Jules Verne mates with ISS The European Space Agency’s "Jules Verne" Automated Transfer Vehicle this afternoon successfully docked with the International Space Station at 16:45 CEST (14:45 GMT) following a cautious approach monitored by both ground-based teams and the ISS's crew. The Jules Verne ATV docked with the ISS. Pic: ESA The ESA explains: "The …
"Jules Verne has discharged its cargo of 1,150 kg of dry cargo, including food, clothes and equipment as well as two original manuscripts handwritten by Jules Verne and a XIXth century illustrated edition of his novel From the Earth to the Moon"
Original manuscripts? Are they mad? Surely they could have scanned and emailed it to the ISS? Let's hope they never name a spaceship Shakespeare or Dickens.
Yes, they're actual originals. The NASA channel showed them giving them the white glove treatment packing them into vacuum bags. They showed off Mr. Verne's signature just before doing so.
It's just like the original Star Wars light saber movie prop that went up on a shuttle not too long ago. Not only is it now an original Jules Verne, but it's flown in space as well, which really seems to excite a lot of people.
"So a 19 ton space craft only carries about 2 tons of equipment?"
That's a fairly good weight ratio, especially comparted to the shuttles. Now, I would really like to see the heat shielded ATVs with passanger seats and some spaceturists hitching a ride in them.
ps: Mine is the funny looking spacesuit with a ticket for a ride on the next progress...
You must be one of the idiots pulling money from science: reusable launch vehicles sound cost effective in principle but they just haven't proved so in practice Refitting and moving the shuttle piggyback on planes is phenomenally expensive.
Three cheers from me as Europe continues pragmatic and cost-effective space exploration and research without military budgets.
Captain: Ready release of capsule claw
1St Mate: Claw release ready
Captain: Jettison the module
Pshhhhhscht
1st Mate: Module away
Captain: Houston, the Jules Vern Module is released and on its way
Houston: Rodger that ISS
Captain: Its great isn't it number 1, to get rid of that. All that rubbish was getting a little stinky. Just think, in a few hours time it will be pulverized at 10,0000 degrees over the pacific.
1st Mate: Sure it amazing. Say can I have a look at that old book?
Captain: Sure sonny, where did you put it?
1st Mate: I thought you grabbed it...
...<silence>...
Captain: Aww F*$%k It
In theory, the JV can carry men into space, but not return them to Earth. Reentry and soft landing is tricky, but I'm not sure why they didn't do it. With the US space shuttle retiring soon, this leaves the Russian Soyus as the only method of putting men into space. Will the Russians be the first and the last in space?
You have to remember the history of the shuttle. After Apollo, the US government cut budgets and told NASA they could have a cargo lifter or a reusable passenger craft. NASA tried to have their cake and eat it. The unfortunate result being the Space Shuttle, a phenomenally expensive spacecraft that needs to be rebuilt every time it flies. A spacecraft that is a not very good passenger craft and terrible cargo lifter. Just because the Shuttle is a massive waste of money doesn't necessarily mean all reusable spacecraft will be.
"Jules Verne is carrying '1,150 kg of dry cargo, including food, clothes and equipment as well as two original manuscripts handwritten by Jules Verne and a XIXth century illustrated edition of his novel From the Earth to the Moon'..."
"When its visit is completed, the Jules Verne will carry ISS rubbish back into Earth's atmosphere for a controlled burn-up over the Pacific."
And what happens to the *original* manuscripts then?
How many Ariane's blew up on the launch pad before they got it right?
And what is the point? What if some scholar of old Julesy had evidence that Verne was a time-traveller or something, and he needed those manuscripts to (dis)prove his theory, and they had been burned up on the launch pad?
can't they at least put an Apollo style heat shield on it and pick it up after a splashdown somewhere? Controllable parachute technology is good enough to make sure it's even steered to within a few feet of it's desired landing zone.
seems a terrible waste to destroy entire spacecraft after only one use-especially when it's use is orbital instead of the high stress regimes of launch and trans atmospheric flight.
The reason it didn't was because it needed extra fuel to carry out the docking tests:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/atv.html
The ATV is more than 32 feet (10 meters) long and almost 15 feet (4,5 meters) in diameter. It has a dry weight of about 23,000 pounds (10,5 ton). It docks automatically with the station, though station crew members can take charge of the process if difficulties arise.
It can carry more than 16,800 pounds (7,7 ton) of cargo. It can take to the station as much as 12,000 pounds (5,5 ton) of dry cargo, almost 1,850 pounds (830 kilo) of water, as much as 220 pounds (100 kilo) of gases, and up to 1,890 pounds (850 kilo) of propellant for the station.
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