The mysterious X-37B space plane of the US Space Force has been in orbit around the Earth for more than a year, or 379 days to be exact.. What he's doing there remains a mystery, but there is still some evidence that sheds light on his secret mission, writes IFLScience.
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The uncrewed X-37B spaceplane was launched into orbit by SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket on December 28, 2023.. This is the seventh mission of the mysterious US military space plane, which was created by Boeing.. At the moment, the plane has been in orbit for 379 days and it is unknown when it will return back.. If the X-37B requires a booster rocket to enter orbit, it lands like a regular plane on the runway, which has already been demonstrated 6 times.
The US Space Force first sent the X-37B into orbit in 2010.. This first secret plane mission lasted 224 days.. The X-37B spent the longest time in orbit during its sixth mission, which ended in 2022.. It lasted 908 days.
Not much information has emerged about the space plane itself over the years to allow us to understand exactly what it is doing in orbit.. It is also unknown how long he will spend in space during the seventh mission.. Most likely, the end of this mission will become known when the plane returns to Earth, as it did in the past.
Experts believe that the Pentagon is testing reusable spaceplane technology, but whether this is true is unknown. Most of the X-37B's missions have always been shrouded in mystery, and the seventh mission is no exception.. Officially, the Pentagon has stated many times that the X-37B is used to test various space technologies, without going into details..
It is known that last year the X-37B spaceplane for the first time demonstrated aerobraking technology, where atmospheric friction is used to lower orbit with minimal fuel consumption. It is also known that during this maneuver the X-37B disposed of some devices in the Earth’s atmosphere, but which ones are unknown.
As for the current X-37B mission, NASA said an experiment is being conducted on board the aircraft that should provide more information about how cosmic radiation affects plant seeds and their survival in space.. Also commissioned by NASA, new protective thermal coatings for spacecraft are being tested..
What is known about the X-37B space plane itself Its length is almost 9 meters, and its wingspan is 4.5 meters.. The plane can be at an altitude of 240 to 800 km above the Earth. But the Pentagon is hiding information about what altitude the X-37B is at during its seventh mission. Although there is nothing surprising, because such information was not disclosed during previous missions. The X-37B spaceplane can fly above the Earth at speeds of more than 28,000 km/h.
Some experts suggest that the seventh mission could end in 2026, but this is just a guess and there is no confirmation of this. It is worth noting that each new X-37B mission was longer than the previous one.
Therefore, there is a possibility that the seventh mission will last longer than the sixth and perhaps the secret US space plane will stay in orbit even 1000 days.
As Focus already wrote, the Earth has the first wooden satellite in history. Astronauts launched it from the ISS. Scientists want to prove that wood can be used to create satellites, as well as for construction on the Moon and Mars.
Focus also wrote that with the help of a 1300-kilometer underground device in the USA, physicists want to confirm the theory of the existence of additional dimensions in the Universe.