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Is Dream Chaser the new space shuttle?
http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/08/is-dream-chaser-the-new-space-shuttle/?hpt=hp_c2
June 8th, 2012
Is Dream Chaser the new space shuttle?
<snip>
Among the several firms competing to be NASA's new astronaut taxi, Dream Chaser is the only system with wings, according to Sierra Nevada.
Why aren't more people aware of Dream Chaser? "We're pretty quiet as a company," Voss said. Sierra Nevada develops special aircraft for the Defense Department and devices for communication and intelligence gathering, Voss said. "Because of that, I think the company has just not felt like it has needed to do a bunch of advertising."
<snip>
The Dream Chaser is based on a design concept that was originally developed decades ago by the Soviets. NASA reverse engineered it to learn how it worked. Sierra Nevada is using that engineering information to develop the spacecraft.
<snip>
June 8th, 2012
Is Dream Chaser the new space shuttle?
<snip>
Among the several firms competing to be NASA's new astronaut taxi, Dream Chaser is the only system with wings, according to Sierra Nevada.
Why aren't more people aware of Dream Chaser? "We're pretty quiet as a company," Voss said. Sierra Nevada develops special aircraft for the Defense Department and devices for communication and intelligence gathering, Voss said. "Because of that, I think the company has just not felt like it has needed to do a bunch of advertising."
<snip>
The Dream Chaser is based on a design concept that was originally developed decades ago by the Soviets. NASA reverse engineered it to learn how it worked. Sierra Nevada is using that engineering information to develop the spacecraft.
<snip>
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/06/snc-dream-chasers-enterprise-test-approach/
SNC outline Dream Chaser’s Enterprise-style landing test approach
June 9th, 2012 by Chris Bergin and Lee Jay Fingersh
Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser – one of the leading candidates to win the right to launch US astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) – is heading towards its extensive Approach and Landing Test (ALT) schedule. Using the Engineering Test Article (ETA) as “their Enterprise”, the testing will ramp up towards crewed landings at Edwards Air Force Base.
Although the start of the Space Shuttle era began when Columbia roared off the launch pad in 1981, the path-finding work that preceded the STS-1 mission was extensive and essential.
The majority of that work was conducted by Enterprise, a vehicle that received approval for its construction nine years before Columbia’s launch, resulting in the test vehicle being transported 36 miles over land from her Palmdale construction facility to Edwards Air Force Base and NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in 1977 for the series of ALT tests.
Now, in 2012, the Californian base will welcome another pathfinder vehicle, one that is also aiming to lay the foundations for sending American astronauts into space via NASA’s Commercial Crew program.
<snip>
SNC outline Dream Chaser’s Enterprise-style landing test approach
June 9th, 2012 by Chris Bergin and Lee Jay Fingersh
Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser – one of the leading candidates to win the right to launch US astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) – is heading towards its extensive Approach and Landing Test (ALT) schedule. Using the Engineering Test Article (ETA) as “their Enterprise”, the testing will ramp up towards crewed landings at Edwards Air Force Base.
Although the start of the Space Shuttle era began when Columbia roared off the launch pad in 1981, the path-finding work that preceded the STS-1 mission was extensive and essential.
The majority of that work was conducted by Enterprise, a vehicle that received approval for its construction nine years before Columbia’s launch, resulting in the test vehicle being transported 36 miles over land from her Palmdale construction facility to Edwards Air Force Base and NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in 1977 for the series of ALT tests.
Now, in 2012, the Californian base will welcome another pathfinder vehicle, one that is also aiming to lay the foundations for sending American astronauts into space via NASA’s Commercial Crew program.
<snip>
1 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
This is an exciting time to watch the developed of orbital craft like this (and Dragon) along with high performance suborbital vehicles like XCOR's Lynx and Virgin Galatic's SS2.
Much of the design for the Dream Chaser is taken from the extensive knowledge gained from the NASA lifting body flight programs from the mid 60s-70s.
HL 10 Lifting Body below with the B-52 flyover after a successful test flight:
If you want to see another similarity, I am amazed at how similar Virgin Galactic's SS2 is to the 1960s Dyna Soar:
SS2:
Dyna Soar (less SS2's "feathered wing" capability):
artist's impression of Dyna Soar in flight:
