Inside the Secret Space Plane Landing

When the Air Force launched its secret, robotic space plane this spring, military officials confessed that they weren’t exactly sure when it was coming back. More than seven months later, the X-37B landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, where it was met with Air Force personnel in SCAPE suits (self-contained atmospheric protective ensemble). They gave the robo-orbiter an initial once-over — and made sure the area was safe for humans, too.

Here are the pictures (and infrared video) of the landing, courtesy of U.S. Air Force Space Command.