The X-37B as Launch and Retrieval Platform

There has been all sorts of speculation about what the Air Force's X-37B spaceplane drone could be useful for. I don't know about the military, but I know what I would want to use it for. I would want a more developed version of it as a way to launch a telescope into space and be able to then reuse it without having to launch humans into orbit.

My argument is thus, instead of launching both a habitable volume and weight into space along with a payload the payload should be launched by itself. If a human servicing mission is needed the satellite should be retrieved and moved to LEO where it could be serviced by humans from a much smaller launch vehicle. When or if it was useful (or just neat) to bring a satellite back from space it should be done by an unmanned craft that would bear the risk of bringing the object back and likely be a more reliable system by being smaller.

It may, I stress may in complete speculation, be practical or useful to launch a space telescope as an integrated package that would return itself to earth for servicing. Instead of having a payload bay it would simply unfold to operate as a space telescope then refold and return to earth for repairs, upgrades, and servicing.

Instead of all in one packages I think we more specialized launch and return vehicles. Possibly.