Dream Chaser - NASA коммерческий контракт с SpaceDev

[triage]

Ура.

Спасибо tnt22, 

[tnt22]

https://www.geekwire.com/2017/sierra-nevada-corp-s-dream-chaser-space-plane-glides-test-flight/

Sierra Nevada Corp.'s Dream Chaser space plane glides successfully through a big test
BY ALAN BOYLE on November 11, 2017 at 6:13 pm


Sierra Nevada Corp.'s prototype Dream Chaser space plane lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California after a drop test. (NASA Photo via Twitter)

Sierra Nevada Corp. said its Dream Chaser prototype space plane glided to a successful landing in California's Mojave Desert today after being dropped from a helicopter.

Today's uncrewed test at Edwards Air Force Base marked the first time the Dream Chaser flew freely through the air since 2013. That earlier flight was also judged successful, but the landing gear failed to deploy correctly, which caused the winged vehicle to skid off the runway and crash.

Спойлер

Over the years that followed, SNC repaired and upgraded the aerodynamic test vehicle in preparation for a new series of flight tests at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center, within Edwards' property.

During a captive-carry test in August, the Dream Chaser was flown through the air while tethered to a helicopter for nearly two hours.

Like the test in 2013, today's approach and landing test involved dropping the Dream Chaser from a helicopter, then having it glide autonomously to an airplane-like landing on Edwards' runway.

In a tweet, SNC said the free-flying test was successful. "The Dream Chaser had a beautiful flight and landing!" the company said.

SNC is proud to announce the Dream Chaser® spacecraft had a successful free-flight test today @EdwardsAFB, with support of @NASAArmstrong. The Dream Chaser had a beautiful flight and landing! pic.twitter.com/lAn0n7FPsg
— Sierra Nevada Corp (@SierraNevCorp) November 12, 2017

If NASA accepts the results of the flight test, that would mark the final milestone for a $227.5 million contract awarded to SNC in 2012 as part of the space agency's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability program, or CCICap.

Last year, SNC won a different contract to develop the Dream Chaser as an uncrewed vehicle for transferring cargo to and from the International Space Station. If the company sticks to its schedule, a space-worthy version of the Dream Chaser could start making deliveries in 2020.

SNC also has an agreement with the United Nations to fly international payloads into orbit and back on the Dream Chaser.

The 30-foot-long Dream Chaser is based on a 1990s-era NASA lifting-body design known as the HL-20, and has a look reminiscent of NASA's space shuttles. The crewed version could carry seven astronauts and their gear, and the uncrewed version could lift 12,000 pounds of cargo.

Both versions are designed to be sent into orbit atop a rocket such as United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 or the European Space Agency's Ariane 5, and glide back to Earth for a runway landing.

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[tnt22]

https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/11/12/sierra-nevadas-dream-chaser-performs-critical-glide-test-flight/

Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser performs critical glide test flight
November 12, 2017 Stephen Clark

An atmospheric test article of Sierra Nevada Corp.'s Dream Chaser spaceship made a successful runway landing Saturday at Edwards Air Force Base in California after a glide test flight performed to verify the craft's handling qualities and guidance systems before future resupply missions to the International Space Station.

Спойлер

Sierra Nevada Corp.'s Dream Chaser test vehicle lands at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on Saturday after a successful glide test. Credit: NASA

The unpiloted spacecraft was dropped from a helicopter and landed on Runway 22L at Edwards, the same landing strip that returning space shuttles once used.

Sierra Nevada celebrated the accomplishment on Twitter, releasing four photos of the Dream Chaser's flight test, which was expected and long planned, but not publicly announced in advance. More information and imagery of the landing will be released Monday, the company said.

Roughly one-quarter the length of a space shuttle orbiter, the Dream Chaser was to be released from a heavy-duty carrier helicopter at an altitude of around 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) for the approach and landing test, Sierra Nevada officials previously said.

