Jun 17 2012 10:25 | ITN
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The U.S. Air Force's robotic X-37B space plane came back to Earth today (June 16) after 15 months in orbit
on a mystery mission, and its much-anticipated landing was caught on video.
The X-37B spacecraft touched down at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base at 5:48 a.m. local time Saturday
(8:48 a.m. EDT; 1248 GMT). Several hours later, Vandenberg officials released a short video of the event.
The first part of the 80-second video was apparently shot in infrared light. It shows the X-37B space plane cruising
in for an automated landing, its belly and nose glowing a bright orange-yellow, presumably from the heat generated
during re-entry to Earth's atmosphere.
The video switches over to visible wavelengths about 35 seconds in, after the space plane has touched down, and
shuts off shortly after the X-37B rolls to a stop on the runway.
The X-37B, also known as Orbital Test Vehicle-2 (OTV-2), launched on March 5, 2011, from Florida's Cape Canaveral
Air Force Station. Its flight was the second-ever mission for the X-37B program; the first was flown by OTV-2's
sister ship, OTV-1.
OTV-1 blasted off in April 2010 and stayed aloft for 225 days.
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0o8KvD-TcHY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The U.S. Air Force's robotic X-37B space plane came back to Earth today (June 16) after 15 months in orbit
on a mystery mission, and its much-anticipated landing was caught on video.
The X-37B spacecraft touched down at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base at 5:48 a.m. local time Saturday
(8:48 a.m. EDT; 1248 GMT). Several hours later, Vandenberg officials released a short video of the event.
The first part of the 80-second video was apparently shot in infrared light. It shows the X-37B space plane cruising
in for an automated landing, its belly and nose glowing a bright orange-yellow, presumably from the heat generated
during re-entry to Earth's atmosphere.
The video switches over to visible wavelengths about 35 seconds in, after the space plane has touched down, and
shuts off shortly after the X-37B rolls to a stop on the runway.
The X-37B, also known as Orbital Test Vehicle-2 (OTV-2), launched on March 5, 2011, from Florida's Cape Canaveral
Air Force Station. Its flight was the second-ever mission for the X-37B program; the first was flown by OTV-2's
sister ship, OTV-1.
OTV-1 blasted off in April 2010 and stayed aloft for 225 days.
