EU-DIGEST

For the complete report from Spiegel click on this link

Europe Plans Manned Spaceship- by Christoph Sedler

The news was only announced to a small group of people. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the aerospace group EADS Astrium had invited a mere handful of journalists to Bremen. Hardly any information had been revealed before the meeting, only nebulous hints. Now the reason for the secrecy has become apparent. Astrium is planning to add a new chapter to the history of space exploration. Engineers have quietly been developing a plan that would lead to the entry of Europe into manned space travel — if it gets political backing. Planners say manned European spaceflight could become a reality within nine years. The essence of the plan is to turn Europe's unmanned Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) into a full spacecraft in two stages.

Labels: ATV, ESA, EU, European Space Research

For the complete report from the ESA click on this link

Follow live Europe's Jules Verne ATV's first attempt to dock with the International Space Station

After several days spent in a parking orbit 2000 km ahead of the ISS, Jules Verne ATV is now ready to join up with the International Space Station. This first docking attempt can be followed live on 3 April 2008 from 15:30 CEST onwards from one of the European participating centres.The docking of Jules Verne ATV is scheduled for 3 April at 16:41 CEST. The final decision on whether to proceed with this manoeuvre will be taken by the ISS Mission Management Team in consultation with the European partners only 24 hours before the operations. For this first attempt, ESA and CNES will be organising live transmission of the event from the ATV Control Centre at CNES in Toulouse to the various European sites.

Jules Verne ATV today demonstrated its ability to navigate safely from a point 39 km behind the ISS to a stand-off point just 3.5 km away using relative GPS navigation. The vessel then executed an Escape manoeuvre commanded from the ATV Control Centre in which the craft flew off to a safe distance. “All systems were completely nominal, which is very satisfying for this first day of really testing the rendezvous capability of the spacecraft,” said John Ellwood, ESA ATV Project Manager.

Labels: ATV, ESA, EU, European Space Research, International Space Station

Shooting a Par-3 hole in space: Three steps to the European ATV docking

Jules Verne ATV is lining up for Europe's first-ever automated docking in space. Following two demonstrations, the final 'putt' must be more accurate and gentle than on any rolling golf green. Now that the vessel is 'on the green' - in a parking orbit 2000 m ahead of the ISS - ATV mission controllers must pace the spacecraft through two pending and crucial demonstration dockings, moving successively closer to the ISS, and then finally go for an actual rendezvous and docking attempt on 3 April.

Labels: ATV, ESA, Space Exploration

Engineers fix glitch in new European space cargo ship - by Jason Palmer

Though mission officials described Jules Verne's launch as "absolutely perfect", they noticed a glitch once the Ariane launch vehicle broke away and communications were established with the ATV. A detector noted a pressure anomaly in one of the ATV's four "propulsion chains". These are the valve and control systems between the tanks holding fuel and oxidiser and the thrusters, where they are mixed to propel the craft. There was a slight pressure difference in two pipes that separately ferry the fuel and oxidiser from the tanks to the thrusters.An electronics box that detected the pressure difference then turned off the affected chain, rerouting the propellants through the other three chains. The box then turned itself off, "just in case the anomaly is in the box itself", said ESA's ATV program manager John Ellwood at a press conference after the launch. Now, after working through the night, engineers have switched the electronics box back on. All of the ATV's systems are working perfectly.

Later on Tuesday, the ATV performed its first manoeuvres in space, using its main engines to move closer to the orbit necessary to rendezvous with the space station. Even before the glitch was fixed, mission managers emphasized that the mission was not in any jeopardy, since the ATV can propel itself using only three propulsion chains.

Labels: ATV, ESA, EU, Space Exploration

Europe launches its first re-supply spaceship – Jules Verne ATV – to the International Space station

Jules Verne, the first of the European Space Agency’s Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATV), a new series of autonomous spaceships designed to re-supply and re-boost the International Space Station (ISS), was successfully launched into low Earth orbit by an Ariane 5 vehicle this morning. During the coming weeks, it will manoeuvre in order to rendezvous and eventually dock with the ISS to deliver cargo, propellant, water and oxygen to the orbital outpost.On this first ATV mission, Jules Verne will deliver 4.6 tonnes of payload to the ISS, including 1 150 kg of dry cargo, 856 kg of propellant for the Russian Zvezda module, 270 kg of drinking water and 21 kg of oxygen. On future ATV missions, the payload capacity will be increased to 7.4 tonnes.

Named after the famous French 19th century visionary and author, the Jules Verne ATV is the largest and most sophisticated spacecraft ever developed in Europe, combining the functions of an autonomous free-flying platform, a manoeuvrable space vehicle and a space station module. About 10 m high with a diameter of 4.5 m, it weighed 19,357 kg at launch. It incorporates a 45-m3 pressurised module, derived from the Columbus pressure shell, and a Russian-built docking system, similar to those used on Soyuz manned ferries and on the Progress re-supply ship. About three times larger than its Russian counterpart, it can also deliver about three times more cargo.

The ATV is also the very first spacecraft in the world designed to conduct automated docking in full compliance with the very tight safety constraints imposed by human spaceflight operations. It features high accuracy navigation systems and a flight software far more complex than that used on Ariane 5. About half of the payload onboard Jules Verne ATV is re-boost propellant, which will be used by its own propulsion system for periodic manoeuvres to increase the altitude of the ISS in order to compensate its natural decay caused by atmospheric drag. Upon leaving, after four months spent docked to the ISS, Jules Verne ATV will carry away waste from the Station. It will then be de-orbited over the Southern Pacific Ocean and burn up in the atmosphere in a fully controlled manner.

Labels: ATV, ESA, EU, European Space Research

Europe’s Automated Transport Vehicle is readied for its Ariane 5 launch to support the International Space Station

Preparations are intensifying for Arianespace’s milestone launch of the Automated Transport Vehicle (ATV), with the mission’s Ariane 5 delivered to French Guiana, and loading of the spacecraft’s dry cargo and water now completed. The European-developed ATV will be lofted in 2008 by an Ariane 5 ES version of Arianespace’s workhorse launcher. After cruising then docking with the International Space Station, the ATV will deliver its payload of equipment, food, fuel, water and oxygen for the orbital facility’s crew.

Labels: Ariane5, ATV, EU, European Space Research, Guiana, International Space Station