Project AENEAS: A Feasibility Study for Crew Emergency Return Vehicle

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Project AENEAS: A Feasibility Study for Crew Emergency Return Vehicle

H. Buning

The goal of Project AENEAS was to design a Crew Emergency Return Vehicle for the International Space Station. This vehicle has to be able to perform the following Mission Definitions: a non-time critical retreat from Space Station, in case the Space Shuttle is not available for a long time; a time critical retreat to earth in case of a Space Station contingency; and an ambulance return under medical tolerant conditions. In order to cover the different aspects of the design, the 29 participating engineering students were divided into eight groups, which in their turn were assembled into three major divisions: a spacecraft engineering division; an operations division; and a system engineering division. Topics covered in the report include the following: Systems requirements; Space station interface; Human factors; Power and communication; Propulsion; Spacecraft integration; Orbital operations; Reentry; Landing and recovery; Limits of design and cost aspects.