Space Plane spends 780 days in orbit.

[Vladd67]

What was it doing all this time?

Air Force X-37B spaceplane spends 780 days in orbit conducting classified experiments

The United States Air Force over the weekend welcomed back a familiar face, one it hasn't seen in person for more than two years.

www.techspot.com

 

[Parson]

I had no idea!

 

[CupofJoe]

I think that's the plan... They send it up and leave it there sooooooo long that no one remembers that it is there. I can just see the event reminder popping up on some USAF colonel's Outlook calendar...

 

[RJM Corbet]

What was it doing all this time?

It's the question that intrigues us all. This guy seems to have as many of the answers as we the public are ever likely to really get:
12.37min

 

[Parson]

Thanks @RJM Corbet -- More data than I'd imagined was available.

 

[RJM Corbet]

Thanks @RJM Corbet -- More data than I'd imagined was available.

It just popped up for me on You Tube

 

[Vladd67]

You can always rely on Mr Manley.

 

[RJM Corbet]

You can always rely on Mr Manley.

He's a very clever people

 

[BAYLOR]

I wonder if they will ever construct a version of this space manned thats manned .

 

[Pemry Janes]

There was a traffic jam at Zeta Reticuli so the rendezvous got delayed.

 

[StilLearning]

I wonder if they will ever construct a version of this space manned thats manned .

The world's militaries largely gave up on manned spaceflight with the rise of computers and automation, although the USSR was IIRC some way behind the US in that regard - humans are actually better at a lot of things, but so much more effort and complexity to keep alive (I am a bit of an obsessive on this stuff).

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the X37b fleet has largely been doing long term test on innovative but not that interesting (to us laypeople) technology... but I also wouldn't be surprised to learn they had been doing testing (and perhaps even subtly demonstrating) 'dual use' technologies and capabilities. So, for example, satellite interception and retrieval abilities, or the ability to loiter on orbit and change orbit on short notice to avoid an interception.