Post date: Dec 04, 2010 2:26:24 PM
The unmanned X-37B U.S. Air Force shuttle lands in California after a nine-month classified military mission into space.
USA-SPACEPLANE LANDS - A classified military mission to space ends in California.
The miniature robotic space shuttle called the X-37B is intended to test new technologies for future space crafts.
During the unmanned shuttle's nine-month orbit, the U.S. Air Force imposed a news blackout on its activities.
Part of its mission was to test whether the turnaround time between shuttle flights could be reduced from months to days.
The X-37B is also designed to stay in space for as long as nine months, and then automatically land.
That's exactly what it did on Friday, becoming the first U.S. spaceship to land itself on a runway.
The Air Force plans to fly its second X-37B vehicle this coming spring.
David Botti, Reuters