The spacecraft was carried aloft under the helicopter connected with a 200-foot (60-meter) lift line, then positioned for the drop. The Dream Chaser's on-board guidance computer was expected to maneuver the ship with its aerosurfaces, then line up with the runway for a steep final approach.

Two main landing gear wheels and and a nose skid deployed from the bottom the spaceplane just before touchdown.

Sierra Nevada is developing the Dream Chaser in partnership with NASA to carry cargo and experiments to the space station. It will launch on top of a rocket and land on a runway, returning equipment and experiment specimens to the ground for quick handover to engineers and scientists.


The Dream Chaser glides toward Runway 22L at Edwards Air Force Base on Saturday. Credit: NASA

Based on NASA's HL-20 lifting body design and originally proposed to ferry astronauts, the Dream Chaser has morphed into an automated supply ship. The Dream Chaser was a finalist for NASA's commercial crew program alongside capsule designs developed by Boeing and SpaceX, receiving more than $360 million in government funding guarantees to support design and testing efforts.

But NASA sel ected Boeing and SpaceX to complete their crew capsules after a competition in 2014, leaving Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser with an uncertain future. But Sierra Nevada engineers redesigned the spaceplane for cargo missions and won a lucrative NASA contract in January 2016 for at least six round-trip flights to and from the space station.

The first orbital flight of the Dream Chaser is scheduled around 2020, lifting off aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, and likely returning to touch down at the Shuttle Landing Facility runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Sierra Nevada is contributing its own funding to the Dream Chaser program and is in charge of development testing. The financial terms of NASA's resupply contract have not been disclosed, but the deal's value is believed to be more than $1 billion.

The successful touchdown Saturday came more than four years after the same Dream Chaser test vehicle crash-landed on its first approach and landing demonstration. The ship's left main landing gear did not extend before it reached the runway, and the Dream Chaser lost control and skidded to a stop.


The Dream Chaser rolls out on Runway 22L at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Credit: NASA

Sierra Nevada said 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 that flew Saturday carried a landing 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.

Ground teams transported the damaged vehicle back to Sierra Nevada's space division headquarters in Louisville, Colorado, for repairs and upgrades. The craft returned to the Mojave Desert test site in California in January for a series of tow tests and captive carry aerial flights under a helicopter to check its braking and steering capabilities, radio telemetry links, and guidance and navigation equipment before officials committed to a free flight.

Sierra Nevada is set to receive a multimillion-dollar award payment from NASA after the successful approach and landing test.

Company officials said the test vehicle that flew Saturday featured space-rated avionics and flight software that will be used on Dream Chaser missions to the space station. Lockheed Martin has partnered with Sierra Nevada to produce the composite structural shell for orbital-class Dream Chaser vehicles.


The Dream Chaser rolls out on Runway 22L at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Credit: NASA

The Dream Chaser is capable of delivering more than 12,000 pounds (5,500 kilograms) of equipment to the space station inside its pressurized compartment and on an external aft-mounted payload carrier. At the end of each flight, the two parts will detach, with the Dream Chaser space plane returning to Earth with research specimens and other gear, and the disposable cargo module burning up in the atmosphere to incinerate trash.

Based on a lifting body aerodynamic design, the Dream Chaser will weigh about 20 tons fully loaded, likely requiring the lift capability of ULA's most powerful Atlas 5 configuration, the "552" with five strap-on solid rocket boosters and a twin-engine Centaur upper stage, according to Sierra Nevada officials.

Sierra Nevada also has agreements with the European Space Agency to study the use of Dream Chaser to provide access to space for European research experiments after the end of the space station program in the 2020s. The United Nations agreed last year to purchase a standalone unpiloted Dream Chaser mission to Earth orbit in 2021 to host research payloads fr om developing nations.

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[К.А.]

http://ecoruspace.me/Изделия+серии+Dream+Chaser.html
Тут сообщается что корабль уже совершал такой полет 31 августа этого года или это туфта?

