05-23-2021, 08:27 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-24-2021, 01:40 AM by HereOnThePrimalEdge.)
I'm not giving up on spotting the elusive X-37B. I've tried numerous times in the past month, but to no avail. I mentioned previously the Air Force's mini-shuttle has orbit changing abilities, here's a little more:
What truly sets the X-37B apart is its apparent ability to conduct large changes in its orbit and to do so far more frequently than today’s satellites. Satellite operators are usually reluctant to make dramatic orbital adjustments of any kind because most satellites cannot yet be refueled in orbit. This makes most satellites highly predictable and, for military systems in particular, vulnerable to attack.
The ability to maneuver in space is known as delta-v, a measure of the total change in velocity needed to move between different orbits, locations, or objects in space. Thinking in terms of delta-v, rather than distance or speed, is what truly sets space operations apart from land, sea, or air operations.
What the heck is the X-37B doing up there?
... it is hosting groundbreaking power beaming experiments that are critical for clean, space-based solar energy generating stations to power the Earth’s electrical grid.
https://warontherocks.com/2021/05/a-star...pacepower/
There's another chance to see the X-37B tonight, although only for a few minutes, and low in the sky:
Cancel that, it’s no longer listed.
May 23, Sunday
7:31 PM
Rises: NW, passes Mars, then disappears
Magnitude: 2.5
Next week from June 1-11 we'll have quite a few opportunities to see the new Chinese space station, Tianhe-1. I watched it cross the entire sky once last week, it's not ISS bright, but more luminous than most stars. Presently only one module orbits the planet. Once the second module, a gigantic exterior arm, and the solar panels are added and deployed it should be one of the brightest objects in the sky. I'll post times and locations on dates with the best view.
What truly sets the X-37B apart is its apparent ability to conduct large changes in its orbit and to do so far more frequently than today’s satellites. Satellite operators are usually reluctant to make dramatic orbital adjustments of any kind because most satellites cannot yet be refueled in orbit. This makes most satellites highly predictable and, for military systems in particular, vulnerable to attack.
The ability to maneuver in space is known as delta-v, a measure of the total change in velocity needed to move between different orbits, locations, or objects in space. Thinking in terms of delta-v, rather than distance or speed, is what truly sets space operations apart from land, sea, or air operations.
What the heck is the X-37B doing up there?
... it is hosting groundbreaking power beaming experiments that are critical for clean, space-based solar energy generating stations to power the Earth’s electrical grid.
https://warontherocks.com/2021/05/a-star...pacepower/
There's another chance to see the X-37B tonight, although only for a few minutes, and low in the sky:
Cancel that, it’s no longer listed.
May 23, Sunday
7:31 PM
Rises: NW, passes Mars, then disappears
Magnitude: 2.5
Next week from June 1-11 we'll have quite a few opportunities to see the new Chinese space station, Tianhe-1. I watched it cross the entire sky once last week, it's not ISS bright, but more luminous than most stars. Presently only one module orbits the planet. Once the second module, a gigantic exterior arm, and the solar panels are added and deployed it should be one of the brightest objects in the sky. I'll post times and locations on dates with the best view.