SpaceDev Dream Chaser concept

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NASASpaceflight: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight:

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) took their spacecraft for a ride on Tuesday, allowing it to taste the Colorado air via a Captive Carry test near the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan airport. Lofted by a Sikorsky Skycrane helicopter, the Dream Chaser was being tested ahead of its debut Free Flight Test later this year.

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Captive Carry Flight Test

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3ARn-8EfJQ"]Dream Chaser Captive Carry Flight-Test - YouTube[/ame]

NASA: Dream Chaser Flight Vehicle Scales Rocky Mountain Summits

 

[Zachstar]

This craft shows a great deal of promise. If they continue to meet objectives along with SpaceX I think both should be funded for operations to the International Space Station.

The reason is redundancy. Lets say Falcon 9 or Atlas 5 is grounded for a year. The other can then easily cover meaning 6-7 man crews on the ISS are never reduced.

However, The chances of this happening are slim because congress continues to go cheap on the funds to this program. And it shows in the article earlier. They are signaling that if congress continues to try to force NASA to pick the winners early through limited funding or outright rule changes. Then they will not spend a red cent wasting their time after their contract is up. Why should they when a forced buy will = SpaceX alone and assured?

 

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NASASpaceflight: SNC outline Dream Chaser’s Enterprise-style landing test approach:

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.

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NASASpaceflight: Sierra Nevada’s 5-year partnership with NASA – Progress on Dream Chaser:

Five years after joining forces with NASA’s Langley Research Center, the Sierra Nevada Corporation continues to narrow its focus on their Dream Chaser spaceplane – a NASA Commercial Crew Development-funded vehicle that will one day transport astronauts to Low Earth Orbit destinations including but not limited to the International Space Station.

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Aviation Week: Sierra Nevada Advances Commercial Spaceplane

 

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NASASpaceflight: SNC building test schedule for Dream Chaser – Dryden Drop Tests upcoming:

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) are in the process of creating a test flight schedule that will reach through to a debut mission for Dream Chaser’s arrival at the International Space Station (ISS). The plan – involving three versions of Dream Chaser – will next involve drop tests of their Engineering Test Article (ETA) at the Dryden Flight Research Center in California.

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Parabolic Arc: Dream Chaser Drop Tests Due By End of March

 

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Parabolic Arc: Sierra Nevada to Announce Dream Chaser Program Expansion:

Sierra Nevada Corporation will be holding a press conference next Wednesday during which it will announce an expansion of its Dream Chaser shuttle program and provide a Commercial Crew Program update. Vice Presidents Mark Sirangelo and Jim Voss will speak along with others to be announced. The event will include a viewing of the Dream Chaser Engineering Test Article. It will take place and will take place at the company’s headquarters in Louisville, Colo.

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Florida Today: Sierra Nevada hires Lockheed to help human-rate Dream Chaser

SPACE.com:

• Private Space Plane Poised for Big Test Flight
  
  
• Dream Chaser: Sierra Nevada's Design for Spaceflight

Parabolic Arc:

• Lockheed Martin Joins Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser Program
  
  
• SNC Hires Lockheed Martin for Dream Chaser Certification, Manufacturing Work

Flightglobal: Lockheed to build second Dream Chaser airframe for Sierra Nevada

 

[Kyle]

Good news! The first ALT tests are going to be taking place within the next few weeks, the first flight tests will be 30-40 seconds max, basically just dropping and landing the ALT vehicle on the runway. That will be followed by piloted flights dropped from a helicopter at an altitude of 12,000 feet. Should be around 6 flight tests in total if all goes well. SNC teaming up with LM, will be using the facilities there such as MAF in the future. 25-30 mission lifespan for each DreamChaser vehicle (on pair with how many missions each Space Shuttle flew, though STS was designed for 100), with orbital test flights beginning in the 2016-2017 time frame.

 

[Kyle]

More news coming in that the first ALT test will take place in early June, and that one of the Test Articles (ETA to be specific) is named "Eagle."

 

[Kyle]

And here it is!

 

[Kyle]

And here it is!

And here's the cockpit mockup with Rex at the helms.

 

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NASASpaceflight: Dream Chaser suffers landing gear failure after first flight:

Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser ETA (Engineering Test Article) conducted her maiden flight at the Dryden Flight Research Center on Saturday. However, the Commercial Crew prospect – after enjoying a perfect flight in the air – suffered a mechanical failure during landing, resulting in her flipping over on the runway.

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Sierra Nevada Corporation: Statement from Sierra Nevada Corporation Regarding Dream Chaser© Free-Flight Test

Spaceflight Now: Dream Chaser damaged by crash landing in California

AmericaSpace: Dream Chaser Suffers Landing Gear Failure After First Free Flight Test

Space News: Dream Chaser Prototype Spaceship Damaged after First Free-flying Test

Universe Today: Dream Chaser spaceship test article damaged during 1st Free-Flight Drop Test

Spaceflight101: Dream Chaser Project set back by Landing Gear Failure during first Free Flight

 

[Kyle]

Obviously there's probably a fairly hefty amount of damage, so I think we can rule out another flight for at least month or two.

I'd rather it be an engineering failure than a political failure. At least the forward can be fixed versus the latter.

 

[reekchaa]

The first person to find and post a VIDEO Link of this FLIP-over Landing wins a personal tip o' the hat from me! :tiphat:

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

 

[Fabri91]

Still, is it a write-off or is a roll of duct tape enough to repair it?

 

[Loru]

Epic win: furry dices in cockpit. They should be pink though.

 

[RisingFury]

It comes down in a pretty steep glide slope. At least -20°, maybe more. Not surprising. It has essentially no wing area.