Posted : October 2014
Author : Jeffrey Rindskopf
It could be a secret space weapon, or it could be a new way
to spy on citizens from miles above the Earth’s surface. That all depends on
who you ask about the X-37B, a space plane owned by the US military that has
been orbiting the Earth for nearly two years as part of its third mission. The plane is set to land later this week at the Vandenberg
Air Force Base, about 130 miles north of Los
Angeles. After all this time, very little is known
about the X-37B, which has only fueled the conspiracy theories on its possibly
sinister purpose. But we won’t add fuel to the fire of wild conspiracy
theories. Let’s focus on what we do know about this whole business.
The X-37B program has existed since 1999, but has been
volleyed around between federal agencies before finding a home in the Air
Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office. The X-37B set to land this week, one of two
in existence, launched on the back of a rocket fired at Cape Canaveral, Florida
on Dec. 11, 2012. The 11,000 pound craft is 9 1/2 feet tall, 19 feet long,
with a wingspan under 15 feet, and comes equipped with solar panels that unfurl
in orbit to keep it running. Beyond that, the general public doesn’t know much about the
space plane, and the Air Force isn’t offering answers anytime soon.. So, let’s
add fuel to the fire of conspiracy theories now.
There’s a slew of theories on the X-37B’s purpose, but
here’s a sampling of our favorites: it’s being used to capture detailed images
from a safe distance that might be helpful to US
intelligence like, say, tracking Iran’s nuclear program or the
activities of suspected terrorists. Some say it’s to control the satellites of
other nations, or simply view them from up close. Our personal favorite, however, is that the X-37B is just an
elaborate way to troll the Chinese government into spending massive amounts of
cash and manpower to figure out what its purpose is. If true, it’s one hell of
a plan - we’ve already spent a ton of time ourselves trying to answer the same
thing.
~Blog Admin~
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