Is the X-37B an open-ended experiment to discover what uses an autonomous space truck might be put to in the future? Or is it part of a super-secret offensive weapons development program? Air Force officials have repeatedly denied the space plane may become a space weapon, but their reticence about its true intentions has only increased speculation, creating a veil of secrecy Mizzou peace studies professor Bill Wickersham finds troubling.
A U.S. Air Force space vehicle called the "X-37B" that caused "conniptions among Chinese space bloggers" during its first mission last year, according to Heritage Foundation Chinese political and security affairs research fellow Dean Cheng, is being prepared for its second mission launch on Friday.
What that mission will entail, however, remains a mystery, in keeping with the space plane's James Bond image.
"The X-37B doesn't operate by the usual space travel rules," said Bill Sweetman, editor-in-chief of Aviation Week's Defense Technology International .
A U.S. Air Force space vehicle called the "X-37B" that caused "conniptions among Chinese space bloggers" during its first mission last year, according to Heritage Foundation Chinese political and security affairs research fellow Dean Cheng, is being prepared for its second mission launch on Friday.
What that mission will entail, however, remains a mystery, in keeping with the space plane's James Bond image.
"The X-37B doesn't operate by the usual space travel rules," said Bill Sweetman, editor-in-chief of Aviation Week's Defense Technology International .
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