Quote:
Originally Posted by Paper Kosmonaut
I wonder what the reasons were behind the changes to the appearance of the ARV compared to the Advanced Re-entry Demonstrator that ESA launched almost 15 years ago.
... Woods170?
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I hear yah Paper. The ARD used the outer shape of the Apollo Command Module. It was a quick project, and they didn't want to waste time on researching the optimal shape. CNES was aware that the Apollo CM shape worked fine, so they chose to base ARD on that particular shape. However, using the general shape of the Apollo CM on ATV provides for insuffient space inside the ARV (the walls are too steeply angled inwards, providing for not a whole lotta room) So, the angle of the ARV outer wall was decreased, much like SpaceX did with the Dragon capsule. Remember, ARV still had to be able to bring up a significant amount of cargo to ISS, whilst being able to also return a significant amount of cargo. With that being the main drivers behind the design, you don't go for an Apollo CM shaped capsule.