European space agency

[Paratrooper 0]

I have been thinking about space travel recently, what do you Europeans or any of you for that matter want/expect of the ESA? Will it ever rival NASA? As thats what the European project is all about; rivaling America.

[ran 0]

i think the ESA is doing well for now , with the new Ariane 5 showing good commercial results ....

the ESA offers an alternative to the american and russian space agencies and launchers

[Paratrooper 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (ran @ Aug. 29 2002,15:40)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">i think the ESA is doing well for now , with the new Ariane 5 showing good commercial results ....

the ESA offers an alternative to the american and russian space agencies and launchers<span id='postcolor'>

Yes I'd like to see it succede as well. I wish Britain played a more active role.

[ran 0]

doesn't that rock ? :

if we don't have a winner here .....

[Paratrooper 0]

Yep it looks great. But if we are to steal a march from America we will need a space station and/or a shuttle.

[ran 0]

we got a space shuttle project called hermes , i don't know if it has been cancelled or delayed

[Paratrooper 0]

Here it is. This needs to get made if Europe is serious about space, and not just commercial satalite launcing.

[ran 0]

hermes space shuttle :

http://www.friends-partners.org/mwade/craft/hermes.htm

[ran 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Paratrooper @ Aug. 29 2002,15:52)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Here it is. This needs to get made if Europe is serious about space, and not just commercial satalite launcing.<span id='postcolor'>

been cancelled in 1992

[Paratrooper 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (ran @ Aug. 29 2002,15:55)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Paratrooper @ Aug. 29 2002,15:52)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Here it is. This needs to get made if Europe is serious about space, and not just commercial satalite launcing.<span id='postcolor'>

been cancelled in 1992<span id='postcolor'>

Typical.

Well I can't see why Britain, France and Germany can't built a space plane or shuttle of the quality of the American one.

[ran 0]

british aerospace had another project in concurrence to the hermes , the HOTOL (horizontal take of and landing) , the basic project has been cancelled but british aerospace found an alternative , the interim HOTOL , using the russian AN225 mriya as shuttle carrier

http://www.friends-partners.ru/partners/mwade/lvs/inthotol.htm

[ran 0]

the Mryia was originally use to carry Buran

[cam0flage 0]

A little bit offtopic but still space related, i've been spotting shooting stars a lot lately. Anyone got any good explanation for this?

// cam0flage

[ran 0]

http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/ShootingStar.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subject....r.shtml

shooting stars are in fact meteors and meteor fragments burning when entering in our atmosphere

[Paratrooper 0]

These things are worth developing! A Euro station would give us the real advantage. The international space station will be fought over in too many directions, and we won't have any real control over it.

[ran 0]

neither us or the americans have our own space station , remember

there's not any commercial interest in a space station yet , the ISS is only for scientific purposes , and having our own space station would have some big repercussions on us , like an augmentation of the taxes and other charges

[Paratrooper 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (ran @ Aug. 29 2002,16:08)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">neither us or the americans have our own space station , remember<span id='postcolor'>

I know, thats why having one would be such a coup. Take the lead as it were. A space plane is needed first though.

[ran 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Paratrooper @ Aug. 29 2002,16:10)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I know, thats why having one would be such a coup. Take the lead as it were. A space plane is needed first though.<span id='postcolor'>

yeah ... soyuz starts to be a lil' bit old and the american shuttle doesn't inspire me confidence since 1986 , i know the yanks solved the problems that caused the accident etc etc ... but ..... would be great to have and to use our own ship

[Paratrooper 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (ran @ Aug. 29 2002,16:13)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Paratrooper @ Aug. 29 2002,16:10)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I know, thats why having one would be such a coup. Take the lead as it were. A space plane is needed first though.<span id='postcolor'>

yeah ... soyuz starts to be a lil' bit old and the american shuttle doesn't inspire me confidence since 1986 , i know the yanks solved the problems that caused the accident etc etc ... but ..... would be great to have and to use our own ship <span id='postcolor'>

Indeed. I must admit, a more powerful Europe does exite me!

[ran 0]

so does it for me

we got almost everything the yanks got if not more , the space shuttle is one of the really few things we miss

[Ex-RoNiN 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (ran @ Aug. 29 2002,15:50)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">we got a space shuttle project called hermes , i don't know if it has been cancelled or delayed<span id='postcolor'>

Its been cancelled back in '93 or '95, not sure which.

Shame really, it looked really good

[ran 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (ran @ Aug. 29 2002,15:55)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Paratrooper @ Aug. 29 2002,15:52)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Here it is. This needs to get made if Europe is serious about space, and not just commercial satalite launcing.<span id='postcolor'>

been cancelled in 1992

<span id='postcolor'>

heheheheh

[ran 0]

i love the way the ESA put all the flags of the participating countries on the sides of the rockets

it makes some kind of patchwork

[Paratrooper 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (ran @ Aug. 29 2002,16:29)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">i love the way the ESA put all the flags of the participating countries on the sides of the rockets

it makes some kind of patchwork<span id='postcolor'>

I like that also. Do you expect the program to come under EU control ever?

[ran 0]

i think it was france who was the first european country to launch something in the space , ain't it ?

the rocket was called Diamant 1 and had been fired in the sahara i think