NASA’s Next-Generation Spaceplane Passes Free Flight Test

Universe Today ^ | 11/14/2017 | Matt Williams

[BenLurkin]

For the past ten years, the Sierra Nevada Corporation and NASA have been developing and testing this next-generation space vehicle. When it is ready, this vehicle will not only provide a more cost-effective way of servicing the ISS, it will also help restore domestic launch capability to the United States.

On Saturday, November 11th, the Dream Chaser passed an important milestone by conducting a successful free flight test. This took place at Edwards Air Force Base in California, and verified the spaceplane’s ability to glide and land autonomously. This, in addition to verifying several key avionic and flight systems, is a strong indication that the spaceplane will be capable of conducting runs to and from Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) in the near future.

This test involved the spaceplane being lifted to an altitude of 3,780 meters (12,400 feet) and then let go to glide freely. It then deployed its landing gears and touched down on the Edwards Air Force Base runway before coming to a full stop. This runway, it should be noted, is very similar to the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility runway that the Dream Chaser will land on once it is operational.

...

This flight test validated the performance of the Dream Chaser during what is arguably the most critical part of a mission – the approach and landing phase – which will be the final phase of future flights from the ISS. The ability to conduct automated landings is central to the spaceplane’s reusability,

[xkaydet65]

IIRC it went by the handle Dyna Soar.

[Kickass Conservative]

Was Captain Steve Austin in the Pilot’s seat?

[eldoradude]

That was the grownup version. This one looks like the toys-r-us version. Where do you put your feet out to run and make it go?

[BlueDragon]

From the perspective shown, it looks upside down. What I assume are windows look like mouth and teeth making the shuttle-craft "space-plane" look like a shark.

Where's the frickin' lasers that's what I want to know

[Garth Tater]

"Sounds like a mere updating of the basic shuttle concept. Reusable glider. Meh. "

This is what the Space Shuttle should have been - a small, reusable craft to get men up to and back from low-earth orbit.

We already had plenty of heavy lifters for getting cargo up there. Safe, reliable and CHEAP. But no, we had to throw them out and start all over with a wonderfully expensive, brand new project that could spread the $$$ all over many, many Congressional districts.

Billions (maybe trillions?) of dollars wasted. Years wasted. Lives wasted. And now 40 years later we're finally getting around to doing what we should have done back then.

[doorgunner69]

Looks like the old Dyno-Soar.

[minnesota_bound]

#7 so they will winch it up to the space station?... : )

[GraceG]

Big deal, the TR-3B runs ring around that thing. It’s like we are still using a wright brothers plane to carry passengers while the millitary gets to use a 747...

[patriotfury]

Now all we need is the Six Million Dollar Man!

[Spktyr]

NASA was handed a working lifting body prototype by DARPA at Clinton’s direction. NASA had it killed because it threatened the shuttle.

[Spktyr]

And it still has many of the problems the Shuttle had. Chief among which is the still horrifically vunlerable heat shield tiles and the long turnaround time.

[Jonty30]

That depends on how far they’ve been able to reduce the costs of reusing it.

[ETL]

[ETL]

Basically a smaller version of it, at least in appearance. Clearly the technology must be vastly updated and improved.

[ETL]

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[ETL]

From the perspective shown, it looks upside down. What I assume are windows look like mouth and teeth making the shuttle-craft "space-plane" look like a shark.

Thought the same thing.

[ETL]

The late congressman, Barney Fruit, would surely have approved of the new docking system. I wonder if he had anything to do with the redesign?