May

Jules Verne Could construct Europe A Major Player in Space

Posted by admin Published in Air Travel

It’s just a mock-up, but it could sign one giant leap for Europe’s space travel program.

Yesterday at the Berlin Air Show, European consortium EADS Astrium unveiled a model spacecraft that it says could be carrying astronauts into space within the next ten years. that would be a huge step forward for a space program that currently depends on an American Space Shuttle or Russian Soyuz to get its public into orbit.

Of course, building a new spaceship is a huge undertaking, but that moment it may not be as rugged as it seems.

Astrium already has a ship that works. Called the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) but better known as the Jules Verne, the unmanned vehicle successfully docked at the International Space Station in April. Chock full of sophisticated navigation and docking technology, the ship has got the goods, but needs some modifications before astronauts are able to take it for a spin.

First off, the Jules Verne doesn’t have the capability to return to soil. The ship is essentially a disposable

resupply vehicle - it takes off for the space station stuffed full of water, propellant, and other supplies, drops off its cargo, and next is shot out of orbit so that it burns up. Not something you look for in a spaceship when it is carrying a crew of three. And that leads to the moment issue: the ship’s cargo hold would need to be retrofitted so that it is able carry astronauts.

It’s a major project, but Astrium seems confident that making the adjustments is no big deal. It says the whole thing can be done for under five-billion Euros, and that a manned version of the vehicle could start flying as soon as 2017.

The timing is good. The US space shuttle fleet will be mothballed in 2010, giving the Europeans a huge opportunity to prove themselves as a major player in space.

Rendering by EADS Astrium

Original post by Dave Demerjian