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The US Air Force has one up there now - X-37B. It's completely autonomous. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37

Already__Taken 12y ago
18 years. Took them long enough.
- toomuchtodo 12y ago
  "You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else." -- Winston Churchill
  - jessaustin 12y ago
    I think that was meant mostly as a compliment. Both trying everything and doing the right thing are rare enough behaviors, even by themselves. We should strive to be as good as we were, when he said that.
    - toomuchtodo 12y ago
      I didn't get that from the post, but thank you for helping me see a different perspective.
  - TeMPOraL 12y ago
    From an algorithmic point of view, you could rephrase it as "You can always count on Americans to pick the optimal solution by brute-forcing through the entire search space".
- drzaiusapelord 12y ago
  Except automation in spaceflight was a solved problem long ago. The Buran had more automation than the STS because of US politics in regard to the STS than some major innovation. In fact, the Buran is the poster-boy of lack of innovation. Its just a slightly souped up COPY of the STS long after the STS was in production. This like calling a 2014 Kia that looks like a 2003 Mercedes innovative because it has the option for a bluetooth stereo. The Air Force's shuttle is actually autonomous not just automated. Its, say, more like a drone than a R/C car. Its many steps ahead of what the US and the USSR were doing in the 80s. From what we know its a very interesting technical achievement.Over 600 days in space for a spacecraft is pretty impressive also. >OTV-3 had spent 600 days in orbit by 8 August 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37 I don't know why this metric isn't mentioned more often. This this is practically launch and forget, give occasional orders to, and land once in a while sci-fi spacecraft. From an intel point-of-view this is pretty much a spy satellite that can go anywhere in orbit, change its mission at any time, and then land and go back at any time. It may also have anti-satellite weapons. I guess we won't know its full capabilities until its declassified, but from what we know its a very interesting project from a technical achievement point of view.
  - Already__Taken 12y ago
    I was only being sort of half serious but this thing is amazing, I remember seing amature satelite spotted _photograph_ this thing in orbit on its top secret mission. Glad to know more about it.

Already__Taken 12y ago

18 years. Took them long enough.

toomuchtodo 12y ago
"You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else." -- Winston Churchill
- jessaustin 12y ago
  I think that was meant mostly as a compliment. Both trying everything and doing the right thing are rare enough behaviors, even by themselves. We should strive to be as good as we were, when he said that.
  - toomuchtodo 12y ago
    I didn't get that from the post, but thank you for helping me see a different perspective.
- TeMPOraL 12y ago
  From an algorithmic point of view, you could rephrase it as "You can always count on Americans to pick the optimal solution by brute-forcing through the entire search space".
drzaiusapelord 12y ago
Except automation in spaceflight was a solved problem long ago. The Buran had more automation than the STS because of US politics in regard to the STS than some major innovation. In fact, the Buran is the poster-boy of lack of innovation. Its just a slightly souped up COPY of the STS long after the STS was in production. This like calling a 2014 Kia that looks like a 2003 Mercedes innovative because it has the option for a bluetooth stereo. The Air Force's shuttle is actually autonomous not just automated. Its, say, more like a drone than a R/C car. Its many steps ahead of what the US and the USSR were doing in the 80s. From what we know its a very interesting technical achievement.Over 600 days in space for a spacecraft is pretty impressive also. >OTV-3 had spent 600 days in orbit by 8 August 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37 I don't know why this metric isn't mentioned more often. This this is practically launch and forget, give occasional orders to, and land once in a while sci-fi spacecraft. From an intel point-of-view this is pretty much a spy satellite that can go anywhere in orbit, change its mission at any time, and then land and go back at any time. It may also have anti-satellite weapons. I guess we won't know its full capabilities until its declassified, but from what we know its a very interesting project from a technical achievement point of view.
- Already__Taken 12y ago
  I was only being sort of half serious but this thing is amazing, I remember seing amature satelite spotted _photograph_ this thing in orbit on its top secret mission. Glad to know more about it.