Most of us agree that it is an orbital testbed much like the

>>34890663
It would be possible, and has sort of been done before. NASA had the NRO use one of the KH-11 satellites to image the underside of the Space Shuttle to inspect for damage during its first flight, so it could be done if they were close enough.

this is what trump dildos mileania's ass with every night duh

File: 32423423423.jpg (243KB, 804x821px)

243KB, 804x821px

>>34890663 (OP)
>testbed
Nope. It is for mission of retrieving objects from orbit. After retiring of Shuttle USAF don't have one so they fastrack such capability after NASA withdrawal.

1. Easy node - nuclear warheads.
2. Hard mode - you don't want to know.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfyt1xdpaaM [Embed]

>>34890826

gb2/x/

Seriously.

the equipmeny bay isn't big enough for a good camera or ground scanning radar. you might be able to fit 1 nuclear warhead in it. It stays up for 2/3rds of a year at a time.

It's just some makework program
You don't need to "test" things to know they are going to work

File: 53454.jpg (85KB, 1918x966px) Image search: [Google]

85KB, 1918x966px

>>34890879
>gb2/x/
???

>>34890932
and you can test components resistance to environment of space on the ground.

>>34890755
But NASA allowed that to happen, who's to say a satellite could even get into position to intercept it's path when it's in flight?

>>34891078
Theres no point of running "tests" if you are paying 400 million dollars a launch

File: 1500654333486.png (168KB, 727x682px) Image search: [Google]

168KB, 727x682px

>>34891125
>tfw to intelligent to test things before launching them to space

>>34891089
Their orbits will cross each other at some point, take the pictures then

>>34891207

Probably not that easy to get a clear photo of something that is going thousands of miles an hour relative to your own orbital speed depending on the difference in inclination.

Just look at it from earth?

Ground-based observatories aren't limited by launch weight, you can make a sensor as large and advanced as you like and look at satellites all day

>>34891503
Atmosphere distortion+ diffraction limit.

>>34891667
>what are computers for

>>34891667
Radar

>>34891199
oops all the budget is spent on "test" launches, nothing left over for actually doing anything

>>34891826
Yeah that's why we have no air force

Oh wait

>>34891826
>black budget
>spent

>>34891826

t. brainlet

>>34891802
>diffraction limit

A .2 meter larger fairing and the X-37 could launch from a SpaceX Falcon 9. Which would save the Air Force tens of millions of dollars per flight.

File: SpaceX-Falcon-9-rocket-Cape-Canaveral-Air-Force-Station-Photo-Credit-SpaceX-Posted-on-AmericaSpace.jpg (383KB, 2048x1366px)

383KB, 2048x1366px

>>34891997

The X-37s is slated to lift off on a Falcon 9 early September.

>https://www.space.com/37831-air-force-x-37b-september-launch.html

>>34890663
That thing sure looks cool

File: england triangle 1990.png (330KB, 1175x890px) Image search: [Google]

330KB, 1175x890px

>>34890879
>he thinks this is /x/ worthy
blue pilled as fuck

>>34892055
Its pretty amazing how much of both vessels are being reused.

>>34892628
>england
>driving home from a festival
sounds like he got SHPONGLE'd

>>34892055
It pains me to know that super advanced space technologies uniform is tea shirts and jeans.

File: 1483222324068.jpg (38KB, 480x309px)

38KB, 480x309px

>>34893947
Who gives a shit, they are engineers. They arnt working in a lab with chemicals. What should they wear? Some gay ass uniform that you approve of? Fuck off you stupid nigger.