ESA M.T.F.F.-DERIVED SPACE STATION
Notes:
Back in the heady days of 1987, Europe was making plans to build an autonomous space station derived from the Columbus Man-Tended Free-Flying (MTFF) platform as the next logical step after Space Station Freedom. This illustration from 1987 shows a typical configuration. The Hermés mini-shuttle would have been used to ferry astronauts to it from Earth while a new docking node would have housed life support for a permanent crew (the MTFF did not carry such equipment). Finally, a crew escape vehicle capsule would have been added to return the astronauts safely in an emergency. But these grandiose plans were eventually cancelled in 1991-93. First, the MTFF's launch was postponed repeatedly, first from 1999 to 2001 and then to 2003 . The 1991 Space Station Freedom redesign also made the MTFF totally dependent on Hermés since the Space Station no longer would be capable of servicing free-flying space platforms. In November 1991, ESA decided that the maximum cost of the MTFF and Columbus Attached Pressurized Module would be $5.3 billion in 1992-2005. By this time, the estimated costs to completion had increased by 40.5% for Hermes (17.5% due to technical changes, 23% caused by the four-year stretch), 14.2% for Columbus (as a result of the stretch and design changes mandated by cuts in the US Space Station funding) and 5.7% to Ariane-5 due to tecnical changes. At the same time, unforeseen events in 1987-91 (German unification, the Gulf War, European integration costs, lower-than-hoped-for economic growth) translated to 24% lower funding for approved ESA programs. "The days of 'blazing the path to space' for the glory of Europe are now behind us," one German manager told Aviation Week & Space Technology.