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Home | Update | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 12/97 A NEW US/EUROPEAN SPACEPLANE? By Wolfdietrich Hoevler The ESA ministers agreed in 1996 to ESA studies for a crew transporter. Due to the current budget situation in most of the ESA nations, initially a capsule concept was pursued and studies for the so called ARD capsule (Atmospheric Reentry Vehicle) were placed. A flight test capsule will be launched with the third Ariane 5 flight. Tests for landing the vehicle with a parachute are under way, trials in the Northeast of Germany have proved the feasibility. Tests concerning the navigation and the heat protection are under way also. All of the results could also be used for another concept. NASA's Crew Rescue Vehicle project could be relatively easy and affordably joined with the European activities. Since, according to NASA, the Sojus capsule is not suitable as a rescue vehicle, the US space agency decided in favor of a new rescue vehicle, a so called lifting body. Since extensive studies have been accomplished with the European Hermes project, ESA was invited in the beginning of 1996 to join the CRV project. The following six-months joint program phase lead to clear preferences of NASA headquarters for a US-European space vehicle. Not surprisingly did the NASA interests lead to an X-38, the CRV technology test bench, which looks very much like Hermes. Furthermore, X-38 is already laid out for flights with an Ariane 5: The first flight with the Shuttle is scheduled for the beginning of 2002. Following extensive wind tunnel tests in March of this year, ESA has contributed $35 million to the CRV program to be able to evaluate the lifting body concept in a CTV configuration. This Europeanized version of the American concept is supposed to lift off with an Ariane 5 in March of 2002. The advantages of the cooperation are obvious. Europe could let NASA participate in its CTV, while NASA could open a door for Europe in its CRV project. Doing so, the ISS partners would have a third means of transportation available as an alternative to Sojus and the Shuttle and, Europe would have an autonomous access to space. Although NASA has evaluated its concept with the Japanese space agency also, this study has not led to any results. The cuts of the space budget has changed the plans for the Japanese spaceshuttle too much. It is up to the ESA ministers if a joint advance of NASA and ESA will become a reality. From page 43 of FLUG REVUE 12/97 Home | Update | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 12/97 Copyright 1997 by Motor-Presse Stuttgart. All rights reserved. Last updated November 7, 1997 FLUG REVUE, Ubierstr. 83, 53173 Bonn, Germany