So the sides are being raised about what, exactly, the Air Force has in mind with the X-37B, a so-called "replacement" or some have said "substitution" for the space shuttle.
At 9 meters in length, it's too small to be a shuttle. Others think the little shuttle-like plane will be used as a space-borne weapon. But with NASA scrapping the shuttle, it's hard to say, whether weapon or not, that we should not have a continued presence in space.
Actually, it's a cool little plane. It probably could be used for more than just a weapon, and I bet the Air Force realizes that.
BBC News - X-37B military spaceplane launches from Cape Canaveral
