Author Topic: X-37  (Read 5546 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

charlesoakwood

  • Guest
X-37
« on: April 15, 2012, 12:41:41 PM »

Who knew?  I thought it was defunded because of technical difficulties.

Quote

Bill Gertz -The Washington Times  ... Air ForceGen. William L. Shelton, who heads the Air Force’s space operations, said during a March 26 breakfast meeting with defense writers that the X-37, currently on orbit, is performing its mission.
...
Pressed for details on the secret craft, Gen. Shelton said only that the system is “game-changing,” often a reference to strategic capabilities that can make a difference between winning and losing in a conflict.

A defense official said the X-37 is a key element of the Pentagon’s new Air Sea Battle Concept to closely link Air Force and Navy capabilities for defeating China’s advanced military systems such as anti-satellite weapons, anti-ship ballistic missiles and cyberwarfare capabilities.

And

[blockquote]New X-37B OTV details and graphic

Link

[/blockquote]
And
[blockquote]
SPACE.com_Date: 06 March 2012 Time: 01:02 PM ET
 
The U.S. Air Force's robotic X-37B space plane has celebrated a silent anniversary, surpassing an entire year in Earth orbit on a mystery mission for American military.
...
So far, the OTV-2 mission has set an endurance record for the X-37B space plane — one that gets longer with each passing day — and the spacecraft is in good health, Air Force officials said.

According to Air Force Maj. Tracy Bunko, a Pentagon spokesperson for the X-37B program, "the mission is still on track and the vehicle is performing well."
...
The second Boeing X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, built for the U.S. Air Force, is shown here during encapsulation within the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket's 5-meter fairing at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., on Feb. 8, 2011. The Air Force launched the new space plane from the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 5.
CREDIT: Boeing
View full size image
...
"I do not know OTV-2's mission, but its frequently repeating ground track may be a clue that it is gathering imagery intelligence. Ground tracks that repeat at intervals of two, three or four days have long been favored for U.S. imagery intelligence satellites, because they enable frequent monitoring of targets of interest," Molczan told SPACE.com.
...
Whenever this second X-37B mission concludes, the craft is designed to make a "do-it-itself" guided entry and wheels-down runway landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. An alternate desert landing site is neighboring Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., mission officials have said.[/blockquote]

And via Rocket Dungeon:
X-37B Landing at Vandenberg AFB
[blockquote]

The U.S. Air Force's first unmanned re-entry spacecraft landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base at 1:16 a.m. PST today, Dec. 3.

The X-37B, named Orbital Test Vehicle 1 (OTV-1), conducted on-orbit experiments for more than 220 days during its maiden voyage. It fired its orbital maneuver engine in low-earth orbit to perform an autonomous reentry before landing.

The X-37B is the newest and most advanced re-entry spacecraft. Managed by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (AFRCO), the X-37B program performs risk reduction, experimentation and concept of operations development for reusable space vehicle technologies.

[/blockquote]

And more hot rocket stuff from Rocket Dungeon:

http://rocketdungeon.blogspot.com/2012/03/big-post-of-motor-sports-girls.html




charlesoakwood

  • Guest
Re: X-37
« Reply #1 on: April 17, 2012, 12:56:38 AM »

It's been up there over a year.  I don't think it's a test flight, they're
usually a lot shorter in duration.  It's on a mission and the next one
will be on a mission too.

Could it be some form of undetected target practice?

Offline trapeze

  • Administrator
  • Conservative Superhero
  • *****
  • Posts: 6367
  • Hippies smell bad. Go away, hippie.
Re: X-37
« Reply #2 on: April 17, 2012, 01:44:51 AM »
More likely spying. That's what they do the most of.
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

charlesoakwood

  • Guest
Re: X-37
« Reply #3 on: June 04, 2012, 10:17:44 PM »

It's back but so far it's images and speculation.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2154405/Secret-mission-accomplished-Americas-secret-space-plane-land-YEAR-orbit--knows-did-there.html

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/1203/X-37B-unmanned-space-plane-returns-to-Earth

They launched it with an Atlas, - from wiki: "From 1962 to 1963, Atlas boosters launched the first four American astronauts to orbit the Earth."  Earlier there was a push for the solid fueled Vanguard but it kept blowing up.

