"Rusty Barton" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 09 Sep 2004 01:30:06 -0700, Damon Hill
Remember Hermes?

Didn't think so.


Couldn't the ESA use the ATV as a building block to create a manned
capsule?

The outside shape doesn't matter as much as you'd think. It's the cost to
develop, test, and build everything else you need that really dominates the
cost. Note that for decent testing, you ought to have at least a few
unmanned flights of your vehicle. That really drives up the cost with
today's launch costs.

Jeff
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