ESA's Cargo Access and Return Vehicle (CARV)

[JonClarke]

This slipped in very quietly under the radar.<br /><br />The September issue of BIS's Spaceflight magazine had a news item on page 339 by Tim Furness on the CARV.<br /><br />ESA has a phase B study of this vehicle under way, with a tentative ISD of 2010. it will use the larger diameter US port of the ISS, rather than the Russian one used by the ATV.<br /><br />I found one web reference (apart from a Hungarian quote of the Spaceflight article). It on the French Mars Society site, and is about the 40th Joint Propulsion Conference at Fort Launderdale in July this year. A translated version of the site is at http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.astrosurf.com/planete-mars/news/2004/0725lauderdale.html&prev=/search%3Fq%3DCARV%2BESA%2BATV%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D<br /><br />This page makes specific reference to the CARV being launched on the Ariane 5, having the larger docking hatch, serving initially in the role of returning surplus equipment, and eventually being used for crewed missions.<br /><br />The page also makes mention of an uprated Ariane with a 80 tonne LEO capacity, something that we have discussed before on this site some months back.<br /><br />Cheers<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[nacnud]

I once found a pdf of a German study into an Ariane M but at the moment I can't find it again. The Ariane M seems to be a HLLV derived from existing Ariane 5 elements, the below pic gives and overview of the concept. I'll keep searching to see if I can dig up the original report.

 

[tohaki]

CARV is a very interesting study, but I understand that the cheaper and less ambitious PARES is given priority. As a European I find the prospect of the ATV evolving into a CTV (Crew Transport Vehicle) very exciting and with the ATV service module and the experience from the ARD it shouldn't be too difficult. I'm also a realist though and know that everything depends on funding.<br /><br />http://spaceflight.esa.int/projects/index.cfm?act=default.page&level=11&page=776

 

[tohaki]

I was searching through the online ESA image archive and found this image of a CTV being launched on top of an Ariane 5:<br /><br />http://www.esa.int/externals/images/estec-photo-archive/142.jpg<br /><br />I think the artist has overestimated the size of the capsule, but other than that it looks great.<br /><br />By the way, could JonClarke or a moderator/administrator edit the link in the top post? It dislocates the page structure.

 

[carp]

oh,oh poor shuttlelovers , another capsule Apollo-like. Now "oldfashioned" WHO?

 

[tohaki]

Sadly I think any hope of an ATV/ARD-derived CTV will die because of Kliper.<br /><br />We should have gone with a capsule in the first place instead of spending all that money on Hermes. Then we would probably have had an operational system by the late nineties.

 

[tohaki]

I have indentified the capsule in the picture. It is the 1996 Viking CTV design. So, the artist was spot on.<br /><br />http://www.abo.fi/~mlindroo/Station/Slides/sld091.htm