Manned spaceship design unveiled (EAS/Russain design)

[flux_29]

Manned spaceship design unveiled (EAS/Russia)

From the BBC:

The first official image of a Russian-European manned spacecraft has been unveiled.

It is designed to replace the Soyuz vehicle currently in use by Russia and will allow Europe to participate directly in crew transportation. The reusable ship was conceived to carry four people towards the Moon, rivalling the US Ares/Orion system.

Unlike previous crewed vehicles, it will use thrusters to make a soft landing when it returns to Earth.

In some respects, the capsule resembles America's next-generation spacecraft Orion. The 18-to-20-tonne Russian-European vehicle is designed to carry six crew into low-Earth orbit and four on missions to lunar orbit.

This service module will use technology - such as the propulsion systems - developed for Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), an unmanned freighter recently sent to re-supply the International Space Station (ISS).

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7519723.stm

 

[FredH]

What's with that offset bit near the tip? Would that cause any aerodynamic or balance issues during launch/landing?

 

[M'Sharak]

What's with that offset bit near the tip? Would that cause any aerodynamic or balance issues during launch/landing?

Dunno. Visibility, maybe? There are what appear to be several viewports arranged on it.

Aerodynamic issues, I shouldn't think so, and balance depends on weight distribution, rather than shape, so what's inside it matters more than external appearance.

 

[MANT!]

Yep..kinda neet..
http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=61377