Originally posted by kdog1982

Originally posted by Kratos40
Well this will be interesting to follow. I hope those amateur astronomers are tracking it. When this was still part of NASA it was meant to be a utility vehicle. So I'm left wondering what the USAF has done to it to change its purpose and project objectives.

edit on 6-3-2011 by Kratos40 because: spelling

It's because they are moving the war on terrorism to outer space.
Disable some GPS satellites so the can't fire missles,
maybe shoot a lasar beam at targets,
maybe save the world from a near earth object.

Yes, perhaps. They may actually be deploying micro-satellites like Slayer had postulated in his thread. Coincidentally, they are launching the X-37B at the same time the Space Shuttle is supposed to be returning.

A good idea. It looks like a good plan to save NASA money. Our global rescission is because of space craft like the shuttle and other unnecessary government spending. This craft is in fact much smaller and uses fewer parts being much lighter requiring less rocket fuel. It is a much easier and safer way of transporting payloads into space. Of course we should have the occasional human space exploration missions to advance our understanding of the universe. But that will be in the near future.