Dream Chaser - NASA коммерческий контракт с SpaceDev

Автор frigate, 02.02.2010 12:49:16

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Чебурашка

Тяжеловатая штучка.
Самый мощный Атлас да и ещё и с двухдвигательным Центавром.
И цена соотвествующая

tnt22

http://spaceflight101.com/sierra-nevada-firms-up-atlas-v-missions-for-dream-chaser/
ЦитироватьSierra Nevada firms up Atlas V Missions for Dream Chaser Spacecraft, gears up for Flight Testing
July 19, 2017

Sierra Nevada Corporation has formally signed a launch contract with United Launch Alliance for two Dream Chaser missions to deliver supplies to the International Space Station under NASA's second round of Commercial Resupply Services. Meanwhile, the company is making progress toward a resumption of atmospheric flight testing with a full-scale version of their winged space plane that will take off vertically on ULA's Atlas V rocket, re-enter the atmosphere like the Space Shuttle and glide to a runway landing.
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Dream Chaser Runway Testing – Photo: Sierra Nevada Corporation

Atlas V had been Dream Chaser's launch vehicle of choice ever since the first concepts for the re-usable space plane were presented in 2007 and the selection of Atlas V for operational missions was only considered a mere formality. The two missions announced on Wednesday are currently targeting 2020 and 2021; NASA and Sierra Nevada have agreed not to perform a test flight and begin with operational cargo deliveries fr om the first mission.


Photo: Sierra Nevada Corporation

NASA sel ected the Dream Chaser in January 2016 as one of three commercial vehicles for the second round of Commercial Resupply Services covering a period of 2019 through 2024, the other two companies being the current CRS-1 providers SpaceX with their Dragon and Orbital ATK with their Cygnus.

Under the contract, NASA committed to purchasing a minimum of six resupply missions from each provider, though only one mission has been formally ordered so far. NASA cited the primary reason in adding Sierra Nevada to the mix as a desire in a robust cargo fleet as launch failures in 2013 and 2015 have showcased that even with two providers it was possible to end up in a situation wh ere none of them were in a position to fly.

Sierra Nevada is confident that Dream Chaser will be able to take a unique position within the Station's cargo fleet. As part of their CRS-2 bid, the company updated Dream Chaser's design to feature foldable wings to fit within a five-meter payload fairing – this also broadens the range of launch vehicles that could lift future Dream Chaser missions including Europe's Ariane 6, ULA's Vulcan, Blue Origin's New Glenn and SpaceX's Falcon 9/Falcon Heavy.


Artist's Concept of Dream Chaser docked to ISS (Expendable Cargo Carrier Missing) – Image: SNC

Another feature added for the cargo version of Dream Chaser is an expendable cargo module affixed to the aft end of the spacecraft, capable of carrying 3,250 Kilograms of cargo to ISS in addition to 1,750 kg carried within the space plane plus up to 500kg of external hardware. The expendable container, featuring the docking interface with ISS, would drop away from Dream Chaser prior to re-entry and burn up in the atmosphere with the Station's trash while the spacecraft carries up to 1,750kg of downmass to a gentle touchdown at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility.

One of Dream Chaser's biggest selling points is its low-G re-entry environment with peak G-forces not exceeding 1.5 Gs which is relevant for a number of scientific studies to be deployed to ISS. Dragon, as the other recoverable ISS resupply craft, subjects return hardware to higher G-loads and a much more turbulent flight environment around the time its parachutes open during final descent toward a splashdown landing in the Ocean. Landing on a runway will also enable experiments to be accessed virtually within minutes after returning from orbit.


Atlas V – Dream Chaser Configuration – Image: United Launch Alliance

Dream Chaser, weighing around 18 metric tons – will utilize the Atlas V 552 launch vehicle – the most powerful version of the workhorse launcher, featuring five Solid Rocket Boosters, a Centaur Upper Stage with two RL-10 engines for maximum push into Low Earth Orbit and a five-diameter payload fairing to enshroud Dream Chaser and its expendable cargo module during the atmospheric flight phase. The two-engine Centaur upper stage has yet to fly as part of an Atlas V stack, currently looking at a debut in mid-2018 with Boeing's CST-100 Starliner.

"SNC recognizes the proven reliability of the Atlas V rocket and its availability and schedule performance makes it the right choice for the first two flights of the Dream Chaser," said Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president of SNC's Space Systems business area. "ULA is an important player in the market and we appreciate their history and continued contributions to space flights and are pleased to support the aerospace community in Colorado and Alabama."


