(Image:ESA/S. Corvaja)
Albert Einstein the man was a heavyweight of science, and so is the spaceship that bears his name. The juggernaut is the heaviest yet of a fleet of Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATVs) built and operated by the European Space Agency.
The picture above shows Einstein lifting off yesterday from Europe鈥檚 spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, propelled by an Ariane聽5 rocket. Now the uncrewed spaceship is parked in orbit 260 kilometres above Earth鈥檚 surface, preparing to dock with the International Space Station in nine days鈥� time.
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The ATV fleet first took to the skies in 2008 with the launch of Jules Verne. The roll call of famous science-related Europeans continued with in 2011 and last year. The fifth and final ATV, Georges Lema卯tre, is scheduled for launch next year.
At 20,190 kilograms, Albert Einstein is the heaviest ATV yet, outweighing its immediate predecessor by 150 kg. Its cargo includes 2580 kg of propellants for reboosting the station鈥檚 orbit and 860 kg more destined for the tanks of its Russian Zvezda module. It will also carry 570 kg of drinking water and 100 kg of oxygen and air to sustain the ISS鈥檚 crew. After delivering its supplies, the craft will, like its predecessors, be filled with space-station garbage and sent down to burn up in Earth鈥檚 atmosphere.
Despite their evocative names and pioneering docking technology, the ATVs have played a mundane, though essential, role so far. But their contribution to future space flight could be more glamorous. If ESA and NASA plans come good, they will live on in the form of the , designed to take astronauts to deep space. It is a NASA project, but last year the US space agency announced that Europe would provide crucial technology derived from the ATV.
