The Boeing X-37b, pre-launch. (Photo: Wikipedia)
Many people are unhappy about the state of NASA’s budget under President Obama (they think the program might need corporate payday loans), and the introduction of the Boeing X-37b certainly won’t help matters. The launch of the new Boeing space plane is a scientific boon in the minds of some in that the X-37b can be a station for scientific experiments and “offer insight on transporting satellite sensors and other equipment to and from space,” reports CNET. However, there are many others who think Air Force Deputy Undersecretary for Space Programs Gary Payton’s comment that the X-37b will “push us in the vector toward being able to react to warfighter needs more quickly,” means that militarizing space is the real agenda for this exciting new craft.
The X-37b runs on auto-pilot
The 29-foot-long, 11,000-pound craft with 15-foot wingspan can stay in orbit for as many as 270 days, all without any human passengers or remote pilots on the ground. It recently launched on a classified mission, but CNET reports that internal functions will be tested and evaluated. Once the Air Force sends instructions for the X-37b to return to Earth, it will automatically return to a designated runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Maria, California.
What about the big guns?
Nothing is known for certain at this point. The X-37b will likely not be ready to serve as an airborne laser station right now, as that technology is still in its infancy. Possibilities for surveillance are many, however, as is the possibility of missile launches from space. Director of Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office David Hamilton admitted in a statement to the press that while the military still has much to learn about what the X-37b will be able to do, discussions are underway as to when the unit will be fully operational. Whether or not it will be cost effective is also vitally important to an American space program that is already shopping for corporate sponsorship and instant cash loans.
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Outer space is already militarized. Satellite systems such as GPS, NOAA weather satellites and various other programs have military participation and applications. Under international law military activity is legal so long as it is peaceful and non-aggressive in nature. There is nothing to suggest that the X-37 OTC-1 and OTV-2 have an aggressive military purpose, thus their missions are not prohibited.
On the contrary, the Chinese demonstrated an aggressive military program when they used an ASAT to destroy one of their own weather satellites. Soft politics in the international arena dictated that the Chinese were reacting to a perceived threat from United States space systems, but seldom does the international and arms control community mention that the Chinese have their own geopolitical agenda and the test was a demonstration of their willingness to resort to aggressive military action to promote those interests.
I think this is one of the few times imo when privatization is a really good idea. Whether we think it’s necessary or not, we need to continue to develop new forms of space travel and technology to facilitate it. What the ppl whose only argument is “we have too many problems down here to be worrying about this,” they fail to understand the two most important implications of aeronautical research. The first is for national defense… it’s bad enough that nasa has to rely on Russia to ferry them to the ISS. If we keep going at this rate, our disadvantage will only grow as they continue to develop new technologies in their space program while we pump the brakes on ours. Is air and space superiority something you really want the Russians to have? It doesn’t seem like a good idea for any one country to have, let alone one whom we have a sketchy history with. The second is that with aeronautical research comes a flood of new technologies, most of which are very applicable to us down on earth. For example, if it wasn’t for nasa, we wouldn’t have the chips that we use for non-invasive biopsies, solar energy, and a whole litany of other things (http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html#T… has a good number of inventions that most of us don’t know came from our space program). And if you’re one of those ppl that are so skeptical (or cynical imo) that you still don’t think that any of the things on this list warrant a larger investment in a privatized space industry, just remember that while you sleep at night, you most likely have nasa to thank for that, too. If you use any type of home security system, chances are they use infrared and laser technology that came out of nasa’s research (just look at the adt home security infrared camera page. They even admit that the technology came from nasa!)