[triage]

К.А. пишет:
http://ecoruspace.me/Изделия+серии+Dream+Chaser.html
Тут сообщается что корабль уже совершал такой полет 31 августа этого года или это туфта?

Было всего два сброса с вертолета, давно и сейчас. Помимо этого таскали на подвеске.

[tnt22]

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

Nov. 12, 2017

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

Спойлер

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

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

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Last Updated: Nov. 13, 2017
Editor: Yvonne Gibbs

[tnt22]

Dream Chaser Free Flight Test 2017


Sierra Nevada CorporationPRO

Sierra Nevada Corporation's (SNC) Dream Chaser® spacecraft had a successful free-flight test on November 11, 2017 at Edwards Air Force Base, with support of NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center.

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[Salo]

 Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust  9 мин.9 минут назад
Sirangelo: if we have all the data we need from this flight test, won't need to fly it again.
 
   Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust  10 мин.10 минут назад  
Sirangelo: completed first three CRS-2 contract milestones on schedule; on track for fourth, a critical design review, in mid-2018.
 
   Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust  11 мин.11 минут назад  
Sirangelo draws parallels to Enterprise testing at Edwards 40 years ago, Yeager's X-1 flight 70 years ago; "feels like we picked up the torch for winged vehicles."
 
   Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust  14 мин.14 минут назад  
Sirangelo: released from altitude of 12,324 ft, flight time of 60 seconds. Top speed of 330 mph.
 
   Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust  15 мин.15 минут назад  
Sirangelo: initial analysis of data indicates we met or exceeded requirements for the milestone under NASA CCiCap award.
 
   Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust  17 мин.17 минут назад  
Mark Sirangelo, Sierra Nevada Corp., on media call: successful flight test Saturday a signal our program has moved closer to operations and orbital flight.

[Salo]

 Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust  3 мин.3 минуты назад
Sirangelo: first Dream Chaser flight will be an operational mission to ISS in 2020; will do additional maneuvers before approaching station to confirm performance.

[Salo]

 Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust  2 мин.2 минуты назад
Steve Lindsey: we'll keep this in flyable storage should we need to do additional tests in future for a crew version of this.

[Salo]

 Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust  5 мин.5 минут назад
Sirangelo: different Dream Chaser technologies maturing at different levels, so able to work on some before vehicle-level CDR next year.

[tnt22]

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/free-flight-completes-crucial-milestone-for-dream-chaser

Nov. 13, 2017

Free Flight Completes Crucial Milestone for Dream Chaser

By Bob Granath
NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Sierra Nevada Corp.'s Dream Chaser spacecraft recently glided to a successful landing at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center located on Edwards Air Force Base in California. Completion of Dream Chaser's free flight test on Nov. 11, 2017, was a major milestone under a space act agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

Спойлер

Having been dropped fr om an altitude of 12,500 feet, Sierra Nevada Corp's Dream Chaser lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California, as part of a successful free flight on Nov. 11, 2017. It was a crucial milestone to help finalize the design for the cargo version of the spacecraft for future resupply missions to the International Space Station.
Credits: NASA/Carla Thomas

NASA sel ected Sierra Nevada Corp., along with Orbital ATK and SpaceX, for the agency's second commercial resupply contracts to deliver critical science, research and technology demonstrations to the International Space Station from 2019 to 2024.

For the free flight test, a Columbia Helicopters model 234-UT heavy-lift helicopter carried aloft an uncrewed Dream Chaser test article, suspended at the end of a cable. The lifting-body, winged spacecraft had all the same outer mold line specifications as a flight-ready vehicle. A lifting body is a fixed-wing aircraft or spacecraft shaped so that the vehicle body itself produces lift.

After release, Dream Chaser glided on its own and landed in a manner similar to NASA's space shuttles.


