Europe's Role in the International Space Station

ISS is seen from Space Shuttle Atlantis.

Jules Verne ATV following undocking from the International Space Station.

Expedition 16 and 17 crew members inside Jules Verne ATV.

Jean-François Clervoy

Introduction

This lecture takes place at the time when ESA is evaluating candidates for the next group of European astronauts, and a fortnight before a meeting of Europe's Space Ministers when decisions about future human spaceflight, solar system exploration, launch vehicle and other programmes will be taken.

In 2008 Europe became a truly integrated participant in the International Space Station (ISS).

On 07 February the giant Columbus laboratory was launched on the Space Shuttle, and attached to the ISS where it is now a fully functioning research facility. The Columbus laboratory is ESA's biggest single contribution to the International Space Station. The 4.5-metre diameter cylindrical module is equipped with flexible research facilities that offer extensive science capabilities. During its 10-year projected lifespan, Earth-based researchers, together with the ISS crew, will be able to conduct thousands of experiments in life sciences, materials science, fluid physics and a whole host of other disciplines, all in the weightlessness of orbit.

Then on 09 March the 20 ton Jules Verne spacecraft was launched on Ariane 5 from Kourou bringing water, fuel and other consumables to the crew of the ISS. The Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) is probably the most complicated spacecraft ever built in Europe, launched and operated by the European Space Agency. The complexity comes from the nature of its mission and the constraints imposed by its destination, the International Space Station (ISS). Six months later the Jules Verne left the ISS and ended its first mission with a controlled break-up over the Pacific. Its developers are already thinking about the future of Automated Transport Vehicles, and hope to develop a craft that can not only return to earth intact, but can also carry a crew of astronauts.

Jean-François Clervoy is one of Europe's most experienced astronauts, having spent almost a month in orbit on three space missions. He was a senior adviser to the Jules Verne project and will thus describe Europe’s new central role in ISS based on firsthand expertise. He has been a member of the ESA astronaut corps for the past 16 years. For his services to space he has been awarded two NASA Exceptional Service Medals, three NASA Space Flight Medals, Officier de l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur, Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite, plus Komarov and Koroliev Awards from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.

Current assignment

Clervoy is a member of ESA's European Astronaut Corps, whose home base is the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) located in Cologne, Germany. He is currently seconded to the ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) ESA project as Senior Advisor Astronaut in Les Mureaux (France). Clervoy is also assigned as the Chairman CEO of Novespace, the subsidiary of the French space agency in charge of the parabolic flight program based on the A300 ZERO-G.

Spaceflight experience

STS-66 (03-14 November 1994), the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science-3 (ATLAS-3) mission was part of an ongoing program to determine the Earth's energy balance and atmospheric change over an eleven-year solar cycle. Clervoy used the robotic arm to deploy the CRISTA-SPAS atmospheric research satellite 20 hours after lift-off, and logged 262 hours and 34 minutes in space and 175 orbits of the Earth.

STS-84 (15-24 May 1997) was NASA's sixth Shuttle mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. Clervoy's primary tasks were the coordination of the execution of more than 20 experiments, the operation of the docking system and the double module SPACEHAB, and the transfer of 4 tons of equipment between Atlantis and Mir. He was also trained as a contingency spacewalker on this mission. STS-84 was accomplished in 144 Earth orbits and 221 hours and 20 minutes.

STS-103 (19–27 December 1999) was an 8-day mission. The primary objective was the repair and servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), including the replacement of the six gyroscopes, which are necessary to meet the telescope's very precise pointing requirements. Clervoy was the flight engineer for ascent and entry. He used the robot arm to capture and deploy the telescope, and to manoeuvre the suited astronauts during three 8-hour long spacewalks. STS-103 was accomplished in 120 Earth orbits and 191 hours and 11 minutes.
 

Public open lecture : all visitors welcome : no admission fee : no tickets required

commencing at 18:30, refreshments served from 18:00

(please note the change from the normal start time)

(prior RSVP by email or phone of intended attendance appreciated)

This lecture has been organised by the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) Space Group. This event is kindly supported by the European Space Agency. The presentation will take place in the Lecture Theatre at 4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ. Nearest underground station Hyde Park Corner. See location maps doc.. also MultiMap multimap.com or StreetMap streetmap.co.uk

For further details: Ms Hinal Patel, Conference & Events Department, Royal Aeronautical Society, 4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ. tel 020 7670 4345 fax 020 7670 4349 email conference@aerosociety.com

To receive details of the RAeS Space Group and other future events please an email to space@aerosociety.com with "subscribe" in the subject.

Related web sites: The Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com  RAeS Space Group www.aerosociety.com/space/  PDF flier.. www.aerosociety.com/conference/PDFs/SpaceNov08.pdf  European Space Agency www.esa.int  Columbus Laboratory www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Columbus/index.html  ATV Jules Verne www.esa.int/esaMI/Operations/SEM2AGPR4CF_0.html  Astronaut biography: ESA www.esa.int/esaHS/ESA1BUZUMOC_astronauts_0.html  NASA www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/clervoy.html  Space Explorers http://www.space-explorers.org/bios/clervoy.html