Photo: Sierra Nevada Corporation

Gearing up for Dream Chaser's eventual first taste of space flight, Sierra Nevada is currently in the process of performing ground-based tow tests at Edwards Air Force Base as a precursor to captive carry and ultimately free flight tests to validate the craft's control and guidance system for flight.

Dream Chaser had already been to this stage in October 2013 when completing its first free glide test that enjoyed a very smooth approach to the runway but ended with a setback when the craft's left main gear failed – a non-flight item that had been borrowed from the F-5E Tiger fighter jet. Dream Chaser managed to touch down on only one gear, but eventually skidded off the runway and somersaulted in the desert sand, suffering some structural damage.

Sierra Nevada shipped a flight-like Engineering Test Article of the Dream Chaser spacecraft to Edwards Air Force Base adjacent to NASA's Armstrong Research Center in February 2017 to complete an extensive testing campaign. Dream Chaser completed its latest tow test this Monday, being accelerated down the runway by a truck before being cut free to study the craft's braking performance and put the guidance, navigation and control systems to the test to see whether they can keep Dream Chaser on the runway centerline – a precursor to the craft lining up with the centerline in flight.


2013 Free Flight – Photo: SNC

Captive carry tests will see the craft take flight suspended under a heavy-lift helicopter that will take it to over 3 Kilometers in altitude for an evaluation of all aerodynamic properties of the vehicle. Flight tests are currently expected to get underway later this year, starting out at similar altitudes and will see Dream Chaser pitch down to build speed before entering a simulated approach to test out all flight controls and automated landing systems. The aim of the test is to have Dream Chaser line up with runway 22L, flare up its nose just around 100 meters in altitude and come to a gentle landing on two main gear wheels and a nose skid for rollout on the runway.

Sierra Nevada so far has passed three integration milestones since receiving its CRS-2 contract which are mandatory reviews of design documentation by NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration.


Photo: Sierra Nevada Corporation

In presentations given in 2016, NASA indicated that the first Dream Chaser missions would make use of a robotic capture and berthing before upgrading to autonomous docking of the spacecraft to the ISS – Dream Chaser's attachment mechanism developed by Belgium-based QinetiQ will be capable of both.

In addition to its NASA missions, Dream Chaser has won over the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) that is currently developing a 2021 mission utilizing the Dream Chaser to fly around 30 scientific studies fr om UN members to space. The two-week mission to Low Earth Orbit is primarily focused on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and will be available to all UN Members including developing countries that rarely receive an opportunity to carry out research in space.
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tnt22

Цитировать Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 40 мин. назад

Steven Lindsey, SNC: planning Dream Chaser glide test this fall. Scheduling challenge is helicopter availability during fire season. #ISSRDC


37 мин. назад

Lindsey: got unanimous approval from 84 UN nations in June to proceed with planned Dream Chaser free flight mission in 2021-22. #ISSRDC

tnt22

Цитировать Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 27 мин. назад

I think Buzz Aldrin, in the Q&A session, just called SNCs Dream Chaser the "Star Eagle." [Hey, that's a good name, too.] #ISSRDC

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/07/22/sierra-nevada-awaiting-direction-from-nasa-confirms-ula-will-launch-first-two-dream-chaser-cargo-missions/
ЦитироватьSierra Nevada, awaiting direction from NASA, confirms ULA will launch first two Dream Chaser cargo missions
July 22, 2017 Stephen Clark

Sierra Nevada and United Launch Alliance have announced the most powerful version of the Atlas 5 rocket, with five strap-on boosters and a twin-engine upper stage, will send the first two Dream Chaser cargo missions to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral in 2020 and 2021, a schedule that still must be confirmed by NASA.
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Artist's concept of the Dream Chaser spacecraft, seen here with folded wings in launch configuration, and the Atlas 5-552 rocket that will send it into orbit. Credit: ULA

The lifting body spaceship, designed to lift off on top of a conventional rocket and land in a runway like the space shuttle, can deliver around 12,000 pounds (5,500 kilograms) of scientific experiments, hardware and crew supplies to the space station on each unpiloted mission.

The Dream Chaser will will max out at approximately 20 tons when fully fueled at launch, requiring the lift capability of ULA's biggest Atlas 5 version.

NASA awarded Sierra Nevada a commercial cargo contract, alongside incumbent providers SpaceX and Orbital ATK, in January 2016 to meet the space station's logistics needs from 2019 through 2024.

"ULA is pleased to partner with Sierra Nevada Corporation to launch its Dream Chaser cargo system to the International Space Station in less than three years," said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of human and commercial systems, in a statement Thursday. "We recognize the importance of on time and reliable transportation of crew and cargo to Station and are honored the Atlas 5 was sel ected to continue to launch cargo resupply missions for NASA."

