Mini Shuttle Returns

Ground crew wearing protective suits just in case the little rocketplane might have caught the Ebola....

At 29' it's just a bit longer than an old Cadillac I used to have....

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

http://www.space.com/27478-secretive-x-37b-space-plane-lands-at-vandenberg-afb-video.html

"secretive X37B"?? The craft can not be secretive. It's owners can be secretive, but the craft itself can't...unless one of its secrets involves advanced artificial intelligence.

Does anybody else wonder how something so widely publicized can be called secret?

advanced artificial intelligence ..... Just released by NASA today, it was manned by the Muppets.

Why does this make me think of the "Andromeda Strain"?

old news, saw this several weeks back. might have been on cr4 to boot, can't remember. Testing this unit for possible replacement to the Russian fleet now servicing space station.

Fixit.

can I borrow your time machine? it landed 22 hours ago after being in orbit for 2 years

Maye we used the same time machine .I agree, I also recall this landing a good few weeks back and I recall it was supposed to be up for 6 months and it was stated that it had been in orbit for about 18 months.

I was surprised to see this on the news last week as landing on Friday. So obviously there are two of these spy crafts. Or it is typical misinformation.

I recall watching the landing, around June, on the news.

The report stated that they think this craft was collecting satellites. Bit small for that I thought!

Thanks, Fixitorelse and I must have shared the same portal.

Yea, but I am old and rather senile these days, LOL Almost know how to get home most days though.

Fixit

NOPE! This unit is way too small to service the ISS, except perhaps to deliver a couple of small experiments and a few six-packs (which are probably not allowed). It is not equipped to carry people.

True. I stood next to it at Pax River a while back (or a sister airframe, I don't know which) while attending a senior officer friend's retirement. I rested my hand on top of the nose (I'm 5'9") and my hand was at about shoulder level. I remember at first wondering if the pilot position was prone/supine, or what, but then talked to my friend about it, and realized it never had, and never would have, a human in it.

And it is definitely too small through the vertical cross section to carry any significant cargo. Maybe a sputnik sized (basketball) satellite, or very slightly larger. But certainly nothing to service the ISS.