Updates X-37B atop of Atlas 5 on March 4th 2011

[Arrowstar]

Wow, that Atlas is a slow riser. Takes forever to clear the tower. Great launch!

 

[orb]

Wow, that Atlas is a slow riser. Takes forever to clear the tower.

That's what I like in those launches.

Spaceflight Now: Air Force's second robotic space shuttle circling Earth.

 

[Fabri91]

I wasn't able to follow the launch, thanks for the coverage!
This is the second time to winged reusable spacecraft are in orbit at the same time!

 

[SiberianTiger]

Wow, that Atlas is a slow riser. Takes forever to clear the tower. Great launch!

The mass of payload allowed for saving on solid boosters this time.

 

[orb]

One more Spaceflight Now launch photo gallery, this time with pictures by ULA from the launchpad, is here -

Spaceflight Now: Atlas rocket launches second X-37B (PHOTO GALLERY)​

NORAD: 2009-010A/37375

 

[tpeace]

Hey I wanted to thank you guys as I was using your forum to keep up to date on launch status for this while I was out on the Bennett causeway (528) waiting to take photos.

Here's what I was able to get:

regards,
-tom

 

[IronRain]

I think the forum needs to thank you now. Thanks for the foto's :thumbup:

 

[orb]

Space Travel: No Fleet Future For X-37B:

The second flight of the US Air Force's X-37B spaceplane has been underway for weeks. During this time, the USAF has been fairly quiet about its operations, but this hasn't stopped amateur satellite watchers from finding it. So far, there seem to be no big surprises. The vehicle is apparently intact and not doing anything too strange in its orbit.

We know the first mission was successful, and we can reasonably expect that the second spaceplane is working just as well. With one successful test flight, and a second test flight probably going as planned, speculation is turning to the future of the X-37B program.

It's been openly suggested that the first X-37B spaceplane, which stayed in orbit for most of 2010, will be launched again at some point in the future. This almost certainly won't happen until the mission of the second vehicle ends, which suggests that the next launch in the program won't take place for at least a year. Nobody knows how long this second flight will last, but it seems reasonable to expect that it will go for longer than the first.

Engineers may well choose to leave it in orbit for as long as a full calendar year. Then there will be a long period of analysis of the returned spacecraft, followed by some potential tweaking of the first vehicle.

{...}

 

[orb]

SPACE.com: Secret Mission of Air Force's X-37B Robot Space Plane May Go Into Overtime:

After nearly seven months of flight, the U.S. Air Force's latest X-37 robotic space plane is nearing a milestone in its secret mission in Earth orbit as it chalks up mileage and operational experience.

As of last week, the reusable X-37B space plane had been in orbit for more than 206 days, two months shy of its 270-day mission design lifetime. The spacecraft, which looks like a miniature space shuttle, launched on its clandestine mission on March 5 from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

{...}

Extended flight possible

"On-orbit experimentation is continuing, though we cannot predict accurately when that will be complete," said Air Force Lt. Col. Tom McIntyre, the X-37 systems program director. “We are learning new things about the vehicle every day, which makes the mission a very dynamic process."

McIntyre told SPACE.com that X-37B controllers initially planned a nine-month mission "but will try to extend it as circumstances allow." Doing so would provide program officials with additional experimentation opportunities "and allow us to extract the maximum value out of the mission," he said.

{...}

 

[Wishbone]

...which means, in plain English, that most likely they are having problems with re-entry subsystems of the beastie, and they need much more time to iron them out. Just my 2 cents...

 

[_Designer_]

I think the Air Force will have better success with space travel than any other agency or company. They might off into their own Space military program as they did in 1945 after WWII when they broke away from the Army Air Corps and became the Air Force.

 

[orb]

SPACE.com: Secretive Air Force Space Plane Nears Orbital Record:

The secretive X-37B robotic space plane is about to set its own space-endurance record on a hush-hush project operated by the U.S. Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office.

The craft, also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle-2, was boosted into Earth orbit atop an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on March 5. Tomorrow (Nov. 30), the X-37B spacecraft will mark its 270th day of flight — a lifetime in space that was heralded in the past as the vehicle's upper limit for spaceflight by project officials.

"It's still up there," U.S. Air Force Maj. Tracy Bunko of the Air Force Press Desk at the Pentagon, told SPACE.com, noting that project officials planned for a 9- month-plus mission, "so we're close to that now."

{...}

 

[C3PO]

I think the Air Force will have better success with space travel than any other agency or company.

The X-37 layout resembles the initial NASA plans for a space shuttle, but the NASA budget wasn't large enough to develop the system.

Then the Air Force joined the project to help pay the bills, but added the once-around spy-sat mission. This meant that the cargo bay had to be larger, and the cross range during reentry required larger wings.

This made the planned fly-back lifter too expensive to develop, and resulted in the parallel configuration of the STS. This configuration was a major source of problems, and ended up being one of the main reasons for ending the shuttle flights.

And now the Air Force is flying the X-37.

Isn't life ironic sometimes?

[Edit] Post #1,000 M6 Forum not included :lol: [/Edit]

 

[orb]

Universe Today: X-37B – The Gift That Keeps On Giving:

The United States Air Force’s second flight of the X-37B – is headed into extra innings. Known as the Orbital Test Vehicle 2 (OTV-2) this robotic mini space shuttle launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) on Mar. 5, 2011. Although the U.S. Air Force has kept mum regarding details about the space plane’s mission – it has announced that the OTV-2 has exceeded its endurance limit of 270 days on orbit as of the end of November.

{...}

OTV mission USA-226, as it is officially known, is by all accounts going smoothly and the spacecraft is reported to be in good health. The U.S. Air Force has not announced when OTV-2 will be directed to land.

The fact that the space plane will continue to orbit beyond what its stated limits are – highlights that the OTV has greater capabilities than what was officially announced. The first OTV flight launched in April of 2011 and landed 224 days later at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The U.S. Air Force is undoubtedly being more judicious with fuel stores on board the robotic spacecraft, allowing for a longer duration flight.

{...}

 

[N_Molson]

This is interesting, considering that one of the limits of the ISS crews rolls is the Soyuz limited orbital life of 200 days, caused by the degradation of the hypergolic propellant.

I think it is probable that the X-37B is used to test long-duration hypergolic propellant, or improved formulas.

 

[Capt_hensley]

^ or it uses only compressed gasses, or it has some other special qualities. I'm excited that it just flys.

 

[Notebook]

BBC article

X-37B spaceplane 'spying on China'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16423881

N.

 

[Keatah]

WOW! I hadn't expected a second launch this fast! Really makes you wonder what the Air Force is up to that needs a vehicle up there only two months after the first returned.

They're looking to see how many folks are pirating Orbiter on ebay..

 

[orb]

SPACE.com: 'No Chance' Secret X-37B Space Plane Spying on China Module: Expert

 

[gwiz]

Another debunking of the story:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/aerospace/military/bloopers-in-space