A Space & astronomy forum. SpaceBanter.com

Go Back   Home » SpaceBanter.com forum » Astronomy and Astrophysics » Astronomy Misc
Site Map Home Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Secret X-37B Space Plane Spotted by Amateur Skywatchers



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old May 25th 10, 05:43 AM posted to rec.sport.cricket,sci.astro,sci.physics
NewsToBeRead
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3
Default Secret X-37B Space Plane Spotted by Amateur Skywatchers

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/201005...eurskywatchers

Secret X-37B Space Plane Spotted by Amateur Skywatchers

Leonard David
SPACE.com's Space Insider Columnist
SPACE.com Leonard David
space.com's Space Insider Columnist
space.com - Mon May 24, 10:31 am ET

While the U.S. Air Force is mum about the orbital whereabouts of its X-37B
mini-space plane, a dedicated band of amateur skywatchers has got its
cross-hairs on the spacecraft.


The unpiloted X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle 1 was lofted on April 22 atop an
Atlas launcher. It is being flown under the auspices of the U.S. Air Force
Rapid Capabilities Office.


In U.S. military tracking parlance, when the space plane reached orbit it
became identified as Catalog Number 36514, 2010-015A, OTV-1 (USA 212).
[Video: X-37B space plane spotted.]


From there it entered a cone of silence regarding any on-orbit duties.


[Related: World's largest airship inflated to create monster 'stratellite']


But thanks to a worldwide eyes-on-the-sky network of amateurs, the
spacecraft is reportedly in a 39.99 degrees inclination, circling the Earth
in an orbit 401 kilometers by 422 kilometers. This data may change slightly
as the vehicle's orbit is better refined, said Greg Roberts of Cape Town,
South Africa, a pioneer in using telescopic video cameras to track
spacecraft, chalking up exceptional results over the years.


The Air Force has not said what the robotic ship is for, but analysts say
the X-37B is likely a spy craft and almost surely not a weapon. [X-37B
spacecraft photos.]


Absolute confidence


Roberts said that those sighting the craft have "absolute confidence" in
their observations, claiming no chance of it being anything else. "The fact
that we have now seen it several times confirms that the orbit we have is
very close to the real orbit -- perhaps an error of a few kilometers or so
at most," he told SPACE.com.


"One of our North American members got a brief view of what was suspected to
be the space plane under somewhat difficult circumstances before it was no
longer visible in the evening sky from the United States," Roberts said.


That single observation was not enough to define the spacecraft's
inclination as the skywatcher used binoculars, Roberts added. Video
observers of the sky get "traces" when they record the object of interest,
he continued, so it's possible to determine the angle of travel and hence an
idea of the inclination.


Roberts said the space plane has been observed over the last week by several
members and its orbit is properly tied down. "We now face a spell of a week
to two weeks when there will be no optical visibility until it becomes a
morning object in the southern hemisphere and an evening object in the
northern hemisphere."


The degree of difficulty in finding the X-37B has been a product of not
knowing its inclination and having limited optical visibility due to its low
orbiting altitude. Amateur astronomers learn how to spot satellites by
tracking spacecraft orbits and finding when they may fly over viewing areas
on the ground.


"This means it spends most of its time in Earth's shadow during a pass,"
Roberts said. Also the ship's low inclination and altitude has meant that
tracking has only been possible from mid-latitude, ruling out observations
by some of the members of the team unless they are in position at very low
elevations.


According to Ted Molczan, a leader in the satellite sleuthing business based
in Toronto, the X-37B search was moderately challenging.


"It was the first launch of its kind, so we had only a rough idea of its
altitude, inclination and plane. Its low altitude and inclination put it out
of reach of several of our most skilled observers," he told SPACE.com.


Molczan said his role was estimating the range of possible orbits in which
the space plane might be found, which was the basis for the searches.


"The object is moderately bright. Based on the limited tracking so far, I
estimate that it will reach about magnitude 2.5 when observed at high
elevation above the horizon, and well illuminated by the sun. That is
similar to the brightest stars of the Big Dipper," Molczan said.

Nighttime fixation

What's behind the nighttime fixation on the X-37B?

"Well the challenge is finding it without much data to go on," Roberts
responded. "If the data were freely available we would probably not have
bothered with it. I see little sense in tracking objects for which data is
freely available. It's like re-inventing the wheel. So as long as there are
missions with little or no information, I personally will be interested in
the challenge of finding them."

Roberts said that the sky watching group has a pretty good record. "If
memory is correct, we have found and are tracking every single object
launched in the past five years or more. The only objects we are not able to
track are those stationed over areas of the earth where we have no active
observers.mainly the central Pacific Ocean area."

Next up on the Roberts "to-do" list is attempting to see if the space plane
is emitting any radio signals on the frequency bands that he's able to
monitor.

"That is going to be an even bigger challenge," Roberts concluded, "and I'm
not really that keen on it as it's like looking for a needle in a haystack!"

Mystery manifest

Still, even with the ground observations, exactly what's tucked inside the
X-37B's cargo hold -- about the size of a pickup truck bed -- remains a
mystery.

