Â
Sponsored by
NATIONAL NEWS
Air Force sends mystery mini-shuttle back to space
Posted: Dec 11, 2012 10:09 AM by Associated Press
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - A top-secret mini-space shuttle has blasted off from Cape Canaveral.
The Air Force launched the unmanned spacecraft Tuesday aboard an Atlas V rocket.
It's the second flight for this original X-37B spaceplane. It circled the planet for seven months in 2010. A second X-37B spacecraft spent more than a year in orbit.
These mystery machines are about one-quarter the size of NASA's old space shuttles and they can land automatically on a runway.
The military isn't saying much if anything about this new secret mission. But one scientific observer, Harvard University's Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, speculates the spaceplane is carrying sensors designed for spying and likely is serving as a testbed.
The two previous secret flights were in roughly 200-plus-mile-high orbits.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
PLEASE HELP US MODERATE COMMENTS
Offensive or inappropriate comments are subject to removal. To report a comment, please e-mail us at feedback@ksby.com, and include the name of the story and information on the comment.
Thank you! KSBY.com
KSBY.COM VIDEOS
-
Toddler who lost feet in lawnmower accident meets the dolphin famous for her prosthetic tail
Views: 41 May 20, 2013 -
Search and rescue efforts continue for seven still missing in wake of Texas tornados
Views: 16 May 17, 2013
Comments