2011 'year of rockets' for Europe

2011 'year of rockets' for Europe

www.bbc.co.uk

Twenty-eleven will be the "year of launchers", says European Space Agency director-general Jean-Jacques Dordain.

Europe expects to have three different rockets operating from its French Guiana spaceport in the coming months.

The workhorse Ariane 5 will be joined by the Russian Soyuz vehicle and a new small launcher called Vega.

At his annual Paris press conference to preview the year ahead, Mr Dordain said this represented a major change in the way Esa conducted its space activities.

And he told the BBC everyone might be surprised at how complex an undertaking this would be.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I think it is very interesting that the European agency seems so ready for the next ten years of commercial and state sponsored space flight. Also interesting to note that there could be a launch a month particularly when you consider that NASA does not seem ready to progress with their own shuttle alternative.

There is a release from NASA of new aircraft for 2025 which they sponsored article here: link they seem to be concentrating on giving money away for domestic airline innovation rather than getting on and building viable space vehicles like the European agency has done on a miniscule proportion of NASA's budget.

It seems that in the darker parts of 2010, NASA gave Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Brumman money to ponder what improvements might be made to our current aerial cattle carriers.

www.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by spacedonk


Maybe all the powers will be going into space so they will be away from the catastrophy down here.... whatever that may be....

i read in the book "the omega project and the bible codes" (yes i don't believe everything and took it with a grain of salt) but according to the author the space station has 13 bays and there are 13 space shuttles to take the original bloodlines off the planet and return after man is wiped out. sort of like Noah i guess

I can't get the images to imbed....

Anybody able to help out or tell me what I am doing wrong? I am linking the image urls which always has worked in the past.

Originally posted by laslidealist
i read in the book "the omega project and the bible codes" (yes i don't believe everything and took it with a grain of salt) but according to the author the space station has 13 bays and there are 13 space shuttles to take the original bloodlines off the planet and return after man is wiped out. sort of like Noah i guess

Is this idea geographically specific i.e. US? The only explanation for a lack of NASA spacecraft in the public domain is that they do indeed have plenty of craft just not for public consumption.

Considering their budget I cannot see how they could not have other vehicles hidden away.

reply to post by TruthxIsxInxThexMist

This was the first thought that entered my head. Hmmm why this year. Why a sudden increase. Seems suspicious to me. I had an idea. I saw a YT video of a hologram of Prince Charles. What if they realise that the sudden disapearance of key figures will alert everyone to something wrong. They could use these holograms as a way of keeping the masses calm.

Stupid idea i know. I should start writing Sci Fi scripts. My mind is full of stuff like this.