X37c

I Posted This Earlier on My Facebook Page…Re-Posting Here for the Group on Your Original Post Plus A Few Others!!!!

This Was One of The Many Derivative Paths studied By Some Advanced Design Groups @ NASA As A Logical Scaleable Path Building On Space Shuttle Orbiter Demonstrated Capabilities, Technology & Advanced Development Upgrades & Modernization Over 30 Yrs of Operation Which Also Had Continuous Improvements & Life Extensions To CY 2020 & Beyond!!!! The Space Shuttle Orbiter Also Was Much More Capable Of Delivering Greater Up Mass (65K), Rotational Crew Exchanges 7-10 Personel & Return Masses (32K)/Volume (15ft x 60ft) Which None of the Replacement Proposed Vehicles Can or Will Be As Competitive or Capable!!!! Given the Un-Timely & Unnecessary Cancellation of The Space Shuttle Orbiter; The Three Commercial Concepts Which Have Evolved & Their Development Times Extended Out To No Earlier Than 2017; This Boeing Proposal of X-37C Would Have Been The Better, More Capable & Faster Access To Human Crewed Flights To/From ISS In Low Earth Orbit!!!! 

Also Could Have Served As An ISS Alternate Crew Return Vehicle (ala X-38 vs Soyuz Only), Space Exploration Return Vehicle with ISS As A Way Point, Rendezvous & Docking, Refueling Station or Direct Launch To Hubble/Webb Servicing/Repair Vehicle & Other Satellite Servicing Missions With A Little Innovative & Out of The Box Critical Thinking!!!! In the Absense of A NASA Integrated Missions Strategic & Evolutionary Long Range Planning; There Are Indications DARPA & DOD Are Giving This Approach Serious Consideration For Their "Unknown" Future Missions Planning Concepts For Unmanned & Manned Vehicles Since They Were Allowed To "Divorce" NASA/Space Shuttle Earlier "Shot-Gun Wedding" After Challenger Mission Failure & Stand-Down Coupled With The Eventutual & Unnecessary Cancellation of Space Shuttle with No NASA Replacements; Now Only Relying on Russian Antiquated Soyuz Technology & Commercial Start Up Companies For the Most Critical Tasks of Human Access To Space!!!!

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