Revealed:
How America's secret space plane has been in orbit for over a year - and no one knows what it's doing
The X-37B has been circling the Earth at 17,000mph and was due to land in California in December
By Ted Thornhill
UPDATED: 18:36 GMT, 8 March 2012
The U.S Air Force’s highly secret unmanned space plane was supposed to stay in space for nine months, but it’s now been there for a year and three days – and no one knows what it’s doing.
The experimental craft has been circling Earth at 17,000 miles per hour and was due to land in California in December.
However the mission of the X-37B orbital test vehicle was extended – for unknown reasons.
The plane resembles a mini space shuttle and is the second to fly in space.
The first one landed last December at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California after more than seven months in orbit.
More...'It's hitting us right in the nose': Largest solar flare in six years to hit Earth today - and could 'jolt' everything from flights and GPS systems to entire power grids
Let's twist again: Martian dust devil 2,600-feet tall caught on camera
Did life once thrive on super-Earth 40 light years away? It has more water than Earth and once lingered in the 'Goldilocks Zone', say scientists
The 29-foot, solar-powered craft had an original mission of 270 days.
The Air Force said the second mission was to further test the technology but the ultimate purpose has largely remained a mystery.
The vehicle's systems program director, Lieutenant-colonel Tom McIntyre, told the Los Angeles Times in December: 'We initially planned for a nine-month mission. Keeping the X-37 in orbit will provide us with additional experimentation opportunities and allow us to extract the maximum value out of the mission.'
Full Story>>>
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... z1w11YXZ7L