Russia/Europe are building a new Shuttle Orbiter

[JoaMei]

http://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/weltraum/0,1518,365020,00.html

http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,492933,00.jpg

The design is based on the European Hermes and the Russian Clipper project and set to make its Maiden flight in 2011 or 2012.

Hermes

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/88/Hermes_reentry.jpg

Clipper

http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/newspictures/kliper_1.jpg


East meets west

http://www.esa.int/images/Meeting_at_Roscosmos_10_06_2005_m.jpg

[Lokos]

Interesting. Danke.

Lokos

[ocean]

After Galileo, this will be the second in direct competition with US space systems.

[VISTREL]

thanks for pics, very interesting! I am all for the exploration of space! http://www.flashpoint2.ru/WANK.gif

[Freibier]

Cool, if it's a true russian-european cooperation, it will be awesome woot

[JoaMei]

Launch vehicle is probaly a modified more powerfull Sojus named Onega, because that thing is even to heavy for Ariane 5 that was originally constructed for the Hermes.
It will be able to start from both locations, Baikonur and Kourou.

[tomcat1974]

Launch vehicle is probaly a modified more powerfull Sojus named Onega, because that thing is even to heavy for Ariane 5 that was originally constructed for the Hermes.
It will be able to start from both locations, Baikonur and Kourou.

Are you sure that will not use Angara?

[JoaMei]

Launch vehicle is probaly a modified more powerfull Sojus named Onega, because that thing is even to heavy for Ariane 5 that was originally constructed for the Hermes.
It will be able to start from both locations, Baikonur and Kourou.

Are you sure that will not use Angara?

Angara is not mentioned in the Text, Sojus is reliable and very cost effective. Energia and Angara have much higher costs per launch.

[Hellfish]

Interesting - I was kind of hoping that the next orbiter might be a bit more interesting than another shuttle. IIRC, there were 4-5 designs a few years ago that were reuseable, more reliable, cheaper and required far less infrastructure than the current shuttle fleet. This seems to me, at first glance, to be walking down the same path as the US and Soviet shuttles.

Still, all exploration of space is good exploration. woot

[sp2c]

I think it's good, ESA doesn't have that much experience, and the other planse like sending spacecraft to mars seems a bit ... ambitieus.

let them start at the bottom (and learn from everyone else's mistakes ;)) ... good show woot :hug:

[NicNZ]

Interesting news but that design looks frighteningly like a shoe...
http://martyshoes.com/store/media/and-f0412509_small.jpg

[quellish]

Clipper

http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/newspictures/kliper_1.jpg


It's sad, the Kliper is a better CEV than the two US CEV designs that will be competing against each other. It's not clear from the above image, but Kliper is very different from the Shuttle, and from Hermes. Imagine the Shuttle as the world's most expensive extended cab pickup truck - it's primary role is cargo after all - Kliper is more like a minivan or honda civic. Kliper lands under parafoil like the X-38, another departure from the Shuttle.
Some more information:
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/kliper.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kliper

[JoaMei]

Clipper

http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/newspictures/kliper_1.jpg


It's sad, the Kliper is a better CEV than the two US CEV designs that will be competing against each other. It's not clear from the above image, but Kliper is very different from the Shuttle, and from Hermes. Imagine the Shuttle as the world's most expensive extended cab pickup truck - it's primary role is cargo after all - Kliper is more like a minivan or honda civic. Kliper lands under parafoil like the X-38, another departure from the Shuttle.
Some more information:
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/kliper.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kliper

Actually landing like a Plane is seen as the main advantage over the Kliper.

[tomcat1974]

I would shoot the guy that had the smart ass ideea of using parafoil to land the X38. And they use explosive charges to deply the parafoil... Nuts.

[machupichu]

i wonder why theyd call it "clipper", it sounds like this stupid dolphin. HERMES was the perfect name for something like this. it (would) perfectly suits its role.

[bloddyaxe]

http://www.udel.edu/Archives/Collection/JPEG/Clipper.JPEG

http://www.marine-artist.fsnet.co.uk/J'%20CLIPPER.JPG

[machupichu]

http://www.marine-artist.fsnet.co.uk/J'%20CLIPPER.JPG
aaah great pictures. those were the times....

do you happen to have those ship pictures in higher resolution?

[GazB]

This seems to me, at first glance, to be walking down the same path as the US and Soviet shuttles.


Actually the Soviet and US space shuttles had some pretty serious differences, mostly based on different requirements but also based on US experience. Conceptually the US space shuttle was a Bomber with an internal weapons bay but lacked engine power or fuel capacity for the mission... hense two solid boosters and an enormous central fuel tank for takeoff. Conceptually the Soviet shuttle was a glider with a internal weapons bay that sat on a rocket to take off. The Soviet idea was actually cheaper to operate and much more versatile as instead of putting the shuttle on the rocket you could put a load fairing and carry a 100 ton payload into orbit. If you needed crew to go up you can use the glider (shuttle) but because the glider didn't have the heavy engines of the US model you could carry a larger payload, or get to a higher orbit.

[bloddyaxe]

[im g]http://www.marine-artist.fsnet.co.uk/J'%20CLIPPER.JPG[/img]
aaah great pictures. those were the times....

do you happen to have those ship pictures in higher resolution?

Sadly no.