| Issue 9 | Volume 146 | Tuesday, November 15, 2016 | theavion.com |
Image Courtesy/USAF
USAF X-37B: America’s Secret Unmanned Space Shuttle Michael Weinhoffer Staff Reporter
What’s Inside
Recently, the X-37B reusable unmanned spacecraft operated by the United States Air Force, built by Boeing, has been prevalent in the news. This new attention is due to two developments: the potential for the spacecraft to assist astronauts aboard the International Space Station, and onboard tests of a new spacecraft propulsion system. But what is the X-37B? And should it be feared or praised? Although operated by the Air Force, the spaceplane is funded by DARPA, a Department of Defense research agency that develops advanced technologies for military applications. All we know is that the X-37B is an advanced DARPA research project, but its true mission and application is classified information. Many theorists claim that it serves as a surveillance spacecraft, but the Air
Force’s description seems more likely. According to the Air Force website, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle tests technology such as advanced navigation, thermal protection, propulsion, and autonomous systems. The spacecraft can spend over 600 days in orbit, allowing for an extensive amount of research and experimentation. Three flights have been completed with total success, and the current flight has been in orbit for over 500 days. The spacecraft is launched on the large Atlas V rocket, and it on a runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base in southern California. The most impressive feature is that the spacecraft is guided autonomously from the ground while in orbit and during landing. It has quickly become the most successful reusable unmanned spacecraft every launched. Having no crew means that the spacecraft can perform risky maneuvers and stay in orbit for a
very long time. There is no evidence that the X-37B is being used for space defense, but it is definitely testing revolutionary technologies during its flights. The X-37B’s potential applications have been increasing after completing three flights successfully. The newest one is a proposal to use the spacecraft as a resource for astronauts onboard the ISS. The craft could be configured to carry small payloads to the station autonomously and compete with other commercial spaceflight companies such as SpaceX. A grander idea is to expand the spacecraft and use it as an evacuation vehicle for station inhabitants. It would be impractical to launch astronauts on a shuttle this size, but it does serve as an adequate reentry module. If tensions with Russia continue to increase, the use of the X-37B might become the necessary emergency module for the ISS. These
are simply concepts right now, and I doubt NASA would have any interest in a new version of a space shuttle, but the spaceplane is another available asset to ensure the safety of all NASA astronauts. The other development in the news recently involves the testing of a new propulsion system onboard the X-37B. This new technology being tested by the U.S. and China space agencies is called an EM-Drive, which is a prototype radio frequency resonant cavity thruster. Basically, rocket power is created with no rocket fuel (i.e. thrust with no propellant). This is done using microwave radiation in a cone-like structure, which produces power. This idea seems to defy Newton’s third law of motion (every action has an equal and opposite reaction), and many scientists have questioned the authenticity of the experiments. Continued on A/B/CX >>
Image Courtesy/USAF The first X-37B sits in the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle. The fairing of the Atlas V launch vehicle is visible in the background of the photo.
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