A 469 day classified mission

[freeradical]

I wonder what it was up to...





http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-574546...t-mission/

[OWC Jamie]

300 km












* except during blackouts

[Paul F.]

I suspect that in about 10 years, we're going to start hearing what it was really doing up there... (that seems to be about the maximum length of time modern government agencies can keep a secret... with a few exceptions, I'm sure).

Gonna be real interesting reading one day..

[Panopticon]

freeradical wrote:
I wonder what it was up to...

......C L A S S I F I E D

[cbelt3]

Oh, I am SO wishing for the NASP to come back. But at least the Dyna-Soar technology lives on.

[Carnos Jax]

"Dyna-Soar"...unfortunately named.

Doubt the X-37 was doing anything extraordinarily special. You have to remember, it was taken by the Air Force at the last minute when nobody else wanted it. They probably figured they could do something with it, especially considering the cheap acquisition cost.

[Paul F.]

I (and a number of others on some space related boards) suspect that the Air Force had more of a hand in the X-37's gestation than is publicly acknowledged.

I doubt it's anything super-duper-cutting edge, but I'll bet it has some "interesting" electronic intelligence gathering capability.. combined with some on-orbit maneuvering capability heretofore unknown in the average satellite, and you've got a pretty nice tool.
Not to mention the recovery, refurbishment, loading with new equipment or sensors, and relaunch capability...

[Carnos Jax]

No doubt its got unique capabilities as a reusable platform. I've not really followed it other than what I've come across in mainstream aerospace publications. I've always figured that the payload compartment would allow them to configure the vehicle with whatever is the latest and greatest sensor suite it is that they wanted to use.

[Bill in NC]

Orbital nuclear platform?

[Lux Interior]

Just before Apple releases iOS 6 with its own map software...