By akademiotoelektronik, 12/11/2022

Hermès or the failed opportunity for Europeans to be autonomous in inhabited flights

In 1992, the European space agency abandoned the program of small Hermès space shuttle and made a cross on autonomy in terms of inhabited flights.Thirty years later, while many managers and specialists in the space sector question the usefulness of providing Europe with a inhabited vehicle, we met François Leproux, author of a test on the Hermès program.An exciting interview that addresses all aspects of this program perhaps too ambitious for its time.

Vous aimez nos Actualités ?Inscrivez-vous à la lettre d'information La quotidienne pour recevoir nos toutes dernières Actualités une fois par jour.Cela vous intéressera aussi

[In video] SpaceX: Relive the successful launch of the first inhabited flight of Crew Dragonpour the first time in the history of the conquest of space, a private company has carried out a inhabited mission.SpaceX, founded only less than 20 years ago, has successfully launched its space transport system with two astronauts on board which are in flight to the International Space Station.The Falcon 9 has taken off and put the crew dragon without incident.

In our articles, when it comes to dealing with subjects related to European inhabited flights, Futura often refers to the Hermès space plane project to highlight the failed opportunity for Europeans to be autonomous in terms of inhabited flights.Indeed, since this abandonment, ESA has chosen international cooperation - and therefore swap the flights of its astronauts - rather than developing its own habited space transport infrastructure.

That said, the Hermès program obviously cannot be summed up in this sole failed ambition which is explained in particular by a lack of political will.Hermès is also a story, more than twenty years long, which, if it has not made it possible to fly this small space shuttle, has still favored the acquisition for Europe of many technologies necessary forHabited flights.On this point, Hermès' inheritance is substantial.

To get a more precise idea of the history of the Hermès program, from the first studies to its abandonment, we took advantage of the release in bookstores of a test on the Hermès program to meet its author, François Leproux.This engineer in space mechanisms, president of the 3AF Grand Est group and specialist in the space sector, returned to the history of this space shuttle, his motivations and the reasons for his failure as well as his technological heritage.An exciting interview.

Voir aussiVols habités : l'ESA a fait le choix de la coopération internationale

Different space shuttle concepts studied as part of the Hermès program with launchers Ariane 4 and Ariane 5.© François Leproux

Futura: What did he miss to Europe to acquire a inhabited space transport system?

François Leproux : Si un manque de volonté politique a indéniablement manqué à Hermès, d'un point de vue technique, le concept était aussi très ambitieux.In November 1992, the date of his abandonment, he proved to be impracticable, technically and financially, under the conditions originally envisaged.There were many technological jumps to cross.Arriving in the field of space transport inhabited with an airplane was very ambitious, a bit as if Europe had wanted to go from the steam train to the TGV without going through the capsule stage as the Russians did so well, the AmericansAnd today China and SpaceX.

“Ce qui a manqué aussi à Hermès, c’est que ce projet n’était pas aussi fédérateur qu’Ariane

What also failed in Hermès is that, unlike the Ariane program which was unanimous around him because he had to give Europe autonomous access to space, this project was notNot as unifying as Ariane.Some countries were not convinced of the usefulness of a space plane.

For Italy and Germany, Hermès and inhabited flights were not justified.The program was seen as a technological project with no great operational value in the manner of Concorde.

There was also a certain industrial inconsistency.The sharing of tasks between ESA, national agencies and industrialists was not completely decided, satisfactory.The program base was too fragile.

Industrial inconsistency?That's to say ?

François Leproux : Il faut savoir qu'à l'origine Hermès est un programme français.When it was a question of "Europeanizing", the French government had already chosen its own industrialists to realize it.Dassault-break and aerospace were in charge of the essentials of the plane development.A situation that was frowned upon by its European partners.France has also been accused of using ESA to finance its own spatial ambitions.That said, the creation of EurohermèsPace will have been an interesting attempt to bring together French, German and Italian industrialists in the same structure.Dissolved with the abandonment of Hermès, she has the merit of having laid the bases of.

In 1992, was not the lower orbit context that envisaged at the time of the decision to develop Hermès?

François Leproux : Oui.When the decision was made to abandon Hermès, the context had changed a lot since the late 1970s.The Leo-Hub imagined a few years earlier and which could justify an almost permanent human presence in low orbit was no longer envisaged before a horizon of several decades.In a way, those who had imagined the emergence of an economy of space in low orbit with expanded use to a wide range of services were too early on time!The Leo-Hub is becoming a reality favored by the arrival of newspace actors.

Did you know ?

This future Leo-Hub will include a good number of new activities and commercial outlets like:

Was not the space shuttle promises not a brake on Hermès?

François Leproux : C'est un point essentiel.At the start, Hermès was imagined to serve a small station in low orbit and bring back to earth materials made in orbit.For Europeans, it was not conceivable to arrive with a capsule while the Americans and the Russians developed a shuttle.At the time, the concept of the inhabited capsule appeared outdated.When, after only a few operational flights, NASA realized that its space shuttle was dangerous and complicated to use so that one could not go in space as easily as when you take the, the Hermès project was called into question.

The mass of Hermès?

