ESA Station 1990 Credit - NASA via Marcus Lindroos

British Aerospace Ltd. (BAe) investigated alternate European space station designs for the European Space Agency. One configuration would have consisted of self-contained modular 'building blocks' much like the Soviet Salyut and Mir space stations. Unlike the existing Columbus module design, each module could function as a free-flying spacecraft since it had its own solar panels, guidance and control capabilities etc.. The propulsion section at the base of each module would also be used on the Ariane (cargo-) Transfer Vehicle to achieve maximum commonality. In 1990, BAe's Long-Term Space Architecture Study group also investigated possible European contributions to President Bush's Space Exploration Initiative, including space stations in Earth and lunar orbit derived from their design.

Article by Marcus Lindroos