An European Space Initiative

National Space Society FranceEugene, Oregon - 2003

A first answer :

Creation of potential of activity

Why going in space ?

An historical example of creation of potential of activity :

Henry the Navigator1394 - 1460

Portugal

Portugal during the XVth century

• A great Mediterranean and catholic power.• suffers an economic recession since 1375.• More difficulties with middle east and Chinese

empire trade – a closed economy.• threatened by Arabic and Muslim powers.• Three kings : john I (1383-1433) - Edouard

(1433-1438) - Alphonse V (1438-1481).

Portugal and Mediterranean Sea

The necessity of opening new ways and markets for Portugal

A solution : Colonization of west coast of Africa.

The beginning of the Portuguese age of discovery

Henry the Navigator

• 1415 : first action : capture of Ceuta (morocco) - learns about african trade.

• 1419 : named as Governor of Algarve Region - South West of the country, in face of Africa and Atlantic ocean.

• 1420 : Master of the Portuguese military order : Order of Christ.

• His capital : City of Sagres.

Capture of Ceuta - 1415

Algarve region and the south of Portugal

Sagres

Turning Africa

Creating a potential of activity :An infrastructure.

• Recruits intellectuals : geography, astronomy, sailors, naval engineers, scientists, pilots, and navigators from all around the world.

• Builds a church, an observatory, a ship factory in Lagos and Sagres and a center for cartography.

• Lagos’ Harbor dedicated to the development of a new vessel : the caravel.

Creating a potential of activity :An infrastructure.

• A School of Navigation : based in Sagres, international students and speakers.

• Some students of the School : Christopher Columbus, Bartholomea Dias, Vasco da Gama or Magellan.

• A ‘’better and brighter’’ brain trust around the prince Henry.

• The will of opening a new sphere of economy for Portugal.

Some developments : mapping

Some developments : instruments

Some developments : From the Barca ( ~ 1350- 1430) to the

Caravel (~ 1441-1500)

First discoveries : the Atlantic islands

• 1420 : Madeira.• 1422 : Canaries

Islands.• Between 1424 and

1432 : Azores islands.• Next step is the limit of

the ‘’known world’’ : Cape Bojador.

Cape Bojador - 1434• 15 failures between 1427 and 1434.• Using of an old type of vessel : the barca.• Gil Eanes passed the cape during the

summer of 1434 after 2 personal failures.• The major lock for south expansion in

Africa is broken.

From Rio de Oro to Guinea• 1436 : Portuguese

discover Rio de Oro river - First trades.

• Cape Branco passed in 1441 with caravels.

• 1444 : First merchant private expedition - 200 black slaves brought back to Portugal.

• 1445 : Cape Verde.

• 1447 : Trade and refueling outpost created on Arguim Island.

• 1450 : First licenses of exploitation on Guinea.

• 1456 : Pope recognizes Portuguese domination.

• 1459 : Fra Mauro’ map in Sagres by Toscanelli.

African expeditions :

1460 - Henry the Navigator died

A new potential of activity opens for Portugal – an open economy.

A lot of benefits and spinoffs for the country : spices, gold, ivory, silver, slaves...

After Henry… the beginning of the Portuguese empire.

Bartholemea Dias passed Good Hope Cape in 1487.

Vasco da Gama reached India in 1499

Columbus - 1492

An European Space Initiative

NOW...

Why proposes a European Space Initiative ?

• To offer a new potential of activity to Europe.

• To open a new sphere of economy : in a spacefaring civilization frame.

• To propose concrete, new and larger political ideas (back to a real political vision).

• To initiate our space projects.

How to do it ?

• The ESI is composed in two main parts : a short term plan called ‘’15 propositions for 5 years’’ and a middle and long term plan called ‘’beyond earth orbit’’ .

• 15 propositions is a concrete, political and feasible plan for Europe. Its goal is to master regular human access to low orbit in 5 years.

15 propositions for 5 years

• First main goal : Human access to space activities on earth orbit.

