International Space Station, ATV and CRV

The International Space Station as it will appear when assembly is completed in 2003. ESA is contributing the Columbus Orbital Facility and will help to resupply the Station using its new Ariane-5 equipped with the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV).The artist's view shows the Station seen from the side carrying the Russian research modules. ESA's ATV, carrying a pressurised module, is docked at top left. In this configuration, the ATV is capable of raising the Station to a higher altitude. This reboost will be performed every 3 months in order to compensate for atmospheric drag. The photo also shows a Crew Rescue Vehicle (CRV) docked to the vertical US module and a Soyuz-TM docked to a Russian module. NASA is studying the CRV scenario through the X-38 programme. The possibility of ESA's cooperating with NASA on a lifting body, derived from their X-38 demonstration programme, is under study. [Image Date: 01-06-97] [97.06.021-002]