Pentagon’s secret X-37B plane breaks space longevity record


One of the US Air Force’s most mysterious projects – an unmanned space-faring plane – has broken its own longevity record by staying in orbit for more than 469 days.

There aren’t many details floating around in public regarding the X-37B – a classified project that’s seen three launches into space thus far – but a new reportby the IDG News Service suggests the plane is being used to test out the Air Force’s new space capabilities while also boosting the intelligence community’s surveillance capacity.

Launched back in December 2012, the Boeing-designed X-37B has been floating above the Earth ever since. The plane looks like a smaller cousin to NASA’s pastspace shuttle models, and has been designed with quick turn-around times in mind, so that it can easily be re-launched after landing.

Although few people know exactly what the vehicle is intended for, astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell told IDG it seems clear one of the big features is the plane’s ability to stay in space for extended periods of time.

“The Air Force now has a policy of acquiring capabilities rather than missions, so some general somewhere probably thinks it would be spiffy to have a space plane that can launch at short notice,” he said. “It’s worthwhile learning lessons from the shuttle and how to do turn-arounds cheaper.”  read more >>

Source: RT

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Mysterious floating light caught on camera in Cumbest Bluff

Baltic Sea Under Water UFO

SHOCK CLAIM: John Kerry ‘visited Antarctica to examine secret Nazi UFO base’