The Demonstrator Spacecraft is an experimental, collapsible International Space Station escape vehicle that could revoltutionize Space travel. Assuming they find it and it worked properly.
It should also be noted this isn't their first attempt at a successful test launch, it's their fourth. For some reason the Russians, who boast such an impressive record of successful Soyuz launches, can't get it together for this thing. Odd.
The craft itself, built by the Russians for the ESA, boasts some fantastic innovations: collapsible, it can be stored easily on a Progress Spaceship for shipping to ISS, or even for storage on ISS; it can make safe landings with crew or cargo on Earth or other planets. It's a complete deviation from normal craft design.
I don't know exactly what the stuff is, but the body of the spacecraft is some type of heat resistant fabric, hence the ability to collapse the entire thing like a pup-tent. Despite the fact it has no engines, designers say the thing is capable of bringing several tons of cargo (or crew) back to Earth for a safe landing.
It was successfully deployed and inflated in Space and survived re-entry, but they can't find the craft for complete analysis. Russia has suspended the flight; no further information on plans for a fifth flight, or what happens next, as scientists continue to crunch the numbers.
NASA eyes establishing orbiting lunar outpost
12 years ago
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