On April 17, 2008, a press review was held for the first model H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) (Technology Demonstration Model), which is an unmanned cargo transfer spacecraft to the International Space Station.
part of HIIB, HTV's carrier rocket, under construction in MHI (Mitsubishi Heavy Industry)'s facilityIf you know Japanese you can read this page for detailed description:http://www.jaxa.jp/article/special/transportation/index_j.html
Thanks for the photos!They seem to be already installing an unpressurized pallet in HTV's center section. Do any of you know how many unpressurized payloads are expected to be launched, or have a preliminary payload manifest?
Quote from: eeergo on 12/25/2008 02:57 pmThanks for the photos!They seem to be already installing an unpressurized pallet in HTV's center section. Do any of you know how many unpressurized payloads are expected to be launched, or have a preliminary payload manifest?Sorry. I don't speak English that well....orzHTV-1:unpressurized payloadsNASA HREP - http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/experiments/HREP-RAIDS.htmlJaxa SMILES - http://smiles.tksc.jaxa.jp/indexe.shtml
How many HTVs does JAXA plan to produce?
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s rocket and spacecraft development establishment, the Tsukuba Space Center, has produced a concept for a four-crew capsule that is part of a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H-IIB rocket launched spacecraft consisting of four modules, the Launch Escape System (LES), Manned Re-entry Module (MRM), Orbital Habitation Module (OHM) and Propulsion Module (PM)
I don't think I understand the picture. It looks like the propulsion module is reversed from orientation in HTV, so the orbital maneuver engine is pointing at the orbital habitant module. Is that right? Oh. never mind. I looked again and now it seems as though the reentry module + propulsion module turn in the side brackets after it reaches orbit. It seems odd, I guess.
Quote from: William Barton on 01/13/2009 09:09 pmI don't think I understand the picture. It looks like the propulsion module is reversed from orientation in HTV, so the orbital maneuver engine is pointing at the orbital habitant module. Is that right? Oh. never mind. I looked again and now it seems as though the reentry module + propulsion module turn in the side brackets after it reaches orbit. It seems odd, I guess. This (Powerpoint) HTV configuration is launched with the pressurized cargo module attached to the re-entry capsule via an airtight joint. When the HTV is berthed at the ISS, astronauts can pass through the cargo module to reach the cargo in the re-entry capsule, and they can load the return cargo into the capsule the same way. After unberthing from the ISS, the HTV will initiate a controlled re-entry trajectory and separate the cargo module, which continues to re-enter and burn up. At that stage the re-entry capsule is still attached to the propulsion module and makes a course correction to set itself up for its own re-entry and recovery trajectory.Edit: I forgot that the concept behind the images is actually for a manned capsule. But the principle is the same, except that when berthed to the ISS, the cargo module provides crew access from the capsule to the ISS and back.
