I can report a confirmed sighting. 4:08 to 4:13 AM EDT. H-A predicted brightness was +2.3, I observed a peak brightness closer to mag +1.8, right on schedule. This was my first sighting of this craft.
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MeteorWayne":1zfym8hl said:
I can't imagine it has that much propellant for multiple attitude changes, though I would assume that would be part of testing. Maybe it's in stealth mode now. That the orbit is as predicted is most relevant.
bdewoody":1pjxp1um said:
Good points. But private industry doesn't have much funds for long term high risk development; that was supposed to be NASA's role. And unfortunately even though the X-37 was originally a NASA project and almost every picture of the X-37 shows it still having a NASA logo, the fact is that NASA, for inexplicable reasons, has abandoned all rusable launch technology. NASA has apparently forgotten that they built the Space Shuttle because human spaceflight with ELVs is much too expensive to be practical. Until someone at NASA is willing to actually talk about missions and goals, I'm not hopeful.
Why do people keep asking whether it has landed and things like that? The mission is 270 days long, it won't be landing for some time!
ZiraldoAerospace":34r9kqv4 said:
And you know this mission is intended to be 270 days long? If the mission length (as opposed to the maximum capable) is 270 days, that figure is probably classified. So, are the black helicopters circling over your house yet?
Yes they were, but after I shot 2 of them down, the others left. I haven't seen anything about it on the news though...
And yes, I know that that isn't an exact mission length, but what I was trying to say is, I don't think that they would end it this short.
And yes, I know that that isn't an exact mission length, but what I was trying to say is, I don't think that they would end it this short.
Well, tune in tomorrow for the next exciting chapter in "X-37 and the Space Rangers," brought to you by MRE's (I don't think they serve S.O.S. anymore :roll: ), the breakfast food of our fighting forces!
NASA announces new initiative on Reusable Launch Vehicles! To actually consider inputs form industry! Hot Dog! NASA is doing something right!
http://www.hobbyspace.com/AAdmin/archiv ... ap_SAS.pdf
http://www.hobbyspace.com/AAdmin/archiv ... ap_SAS.pdf
Anybody spotted this critter lately? Wonder why they didn't paint it black (apart from thermal considerations)??? Maybe with the same stuff they use on stealth aircraft. Then nobody would know if it's up there or not. Go right along with those black helicoptors. :roll:
Last I've heard, it's still in orbit. I have a visible pass listed tomorrow morning at 5:15 AM, if I'm awake, I'll look for it
MeteorWayne":2zesfny2 said:Last I've heard, it's still in orbit. I have a visible pass listed tomorrow morning at 5:15 AM, if I'm awake, I'll look for it
They are supposed to try to launch the same X37 again within 2 weeks of landing, correct ? I guess the question is, does ULA have a new Atlas 501 sitting in storage at the cape, just waiting for the payload ? The AirForce knows when it is coming down, so they must have pencilled in a second launch date.
The orbit on H-A has just been updated:
Orbit: 424 x 441 km, 40.0° (Epoch Aug 19)
This has moved the pass for tomorrow morning for me to 5:20-5:26 AM EDT @ 37 degrees elevation. (cute coincidence, eh? )
Orbit: 424 x 441 km, 40.0° (Epoch Aug 19)
This has moved the pass for tomorrow morning for me to 5:20-5:26 AM EDT @ 37 degrees elevation. (cute coincidence, eh? )
If the X-37 launches again within 2 weeks of landing it will beat both the time in orbit and the turnaround time for a reusable orbital spacecraft by about a factor of ten compared to the only competitors in this field, the space shuttle and the one (unmanned) Gemini capsule that was flown twice.
No small feat for the DOD, but hardly a credit to NASA, which abandoned the X-37 under Mike Griffin. Can anyone explain why he did so? This flight should refute the common claim that the RLVs were cancelled because of technical failure. It's disappointing to see NASA continue to abandon the whole spectrum of reusable launch vehicles and spacecraft. Since it is now classified, there is little chance the technology developed under this program will be be available to commercial or human spaceflight or to benefit the US economy. Vehicles derived from it will most likely be available only to the DOD and supported entirely with taxpayer dollars.
