Windkanalmodell
Hermes-Raumgleiter, Ganzmodell für Windkanalversuche, des Eidgenössischen Flugzeugwerks Emmen
Dating
1977–1992Persons
Description
Hermes-Raumgleiter, Ganzmodell für Windkanalversuche, des Eidgenössischen Flugzeugwerks Emmen. Projekt für ein europäisches Space-Shuttle. Das Modell diente beim Eidgenössischen Flugzeugwerk Emmen (heute RUAG Space) für Windkanalversuche (Auftriebs-, Widerstands- und Nachlaufmessungen). Die Spuren der Flüssigkeit, die zur Visualisierung der Strömungen verwendet wurde, sind noch sichtbar.Object type
Object (three-dimensional)Geography
Gebrauchsort: EmmenMaterial / Technique
Kunststoff, MetallDimensions
ca. 1.75 x 1.3 x 0.7 cmInventory number
VHS-7832Legend
Hermes Space Glider (Project), France/Europe 1977-1992 (Wind Tunnel Model 1:8.5)
Shattered Dream
The manned space shuttle Hermes was originally designed by the French space agency CNES to carry supplies to space stations. It was envisaged that Hermes would be launched on top of an Ariane 5 launcher and glide back to Earth like the American Space Shuttle. The “Resource Module”, the adapter for fastening the craft to the Ariane 5, was intended to detach and be left behind before the shuttle’s re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
The project was taken over by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 1986 for cost reasons and more than 170 companies and research institutes worked on developing it further. However, as the USA and Russia both had sufficient transport capacity for setting up the International Space Station (ISS), Europe’s dream of its own transport system was shattered. Hermes was abandoned late in 1992.
The model shown here was used by the Federal Aircraft Factory in Emmen (now RUAG Space) for wind tunnel experiments. Traces of the liquid that was used to visualise the flows can still be seen.
Technical data
Main colour
weissType of propulsion
ohne AntriebSystematics
• Manned capsules
• Development models