[/caption]
Here’s an update on the US Air Force’s secret X-37B space plane, which went missing last week — at least for us Earth-bound satellite watchers (surely the Air Force knows exactly where it is!). Spaceweather.com reports that the plane has been spotted again by a skywatcher from South Africa, Greg Roberts on October 12. Spaceweather says, “An analysis of the sighting by satellite expert Ted Molczan suggests that the X-37B has maneuvered into an orbit 54 km lower than before.” This is at least the second time the space plane’s orbit has changed, but at least we now know it is still in orbit and hasn’t landed.
If you want to try and see the X-37B yourself, visit the Heaven’s Above website, and Spaceweather also has a way to track the plane, too.
When a spacecraft arrives at its destination, it settles into an orbit for science operations.…
The list of chemicals found in space is growing longer and longer. Astronomers have found…
The JWST is flexing its muscles with its interferometry mode. Researchers used it to study…
Brown dwarfs span the line between planets and stars. By definition, a star must be…
Life on Earth would not be possible without food, water, light, a breathable atmosphere and…
When I heard about this I felt an amused twinge of envy. Over the last…