Following its free flight, Sierra Nevada Corp's Dream Chaser rolls out on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Credits: NASA

"It is very exciting that Sierra Nevada Corporation successfully completed this important free-flight test," said Steve Stich, deputy manager NASA Commercial Crew Program. "The Dream Chaser team has done an amazing job preparing for and executing this test and the Commercial Crew Program has been with them along the way. The Flight computers and avionics systems are the same as the orbital vehicle so this test will pave the way for future landings for the International Space Station missions."

The current tests are helping Sierra Nevada Corp. validate the aerodynamic properties, flight software and control system performance of the Dream Chaser under the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability Contract, or CCiCap, for commercial crew.

"This test represents the culmination of many years of work by the Sierra Nevada team in developing a lifting body spacecraft with the capability of performing both crewed and uncrewed cargo carrying missions to the space station," said Mike Lee, NASA Commercial Crew Program space act agreement partner manager. "It was a significant achievement that successfully demonstrated the final phase of atmospheric flight that will occur after re-entry from an orbital mission."

The spacecraft arrived at Armstrong on Jan. 25. Evaluations included a series of tests, including successful captive carry tests wh ere Dream Chaser test vehicle was carried over the California desert by the heavy-lift helicopter clearing the way for the recent release and free flight.

"We had an outstanding free flight test and are very grateful to both our SNC team and NASA for getting us here," said Steve Lindsey, vice president, Sierra Nevada Corp.'s Space Exploration Systems. "We are excited to complete this critical milestone and can't wait to move forward with the program. This fully successful Dream Chaser free flight test gets us one step closer to space."

The data from these tests also will help in the final design of the cargo Dream Chaser, scheduled for at least six supply delivery missions to the space station. With its capability to return to a runway landing, the spacecraft will be able to bring back experiments and other cargo.

"Dream Chaser is planned to be the newest addition to the fleet of vehicles delivering and returning critical science samples and hardware to and from the International Space Station." said Kirk Shireman, NASA's space station program manager. "This test is a critical next step for our commercial partners on their path to their first flight."

The free flight and landing were similar to five approach and landing flight tests of the space shuttle in 1977. The space shuttle Enterprise was released from a NASA 747 shuttle carrier aircraft, gliding to a piloted landing at Edwards. Dream Chaser is being designed to make automated, pilotless flights back to Earth fr om the space station.

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Last Updated: Nov. 13, 2017
Editor: Bob Granath

[tnt22]

https://www.sncorp.com/press-releases/snc-dream-chaser-free-flight-test-2017/

Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser® Spacecraft Has Successful Free Flight Test

Test Signals Program Moving Towards Orbital Flight Operations

SPARKS, Nev., November 13, 2017 – Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) announces a successful atmospheric Free-Flight test of its Dream Chaser spacecraft, signaling the program is another achievement closer to orbital operations.

The full-scale Dream Chaser test vehicle was lifted fr om a Columbia Helicopters Model 234-UT Chinook helicopter on Saturday, released and flew a pre-planned flight path ending with an autonomous landing on Runway 22L at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

Спойлер

"The Dream Chaser flight test demonstrated excellent performance of the spacecraft's aerodynamic design and the data shows that we are firmly on the path for safe, reliable orbital flight," said Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president of SNC's Space System business area.

The first orbital vehicle is scheduled to go to the International Space Station as soon as 2020 for at least six missions as part of NASA's Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract (CRS2).  The missions will supply astronauts with much needed supplies and technical support elements and enable the gentle return of scientific experiments. The test vehicle was originally developed under the Commercial Crew Integrated Capabilities agreement (CCiCap).

"The Dream Chaser spacecraft today has proven its atmospheric flight performance along with its return and landing capability.  This advances our program and the Dream Chaser towards orbital flight, while meeting the final milestone for our NASA CCiCap agreement and supporting milestone 5 of the CRS2 contract," Sirangelo added.

