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- X-37B: The space plane of mystery (pictures)
No pilot, no windshield
There is no cockpit on the X-37B because there are no human occupants. The space plane is built to fly autonomously. When the Air Force decides it's time for the mission to end, a signal will be sent from the ground and the vehicle will commence with autonomous re-entry, descent, and landing.
Like the space shuttles, the X-37B is meant to be reusable, and that's one of the biggest attractions. Presumably much cheaper to operate than the shuttles, a fleet of X-37B space planes could conceivably dash to and from orbit on relatively short notice as the need arises, and also linger on target indefinitely. (Wired's Danger Room blog has a good in-depth look at the development and use of the X-37B here.)
June 16, 2012 12:55 PM PDT
Photo by: Boeing
| Caption by: Jonathan Skillings
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