No small feat for the DOD, but hardly a credit to NASA, which abandoned the X-37 under Mike Griffin. Can anyone explain why he did so? This flight should refute the common claim that the RLVs were cancelled because of technical failure. It's disappointing to see NASA continue to abandon the whole spectrum of reusable launch vehicles and spacecraft. Since it is now classified, there is little chance the technology developed under this program will be be available to commercial or human spaceflight or to benefit the US economy. Vehicles derived from it will most likely be available only to the DOD and supported entirely with taxpayer dollars.
This may be a good sign that the first X-37B is doing OK.....or it is dead but they understand the cause and it was a easy fix......
from Spaceflightnow.com
May Atlas 5 • OTV 2
Launch window: TBD
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch the U.S. military's X-37B, a prototype space plane also called the Orbital Test Vehicle. Under the Air Force's new slot manifest concept, the military's first SBIRS GEO missile warning satellite could also launch in this opportunity. The rocket will fly in the 501 vehicle configuration with a five-meter fairing, no solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. [Aug. 1]
from Spaceflightnow.com
May Atlas 5 • OTV 2
Launch window: TBD
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch the U.S. military's X-37B, a prototype space plane also called the Orbital Test Vehicle. Under the Air Force's new slot manifest concept, the military's first SBIRS GEO missile warning satellite could also launch in this opportunity. The rocket will fly in the 501 vehicle configuration with a five-meter fairing, no solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. [Aug. 1]
IT'S ALIVE !!!!!
THE AIR FORCE'S SECRET PLANE HAS CHANGED ORBIT
• The secret X-37B space plane apparently boosted itself into a new orbit.
• The orbit-raising maneuver was first noticed by an amateur sky watcher in South Africa when the object failed to appear as predicted by the last known orbit.
• After several nights of searching, he found the aircraft again which enabled the new orbit to be estimated with sufficient accuracy to easily locate the X-37B on subsequent nights.
THE AIR FORCE'S SECRET PLANE HAS CHANGED ORBIT
• The secret X-37B space plane apparently boosted itself into a new orbit.
• The orbit-raising maneuver was first noticed by an amateur sky watcher in South Africa when the object failed to appear as predicted by the last known orbit.
• After several nights of searching, he found the aircraft again which enabled the new orbit to be estimated with sufficient accuracy to easily locate the X-37B on subsequent nights.
LOL, s_g you beat me by 3 minutes
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/x-37b-s ... 00823.html
"The U.S. Air Force's secretive X-37B space plane apparently boosted itself into a new orbit Aug. 9, according to reports from seasoned satellite trackers around the world, SPACE.com has learned.
The orbit-raising maneuver was first noticed Aug. 14 by amateur skywatcher Greg Roberts of Cape Town, South Africa, when the object failed to appear as predicted by the last known orbit. After several nights of searching, Roberts found it again on Aug. 19, which enabled the new orbit to be estimated with sufficient accuracy to easily locate the X-37B space plane on subsequent nights."
...........
From launch until Aug. 9, the X-37B was in a 40-degree orbit, zipping around the Earth at a 250-mile-by-260-mile (403 km by 420 km) orbit. It maintained a nearly constant altitude by making frequent small maneuvers to counter atmospheric drag, Molczan said.
Then on Aug. 9, the space plane made two larger maneuvers, increasing its mean altitude by roughly 17 miles (27.5 km).
The mystery space plane's first orbital adjustment occurred near its apogee (high point of orbit), raising its orbit to approximately 260 miles by 276 miles (420 km by 445 km). The final maneuver occurred near the next high point of its orbit, which happened to coincide near overhead passes of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado. The resulting orbit was 268 miles by 276 miles (432 km by 445 km), Molczan noted.
.........
Note the Heavens-Above satellite prediction page was updated on Aug 24 with an orbit: 428 x 444 km, 40.0° (Epoch Aug 24), so should be fairly accurate.