• Initiate an industrial political, universities movement towards Europe for space.

• Second main goal : a parallel preparation of ESI middle term plan in the frame of a spacefaring civilization.

• Advanced studies for next generation ideas.

Regular human access to earth orbit

1. First at all : a strong political, economical, cultural and strategic will for the ESI

2. Wake up all European space partners.

• Presentation of ESI - making of a 5 years roadmap.

• Awakening of all space partners (working around space activities - in a large definition) : private companies, national agencies, departments, universities, and politics….

• Definition of a European Universities Space Initiative.

3. Reliability of Ariane V for three versions : ESC-A, Evolution and

Human 10 tons

4. Launching and using of the automatic cargo vehicle ATV

(Automatic Transfer Vehicle) for ISS

First launch Sept. 2004

4. First lessons in space : docking, orbital driving and handling…

First studies on ACEV -Human version of ATV.

5. Advanced Developing studies on ARD, CTV/CRV, X-38, Pre-X, Sphinx,

Angel, Socrates, l’IXV, Hercules...

6. Building Columbus, European experiments module for ISS

6. Renegotiations for European use of ISS. Proposing a larger using of

Space Station : Our first space academy and harbor.

7. Industrial development and tests for human module using Ariane V

Goal : Send and bring back safely astronauts 5 to 6 times per years.

8. First European launch of astronauts to orbit by our own way.Learning of space flight techniques.

In the same time: Parallel preparation for ESI

middle term plans

1. Future Launchers Preparation Plans (FLPPs) works:

• Studies’ speeding up about FLPPs : EXTV (European eXperimental Test Vehicle), VERHA (Dassault Aviation) or ARES (EADS).

• European space politic Coordination about future launchers (Next Generation Launchers Studies).

• Choice between ELV or RLV.

1. Future Launchers Preparation Plans (FLPPs) works:

FLPPs Works

Ares project by EADS

2. Studies about winged reusable vehicles

• Resume of all studies about winged reusable vehicles : SSTO, TSTO, Hermes, FESTIP, HOTOL, Sanger, X-33, financed tests for Ares (Fr) and Vehra (Fr) or Phoenix 2 (Germany).

3. Alternative propulsion studies

• Resume of nuclear propulsion studies.• Studies about Hydro Magnetic Dynamic

propulsion (ONERA, SupAero, CNRS).• Studies about Electric Kinetic

Propulsion (Naudin and Brown).

4. Studies about Space cable or Space elevator c

See B. Edwards and Westling or Liftport Group.

5. Preparing the next generation : Launch of a Space Techniques’

Universities Initiative.Creation of a ‘’Brain Trust’’, building a better and brightergeneration.

Founding and helps for university teams or technical institutes working on space program. Encourage, by all means, studies on space activities.

Developing Science program.

6. Promotion of all kind of European space private enterprise initiatives.

Political ‘’Zero Tax, Zero Gravity’’ act.

7. Launching the Future...

• First agencies studies about Moon and Mars exploration to come : advanced versions for ESA Aurora program.

• Moon and Mars exploitation studies.• Developing the ISS use.• Development studies on next space

propulsion ( an European Prometheus ?).

Beyond earth orbit.

Middle and long term plan :a space faring civilization frame.

Beyond earth orbit : everything is possible.

• Learn and developing space activities: the middle term plan.

• Open and study each possibilities for future.• Next generation of propulsion and vehicle

required.• International cooperation. Creation of an

International Managing Space Programs Office.

The main goal: Moon and Mars.

• Moon : the earth harbor and facility.

• Lunar installation and exploitation.

• Works of H. Koelle (Ph.D. Berlin University), SSI (Princeton University), P. Eckart.

• Mars : the next step.• R. Zubrin, Case for

Mars or entering space .

• Mars direct initiative developed.

• Studies about colonization.

Moon and Mars.

Development of a spacefaring civilization.

New potential of activities and new sphere of economy open.