbit it flew in?

Of course. Satellite launches and orbits cannot be held secret. There are amateur sites such as Heavens Above who permanently track everything. Anything the X-37B does is monitored permanently:

http://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?satid=39025&lat=0&lng=0&loc=Unspecified&alt=0&tz=UCT

Sadly satellites are so expensive, otherwise someone could have build one with a equiped camera to come very close and take some photos of the payload. That would be another great idea what to do with cubesats, taking photos of all those secret satellites to find out what exactly they are doing.

If the X37B approached any other nation's satellite, they would notice. It would be a pretty obvious manoeuver and would certainly trigger protests (and retaliation) from the targetted country. Note that the Heavens Above site has a "Close Encounters" feature, which will tell you if it ever gets within 5km of another object.

And again, why would you want to bring back a spy-sat? Instead of wasting payload mass on wings, wheels, TPS, hydraulics, and avionics, just add more propellant and make it last 20 years, or make it smaller and stealthier.

Of course the military is doing science which is in no way associated with experimental weapons.

The X37B would be a rather poor weapon platform. Why would you want to bring back a weapon platform every year or two? Just leave it up there and use the extra payload for more propellant or a bigger weapon.

Two years is way too long for it just be a test of the vehicle. Testing some sort of propulsion technology (like the infamous em/cannae drive stuff) is an outside bet. It could have been spying on the ground, but the US already has much more capable spy satellites than anything the X37 could handle.

I think we would have noticed if it had been maneuvering all over the place with a magical propulsion technology. It does perform some orbital changes, but nothing that suggests a secret new warp drive.

Proceeding by elimination, my personal guess is that it's used for experimental orbital manufacturing (growing crystals, wafers or microfibers in microgravity) or long duration exposure testing of new materials. Whatever they have on board is something that they want to bring back to use on Earth which means that it is valuable or rare or impossible to obtain otherwise, and no other purpose makes any sense.

Edited October 15, 2014 by Nibb31

[lajoswinkler]

Nibb is right. I mean, you can go outside and look at it. It's there.

Probably growing something valuable, testing newest navigation technology, etc.

[ZedNova]

I'll bet it just had a bunch of Geckos in it.

[magnemoe]

Of course. Satellite launches and orbits cannot be held secret. There are amateur sites such as Heavens Above who permanently track everything. Anything the X-37B does is monitored permanently:

http://www.heavens-above.com/orbit.aspx?satid=36514

If the X37B approached any other nation's satellite, they would notice. It would be a pretty obvious manoeuver and would certainly trigger protests from the targetted country. And again, why would you want to bring back a spy-sat. Instead of wasting payload mass on wings, wheels, TPS, hydraulics, and avionics, just add more propellant and make it last forever.

The X37B would be a rather poor weapon platform. Why would you want to bring back a weapon platform every year or two? Just leave it up there and use the extra payload for more propellant or a bigger weapon.

I think we would have noticed if it had been maneuvering all over the place with a magical propulsion technology. It does perform some orbital changes, but nothing that suggests a secret new warp drive.

My personal guess is that it's used for experimental orbital manufacturing (growing crystals, wafers or microfibers in microgravity) or long duration exposure testing of new materials. Whatever they have on board is something that they want to bring back to use on Earth which means that it is valuable or rare or impossible to obtain otherwise.

I thought the X-37 was stealthy, if it was it could be used to get pretty close to other satellites, and listen to them, yes it would require another orbit too.

And then why bring it back, an small satellite would work better here, easier to stealth, harder to spot visually, can be launched as secondary payload making it easier to keep hidden.

I agree about orbital experiments or long term testing of systems. Some of them can not be done on IIS because of vibration and they might be classified.

[CaptainKipard]

Satellite launches and orbits cannot be held secret.

Why nottt.

[Kryten]

Why nottt.

Anybody with a telescope can track a satellites orbit, any nation with radar will detect a new one, and anybody equipped with eyes will notice a satellite launch.

[Nibb31]

The USAF has been playing with experimental stealth satellites (they have to be small enough to not be easily detected and covered with radar/light absorbing material), but the X37B is not one of them and there is no way an orbital launch can go undetected these days.

Launch any rocket into a polar orbit without announcing it beforehand, and red telephones will be ringing between Washington and Moscow.

Edited October 15, 2014 by Nibb31

[lajoswinkler]

Why nottt.

Because rocket launches are visible, as well as the satellites. Even back in the time of Apollo, people all over the world were watching (visually and by radiotelescopes) the orbiters. Nowdays with WWW, it's 100% impossible to hide anything up there.

[montyben101]

Hmm any thoughts on if they will launch it again? To be honest I think they will launch it maybe two of three more times. The payload must be something that has to come back (or refueled) since they made an entire shuttle for it too

[Sky_walker]

Hmm any thoughts on if they will launch it again? To be honest I think they will launch it maybe two of three more times. The payload must be something that has to come back (or refueled) since they made an entire shuttle for it too

Yes, it will keep on launching. More than "two or three times".

Read this: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/10/08/nasa-secret-space-plane-will-use-shuttle-hangars/16933495/

[Kryten]

Hmm any thoughts on if they will launch it again? To be honest I think they will launch it maybe two of three more times. The payload must be something that has to come back (or refueled) since they made an entire shuttle for it too

X-37 long predates whatever the payload is. It started as a civilian project at NASA.

[gooddog15]

Because rocket launches are visible, as well as the satellites. Even back in the time of Apollo, people all over the world were watching (visually and by radiotelescopes) the orbiters. Nowdays with WWW, it's 100% impossible to hide anything up there.

Well, you can hide satellites from radar, as the "misty" series of US recconaissance satellites supposedly could do.

[Elthy]

It has to be weapontechnology or something related to reconnaissance, why should they keep it secret otherwise? Materialstudys and other long term experiments in space are the reason we have that extreme expensive ISS in orbit...