[extropy-chat] SPACE: Russians propose 6 man reusable capsule

[Mike Lorrey]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/03/20/new.russian.vehicle.ap/index.html

MOSCOW, Russia (AP) -- Russian designers are working on a replacement
for the veteran Soyuz spacecraft, the mainstay of the nation's space
program since the 1960s, officials said Friday.

The new spacecraft, called the Clipper, will hold a crew of six
compared to Soyuz's three. It will have a takeoff weight of 16 tons --
more than twice its predecessor, Nikolai Bryukhanov, deputy chief
designer at the RKK Energiya company, told the ITAR-Tass news agency.

Unlike the Soyuz, which can only be used once, the Clipper will be
reusable and capable of making up to 25 flights, Bryukhanov said.

The new spacecraft also will be more comfortable, significantly
reducing G-forces on the crew during re-entry in comparison with the
Soyuz, he added.

Energiya can build the Clipper in five years if it receives sufficient
government funding, said the company's vice president, Nikolai
Zelenshchikov.

Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft have served as the only link to
the international space station since the U.S. space shuttle fleet was
grounded following the breakup of the Columbia during its return to
Earth in February 2003.

Zelenshchikov said Energiya engineers were also working on a huge
spaceship for a flight to Mars, set to weigh 660 tons, the Interfax
news agency reported. - end story - 

It sounds to me like they see a market opportunity. They possibly see a
limited market for such a product. 25 flights is a significant life
span (about the average number of flights that the Shuttles have under
their belts), though such a large capsule would also be useful for
extended operations by a crew of two, perhaps in deep space missions,
if attached to nuclear/plasma propulsion systems.

Energiya's Mars-ship sounds like fluff, though, maybe not. Perhaps they
are angling to be included in the contractor competition for the NASA
mission.

Ideally, I'd see a more effective design being a fully equipped
reusable titanium pressure capsule, with a cheap and replaceable
heatshield. What do you think is the layout for the six astronauts?
Arrayed around in a circle, or two rows of three, one above the other?



=====
Mike Lorrey
Chairman, Free Town Land Development
"Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
                                       - Gen. John Stark
Sado-Mikeyism: http://mikeysoft.zblogger.com

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