Top-secret X-37B mini-shuttle mission lifts off from Cape Canaveral

In article ,
says...

In article , David Spain
wrote:

I think the title of this thread is broken.
Since we all know about this launch its not really Top-Secret.

If it were really Top-Secret it would have read:

Air Force denies any knowledge of possible object seen rising vertically
from somewhere off Florida coast supposedly trailing smoke.

There is a part of me that hopes this is the distraction, and the real
launch was done from the CIA base in North Korea.

This is silly.

The reason that launches aren't "top secret" is precisely because you
can't hide something that big, loud, and bright making its way into
orbit. You can't even hide satellites in orbit anymore as there are too
many governments and individuals watching and cataloging them.

Similarly, it's hard to hide something as big as the X-38 during reentry
and landing.

And finally, the X-37 vehicle program itself was never top secret since
it started life as a NASA project. The X-37A was the "drop test"
variant used to perform gliding and landing tests. The program was
transferred to the DOD in 2004, where the DOD led the program to build
and fly the X-37B variant which is the orbital, reusable, version.

Nothing much about orbital X-37B is "top secret", except for the
vehicle's payload and mission. Could be its payload bay contains only
test instrumentation for the vehicle. Could be that the payload bay
also contains other payload elements that DOD doesn't want anyone to
know about...

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer

On Dec 16, 11:42*am, Jeff Findley wrote:
In article ,
says...



In article , David Spain
wrote:

I think the title of this thread is broken.
Since we all know about this launch its not really Top-Secret.

If it were really Top-Secret it would have read:

Air Force denies any knowledge of possible object seen rising vertically
from somewhere off Florida coast supposedly trailing smoke.

There is a part of me that hopes this is the distraction, and the real
launch was done from the CIA base in North Korea.

This is silly.

The reason that launches aren't "top secret" is precisely because you
can't hide something that big, loud, and bright making its way into
orbit. *You can't even hide satellites in orbit anymore as there are too
many governments and individuals watching and cataloging them.

Similarly, it's hard to hide something as big as the X-38 during reentry
and landing.

And finally, the X-37 vehicle program itself was never top secret since
it started life as a NASA project. *The X-37A was the "drop test"
variant used to perform gliding and landing tests. *The program was
transferred to the DOD in 2004, where the DOD led the program to build
and fly the X-37B variant which is the orbital, reusable, version.

Nothing much about orbital X-37B is "top secret", except for the
vehicle's payload and mission. *Could be its payload bay contains only
test instrumentation for the vehicle. *Could be that the payload bay
also contains other payload elements that DOD doesn't want anyone to
know about...

Jeff

DOD could probably hide a launch of a satellite.

have it depart on a carrier aircraft from area 51, be a air launnched
rocket in a black color.... with booster ignition far off the coast.

have it communicate not with ground directly but to another satellite
in orbit....

its probably been occuring for many years

russias tracking is known to be in disarray......