Dream Chaser - NASA коммерческий контракт с SpaceDev

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Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 3 мин. назад

And landing at 9:02 am PDT.

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Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 30 сек. назад

For those keeping score at home, official liftoff time was 7:21 am PDT, and official landing time was 9:02 am PDT.

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Spaceflight Now‏ @SpaceflightNow 8 мин назад

Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser test craft is back on ground after aerial captive carry flight test over Mojave Desert. https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/08/30/watch-live-dream-chaser-aerial-flight-test-planned-today/ ...

https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/08/30/watch-live-dream-chaser-aerial-flight-test-planned-today/

Dream Chaser completes aerial captive carry test flight
August 30, 2017 Stephen Clark

Updated after test completion.


Credit: Sierra Nevada Corp.

Sierra Nevada Corp. conducted a captive carry test flight of the Dream Chaser spaceplane Wednesday at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research in California.

About one-quarter the length of a space shuttle orbiter, the Dream Chaser is being developed to ferry cargo to and from the International Space Station. After blasting off on time of an Atlas 5 rocket, the ship will return to land on a runway.

Спойлер

The automated spacecraft was lifted airborne Wednesday by a dual-rotor Boeing Vertol 234 helicopter operated by Columbia Helicopters. The "captive carry" test flight was expected to be used to test out telemetry and control systems before a planned drop test later this year to demonstrate Dream Chaser's ability to make an autopilot approach and landing to a runway.

The captive carry test comes after a series of tow tests at NASA's Armstrong facility, co-located at Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert.

Sierra Nevada plans the first orbital flight of Dream Chaser to the space station in 2020.

Suspended under a 200-foot lift line, the 30-foot-long (9-meter) test craft flew around the dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base, making several high-speed and high-altitude passes to test out the ship's aerodynamics and simulate the conditions needed during the approach and landing demonstration later this year.

"On-board the vehicle, we have all the orbital vehicle avionics," said Steve Lindsey, senior director and co-program manager for Sierra Nevada's space exploration systems division. "The avionics on-board are identical to what we will have on the orbital vehicle, as well as the flight software for the orbital vehicle.

"That's why (this test) is so critical to us," said Lindsey, a former space shuttle commander. "It will test that. It will also test the aerodynamics of the vehicle. We flew it once before and know kind of how it flies, but we're going to test that again and get additional aerodynamic data."


Credit: Sierra Nevada Corp.

Sierra Nevada webcast the start of the test live, but the company ended the video stream shortly after takeoff. The vehicle made a safe landing after about an hour-and-a-half airborne.

The current testing in California comes four years after Sierra Nevada conducted similar flight tests when the company aimed to fly Dream Chaser with astronauts on-board. The Dream Chaser test vehicle made an on-target approach to a runway after letting go from its helicopter carrier, but one of the craft's main landing gear failed to deploy, leading the spaceplane to spin out of control after touchdown.

Sierra Nevada says the 2013 flight was successful until that point, and Dream Chaser's autopilot landing system steered the craft toward the runway for a touchdown on the centerline.

Engineers blamed the mishap on a landing gear borrowed from a U.S. Air Force F-5E jet. Future Dream Chaser cargo missions to the space station will fly with a different landing gear, and the refurbished spaceship now in California features a gear more advanced then the one at fault in 2013.

Engineers also upgraded the ship's computer systems to be more like the orbital version of the Dream Chaser.

At least one more captive carry test is planned before the free flight, which Lindsey said must be conducted in cooler weather than the scorching temperatures Wednesday in the Mojave Desert. The carrier helicopter's lift capability is limited by hot temperatures.

Sierra Nevada also plans a release test using airbags before the Dream Chaser's approach and landing flight to check out the drop mechanism.

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Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 17 мин. назад

Steve Lindsey, vice president of space exploration systems for SNC, says the captive cary flight "went as good as we could possibly expect."


14 мин. назад

Steve Lindsey talks with reporters after the captive carry flight.

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Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 42 мин. назад

Some post-flight closeups of Dream Chaser, back in its hangar.

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Sierra Nevada Corp‏Подлинная учетная запись @SierraNevCorp 13 мин. назад

After a hard day of work our Dream Chaser® spacecraft is towed back to the @NASAArmstrong Shuttle Hangar to wrap up today's testing.