The test verified and validated the performance of the Dream Chaser spacecraft in the final approach and landing phase of flight, modeling a successful return from the space station.  Most critically, by flying the same flight path that would be used returning from orbit, this free-flight proves the highly important landing attributes needed to bring back science and experiments from the space station.

SNC and NASA will evaluate information from the test, including the Dream Chaser aerodynamic and integrated system performance from 12,400 feet altitude through main landing gear touchdown, nose landing gear touchdown and final rollout to wheel-stop on the runway.  The Edwards Air Force Base runway is very similar to the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility runway that Dream Chaser will land on for CRS2 flights.

This approach and landing test expands on phase one flight testing, with key differences including adding specific program test inputs into the trajectory, which helps the engineers refine the aerodynamic characteristics of the vehicle.  Saturday's test also included orbital vehicle avionics and flight software for the first time, providing orbital vehicle design validation.

"I'm so proud of the Dream Chaser team for their continued excellence.  This spacecraft is the future and has the ability to change the way humans interact with space, and I couldn't be happier with SNC's dedicated team and the results of the test," said Fatih Ozmen, CEO of SNC.

The Dream Chaser has been at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center since January undergoing a variety of tests in preparation for the Free-Flight.  The spacecraft used the same historic hangar occupied by the Enterprise Shuttle.

About Dream Chaser Spacecraft
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 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 space station 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.

About Sierra Nevada Corporation
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.

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.

###

The Dream Chaser landing after the Free-Flight test at Edwards AFB, CA on Saturday, November 11. Click image or caption for full resolution.

(2:37)

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[tnt22]

Dream Chaser Free Flight Test 2017: Shortened

Sierra Nevada Corporation

Опубликовано: 13 нояб. 2017 г.

Sierra Nevada Corporation's (SNC) Dream Chaser® spacecraft had a successful free-flight test on November 11, 2017 at Edwards Air Force Base, with support of NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center.

Shortened clip.

(1:46)

[tnt22]

Dream Chaser Free Flight Test 2017

Sierra Nevada Corporation

Опубликовано: 13 нояб. 2017 г.

Sierra Nevada Corporation's (SNC) Dream Chaser® spacecraft had a successful free-flight test on November 11, 2017 at Edwards Air Force Base, with support of NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center.

Video credit NASA.

(2:37)

[tnt22]

АНОНС

Sierra Nevada Corp‏Подлинная учетная запись @SierraNevCorp 14 мин назад

Join us tomorrow at 4 p.m. MT for a live free-flight Q&A.

2017-11-14 16:00 MT --> 2017-11-15 02:00 ДМВ

[tnt22]

Sierra Nevada Corp‏Подлинная учетная запись @SierraNevCorp 22 мин. назад

More photos from the Dream Chaser® spacecraft Free-Flight test can be found here: http://bit.ly/2hrP4up 

Спойлер

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http://bit.ly/2hrP4up --> https://www.sncorp.com/news-resources/media-resources/

[tnt22]

Sierra Nevada Corp‏Подлинная учетная запись @SierraNevCorp 23 мин. назад

Wings. Are. Back.

[silentpom]

птичка vs лапоть

[triage]

кто больше    

Salo пишет:

Jeff Foust ‏ @ jeff_foust 14 мин.14 минут назад
Sirangelo: released from altitude of 12,324 ft, flight time of 60 seconds. Top speed of 330 mph.

 https://www.sncorp.com/press-releases/snc-dream-chaser-free-flight-test-2017/
SNC and NASA will evaluate information from the test, including the Dream Chaser aerodynamic and integrated system performance from 12,400 feet altitude through main landing gear touchdown, nose landing gear touchdown and final rollout to wheel-stop on the runway.

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/free-flight-completes-crucial-milestone-for-dream-chaser
Having been dropped from an altitude of 12,500 feet, Sierra Nevada Corp's Dream Chaser lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California, as part of a successful free flight on Nov. 11, 2017.

12,324 ft ~ 3.756 км
12500 ft ~ 3.810 км