Air Force Space Plane to Return to Earth

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - An unmanned Air Force space plane that spent seven months in orbit is set to return to Earth.

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle is scheduled to land at Vandenberg Air Force Base northwest of Los Angeles sometime between Friday and Monday, depending on the weather and other factors.

The X-37B resembles a small space shuttle. Since it launched in April, space enthusiasts have speculated about its ultimate purpose. The Air Force has said the space plane was to serve as a test platform for unspecified experiments.

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on the X-37 program, but the current total hasn't been released.