U.S. military space plane nearing end of design life

Observers tracking movements of the U.S. Air Force's X-37B secretive space plane report the spacecraft is dropping altitude, a possible sign the clandestine mission is near landing as it approaches the limit of the its design life. Air Force officials remain silent on landing and recovery plans for the reusable space plane, other than it will return to Earth at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The X-37B features stubby wings, a powerful orbit-changing engine and a landing gear for touchdown on a 15,000-foot-long runway originally built for the space shuttle. More

(Source: Space Flight Now - Nov 25)