Welcome to a new article column of The Great Galactic Space Gimmick . . . The Spaceport Pantheon. This column is here to present information and details of our planets’ current roster of spacecraft. These are taking us steps closer to prolonged experiences in outer space, including interplanetary travel, exploring astroids up close, and even setting up a permanent lunar base.
For this first article, the Boeing X-37B is presented. It is also called the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV). It is a small, space shuttle like spacecraft utilized by the United States Air Force to conduct top secret orbital space missions. These missions often last at least a year or more, with the spacecraft remaining in orbit for the duration.
The size comparison above shows the X-37B along side the now retired Space Shuttle. Presently, the craft has been launched a board Atlas five rocket with a large fairing, or cargo holding nose cone.
The craft has many features similar to the Shuttle such as we are thrusters to serve as retrorockets for reentry, heat shielding on the underside of the wings and body, and an opening cargo hold.
The X-37 started out as a civilian project, namely to test new space technologys related to future manned spaceflight. When the Air Force got involved, it produced its own version, the X-37B for the purpose of conducting top-secret, clandestine missions.
The diagram above shows the atlas five rocket used to launch the X-37B. The rocket is manufactured by United Launch Alliance (NOTE: Yours truly has worked there twice). In the far upper hand right corner, you will see the X-37 fitting into the fairing.
This is how close do you know of the X-37B that flew in late August 2011.
The Atlas V launches for the spacecraft usually occur at Cape Canaveral, FL. Here is one of the spacecrafts missions getting underway.
On related note, you see Newton’s conservation of momentum playing into effect here. M = mV, with Momentum (M) equal to Mass (m) times Velocity (V). As the rocket burns fuel, it’s mass decreases. But the value of M has to remain the same, so as mass decreases, the velocity increases to keep the value of M constant. And the final velocity has to be high enough so that the spacecraft can obtain orbit and remain in orbit without falling back to earth until the craft is ordered a fire it’s retrorockets.
Once the X-37B obtains orbit, it then conducts top secret missions, tests, and objectives set by the USAF.
There are many speculations as to what the mission of the X-37B is. Some say it’s to spy on nations with rogue regimes. Some say it’s to test the feasibility of a future orbital starfighter. Some even deeper, philosophical ones say that it may be used to evaluate and test for the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
In the diagram above, you see at least two versions. The current one is utilized for top secret missions that are currently being done. The latter two are meant more to be Mandt craft for the USAF, and even competitive with current commercial manned spacecraft such as Boeing CST-100, SpaceX Dragon, Blue Origin’s New Sheppard and New Glenn among others. For long term, sustained electrical power, you see the cargo bay is open and retractable solar panels unfurled.
Once the X-37B he’s ready to come down, the retrorockets are fired in the direction that the craft is moving, after being rotated to pointing in that direction. When that happens, it slows the craft enough the earths gravity will pull it from orbit. The intense friction caused between the craft entering the atmosphere at a high-speed causes the underbelly tiles to heat up considerably, sometimes to several thousand degrees. When this is happening, it’s actually due to the craft slowing down due to the air pressure of our atmosphere pushing against the craft.
Once the craft has slowed, it goes into an unmanned controlled glide mode. It is then guided to the landing bass chosen, which typically Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, with the Mohave Desert site as a back up.
Finally, just like the space shuttle, the X-37B lands on the runway. After the mission, there’s plenty of data, mission, and test results to be poured over by the ground in mission teams. The next mission of the X-37B is slated for August of this year (2017) aboard a SpaceX Falcon. Like the previous missions before, the X-37B Will continue to perform top-secret missions as well as helping to test New technologies that will make space fairing much easier and more routine.
For The Great Galactic Space Gimmick, I’m Gimmick Commander Ben Faltinowski!
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