Jul 132012
The AIAA-Houston chapter newsletter “Horizons” has published an article I wrote on a 1963 concept for a variable geometry spaceplane capable of both space station logistics and combat missions. You can download the May/June 2012 here: http://www.aiaahouston.org/
Cool! This is exactly what we need. Could the Air Force be using the X-37 as a space fighter or test bed for one?
Unlikely. There’s not much call for a “space fighter.” The X-37 is a reusable payload shroud, with the ability to return *small* payloads to Earth.
Small payloads may mean some sort of spy satellite or some sort of space-based experiments. My money is on the spy sats.
Now the question is what kind of spy sats: photo recon, sigint, elint, or something we’ve never heard of.
The problem: why bring a spy satellite back?
Then what would the small payloads be? Other than space-based experiments.
The X-37B is, as the designation indicates, an experimental vehicle, so *perhaps* the payloads are test equipment, monitoring how the X-37 is doing.
Yank the wings and TPS off it, and you can launch a larger payload and/or more propellant for on-orbit operations. Which would seem to me to be of greater value than returning a satellite to Earth. Of what use is a satellite on Earth?
I see your point with the test equipment, but why keep that aspect of the mission classified or top secret. You don’t even need the X-37 to launch satellites, a disposable system would make more sense.
The less you say about even mundane aspects of the design, the less info there is for somebody to try to piece together capabilities.