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X-37B, Really? Orbital Mission?

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posted on Oct, 20 2014 @ 11:23 AM
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originally posted by: MystikMushroom

Not everything is reverse-engineered alien technology or some kind of evil super weapon.


You'd ask yourself "why is this classified" about 2/3 of the stuff I've seen.

Some of it is embarrassing. Some of it is fun - there was a classified summary of *ahem* personal habits of some governmental types we were going to be meeting with long ago (mid 80s) that was very enlightening. I've seen a number of classified maps, for God's sake, that were of ocean currents and long term thermoclines.



posted on Oct, 20 2014 @ 11:29 AM
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a reply to: BASSPLYR

Exactly.

Orbital decoy employed while craft scoots off to complete it's real mission, the collection of an "elemental" cargo.



posted on Oct, 20 2014 @ 11:42 AM
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To me,it looks like a next generation mini shuttle.
Maybe they are testing it as a robotic resupply craft,or maybe its upscalable so they could put people in it.
The fact this mission was unmanned may mean it was all about testing and monitoring the vehicles systems,to make it safer for the manned version.

The length of the mission is interesting though-as humans don't tend to spend that much time in the ISS in one go.
Could it be for a future Mars mission?


Edit to add:

I just checked out the wikipedia page and it seems they are going to make a bigger,manned version:


X-37C
In 2011, Boeing announced plans for a scaled-up variant of the X-37B, referring to it as the X-37C. The X-37C spacecraft would be between 165% and 180% of the size of the X-37B, allowing it to transport up to six astronauts inside a pressurized compartment housed in the cargo bay.
Its proposed launch vehicle is the Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle.
The X-37C could compete with Boeing's CST-100 commercial space capsule.[

en.wikipedia.org...

Makes sense they send a small unmanned version or two up before they put people in.


edit on 20/10/2014 by Silcone Synapse because: link added



posted on Oct, 20 2014 @ 12:57 PM
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a reply to: Bedlam

Someone on ATS got a phone call over a picture of an aircraft with a pod mounted that anyone with half a brain could have figured out would be mounted on it. We both went, "huh?" over that one.



posted on Oct, 20 2014 @ 01:26 PM
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Have a looky round and see if anything grabs ya! Here's an overview,

www.boeing.com...

A more recent discourse with the bits, it even wears long-johns


enu.kz...

'Field Programmable Gate Arrays' sounds like fun, bring to the table your own programme or plug and play summit already made up..and there's more than one. Bugger, you could play 'star Wars' up there..who said Ronny Raygun was dead?
I don't see the coffee machine in there, nor the paint sprayer...probably hidden in the jargon somewhere, anyway I'm off to do some more perusing

edit on 20-10-2014 by smurfy because: Text.



posted on Oct, 20 2014 @ 02:20 PM
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a reply to: BASSPLYR

I see what you did there........



posted on Oct, 20 2014 @ 07:14 PM
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a reply to: Sammamishman

Yes, he really collimated the topic at hand. He has quite the focus.



posted on Oct, 20 2014 @ 07:28 PM
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While everyone looks in every corner for conspiracy theories, there is a space craft flying overhead, that no one will say anything about what it's doing, and which everyone pretty much ignores.

Why has this spacecraft been seemingly given a "oh, that's okay, it's just an ultra secret NASA thingy that we have no idea about" ignoring statement, but every single thing that seems a little off on planet Earth gets over scrutinized, even when it's not really a threat?



posted on Oct, 20 2014 @ 07:52 PM
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a reply to: cmdrkeenkid

Telescopic foresight I'd say....



posted on Oct, 20 2014 @ 07:57 PM
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originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Bedlam

Someone on ATS got a phone call over a picture of an aircraft with a pod mounted that anyone with half a brain could have figured out would be mounted on it. We both went, "huh?" over that one.


"A guy I know" (not me this time) posted a screen cap of his Intelink-S home screen on another forum. Wow, did that piss them right off.

Who knows? Maybe they haven't been able to make useful metamaterial optical lenses in a 1G gravity well. It might be the NRO's little lens factory.



posted on Oct, 20 2014 @ 08:23 PM
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a reply to: Bedlam

Hell, even if they had, I'd be willing to bet one made in orbit is superior. It's not like they don't have time to build it slowly with this thing and make sure it's as perfect as it can be up there.



posted on Oct, 21 2014 @ 06:01 AM
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a reply to: Bedlam

Someone on here actually ( think it might have been the RK'er LOL) but I checked it out and according to Parab et Al. Via Wikipedia


en.wikipedia.org...

"According to Parab et al. (2007), "The scientific papers and literature published around 1971 reveal that the MP944 digital processor used for the F-14 Tomcat aircraft of the US Navy qualifies as the first microprocessor. Although interesting, it was not a single-chip processor, as was not the Intel 4004 – they both were more like a set of parallel building blocks you could use to make a general-purpose form. It contains a CPU, RAM, ROM, and two other support chips like the Intel 4004. It was made from the same P-channel technology, operated at military specifications and had larger chips -- an excellent computer engineering design by any standards. Its design indicates a major advance over Intel, and two year earlier. It actually worked and was flying in the F-14 when the Intel 4004 was announced. It indicates that today’s industry theme of converging DSP-microcontroller architectures was started in 1971.


Makes me think that if it was operational in an f14 in 71 there's a good chance a military backed research project probably had a working prototype in the 60's...would be a slightly different kettle of fish in the on topic scenario if zero gravity facilitates science that is prohibitive on earth.

Instead of advanced chips we might be talking about anyone with purposeful access to space having star trek esque leaps and bounds type advances from terrestrial based commercial R&D....or it could just be taking photos...that's the beauty of having this kind of capability, literally no way to know without having your own equivalent infrastructure (including space ship lol) to investigate.


edit on 21-10-2014 by Jukiodone because: (no reason given)

edit on 21-10-2014 by Jukiodone because: (no reason given)



posted on Oct, 21 2014 @ 06:41 AM
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a reply to: Jukiodone

Multichip bit slice machines and serial processors were around before that. The ICBMs had them.

On topic, you guys know another possible use exists for long term automated craft like that, and that's biowarfare testing. You want to test bugs you're not sure of, space is the place to do it. Or if you wanted to test interactions between, say, fresh Martian soil and some nice Earth life.

Orbital bio testing is one of those things that pops up now and then in discussions.



posted on Oct, 21 2014 @ 06:44 AM
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a reply to: Bedlam

This is something I know a bit about (dont know much about planes) and I would guess it is just a semantics argument with definitions of what and what is not a "multiprocessor" at the crux.
The truth is probably hidden within classified information so no point arguing


In terms of Bio testing- there's probably lots of money to be made doing Bio-Technology testing in microgravity under contract for the Bio-Pharma companies.
The list of potential applications (gene therapy, novel drug delivery etc) reads like a what's hot in bio tech at the moment list ..could probably fund a few programmes on the side from this alone.
edit on 21-10-2014 by Jukiodone because: (no reason given)



posted on Oct, 21 2014 @ 06:47 AM
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a reply to: Zaphod58




Its the mission that's classified.

Thus that is the issue.



posted on Oct, 21 2014 @ 06:48 AM
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a reply to: Jukiodone

Bipolar bit slice processors were in use in the military before then. It is a nasty power hog but it is nearly rad proof by design and faster than pmos by far.

eta: when they finally got the thing fast enough they used a serial processor on the minuteman. It did everything a bit at a time so the alu was simplified.
edit on 21-10-2014 by Bedlam because: (no reason given)



posted on Oct, 22 2014 @ 12:50 AM
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originally posted by: Sammamishman
a reply to: BASSPLYR

I see what you did there........


Wait I can't see it ...




posted on Oct, 22 2014 @ 08:13 AM
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a reply to: MystikMushroom

Lol. Sounds like you need better optics....



posted on Oct, 22 2014 @ 10:02 AM
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a reply to: Sammamishman

No you are both right in my opinion. One can see the objective more clearly if they grow a better perspective on the subject. Conversely, one could possibly manufacture a tiny sphere of influence on the matter that collectively slips the subject into a whole new bend! But, maybe this would serve to shed no light on the matter. Maybe on this subject we are partially all wet.
edit on 22-10-2014 by BASSPLYR because: (no reason given)



posted on Oct, 22 2014 @ 11:03 AM
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a reply to: BASSPLYR

Zaph's the one with the crystal ball...

I have one, but my cat just stares into it. I think it's her ET communication device, and she's reporting back to the mother ship.







 
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