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2017/08/30/dream-chaser-spacecraft-marks-critical-milestone-ahead-of-free-flight-test/

Dream Chaser Spacecraft Marks Critical Milestone Ahead of Free Flight Test
Posted on August 30, 2017 at 4:12 pm by Amanda Griffin.



Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser completed an important milestone toward orbital flight on Wednesday, with a successful captive carry test at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, located on Edwards Air Force Base. A helicopter successfully carried a Dream Chaser test article, which has the same specifications as a flight-ready spacecraft, to the same altitude and flight conditions of an upcoming free flight test.

Спойлер

The captive carry is part of a series of tests for a developmental space act agreement SNC has with NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The data from the tests help SNC validate the aerodynamic properties, flight software and control system performance of the Dream Chaser.

The Dream Chaser is a lifting-body, winged spacecraft that will fly back to Earth in a manner similar to NASA's space shuttles. The successful captive carry test clears the way for a free flight test of the spacecraft later this year in which the uncrewed Dream Chaser will be released to glide on its own and land.

The test campaign will also help finalize the design for cargo version of the Dream Chaser in preparation for the spacecraft to deliver cargo to the International Space Station under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS2) contract beginning in 2019. The cargo Dream Chaser will fly at least six resupply missions to and from the space station by 2024.

This entry was posted in Commercial Spaceflight, NASA, Sierra Nevada Corporation on August 30, 2017 by Amanda Griffin.

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http://www.edwards.af.mil/News/Article/1295304/dream-chaser-undergoes-captive-carry-test-at-edwards/

Dream Chaser undergoes captive carry test at Edwards
By Kenji Thuloweit, 412th Test Wing Public Affairs / Published August 30, 2017

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --
Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser underwent a captive carry test at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center today at Edwards Air Force Base. The test was part of the spacecraft's Phase Two flight test efforts to advance the orbiter closer to space flight, according to an SNC press release.

A Columbia Helicopters Model 234-UT Chinook helicopter carried the Dream Chaser over Edwards for about an hour. The goal was to reach an altitude and flight conditions the spacecraft would experience before being released on a free flight test, said company officials.

Спойлер

The Dream Chaser was delivered to Armstrong Jan. 25 to undergo several months of testing at the center in preparation for its upcoming approach and landing flight on one of Edwards AFB's runways.

The test series is part of a developmental space act agreement SNC has with NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The test campaign will help SNC validate the aerodynamic properties, flight software and control system performance of the Dream Chaser, according to NASA.

Through a press release, Lee Archambault, SNC director of flight operations for the Dream Chaser program, said, "We are very pleased with the results from the captive carry test and everything we have seen points to a successful test with useful data for the next round of testing."

The captive carry test today is one of two planned at Edwards for this year. Today's test obtained data and evaluated both individual and overall system performance, said the release. If the second captive carry test is a success, it will clear the way for a free-flight test.

The Dream Chaser is also being prepared to deliver cargo to the International Space Station under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract beginning in 2019. The data that SNC gathers 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, according to NASA.

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https://www.sncorp.com/press-releases/snc-dc-captive-carry-test-success/

Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser® Spacecraft has Successful Captive Carry Test

SPARKS, Nev., August 30, 2017 – Sierra Nevada Corporation's (SNC) Dream Chaser engineering test article passed a successful Captive Carry test at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center on Wednesday as part of the Phase Two flight test efforts to advance Dream Chaser progress toward orbital flight.

"We are very pleased with results fr om the Captive Carry test, and everything we have seen points to a successful test with useful data for the next round of testing," said Lee "Bru" Archambault, SNC's director of flight operations for the Dream Chaser program.

Спойлер

These activities are being conducted through a Space Act Agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP), although the Phase Two flight tests will also be highly supportive of, and executed in parallel with continued work being done by SNC under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS2) contract. The Dream Chaser test vehicle has been upgraded to include several components being integrated into the Dream Chaser Cargo System design, allowing Phase Two tests to act as a bridge between previous work with CCP and the next-generation vehicle currently under development for cargo resupply missions.

During Captive Carry test #1, a Columbia Helicopters Model 234-UT Chinook helicopter successfully carried the Dream Chaser to the same altitude and flight conditions Dream Chaser experiences before release on a Free Flight test.

The SNC Mission Control Center team sent commands to Dream Chaser, monitored performance and collected critical test data designed to allow the team to refine Dream Chaser systems for peak performance on the actual Free Flight test day.