The X-37B signals a new way for the Air Force to conduct on-orbit
experiments, said Gary Payton, Air Force deputy under secretary for space
programs, during a pre-launch press briefing teleconference last month.
"Actual on-orbit activities we do classify...for the experimental payloads
that are on-orbit with the X-37," he noted.

Payton did indicate that there's enough payload room on the mini-space
shuttle to house a couple of small satellites in the range of a few hundred
kilograms each. There is growing speculation that the vehicle is likely
toting Earth spying gear for the National Reconnaissance Office.

The reusable X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle 1 was built by Boeing Phantom Works.
It is about 29 feet (9 meters) long and has a wingspan of just over 14 feet
(4 meters) across. It stands just over 9 1/2 feet (3 meters) tall and weighs
nearly 11,000 pounds (about 5,000 kg).

Big test ahead

The OTV 1 mission is also designed to test new technologies and develop ways
to make space access more routine, affordable and responsive. The OTV is the
first vehicle since NASA's shuttle orbiter capable of returning experiments
to Earth for further inspection and analysis.

A second X-37B is now being fabricated for a test mission scheduled for
2011.

X-37B is being operated under the direction of Air Force Space Command's 3rd
Space Experimentation Squadron, a space control unit located at Schriever
Air Force Base in Colorado.

Capable of orbiting Earth for up to 270 days, a big test for the X-37B is
ahead: A "do-it-itself" guided entry and wheels down runway landing at
Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, with Edwards Air Force Base as an
alternate site.

If the incoming space plane strays off its auto-pilot trajectory over the
Pacific Ocean, the craft is outfitted with a destruct mechanism.

a.. Top 10 Most Dangerous Space Weapons
b.. Gallery - The Air Force's X-37B Space Plane
c.. Video - Secret X-37B Space Plane Revealed in Flight
Leonard David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five
decades. He is past editor-in-chief of the National Space Society's Ad Astra
and Space World magazines and has written for SPACE.com since 1999.

a.. Original Story: Secret X-37B Space Plane Spotted by Amateur
Skywatchers
SPACE.com offers rich and compelling content about space science, travel and
exploration as well as astronomy, technology, business news and more. The
site boasts a variety of popular features including our space image of the
day and other space pictures,space videos, Top 10s, Trivia, podcasts and
Amazing Images submitted by our users. Join our community, sign up for our
free newsletters and register for our RSS Feeds today!




  #2  
Old May 25th 10, 03:09 PM posted to rec.sport.cricket,sci.astro,sci.physics
Uncle Al
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 697
Default Secret X-37B Space Plane Spotted by Amateur Skywatchers

NewsToBeRead wrote:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/201005...eurskywatchers

Secret X-37B Space Plane Spotted by Amateur Skywatchers

Leonard David
SPACE.com's Space Insider Columnist
SPACE.com Leonard David
space.com's Space Insider Columnist
space.com - Mon May 24, 10:31 am ET

While the U.S. Air Force is mum about the orbital whereabouts of its X-37B
mini-space plane, a dedicated band of amateur skywatchers has got its
cross-hairs on the spacecraft.


Not the AIR Force, the VACUUM Force.

The unpiloted X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle 1 was lofted on April 22 atop an
Atlas launcher. It is being flown under the auspices of the U.S. Air Force
Rapid Capabilities Office.


Gee... Not the Space Scuttle?

In U.S. military tracking parlance, when the space plane reached orbit it
became identified as Catalog Number 36514, 2010-015A, OTV-1 (USA 212).
[Video: X-37B space plane spotted.]

From there it entered a cone of silence regarding any on-orbit duties.

[snip]

Get out your laser pointers! Everybody irradiate the Space Twinkie -
Obamanation's Corps Repulsion by the American People.

--
Uncle Al
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/
(Toxic URL! Unsafe for children and most mammals)
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/qz4.htm
  #3  
Old May 27th 10, 01:54 AM posted to sci.astro
Dan Birchall[_3_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 173
Default Secret X-37B Space Plane Spotted by Amateur Skywatchers

heavens-above.com listed a mag-3.1 visible pass here last evening, but
although the skies were clear, I didn't see anything naked-eye.

Given that the flying-twinkie-watchers admit they only have the orbit
approximated, maybe the timing or something was just off... or maybe
the 90% illuminated moon washed things out too much for me to pick it up.

--
djb@ | Dan Birchall, Night Operation Assistant, Subaru Telescope/NAOJ.
naoj | Views I express are my own, certainly not those of my employer.
..org | Oh wicked, bad, naughty, _evil_ Dan! He is a _naughty_ person.
 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Other X-plane and space models Pat Flannery History 0 December 26th 09 09:39 AM
Military Space Plane = Space life boat? David E. Powell Space Shuttle 247 December 9th 09 07:20 AM
Kliper Space Plane Encyclopedia Astronautica History 1 February 25th 04 02:27 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 02:34 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 SpaceBanter.com.
The comments are property of their posters.