The mysterious unmanned mini-space shuttle on a classified mission has finally returned to earth. It landed early Saturday morning at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 5:48 a.m. PDT after weather conditions kept pushing back landing attempts the last few days. The shuttle spent 469 days in orbit.
The Air Force's X-37B, is an unmanned reusable spacecraft built by Boeing that has spent more than a year on a classified mission in space.
Measuring 29 feet in length and having a 15-foot wingspan, the unmanned reusable X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle looks like a miniature version of NASA's now retired space shuttles.
The craft went into orbit on March 5, 2011, but as was the case during its first launch in 2010, very little has been known about its mission or what payloads it might be carrying because its missions are classified.
That has led to speculation that the spacecraft is involved in intelligence gathering operations or the testing of new technologies.
By: 10fold
In: Other News, Politics, Science and Technology
Tags: X-37b, Space, Plane
Location: United States (load item map)
Marked as: approved
Views: 1469 | Comments: 69 | Votes: 0 | Favorites: 0 | Shared: 5 | Updates: 0 | Times used in channels: 2
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The true secret is the spacecraft malfunctioned and it took this long to bring it back.
Posted Jun-17-2012 By2Phast4Rocket (685.06) 
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@2Phast4Rocket LOL
Posted Jun-17-2012 Byabsu69 (2090.44) absu69 View Channel Send Message
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worthless reporting- come back after you have done an investigation and you can report something more than a press release
Posted Jun-17-2012 Byuntitled-1 (172.20) untitled-1 View Channel Send Message
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it obviously went to the dark side of the moon to pick up our next presidents robot replacement
Posted Jun-17-2012 Byviral_jail_food (104.30) 
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It's a reusable pizza and hot wings delivery vehicle for the I.S.S.
Posted Jun-17-2012 ByHiarken (558.04) 
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@Hiarken
I was sure it was an ice cream delivery system.
Posted Jun-17-2012 Bymlivsey (1096.56) 
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I think John Pike is a total alcoholic, he just aged terribly in the last few years, I know none of you give a shit about that, but yeah he's right it's to keep the chinese guessing, but they're not they've probably already stolen the technology.
Posted Jun-17-2012 ByThe Grim (744.50) 
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@The Grim John pike the global security guy? I suppose that could be behind the silly tin foil hat comment. If he got really ridiculous because of drinking he'd lose all credibility pretty damn fast. Some of the most brilliant people in history have been raging alcoholics. Hunter Thompson wrote some of the most brilliant works of the late 20th century while openly admitting to massive consumption of, well, everything. Never lost his credibility up to the bitter end.
Posted Jun-17-2012 ByFine_Just_Fine (2013.92) 
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@Fine_Just_Fine yeah that dude, he looks very bloated and very very red faced. I hear you about how some alcoholics have done their best work, but I think it'd be a safe bet to say that most do not.
Posted Jun-17-2012 ByThe Grim (744.50) 
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Oooh this is bound to be something sinister. Lord knows I'm one for conspiracy theories but this is simply a jackass test. Don't be a jackass. It's probably for meteorology or something innocent. They don't need this thing to spy on you, they already have $1000 an hour police helicopters flying around where i live for no apparent reason, soon to be replaced by UAV's probably.
A false-false flag operation?
Posted Jun-17-2012 ByFine_Just_Fine (2013.92) 
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@Fine_Just_Fine Not to mention the web of dozens of satellites. They're playing around with cutting edge tech and it's much easier to classify all of it than to try and explain every little detail to middle management (career politicians) and the public who wouldn't even try to understand wtf they were talking about.
Posted Jun-17-2012 Bykajidono (686.16) 
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@kajidono My only real problem is that they are spending our money and not telling us what it's for. I'm one of those who would likely understand what they explained, and I'd like to know what they are spending billions of our dollars on. Especially since these days it's all too common for politicians to fund programs that they know wont end doing jack shit for our country but will help them pocket a lot of tax payer money or earn them political favors.
Posted Jun-17-2012 ByEmrysM (1826.76) 
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@EmrysM I get that. But considering that the politicians for the most part killed the entire space program, I don't blame them at all for hiding what they are doing. Hell, I have a ratchet in my toolbox that NASA invented to make working in zero grav easier. You can't tell me that we didn't get tons of benefits directly from our investment in that but the fatcat politicians without a brain between all of them killed it anyway.
All the USAF is doing now is playing around with designs that NASA w More..
Posted Jun-17-2012 Bykajidono (686.16) 
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@EmrysM
I'm hoping it may be a sign that things are looking up for the good ol USA and she is begining again doing what she is good at, pushing the boundaries, discovering, conquering and exploring, just like the moon landing and nasa space program which inspired and was the stuff of many of our dreams through our childhood.
Posted Jun-17-2012 Bybs2502 (275.00) 
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@EmrysM
Think of it like a Christmas present. Don't be tempted to look on top of mom's wardrobe leading up to Christmas. Then come Christmas moring you'll have a nice surprise.
Posted Jun-17-2012 ByDurham_Duke (33.88) 
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is that what everyone was making a fuss about a year or so back when they thought they saw a missile being sent up over an american beach?
Posted Jun-17-2012 ByBuleria (144.20) 
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@Buleria No that was just a contrail from an airline jet, caught by the sun at an angle that made it look like a missile launch. It was nothing.
Posted Jun-17-2012 ByST0N3PONY (5003.62) 
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@ST0N3PONY
Yeah it was the only "contrail" ever to make international news despite tens of thousands of airline flights daily!
Posted Jun-17-2012 Bymikedelta12 (360.90) 
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@mikedelta12 You are correct. And if you take retarded conspiracy theories seriously, you have mental problems.
Posted Jun-17-2012 ByST0N3PONY (5003.62) 
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@ST0N3PONY
So in your expert opinion General Thomas Mcinerney has mental problems? Well I guess that's good enough for me LMFAO!
Hmmmm believe STON3PONEY or an Air Force General who's business is literally aircraft and missiles. Who has over 4000 hours in combat aircraft with over 400 combat missions! That's a tough one! But I think if ANYONE would know how to differentiate between a missile plume and a contrail it would be the General!
Keep on drinking the main stream media kool aid pal!
Posted Jun-17-2012 Bymikedelta12 (360.90) 
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@mikedelta12 *derp*
Yes that's all mentally confused conspiracy theorists can ever do. Take a large enough group, and cherry-pick the one or two people who fit.
There is zero logic or common sense behind your nonsense. And I'll take the opinion of Michio Kaku and the other 99% of experts who don't have mental problems and don't agree with the idiotic conspiracy theory.
But, I know, since you're a conspiracy theorist and you absolutely depend on making up any nonsense and just calling it fact, More..
Posted Jun-17-2012 ByST0N3PONY (5003.62) 
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Guess what? You have no fucking clue!
Posted Jun-17-2012 ByJroadstein (170.68) 
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Yeah, it was just doing something good for the humanity. Just like we work around down here
Posted Jun-17-2012 Byinfini (69.14) infini View Channel Send Message
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well...it might be...what it might be lol
Posted Jun-17-2012 Bydisturbed_reveren (325.38) disturbed_reveren View Channel Send Message
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so nasa is just a dod stepchild now...
/:
Posted Jun-17-2012 Byabsu69 (2090.44) absu69 View Channel Send Message
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Yea for the USA.
Posted Jun-17-2012 Bydirtbiker201 (1447.48) 
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lol, to confuse the chinese? to get them to spend money developing a space program? how the hell? wouldn't it be better to just do nothing, so they just spend money on under aged hookers instead?
Posted Jun-17-2012 ByBasard (167.58) 
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