USAF Unmanned Space Plane Returns to Earth

AP Photo of X-37B Aircraft

Kept secret for the entire 15 months, the X-37B ended its journey into space during the early morning hours Saturday, June 16, 2012 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Launched in March 2011 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the space plane extended its original mission from nine to fifteen months. Even though the plane carried no passengers, it  landed flawlessly.

Lt. Col. Tom McIntyre, X-37B program manager,  gave a glowing report of the plane's performance saying, "The return capability allows the Air Force to test new technologies without the same risk commitment faced by other programs. We're proud of the entire team's successful efforts to bring this mission to an outstanding conclusion."

Both the payload carried on the aircraft and the type of experiments performed during the mission are clouded in secrecy because details remain classified. However, officials did disclose that this was the second time one of the X-37B's, specifically Orbital Test Vehicle 2 or OTV-2, had completed a spaceflight.

Speculation abounds that the OTV's purpose involves space spying, although the Air Force firmly denies those allegations. Richard McKinney, the Air Force's deputy undersecretary for space programs, stated, "My words to others who might read anything else into that is, 'Just listen to what we're telling you. This is, pure and simple, a test vehicle so we can prove technologies and capabilities," after OTV-1 landed in 2010.

Ham on Wry has long had a fascination with space and all of its unknowns. We might never solve the mystery of what experiments occurred on board, but shouldn't we believe what officials tell us? These are the same people who say there's no such thing as a UFO.  Yeah, right!