{"id":114885,"date":"2024-10-16T18:37:45","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T11:37:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=114885"},"modified":"2024-10-16T18:37:45","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T11:37:45","slug":"mysterious-space-plane-x-37b-to-try-first-of-a-kind-maneuvers-in-orbit-sciencealert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=114885","title":{"rendered":"Mysterious Space Plane X-37B to Try &#8216;First of a Kind&#8217; Maneuvers in Orbit : ScienceAlert"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boeing.com\/defense\/autonomous-systems\/x37b\">X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle<\/a> (OTV) has been shrouded in mystery since its maiden flight in 2011.<\/p>\n<p>Designed by Boeing and operated by the US Space Force (USSF), this remotely operated, reusable space plane is designed to operate in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), 240 to 800 kilometers (150 to 500 miles) above the Earth, and test reusable vehicle technologies that support long-term space objectives.<\/p>\n<p>On <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/165078\/falcon-heavy-launches-space-forces-mysterious-x-37b-space-plane\/\">December 29th, 2023<\/a>, the X-37B began its seventh mission (OTV-7) and has reportedly been conducting experiments on the effects of space radiation and testing Space Domain Awareness (SDA) technologies.<\/p>\n<p>As part of this mission, the X-37B will soon begin executing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spaceforce.mil\/News\/Article-Display\/Article\/3932137\/x-37b-begins-novel-space-maneuver\/\">series of novel maneuvers<\/a> to change its orbit around Earth. These maneuvers will consist of the spacecraft brushing against Earth&#8217;s upper atmosphere to shed speed and lower its orbit without expending much fuel \u2013 a technique known as &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spacedaily.com\/news\/aerobraking-01a.html\">aerobraking<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This is the first time the X-37B has performed such a maneuver, which will help it evade detection by potentially hostile nations and perform undetected low passes over Earth during future missions.<\/p>\n<p>According to a statement by the USSF, this latest maneuver leverages six successful missions in LEO and decades of lessons learned from missions to <a href=\"https:\/\/sciencealert.com\/moon\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" data-linkid=\"73106\" data-postid=\"140700\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_self\">the Moon<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/sciencealert.com\/mars\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" data-linkid=\"73083\" data-postid=\"140700\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_self\">Mars<\/a>. In 1997, the <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/mars-global-surveyor\/\">Mars Global Surveyor<\/a> (MGS) orbiter used its solar panels as &#8220;wings&#8221; to control its passage through Mars&#8217; tenuous upper atmosphere and lower its orbit over several months.<\/p>\n<p>More recently, aerobraking has been used by the <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/odyssey\/\">Mars Odyssey<\/a> in 2001, the <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter\/\">Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter<\/a> in 2006, and the ESA&#8217;s ExoMars <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/tgo\/\">Trace Gas Orbiter<\/a> in 2017-2018.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This novel and efficient series of maneuvers demonstrates the Space Force&#8217;s commitment to achieving groundbreaking innovation as it conducts national security missions in space,&#8221; said Secretary of the Air Force <a href=\"https:\/\/www.af.mil\/About-Us\/Biographies\/Display\/Article\/2730581\/secretary-of-the-air-force-frank-kendall\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Frank Kendall<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This first-of-a-kind maneuver from the X-37B is an incredibly important milestone for the United States Space Force as we seek to expand our aptitude and ability to perform in this challenging domain,&#8221; added Chief of Space Operations <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spaceforce.mil\/Biographies\/Display\/Article\/2329659\/b-chance-saltzman\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gen. Chance Saltzman<\/a>. &#8220;The success is a testament to the dedication and perseverance of the team.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Beyond these experiments, very little is known about the X-37B&#8217;s capabilities and purpose. However, during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.military.com\/daily-news\/2019\/07\/23\/former-secaf-explains-how-secret-x-37-space-plane-throws-enemies.html\">Aspen Security Forum in 2019<\/a>, former U.S. Air Force (USAF) Secretary Heather Wilson explained how the X-37B capabilities allow it to avoid detection, saying:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;[The X-37B is] fascinating [because it] can do an orbit that looks like an egg and, when it&#8217;s close to the Earth, it&#8217;s close enough to the atmosphere to turn where it is. Which means our adversaries don&#8217;t know \u2013 and that happens on the far side of the Earth from our adversaries \u2013 where it&#8217;s going to come up next. And we know that that drives them nuts. And I&#8217;m really glad about that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As Jonathan McDowell \u2013 an astronomer and astrophysicist at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfa.harvard.edu\/\">Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics<\/a> \u2013 told Military.com in an interview at the time:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;[Wilson&#8217;s comments may shed light on] a previously secret orbit-related capability. The dip into the atmosphere causes a change in the timing of when it next comes overhead. So [trackers&#8217;] predictions are off, and [they] have to search for it all over again. Even a timing change makes more work for [adversaries] than just being able to use the existing orbital prediction.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Once the aerobrake maneuver is complete, the X-37B will resume its tests and experiments until they are fulfilled. As the USSF indicated before the launch of the OTV-7 mission, these tests include operating in new orbital regimes, experimenting with future SDA technologies, and investigating the radiation effects on plant seeds provided by NASA \u2013 the &#8220;Seeds-2&#8221; experiment.<\/p>\n<p>The spacecraft will also eject some of its service module components in accordance with recognized standards for space debris mitigation. At this point, the vehicle will de-orbit and return to Earth as it has during its six previous missions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>This article was originally published by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/\">Universe Today<\/a>. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/168903\/space-forces-x-37b-will-perform-never-before-seen-maneuvers\/\">original article<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/mysterious-space-plane-x-37b-to-try-first-of-a-kind-maneuvers-in-orbit\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) has been shrouded in mystery since its maiden flight in 2011. Designed by Boeing and operated by the US Space Force (USSF), this remotely &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=114885\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8628],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=114885"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114885\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=114885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=114885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=114885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}