Fuji (spacecraft)
Fuji (ふじ) was a crewed spacecraft of the space capsule kind, proposed by Japan's National Space Development Agency (NASDA) Advanced mission Research center in December 2001. The Fuji design was ultimately not adopted.
Background
In
However, after the Japanese government reorganized their space exploration efforts under the
Design
The proposed design of Fuji was a modular spacecraft (similar to the
Minimum System
The Minimum System configuration of Fuji was essentially just a
Standard System
The Standard System was designed to be capable of flights of one month's duration and into lunar orbit. This system was to consist of the minimum system and two additional modules, an Expansion Module (EM) and a Propulsion Module (PM). The EM was envisioned as a living space for long-term space flights, roughly similar in purpose to the
Economy System
The design of the Economy System sought to lower the cost of space travel, and was based on the Minimum System. This system was to be a low cost version of the CM, capable of carrying a pilot and four passengers.
Other modules
Additional modules were planned, including a Space Laboratory Module equipped with a heat radiation mechanism, a Robotic arm module, and an inflatable Simple Life Support Module.
Features
The Fuji spacecraft was designed to ensure safety by adopting common existing technologies such as
After reentry, the Fuji capsule was to use a parafoil and an automatic guidance system based GPS technology for controlled descent and landing.
An open architecture method was used in development of Fuji to control costs, promote technological development, and to expand the potential market. In particular, the developers disclosed information in the machine/electrical/thermal interface between systems, did not restrict the use of this interface, and provided the test criterion of systems.
In addition, Fuji was not to be limited to the H-IIA rocket system for launching.
Advanced Concepts
A variety of purposes were envisioned for the Fuji system, including uses for space tourism, flights to space stations, and flights to the Moon or asteroids.
See also
- H-IIA
- H-II Orbiting Plane (HOPE)
- H-II Transfer Vehicle (proposed human-rated variant)
- Soyuz spacecraft
External links
- NASDA Advanced mission Research center (in Japanese) at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
- Wallpaper of the Fuji Spacecraft (in Japanese)
References
- Matsuura, Sinya (2003). われらの有人宇宙船 -日本独自の宇宙輸送システム「ふじ」- [Our manned spacecraft] (in Japanese). shokabo. ISBN 4-7853-8758-0.