Top Secret Air Force Mini Shuttle lands after Record-Setting Stay in Space

Image Caption: 2nd X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Successfully Completes 1st Flight by landing at Vandernberg AFB, Calif., on June 16, 2012. The record setting mission lasted 469 days in earth orbit. Designed to be launched like a satellite and land like an airplane, the second X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, built by Boeing for the United States Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office, is an affordable, reusable space vehicle. Credit: Boeing. See landing video belowThe 2nd of the US Air Force’s top secret X-37B unmanned, reusable mini shuttles safely landed on Saturday, June 16, at 5:48 a.m. Pacific local time at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California to conclude a record setting classified 469 day experimental test flight in Earth orbit.This was the first flight of OTV-2 and the second flight of the military’s classified (...)Read the rest of Top Secret Air Force Mini Shuttle lands after Record-Setting Stay in Space (607 words)© Ken Kremer for Universe Today, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: Atlas V rocket, DARPA, mini shuttle, NASA, OTV, OTV-1, OTV-2, US Air force, X-37B Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh