Acts

[Damburger]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACTS

This is the European version of the Vision for Space Exploration. What do you think?

It seems to me to rely on a lot fewer unknowns that the NASA approach. Many of the methods listed don't require new launchers to be built, and once the ATV is launched next year most of the components, or close relatives of them, will have already been in use.

I don't think its likely that the ESA will go to the moon before NASA does again, however - the programme is likely to die for political reasons.

[Launch window]

The Europeans are already doing good missions like Mars Express, Smart-1 and Xmm-Newton. I reckon they'll have a good future ahead of them regarding unmanned flight and continue sending more robotic stuff to Mars, the Moon and Venus. A robotic Mars sample return missions looks like it could be really possible.

To rely on Russia's Klipper means that Europe won't be building its own manned spacecraft. By teaming up with the Russians, Japanese or USA the ESA would be making this an international mission not a European.
The Europeans will continue making its own kind of contributions to manned spaceflight like sending the ATV, or long duration experiemnst from people like Reiter and Foale working alongside NASA and RSA.