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N164AC \u201cThe Incredible Hulk\u201d was used in Colorado, while N179AC \u201cElvis\u201d had the honor of lofting the ETA in California.<\/p>\n
This latest test will be a huge leap forward for the \u201cbaby orbiter\u201d, with a test that is aimed at proving her ability to glide towards a runway for a safe landing, one of the key differences Dream Chaser boasts, when compared to its two major Commercial Crew competitors.<\/p>\n
The Dream Chaser is the only reusable lifting body vehicle in the running to transport American astronauts to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) destinations, such as the International Space Station (ISS). All the other commercial crew competitors are of the capsule design.<\/p>\n
![\"Enterprise](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/Z104.jpg\")
SNC shipped the ETA to Dryden on the back of a truck, allowing Dream Chaser to join an illustrious list of vehicles that spent their early years testing their capabilities at the famous Californian facility.<\/p>\nSpace Technology
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The best-known historical association is with NASA\u2019s lifting bodies and more famously Enterprise, following her series of Approach and Landing Tests (ALTs) in the 1970s, paving the way for her orbital sisters to learn how to land during the 30 year career of the Shuttle.<\/p>\n
![\"Tow](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Z38.jpg\")
Since arriving for her Californian working holiday, SNC have performed runway tow tests tests at various speeds, pulling the ETA via a pickup truck on the concrete runways.<\/p>\nRange and taxi tow tests are standard for winged vehicles that touch down on a runway to prove the overall spacecraft handling post-landing.<\/p>\n
The key test element for the ETA will involve the drop test, conducted via the use of a helicopter, carried out early in the morning, in near darkness, before the Californian weather becomes too warm to fly the helicopter at the altitudes required for the testing.<\/p>\n
![\"Dream](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/F431.jpg\")
No one will be riding in the ETA, with the vehicle completely automated via its onboard control. The only command that will be sent to the vehicle will be the release from the helicopter, along with the potential to abort and deploy a parachute, should she go off course.<\/p>\nThere are three attach points on the ETA, a requirement related to what was initially planned to be drop tests from the White Knight 2 aircraft \u2013 a carrier option that was later cancelled. The actual release will be electrically actuated from the helicopter.<\/p>\n
In preparation for the event, Dream Chaser\u2019s flight computer, along with its guidance, navigation and control systems were tested during the second captive carry test. The landing gear and nose skid also were deployed, allowing the ETA to prove she was ready for the upcoming milestone.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Z77.jpg\")
Known as the approach-and-landing free-flight test, the ETA will enjoy a period of free-flight after release, with a glide towards the lake bed, prior to a level glide, and landing.<\/p>\nThere will be at least two drops tests for the ETA, although the schedule \u2013 including the actual date of the initial drop test \u2013 are still a closely guarded secret. Weather and wind constraints will play a factor in when SNC conduct the first drop test, which is understood to be just days \u2013 as opposed to weeks \u2013 away.<\/p>\n
Unlike the Enterprise ALTs, which were covered in depth by NASA, SNC do not appear to be courting media interest for the drop tests, although it is expected SNC and NASA will release video of the test at a later date.<\/p>\n
SNC are working through the milestones associated with the their Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative award, part of NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program \u2013 which has been providing funding alongside private sector investment \u2013 in a drive to allow NASA astronauts ride uphill on US vehicles to the ISS.<\/p>\n
![\"Snippet](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Z421.jpg\" "\\"Snippet")
Continued lack of full funding has since resulted in the first flight of NASA astronauts on a commercial vehicle \u2013 known as USCV-1 (US Crew Vehicle -1) \u2013 being delayed to the end of 2017, with the threat of a further slip should funding continue to be less than required.<\/p>\nThe irony behind these political decisions to \u201csave\u201d money, by pressuring the Commercial Crew Program, has resulted in NASA having to renegotiate extensions to their arrangement with the Russians for crew transportation, at a cost of several hundred million dollars.<\/p>\n
While Boeing\u2019s CST-100 spacecraft is one of Dream Chaser\u2019s competitors,SpaceX\u2019s Dragon currently leads the way, having flown to the ISS three times.<\/p>\n
With a potential CCP down-select coming next year, SNC will be hoping to have a number of successful drop tests under their belt, ahead of unveiling what is understood to be a highly impressive Dream Chaser Flight Test Vehicle (FTV), which is currently under construction.<\/p>\n
Should SNC continue to be awarded support via the Commercial Crew Program (CCP), Dream Chaser will prepare for a test mission on its launch vehicle of choice, the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V in the second half of this decade.<\/p>\n
(Images via L2 \u2013 via the impressive DC section, *L2 members click here* \u2013 with additional images via SNC and NASA)<\/p>\n
(Click here: http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/l2\/ \u2013 to view how you can access the best space flight content on the entire internet and directly support NSF\u2019s running costs)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sierra Nevada Corporation\u2019s Dream Chaser ETA (Engineering Test Article) is just days away from its first free flight milestone. The NASA Commercial Crew Program (CCP) candidate is now in final preparations for its drop test that will result in her conducting an automated approach and landing at the Dryden Flight Research Center in California. Dream […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30390,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8996,4055,524,970,9092,8894],"class_list":["post-39733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-ccdev","tag-ccicap","tag-commercial-crew","tag-dream-chaser","tag-dryden","tag-snc"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39733"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39733\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}