ON BOARD A TOP-SECRET SPACE SHUTTLE

There are many mysteries surrounding the nature of the universe. Why do pulsars pulse? What is dark matter? Is there life on Mars? But there are also some mind-bending teasers that have been created by humans which perplex even the greatest of minds. What, for instance, has the US military’s unmanned X-37B space plane been up to during its numerous orbits of Earth? And why have the missions – including the most recent one launched in May this year – been shrouded in secrecy?

Few people outside the project know, and even fewer will give you the full lowdown on the true purpose of X-37B. This is a military mission, and most of the information about it is firmly classified. As such it has sent conspiracy theories into complete overdrive, especially since it is flying far in excess of the 270 days it was originally built for. Some say the craft is spying on other nations; others believe it could be a space bomber. The truth may well be much more mundane than that, but it is hugely fascinating nonetheless.

What we do know is