The Mini Shuttle

Russia partners with Europe to build its own reusable spacecraft for flights to the International Space Station and beyond. With NASA's beleaguered shuttle still grounded over safety concerns—and given the unanswered questions about its replacement, the Crew Exploration Vehicle, which won't be ready to fly until 2012—the European Space Agency is mulling an option to buy its own ride to space. This month ESA plans to request $60 million from its member states to help Russia prepare its new, reusable spaceship, the Clipper, for a crewless test flight by 2011 and a manned flight by 2012...

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