Space Plane (American, Of Course) Set for US Launch
- From: Patriot Games <Patriot@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:55:55 -0400
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,524940,00.html
U.S. Air Force Set to Launch Space Plane
Thursday, June 04, 2009
It has been a long haul to the launch pad, but the U.S. Air Force and
Boeing are gearing up to loft the X-37B ? an unpiloted military space
plane, SPACE.com has learned.
Tucked inside the shroud of an Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch
Vehicle (EELV), the winged craft will be boosted out of Cape
Canaveral, Fla., orbit the Earth and then make an auto-pilot landing
in California.
The X-37B OTV-1 (Orbital Test Vehicle 1) is currently on the launch
manifest for January 2010, explained U.S. Air Force Captain Elizabeth
Aptekar, who works in media operations for the Secretary of the Air
Force Office of Public Affairs in Washington, D.C.
"The vehicle is ready for the shipping process, which includes minor
close-out activities," Aptekar told SPACE.com. "The vehicle will ship
at the conclusion of the pre-ship activities ... which should be
approximately 60 days before its launch date."
Years ago, the X-37B was originally slated to be deployed from the
payload bay of a space shuttle. But following the tragic Columbia
accident, the craft was transferred to a Delta rocket, and then later
geared to be sent aloft via the Atlas V EELV.
Flying testbed
In July 1999, Boeing Phantom Works began work to develop the X-37 via
a four-year cooperative agreement with NASA. In November 2002, Boeing
was awarded a $301 million contract to continue the development of the
X-37 flight demonstrator.
That contract included the development of an X-37 Approach and Landing
Test Vehicle to carry out a progressive series of approach and landing
tests, followed by the development of an X-37 vehicle designed as an
orbital flight test craft.
The vehicle's long and winding history includes an X-37 government
team that was once led by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville, Alabama. Also at one point, the project fell under the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Details sketchy
While next year's flight profile remains a bit hazy, reports have the
X-37B under auto-pilot control zooming into Vandenberg Air Force Base
for a landing, or perhaps at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
As a reusable space plane, the intent of the craft is to serve as a
testbed for dozens of technologies in airframe, propulsion and
operation, and other items in the hopes of making space transportation
and operations significantly more affordable.
According to earlier press releases issued by Boeing, the X-37 orbital
craft is capable of circling Earth for up to three weeks.
"Potential new commercial and military reusable space vehicle market
applications for these technologies range from on-orbit satellite
repair to the next-generation of totally reusable launch vehicles,"
explained past Boeing-issued material.
[NASA's mission last month to service the Hubble Space Telescope
marked the last satellite-servicing mission by the shuttle fleet.]
The intent of the X-37B mission is to try out a wide variety of
experiments and technologies, including a highly durable,
high-temperature thermal protection system; storable, non-toxic liquid
propellants; and important new aerodynamic features - all of which are
applicable to future reusable space vehicles.
The vehicle is about 27.5 feet long with a roughly 15-foot wingspan
and tips the scales at about 5 tons at liftoff.
.
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