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/x-37b-s ... 00823.html
"The U.S. Air Force's secretive X-37B space plane apparently boosted itself into a new orbit Aug. 9, according to reports from seasoned satellite trackers around the world, SPACE.com has learned.
The orbit-raising maneuver was first noticed Aug. 14 by amateur skywatcher Greg Roberts of Cape Town, South Africa, when the object failed to appear as predicted by the last known orbit. After several nights of searching, Roberts found it again on Aug. 19, which enabled the new orbit to be estimated with sufficient accuracy to easily locate the X-37B space plane on subsequent nights."
...........
From launch until Aug. 9, the X-37B was in a 40-degree orbit, zipping around the Earth at a 250-mile-by-260-mile (403 km by 420 km) orbit. It maintained a nearly constant altitude by making frequent small maneuvers to counter atmospheric drag, Molczan said.
Then on Aug. 9, the space plane made two larger maneuvers, increasing its mean altitude by roughly 17 miles (27.5 km).
The mystery space plane's first orbital adjustment occurred near its apogee (high point of orbit), raising its orbit to approximately 260 miles by 276 miles (420 km by 445 km). The final maneuver occurred near the next high point of its orbit, which happened to coincide near overhead passes of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado. The resulting orbit was 268 miles by 276 miles (432 km by 445 km), Molczan noted.
.........
Note the Heavens-Above satellite prediction page was updated on Aug 24 with an orbit: 428 x 444 km, 40.0° (Epoch Aug 24), so should be fairly accurate.
I sure hope the assumed success of the first X-37B will rekindle NASA or privately Boeing's interest in modifying it to carry a human crew. As this was the original goal of the project it should not be hard to accomplish.
bdewoody":tt60qvu8 said:
I would assume it would have to be a larger craft to be able to carry a human crew. It couldn't carry a human crew for 270 days, since the amount of consummables to support a crew for 9 months would take too much physical volume. It's probably OK for commuting to a LEO space station. I wonder how much larger the X-37 could get and still fit inside a fairing on top an Atlas 5xx ?
The reason for the change in orbit was that the secret crew had a malfunction of the toilet, and had to throw bags of a "dump load" overboard, which acted like reaction mass! :roll: :lol:
What will get really interesting is if/when they are able to change planes of the orbit significantly. They'd need, what... 15-16 degrees plane change to be co-planer with the ISS?
Ad LEO! Ad Luna! Ad Ares! Ad Astra!
What will get really interesting is if/when they are able to change planes of the orbit significantly. They'd need, what... 15-16 degrees plane change to be co-planer with the ISS?
Ad LEO! Ad Luna! Ad Ares! Ad Astra!
http://www.universetoday.com : ‘Secret’ X-37B Space Plane Disappears Again
www.spaceweather.com : SPACE PLANE GOES MISSING:
...Oct 11th, 2010
by Nicholos Wethington
Artist impression of the Boeing X-37B (USAF)
The game between the United States Air Force and amateur satellite trackers continues: the unmanned X-37B space plane – a classified project of the Air Force – has changed orbit once again, leaving those that monitor the flyovers of the space plane scrambling to locate it once again.
...
www.spaceweather.com : SPACE PLANE GOES MISSING:
She hasn't gone missing I expect, the USAF have most certainly changed the orbit. I wonder what the USAF makes of the fact that observers on the ground could follow her orbit & accurately predict the location & overpasses???
Anyway, if not landed, she'll be found again by amateur Astronomers before the weekend I expect.
Mind you, would not be unlikely for the USAF you have landed the X-37B secretly!!!!! I doubt it, because they were keen on the nine month duration testing in the Space environment. However if the X-37B has completed everything expected early, then perhaps she has landed early.
Andrew Brown.
Anyway, if not landed, she'll be found again by amateur Astronomers before the weekend I expect.
Mind you, would not be unlikely for the USAF you have landed the X-37B secretly!!!!! I doubt it, because they were keen on the nine month duration testing in the Space environment. However if the X-37B has completed everything expected early, then perhaps she has landed early.
Andrew Brown.
3488":tnfpn6iy said:
It could be a test as well, to see how long it takes the satellite observers to find it again
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