This is a good short read on the Atlas, its genesis dating from April 19, 1946.
"A new contract was awarded to Convair (which became the Convair division of General Dynamics Corporation in 1953) to investigate technologies and provide solutions for the systematic, then accelerated, development of a ballistic missile system, dubbed by Convair as "Project Atlas.""

Offline Libertas

  • Conservative Superhero
  • *****
  • Posts: 63663
  • Alea iacta est! Libertatem aut mori!
Re: X-37
« Reply #4 on: June 05, 2012, 06:46:14 AM »
Spying.   ;)

Unlike satellites that are typically put into stable (predictable) orbits, this guy can roam/hover wherever and look at whatever.
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.

Online benb61

  • Established Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1441
  • My 2 fast cars
Re: X-37
« Reply #5 on: June 05, 2012, 06:31:36 PM »
I worked on the X-37 ALTV (Approach and Landing Test Vehicle) or as some sites call it X-37A.  The next phase is to build a bigger non-X vehicle.  This is still a test vehicle and is often referred to as the OTV (Orbital Test Vehicle).  The year long test was to basically see how long they could keep it aloft before running out of fuel and oxidizer.  It would seem they have their answer.  I transitioned off of the program in late 2003 and have been working various other spacecraft since, currently working CST-100.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CST-100
Eschew Obfuscation

Offline AlanS

  • Conservative Superhero
  • *****
  • Posts: 7908
  • Proud Infidel
Re: X-37
« Reply #6 on: June 05, 2012, 09:53:53 PM »
I worked on the X-37 ALTV (Approach and Landing Test Vehicle) or as some sites call it X-37A.  The next phase is to build a bigger non-X vehicle.  This is still a test vehicle and is often referred to as the OTV (Orbital Test Vehicle).  The year long test was to basically see how long they could keep it aloft before running out of fuel and oxidizer.  It would seem they have their answer.  I transitioned off of the program in late 2003 and have been working various other spacecraft since, currently working CST-100.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CST-100

Sounds very interesting. Makes me wish I would have studied science instead of weed and women in school.
"Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem."

Thomas Jefferson

Offline Libertas

  • Conservative Superhero
  • *****
  • Posts: 63663
  • Alea iacta est! Libertatem aut mori!
Re: X-37
« Reply #7 on: June 06, 2012, 07:17:23 AM »
I worked on the X-37 ALTV (Approach and Landing Test Vehicle) or as some sites call it X-37A.  The next phase is to build a bigger non-X vehicle.  This is still a test vehicle and is often referred to as the OTV (Orbital Test Vehicle).  The year long test was to basically see how long they could keep it aloft before running out of fuel and oxidizer.  It would seem they have their answer.  I transitioned off of the program in late 2003 and have been working various other spacecraft since, currently working CST-100.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CST-100

Sounds very interesting. Makes me wish I would have studied science instead of weed and women in school.

 ::hysterical::

Keggers and kittens!   ::whoohoo::
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.

Offline Libertas

  • Conservative Superhero
  • *****
  • Posts: 63663
  • Alea iacta est! Libertatem aut mori!
Re: X-37
« Reply #8 on: August 17, 2018, 11:50:00 AM »
340 days and counting.

https://www.space.com/41507-x-37b-space-plane-nears-one-year-orbit.html

What with China Pacific/IO expansion (String of Pearls) and the commensurate increase in sea/air operations/proximity...hopefully Space Force has a leg up on the competition.
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.

Offline Libertas

  • Conservative Superhero
  • *****
  • Posts: 63663
  • Alea iacta est! Libertatem aut mori!
Re: X-37
« Reply #9 on: January 30, 2019, 08:11:42 AM »
https://www.space.com/43153-x-37b-military-space-plane-500-days.html

500 hundred days and counting...

Sure would be nice to find a way to hack into that sucker and get it to spy on the DeepState and let us know what exactly the FBI, CIA, NSA et al are really doing and give us the ammunition to end the coup against Trump, the treason against the American people and the aiding and abetting of traitors within.

I know...I'm a dreamer...a clinger to the Founders vision...

I plead guilty.
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.