François Leproux : Ça été un gros problème tout au long du développement.Hermès' first dimensioning studies are based on the expected performance of Ariane 5 with a capacity to launch 15 tonnes in low orbit.Over the course of development, the mass of the space aircraft has been weighed down to finish at 17 tonnes.After the loss of the challenger shuttle and its crew, it was decided to add ejectable seats.We also equipped Hermès with a separable module, a mooring cone and batteries, which increased the plane.The latest concept of Hermès could no longer be launched by Ariane 5!

The Hermès concepts of the aerospace which has today become Airbus, and Dassault, then Dassault-Breguet Aviation.© François Leproux

Hermès was quite different from the American shuttle.We used to say that she was correcting many "faults" of the American shuttle.So can we be surprised at the choice of NASA for the shuttle as it was designed?

François Leproux : Effectivement.The fundamental difference between Hermès and the space shuttle was its integration into its launcher.The European space plane was located above the Ariane 5 launcher and not against, as was the case for the Shuttle.This had the main advantage that Hermès was protected from the fall in debris (insulating foam, ice for example) and that in the event of an explosion of the launcher, the crew was located 20 meters, which could leave him likelyadditional survival.In addition, the American shuttle had as other drawback that it had to transport a substantial crew and have the capacity to transport spacecraft from the American army, or even bring them to earth.Two requirements that are damaged each other.In the case of Hermès, the payload transport function was devoted to a classic Ariane 5.

NASA was aware that its choice was not optimal for the safety of crews.It was to deal with the requirements of the military who wanted to be able to launch the shuttle from Vandenberg, and recover useful loads of very large orbiting sizes, hence the large volume of the hold of the Shuttle.The size of the support forced engineers to endow the Shuttle with large Delta wings instead of the right wing initially imagined, which led to a less safe vehicle than expected.

In terms of security, Hermès aimed at more than 99.999 % (the reliability of the Ariane 5 launcher being 99 %), the 0.001 being covered with an ejection system of the crews, which missed the Challenger crew whichdid not die in the explosion of the shuttle but during its crash in the ocean.

Hermès, as envisaged in 1987 the European Space Agency.© ESA, D.Ducros

That said, despite the abandonment of Hermès, its advances have benefited directly or indirectly to all space programs

François Leproux : Effectivement.But not only in the space field.We can cite jumbled hypersonic modeling software, operating safety architectures, third generation thermal materials, semi-portable bodies for example.Thus, from the technological bricks of Hermès, programs were born like ATV, Ard and Space Rider.The IXV, the atmospheric back -to -school demonstrator, is the program that has benefited most from the developments initiated for Hermès (thermal materials, aerodynamic design in particular).

Regarding the design of Hermès, have Dassault's choices proved to be excellent?

François Leproux : Oui.Initially envisaged as an "American space mininver", its pace has gradually moved to that of a delta wing plane without vertical impact, it being replaced by two winglets at the end of the wing.A configuration so well optimized that NASA recognized that this concept imagined by Dassault, with a very fine wing with winglets at its ends was very relevant.Besides, this design is taken up by numerous space aircraft projects such as Dream Chaser.This configuration was notably tested in flight by the X-38 as part of the CRV program which was to give birth to an emergency vehicle of the ISS crews.

Voir aussiVols habités : quand l'Europe va-t-elle prendre son autonomie ?

What are the other areas that took advantage of Hermès?

François Leproux : On en parle moins, mais Hermès a été un accélérateur dans le développement de nombreuses technologies qui ne sont pas dans le domaine spatial.For example, we will cite the Catia de Dassault software.Initially developed for the Rafale planes program, Hermès undoubtedly stimulated its development.The development of fuel batteries was also accelerated with Hermès, as are electric flight controls which were also developed in parallel for Airbus A320.The orbit and attractive orbit algorithms in Hermès have been used by ATV and are still used for satellites.If, strictly speaking, Hermès did not give birth to new technologies, you should know that the program could have favored the creation of a sector in Europe in the field of flat cockpit screens.

A Hermès tomorrow?

François Leproux : Je suis assez convaincu que l'Agence spatiale européenne décidera de doter l'Europe d'un accès automne à l'espace pour ses astronautes.The very strong dissensions of the 80s between France, Germany and Italy are less obvious today.Italy is a fairly strong supporter and, in Germany, there are fewer objections than before.

Josef Aschbacher, the new managing director of ESA makes a lot of promotion of inhabited flight.All the lights are green especially since with the heavy version of Ariane 6, Europeans have a launcher whose capacities will allow it to launch a inhabited vehicle which will certainly be a capsule. À cela s'ajoute que la France qui a pris au 1^er janvier la présidence de l'Union européenne pourrait faire accélérer les choses en vue de la prochaine conférence ministérielle de l'ESA prévue fin 2022.

Hermès, an ambition in inheritance, by JPO editions Altipresse.

Intéressé par ce que vous venez de lire ?Abonnez-vous à la lettre d'information La quotidienne : nos dernières actualités du jour. Toutes nos lettres d’information

!

Thank you for your registration.Happy to count you among our readers!

Définitions associéesQu'est-ce que SpaceX ?Que signifie "matière" ?Un astronaute, c'est quoi ?Qu'est-ce que "nasa" signifie ?Qu'est-ce que "new space" signifie ?