Europe's love affair with the Hermes spaceplane is not over. Years after the first Hermes was cancelled, the European Space Agency and Aerospatiale have come up with the Son of Hermes. It's not quite the old spaceplane, but it'll do.
ESA is working on two manned projects which will be proposed to NASA to support the International Space Station (ISS).
One is a Crew Transfer Vehicle (CTV) to carry a crew of four to six astronauts and equipment to and from the ISS. It would be launched by the Ariane 5 and land in the sea, like the Apollo capsules of the `1960s.
The other is a Crew Rescue Vehicle (CRV) which will remain attached to the ISS and be available for an emergency return of the entire seven crew.
The CRV will replace two Soyuz three-person capsules which will be used initially as the ISS is being developed.
Source: Flight Daily News