The Captive Carry test obtained data, evaluated systems such as radar altimeters, flush air data system, air data probes, navigation system, as well as overall system performance in a flight environment.

Successful data analysis, flight crew and flight control team proficiency, are critical ingredients needed for Certification of Flight Readiness. All technical info from the Captive Carry flight tests will be evaluated by the SNC engineering team and shared with NASA counterparts.

This Captive Carry test is one of two scheduled for 2017.  Another Captive Carry test, designated Captive Carry #2, will incorporate fine tuning needs or lessons learned from today's test flight.  A fully successful Captive Carry #2 test, once completed, clears the way for the Dream Chaser Free Flight test.

"This test is another indication the Dream Chaser is on track for meeting our key milestones on the way to orbital spaceflight.  We are excited to move through the remaining ground and flight testing to help inform our CRS2 orbital vehicle design and upcoming production," said Steve Lindsey, vice president of Space Exploration Systems for SNC.

The Free Flight test is scheduled for later this year.

About Dream Chaser Spacecraft

Спойлер

Owned and operated by SNC, the Dream Chaser spacecraft is a reusable, multi-mission space utility vehicle. It is capable of transportation services to and from low-Earth orbit, wh ere the International Space Station (ISS) resides, and is the only commercial, lifting-body vehicle capable of a runway landing. The Dream Chaser Cargo System was selected by NASA to provide cargo delivery and disposal services to the ISS under the Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS2) contract. All Dream Chaser CRS2 cargo missions are planned to land at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility.

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About Sierra Nevada Corporation

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Recognized as one of "The World's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Space," Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) provides customer-focused advanced technology solutions in the areas of space, aviation, electronics and systems integration. SNC's Space Systems business area based in Louisville, Colorado, designs and manufactures advanced spacecraft, space vehicles, rocket motors and spacecraft subsystems and components for the U.S. Government, commercial customers, as well as for the international market. SNC has more than 25 years of space heritage, participating in more than 450 successful space missions and delivering 4,000+ systems, subsystems and components around the world.

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For more information on SNC visit www.sncorp.com and follow us at Facebook.com/SierraNevCorp and Twitter @SierraNevCorp. Sierra Nevada Corporation and SNC are trademarks of Sierra Nevada Corporation.

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Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser® Spacecraft has Successful Captive Carry Test (PDF)

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[avmich]

Этот кораблик, вероятно, не рассчитывается на возвращение со второй космической, даже с повторным входом в атмосферу. Интересно, какие должны быть параметры крылатого КК, чтобы и крылья не поломать, и вернуться от Луны. Кто-нибудь знает?

[silentpom]

был документик как шаттл отправить на луну. но вот про торможение при возвращении я ничего не помню

[avmich]

Вроде бы всегда можно идти в атмосфере достаточно высоко. Но при этом нужно потерять скорость достаточно, чтобы не уйти на слишком высокий эллипс после первого прохода. Собственно, вопрос об этом.

Капсулы СА Союза при возвращении с повторным входом не имели этой проблемы, но имели большие перегрузки - и невозможность повредить несуществующие крылья. Крылатые корабли, чтобы реализовать возвращение с малыми перегрузками, имеют эту проблему "надо потерять достаточно скорости, чтобы не уйти на слишком долгий тормозной эллипс".

Если кто знает, как считается этот "коридор входа"...

[Дем]

А чем плох "слишком долгий" эллипс если он заканчивается где надо?

[Astro Cat]

avmich пишет:
Интересно, какие должны быть параметры крылатого КК, чтобы и крылья не поломать, и вернуться от Луны

Они вон надувной тормозной щит испытывали. И нормально считалось.

[TAU]

Приятный аппаратик. Симпатичный 

Дальнейших успехов создателям!

[Чебурашка]

silentpom пишет:
был документик как шаттл отправить на луну. но вот про торможение при возвращении я ничего не помню

В фильме "Армагедон" нормально всё получилось 

[Чебурашка]

А с какого хера он должен крылья отломать. При первом погружении нагрузки не больше чем при втором.

[silentpom]

думаешь, будет как глайдер скакать?

[silentpom]

Astro Cat пишет:

avmich пишет:
Интересно, какие должны быть параметры крылатого КК, чтобы и крылья не поломать, и вернуться от Луны

Они вон надувной тормозной щит испытывали. И нормально считалось.

не для земли.

[Astro Cat]

silentpom пишет:
не для земли.

Испытывали то на Земле.