X-37B returns from space

[Kenneth P. Katz]

X-37B lands at Edwards AFB.

 

Nobody who knows what is was doing will say.

[gridley]

Wow. An auto-landing after 220 days in orbit? That's quite impressive (to me at least).

 

One of the comments speculated that the yellow box one of the techs is holding is a rad detector. Looks plausible to me, can anyone confirm/refute?

[rmgill]

Wow. An auto-landing after 220 days in orbit? That's quite impressive (to me at least).

 

One of the comments speculated that the yellow box one of the techs is holding is a rad detector. Looks plausible to me, can anyone confirm/refute?

 

Could be. It very well could also be a chemical sniffer. The reaction control system on the shuttle (and very likely this bird too) uses Nitrogen tetroxide as the oxidizer and monomethyl hydrazine as the fuel. Monomethyl hydrazine is toxic and carcinogenic in small amounts

[RETAC21]

X-37B lands at Edwards AFB.

 

Nobody who knows what is was doing will say.

 

Maybe nobody knows what it was doing...?

[Guest JamesG123]

For ~1 Billion dollars* someone had better know what it was doing...

 

 

* = The speculated cost that I've seen batted around, since the project is classified.

[Mike Steele]

Maybe nobody knows what it was doing...?

 

Well they could tell you, but then they would have to kill you.

[Gunguy]

Unofficial speculation is that it is a unmanned recon bird. Seems it would be the next step above the Global Hawk. Unlike a satellite, it can be sent pretty much anywhere at any time, for time sensitive recon. Like watching what Iran is doing with its nuclear material. If this is anywhere near the official story, rack it up to the prowess of our Tanknet posters! Seems like a viable story to me........

[Gunguy]

Oh, and tell your nieghbors this makes the Black Helicopters obsolete. This bird can stay up there a long time, staring at a patch of ground by flying circles...... So, the Black Helicopters will be sold on Home Shopping Network as "slightly used".

[Guest JamesG123]

Well they could tell you, but then they would have to kill you But its already up on WikiLeaks.

 

[RETAC21]

Well they could tell you, but then they would have to kill you.

 

 

Or it could be a hilarious scene:

 

SPACECOM HQ 08:00Z

 

Major McGroin: General! we finally coerced our 1 billion dollar bird to come back to Earth!

 

General Spacemaster: Fine job, it only took 200 days...! if only we hadn't used Vista...

[gridley]

Or it could be a hilarious scene:

 

SPACECOM HQ 08:00Z

 

Major McGroin: General! we finally coerced our 1 billion dollar bird to come back to Earth!

 

General Spacemaster: Fine job, it only took 200 days...! if only we hadn't used Vista...

 

Love it! :-)

[Jim Martin]

Silly people. Those are biohazard suits, they're looking for alien pathogens after the X-37B made rendezvous with an alien mothership laying in wait behind the moon. Negotiations for surrender of Earth's sovereignty are ongoing.

[Marek Tucan]

Silly people. Those are biohazard suits, they're looking for alien pathogens after the X-37B made rendezvous with an alien mothership laying in wait behind the moon. Negotiations for surrender of Earth's sovereignty are ongoing.

 

I for one am ready to welcome our alien overlords.

[RETAC21]

I for one am ready to welcome our alien overlords.

 

 

http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/bacteria-eats-arsenic-alien-life-101202.html

 

"Veee liiiveee in arseeeniiic, Earthling"

bloody fat fingers...

Edited December 7, 2010 by RETAC21

[Guest Charles]

How sure are we that 2 were not launched originally, the 1st one landed very quietly some months back, this one (2nd ) is officially landed as no1.

 

How many of these have they built (to date)?; no-one is saying, military and very black.

This way, no hand wringing unelected eletists can start squeeling to their paymasters.

 

Go USAF.

 

Charles

[Jeff]

The first one was sucked into a wormhole and ended up in the Farscape universe.

[rmgill]

The first one was sucked into a wormhole and ended up in the Farscape universe.

 

You know, that is about the right size.

[Corinthian]

Maybe nobody knows what it was doing...?

 

 

Ok, so what's the best defense against space-based Terminator machines?

[Corinthian]

I for one am ready to welcome our alien overlords.

 

Excellent. I require young virgin females age 20 to 27 of Level 10 and Goddess ratings delivered to my home every day.

 

Oh, and cat food for my kittehs and a few model kits will also do.

[Sikkiyn]

I for one am ready to welcome our alien overlords.

 

Cool, I can trade in my semi for a firefly model and expand my client base massively. Just an FYI, the on-board companion will have to service her new captain on a daily basis.

 

[Ivanhoe]

 

Ok, so what's the best defense against space-based Terminator machines?

 

Stuxnet, obviously.

[TSJ]

How sure are we that 2 were not launched originally, the 1st one landed very quietly some months back, this one (2nd ) is officially landed as no1.

 

How many of these have they built (to date)?; no-one is saying, military and very black.

This way, no hand wringing unelected eletists can start squeeling to their paymasters.

 

Go USAF.

 

Charles

We keep track of launches. If nothing else probably NOTAMs have to be issued.

[TSJ]

Maybe nobody knows what it was doing...?

We know what it was probably doing. What we don't know is why they spent the extra money to make it a winged rentry vehicle when it wasn't necessary.That's the billion dollar plus question.

[mnm]

Excellent. I require young virgin females age 20 to 27 of Level ...

 

You Divinehood is crazy, noone can find any virgins in the aforesaid age bracket whatsoever. If they are Level 3 or less, then maybe, but I would beg your Divineness to grab yourself a chair and be prepared to wait a looooong time.

 

[Olof Larsson]

We know what it was probably doing. What we don't know is why they spent the extra money to make it a winged rentry vehicle when it wasn't necessary.That's the billion dollar plus question.

 

If you have a LEO satellite, that burns an unpresedented amount of fuel to manouver,

being able to bring it home to refuel makes sence.

 

So would a shuttletanker BTW.

Would that be a KX-37 then?

 

I guess the rationale is to be able to burn more fuel to manouver with then a ordinary bird,

while at the same time being able to switch or update the mission package.

At the same time the X-37 could be used to refuel and repair conventional birds in space.