Air Force minishuttle back in orbit for secret mission

A mysterious space plane rocketed into orbit Wednesday, carrying no crew but a full load of technology experiments. The Air Force launched its unmanned minishuttle late Wednesday morning. An Atlas V rocket lifted it up and out over the Atlantic. This is the fourth flight for the military research program, which is shrouded in secrecy. The last X-37B mission lasted 674 days and ended with a California touchdown. The Air Force won’t say how long this mission will last or where it will end.

We’re very hopeful that the thing will deploy properly, sunlight will hit it and get a push.

The Planetary Society’s chief executive officer, Bill Nye

The society’s chief executive officer, Bill Nye, better known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, said a large, light, shiny Mylar sail measuring 344 square feet was tucked into a small box for liftoff. The intent is for sunlight to propel it, once it is released and deployed in orbit. The sail hitched a ride on the upper-stage rocket for a test flight. Such technology could be useful for future missions to monitor solar weather and keep a lookout for possible asteroids headed our way.

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