Surely humanity needs all tools it can use for diving deep into the vast ocean of space. Earth’s resources are limited, and finding a home elsewhere in the Universe someday should be a priority. Yet the US Space Force joins the effort of exploring space, as it launched its mysterious X-37B space plane today, May 17.
The clandestine craft blasted off from Space Launch Complex 41 located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The space plane was mounted atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.
In memory of COVID-19 victims
The launch is dedicated to the first responders and medical staff across the country who works to fight the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The mission is part of the “America Strong” campaign. A tribute stamped on the side of the Atlas V rocket says:
In memory of COVID-19 victims and tribute to all first responders and front-line workers.
According to data offered by worldometers.info, the COVID-19 pandemic is still causing plenty of sorrow and deaths across the world. The US has over 1.5 million people infected and a death toll of over 91,000. But the good news is that over 350,000 of those ill people were recovered. The most affected state is New York, with over 360,000 infected cases, followed up by New Jersey with almost 150,000, Illinois with over 96,000, Massachusetts with 86,000 cases of infection, and so on. The least affected state of the US is Alaska with only 396 infected people.
As for the rest of the world, we could say that the COVID-19 pandemic is facing a downfall if we look at states like Italy, Spain, UK, France, Germany, or Turkey. But regardless of how long the pandemic will last, the human need for exploring space is still stronger.
The X-37B’s purpose is a secret, but Space Force officials have revealed that the spacecraft is packing experiments to test out different systems in space during the trip.
