
Secret Space Plane Can’t Hide From Amateur Sleuths - ph0rque
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/03/secret-space-plane-cant-hide-from-amateur-sleuths/
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orenmazor
I love reading this kind of stuff. I love being reminded of how complicated
reality is, given my own high levels assumptions. You think "change orbit,
that's easy" or "take space pictures" but the nitty gritty filled reality is
so much more amazingly complex, it's mind boggling and impressive.

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johngalt
[http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1522](http://www.smbc-
comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1522)

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patio11
I'm amused that geeks, to the extent hey notice this at all, think that the
space program is _science_ masquerading as _military_. Are people under the
impression that Lockheed Martin makes microscopes and centrifuges when they're
not building shuttle components? Or that it is coincidental that outgrowths of
the billions spent on the space program include Tang, Velcro, and the ability
to turn Moscow into glass?

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johngalt
Good point. Makes me wonder how much further spaceflight would have progressed
if SDI had got off the ground. On one hand weaponizing space is bad, but on
the other it could push better space technology forward. A faustian bargain.

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MattyDub
A previous mention on HN: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1918368>

In at least two articles about the X-37B, I've read about it changing orbit.
But isn't that an energetically expensive operation? In a previous article
([http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0824/Secret-Air-
Force-...](http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0824/Secret-Air-
Force-X-37B-space-plane-changes-its-orbit)) the change seemed to be one of
altitude/elevation (sorry if I'm using the wrong orbital mechanics terms ),
rather than a plane change. But isn't that still relatively expensive, even
with a Hohmann transfer or something? I can't imagine the X-37B can do very
many orbit changes - can anyone provide more information on the physics behind
this?

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gvb
Excellent question, fascinating answer:
<http://www.orbitermars.co.uk/stdorbit.htm>

Trivia: this was the first spot googling "energy cost change orbital plane". I
almost didn't click the link "Standard Orbit, Mr Sulu!" but was very glad I
did. Bing had Wikipedia as the first spot, not nearly as engaging.

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yread
I highly recommend the simulator Orbiter. Getting the space shuttle to LEO
with this level of realism is _hard_

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splat
At large observatories (in the US anyway), the military will actually require
that the telescope avoid observing certain regions of the sky at certain times
so that enterprising astronomers can't figure out the orbits of their spy
satellites. Of course, most of the "forbidden zones" are randomly chosen
patches of sky so that you can't figure out the satellite's orbits based on
the positions of the forbidden zones alone.

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lotusleaf1987
Source?

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splat
Hmm...I can't find a source in print, so all I can tell you is that I'm an
astronomer who has observed at some of these observatories (e.g. LBT).

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jmatt
And according to real time tracking, it's about to fly over Libya:

<http://www.n2yo.com/?s=37375>

No surprise that the US is flying it's secret space spy plane over the
country.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_military_intervention_in_L...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_military_intervention_in_Libya)

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ceejayoz
It's hardly a secret craft - if amateur astronomers can find it, you can bet
most of the world's intelligence agencies know quite a bit about it - and now
that the West has total air control over all of Libya a space plane that'll
pass over the area only once every couple orbits would be a pretty stupid way
to do recon.

Fly a few dozen Predators or use the existing air assets already patrolling
over Libya and you'll get better data.

