Kliper

Kliper is a spacecraft proposed in 2004 by Russian rocket and space company RKK Energia. Designed in the first place to replace the Soyuz, it is a reusable space plane without wings that glides into the atmosphere at an angle that produces much less acceleration on the human occupants than the current Soyuz. The craft can carry up to seven people and can be used for ferry services between earth and the International Space Station, or for providing paying tourists short trips in orbit.

The lifting body design would not only allow a smoother descent into earth's atmosphere, it would also allow some steering. RKK Energia claims the craft would be able to land in a pre-determined one square kilometer area.

Its projected lifespan is 25 flights.

Links

• Images and information at Russian Space Web (http://www.russianspaceweb.com/kliper.html)
• Images and information at Astronautix (http://www.astronautix.com/craft/kliper.htm)

Energija's Nikolaj Brjuchanov and ESA's Joerg Feustel-Buechl on Kliper in ARD (German TV)--April 2004 --

• [1] (http://www.daserste.de/wwiewissen/thema_dyn~id,oialj0zadyy2227v~cm.asp) (in German)