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Mysterious aircraft lands on California coast

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Some experts have said that the X-37B Orbital space plane carried a payload of spy gear in its cargo bay or, was shadowing China's space lab. (Boeing/ Reuters)

Some experts have said that the X-37B Orbital space plane carried a payload of spy gear in its cargo bay or, was shadowing China’s space lab. (Boeing/ Reuters)

Speculation surrounds landing of space plane

The landing of a mysterious US air force space plane on October 17, 2014 has sparked a huge amount of speculation about what the plane is and what it was doing. The plane is an experimental space plan called the X-37B that was first developed by NASA in 2010, and the program from the space craft was adopted by the US air force following the program losing funding from NASA.

The space plane is twenty-nine feet long, and nineteen feet in width. The plane features two sets of fin shaped winds, and overall resembles the now retired space shuttle. The plane is unmanned, and this is the third successful flight of the plane.

The real mystery surrounding the plane is exactly what it was doing, and why no information about it has been released to the public. The plane spent almost two entire years in orbit, went around the earth thousands of times, and changed its orbit a number of times. One theory about what the plane was doing is that it was part of test to see if the plane could capture the satellites of other countries. This theory is supported by the fact that the plane has a cargo bay that allows for objects to be gathered and protected during reentry. The plane is also very maneuverable, and so it will be able to keep up with satellites as they attempt to change their orbit in an attempt to escape.

Other theories about the purpose the plane include things such as it being on a top secret spying mission, that it was carrying weapons to assassinate terrorists, or that it was testing space based weapons that could be used for shooting down satellites and missiles. Some persons have even speculated that the plane is actually a sort of fighter plane that is designed to shoot down planes flying in the atmosphere.

Tomas Carbry possesses a decade of journalism experience and consistently upholds rigorous standards. His focus areas include technology and global issues.