TECH Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser Achieves Successful Free Flight at NASA Armstrong

[Housecarl]

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https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/features/SNC_Dream_Chaser_Free_Flight.html

Nov. 11, 2017

Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser Achieves Successful Free Flight at NASA Armstrong

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/...light-quickturn.00_01_15_56.still004_1041.jpg
Sierra Nevada Corp’s Dream Chaser lands on Edwards Air Force Base in California. The spacecraft went through preparations for flight at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center.
Credits: NASA / Carla Thomas

Sierra Nevada Corp.’s Dream Chaser spacecraft underwent a successful free-flight test on November 11, 2017 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The test verified and validated the performance of the Dream Chaser in the critical final approach and landing phase of flight, meeting expected models for a future return from the International Space Station.


The flight test helped advance the vehicle under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program space act agreement, as well as helped prepare the vehicle for service under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 2 program. The testing will validate the aerodynamic properties, flight software and control system performance of the Dream Chaser.


The Dream Chaser is preparing to deliver cargo to the International Space Station beginning in 2019. The data that SNC gathered from this test campaign will help influence and inform the final design of the cargo Dream Chaser, which will fly at least six cargo delivery missions to and from the space station by 2024.

Leslie Williams
NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center
Last Updated: Nov. 13, 2017
Editor: Yvonne Gibbs

Tags:* Armstrong Flight Research

 

[paul bunyan]

Well, dropped from a big helo at 12,000 feet is a start I guess.

Paul

 

[TheSearcher]

Well, dropped from a big helo at 12,000 feet is a start I guess.

Paul

Many a successful design has been validated via drop testing.

 

[tanstaafl]

Seems like they're running a bit behind schedule. They were supposed to have already done an orbital test flight just over one year ago.

 

[Satanta]

Seems like they're running a bit behind schedule. They were supposed to have already done an orbital test flight just over one year ago.

I thought Obama set NASA to the task of making Muslims feel good about selves?

If so I can see them being behind on lesser things such as anything related to Space, Science, Engineering and so forth.

 

[tanstaafl]

I thought Obama set NASA to the task of making Muslims feel good about selves?

If so I can see them being behind on lesser things such as anything related to Space, Science, Engineering and so forth.

The Dream Chaser is theoretically a private effort by the Sierra Nevada Corporation, but it still has to jump through NASA's hoops to eventually be authorized to dock with the ISS and eventually be man-rated. With any luck the company is avoiding the "a camel is a horse designed by a committee" bureaucratic approach, but once you start taking federal money and/or submitting to federal regulations you better have a few humps (and a lot of spit, something camels are really good at) ready to be integrated on demand into your horse design.