US and Europe plan new spaceship
 

Europe and the US could be building a spaceship together later this decade.

It is one of the ideas being considered as Europe ponders the next evolution of its ATV orbital freighter.

The sophisticated robotic vessel is used to transport up to 7.5 tonnes of supplies to the space station, but only three more units are in production.

Europe is now looking to develop a derivative of the ship and a joint venture with the Americans on a future vessel is being discussed.

The European Space Agency's Director General, Jean-Jacques Dordain, said the new concept must leverage the capabilities of the existing vehicle, such as its automatic rendezvous and docking technology, but that its precise role was up for debate.

He wants the broad concept laid out by the autumn so that he can present it to Esa member states for consideration.

"We shall work with the US space agency in a way that I can present in October a proposal on a new vehicle that in my view should be derived from the ATV, but which for the first time will be embedded into a common vision between Nasa and Esa," he told BBC News.

"I cannot tell you what type of vehicle it will be because this is not something I can define myself; this is something we have to define together - Nasa and Esa.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13286238


Note: 5 May 2011 Last updated at 12:06 GMT

What I heard is that the UK will be happy to drop the extra money for the project ... and that means you can not spend money here and there, for you who live on the islands, that is, in plain language, less beer :O:

This reminds me of a funny thread some time back about the Jumbo Airbus.

Two companies were going to build it together. But somewhere along the line there was a communication gap.

When each brought their half to the meeting\assembly site.

Both had built the front half of the plane. :-?

What happened next, :o

:oops: Then they went home. :p2:


Then they went :damn::damn::damn: after they got home.

Hmmm ... wonder how many people lost money in the "affair" :shifty:

How would've you liked to have been the sub-contractor who built in advance, "Tail Rudders". :haha:

I say, No Way :stare: give me my many pal...

We'll see. I've heard similar ideas regarding European-Russian cooperation in the past years. They always fade away.

I hope NASA, ESA, and the Russians are able to work together not just on this but on the planned Jupiter/Ganymede/Europa probe as well.

I thought the whole point of the Obama space plan was to privatize it?

Obama's space plan is more along the lines of, "Russia, you drive and we'll chip in for the gas." :dead:

:har:

I thought it was to have NASA encourage and aid the Islamic world in developing rocketry? :doh:

:har: Very true actually! It's just matter of time when Russians paint "TAXI" to their manned spacecrafts. :DL