Slideshow: Probes to Peer at Shuttles' Hulls
The Air Force is developing inspection satellites that could maneuver around spacecraft while they're still in orbit, eliminating the need for astronauts to undertake space walks and possibly preventing a disaster like the breakup. By Erik Baard.
The 68-pound XSS-10 was launched Jan. 29 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, piggybacking on a Boeing Delta II rocket that was delivering a replacement Navstar Global Positioning System satellite into orbit. Once it was 480 miles above the Earth, the XSS-10 was ejected by a spring from the rocket's second stage.Air Force Research Laboratory
