Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/21
In Pictures: Sinkholes around the world
In Pictures: What happened to the green revolution in Iran?
In Pictures: Facing the devastation of the Oklahoma tornadoes
In Pictures: Sandy: Chronicle of an unrelenting storm
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/20
In Pictures: Weather extremes 2013
In Pictures: The Israeli separation barrier: A West Bank wall
In Pictures: Derby Day devotees, Kenyan style
In a testing procedure, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle taxis on the flightline on March 30 at the Astrotech facility in Titusville, Fla. US Air Force/Sipa Press/Newscom/FILE
United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket is set for the inaugural launch of a USAF X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on April 22. Deemed as a mini-space shuttle, the totally automated X-37B contains the most advanced technologies in navigation, power and thermal protection. At nearly 30 feet tall, weighing 11,000 pounds, this first reusable unmanned spacecraft will spend an undisclosed period in orbit so that the USAF may test and validate its systems. The spaceplane will then return to earth and land at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Joe Marino-Bill Cantrell/UPI/Newscom
The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle waits in the encapsulation cell of the Evolved Expendable Launch vehicle April 5 at the Astrotech facility in Titusville, Fla. US Air Force/Sipa Press/Newscom
United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket launches the USAF's newest reusable satellite, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle from Complex 41 at 7:52 PM from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on April 22. The X-37B is considered as a mini-space shuttle with the most advanced technologies. Once operational, the vehicle will conduct classified orbital missions for the US military. Joe Marino-Bill Cantrell/UPI/Newscom
United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket launches the USAF's newest reusable satellite, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle from Complex 41 at 7:52 PM from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on April 22. Joe Marino-Bill Cantrell/UPI/Newscom
United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket launches the USAF's newest reusable satellite, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle from Complex 41 at 7:52 PM from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on April 22. Joe Marino-Bill Cantrell/UPI/Newscom
The X-37B Orbital Test vehicle is launched from atop a Atlas V Rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on April 22 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The service says the winged spacecraft will be a platform for unspecified experiments and can stay in orbit up to 270 days before gliding to an autonomous runway landing. The primary landing site is Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Craig Rubadoux/Florida Today/AP
United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket launches the USAF's newest reusable satellite, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle from Complex 41 at 7:52 PM from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on April 22. Joe Marino-Bill Cantrell/UPI/Newscom
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/21
In Pictures: Sinkholes around the world
In Pictures: What happened to the green revolution in Iran?
In Pictures: Facing the devastation of the Oklahoma tornadoes
In Pictures: Sandy: Chronicle of an unrelenting storm
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/20
In Pictures: Weather extremes 2013
In Pictures: The Israeli separation barrier: A West Bank wall
In Pictures: Derby Day devotees, Kenyan style
The X-37B is designed to stay in space as long as nine months and to collect electronic signals of all kinds in a way that other countries can't stop. The Air Force is not commenting on its mission.
The Air Force’s launch this week of its new super-secret robotic plane into orbit is an important new technological step for the US military.
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