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xplanes_wb3.sPubDate = "1/29/2004 2:54:23 AM GMT";
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xplanes_wb3.appHeader = "GUIDE|NASA's experimental flight projects";
xplanes_wb3.appFooter = "Source: NASA";
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xplanes_wb3[i++] = new Array("","X-37","","xbrill_x37.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "NASA", "103", "184", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
xplanes_wb3[i-1].body = "A reusable launch vehicle, the X-37 would operate at speeds of up to 25 times the speed of sound. It could be carried into orbit by a space shuttle or expendable launch vehicles. Designers are hoping to improve the thermal protection system by making it less fragile and less expensive. The X-37 could orbit for up to 21 days and land on a conventional runway. A test model is known as the X-40A. <p><b>Specifications</b>     <br>Length: 27.5 feet      <br>Wingspan: 15 feet";

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xplanes_wb3[i-1].body = "An 85 percent scale working prototype of the X-37, the X-40A completed its first test flight on Aug. 11, 1998. The X-40A is being used in testing to reduce possible risks to the larger X-37, including drop tests from a helicopter to check guidance and navigation systems planned for use in the X-37. Eventually, NASA hopes the technologies demonstrated by the X-40A will reduce launch costs from $10,000 per pound to $1,000 per pound.  <p><b>Specifications</b>  <br>Length: 22 feet   <br>Wingspan: 12 feet";

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xplanes_wb3[i-1].body = "The X-43 hypersonic airplane, also known as Hyper-X, rides on the first stage of a booster rocket. While conventional rockets carry both fuel and oxygen, the Hyper-X requires only hydrogen fuel.  The oxygen needed to burn the fuel comes from atmosphere, freeing the airplane to carry more payload. If the technology is perfected, the craft could carry cargo at hypersonic speeds. An unsuccessful flight was launched on June 2, 2001. The rocket and booster malfunctioned and the flight was terminated.  <p><b>Length:</b> Approximately 12 feet   <br><b>Weight:</b> Approximately 2,200 pounds  <br><b>Performance:</b> Mach 7-10";

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xplanes_wb3[i-1].body = "The Orbital Space Plane was to have been a reusable launch vehicle that could serve as an emergency lifeboat for the international space station and later as a crew transport vehicle. But President Bush called on NASA to switch to a concept known as the Crew Exploration Vehicle, a modular spaceship that could be used for station trips as well as journeys to the moon and beyond. The CEV may well look more like an Apollo-style spacecraft than an updated shuttle.<p><b>Specifications:</b>   <br>Wing span: 34.5 feet   <br>Length: 37 feet";

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xplanes_wb3[i-1].body = "McDonnell-Douglas' entry, considered by many engineers to be a technological success, began flights in 1993.  The one-third scale prototype had eight successful missions, and was rolled into the DC-XA program. That had three successful flights, but a fourth blew up during a 1996 landing and funding soon dried up.  <p><b>Specifications:</b>  <br>Height: 40 feet  <br>Diameter: 13.3 feet at base";

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