The Atlas 5 has dispatched two commercial Cygnus supply ships to the space station for Orbital ATK as the company worked through problems with its own Antares booster.

Financial terms of the ULA-Sierra Nevada agreement were not disclosed.

Sierra Nevada officials earlier this year hoped to launch the first Dream Chaser into orbit by the end of 2019, but the companies said Thursday that the first two orbital flights would occur in 2020 and 2021.

"SNC recognizes the proven reliability of the Atlas 5 rocket and its availability and schedule performance makes it the right choice for the first two flights of the Dream Chaser," said Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president of SNC's space systems business area. "ULA is an important player in the market and we appreciate their history and continued contributions to space flights and are pleased to support the aerospace community in Colorado and Alabama."

Sierra Nevada's space division is headquartered in Louisville, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. ULA is based in another Denver-area suburb, and Atlas 5 rocket production is centered in Decatur, Alabama.

Sierra Nevada, SpaceX and Orbital ATK were guaranteed six cargo missions to the space station under the Commercial Resupply Services-2 deals inked last year, but NASA has used the new contracts to order only one mission to date, an Orbital ATK Cygnus resupply flight to launch on an Antares rocket from Virginia in 2019.

"It can take several years of lead time to build, prepare and test the vehicles for each mission," said Dan Huot, a NASA spokesperson, in an emailed statement Friday. "At this time, NASA has granted only Orbital ATK the authority to proceed with its first mission under CRS-2. This does not necessarily mean that Orbital ATK will fly first. NASA will order additional missions from all three companies based on the projected needs to resupply the space station."

The authority to proceed milestone comes with a target launch date from NASA.

Kimberly Schwandt, a Sierra Nevada spokesperson, said the company is in "active negotiations with NASA regarding the first mission launch date and authority to proceed."

Meanwhile, engineers at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California are preparing a full-scale test model of the Dream Chaser — measuring about one-quarter the length of a space shuttle orbiter — for an approach and landing test on a runway this fall, according to Steve Lindsey, senior director and co-program manager of Sierra Nevada's space exploration division.

Lindsey, a former space shuttle commander, said the Dream Chaser is "basically ready to fly."

Engineers are conducting tow tests of the ship on a runway at Edwards Air Force Base, co-located with NASA's Armstrong center, to check out its braking, steering and guidance systems.

Lindsey said the timing of the landing test later this year hinges on the availability of a heavy-duty helicopter, from which the Dream Chaser will be dropped from an altitude of 10,200 feet (about 3,100 meters) above the ground for an autonomous landing at Runway 22L at Edwards.

The atmospheric test craft is the same vehicle that flew on an approach and landing flight in October 2013. Sierra Nevada said it was pleased with the ship's aerodynamic and guidance performance during the automated flight, but the Dream Chaser's left-side landing gear did not deploy as it made a pinpoint approach down the runway's centerline.

The vehicle skidded out of control as it touched down, but technicians repaired the test craft and installed an upgraded landing gear, new computers and software and other items to make the upcoming test more similar to the way a Dream Chaser will return from orbit.

"On the first flight, we were zero failure tolerant, kind of a one-off system to just test the aerodynamics of the vehicle," Lindsey said Thursday at the International Space Station Research and Development Conference in Washington. "This time, besides testing the aerodynamics, we're going to get a good look at all of our integrated avionics and integrated flight software on this vehicle."

Originally developed to ferry crews into Earth orbit and back, the Dream Chaser was redesigned for robotic cargo missions after NASA selected Boeing and SpaceX over Sierra Nevada for commercial crew contracts in 2014.

Engineers removed the ship's cockpit windows, added a deployable solar array and a disposable cargo module mounted on the Dream Chaser's tail. The external cargo section will jettisoned after the ship departs the space station for a destructive re-entry, while the Dream Chaser itself will glide through the atmosphere for touchdown on a runway.

Space station cargo missions will end at the Shuttle Landing Facility runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a few miles fr om the Atlas 5 launch pad. Sierra Nevada says the Dream Chaser can be refurbished at Kennedy's Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, in partnership with Lockheed Martin, for multiple flights.
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Димитър

И так:
конец 2019 - первый испитательный полет
2020 - первая карго-миссия к МКС
2021 - вторая миссия к МКС
?

triage

ЦитироватьДимитър пишет:
И так:
конец 2019 - первый испитательный полет
2020 - первая карго-миссия к МКС
2021 - вторая миссия к МКС
?
А кто сказал про 2019? Уже несколько заявлений/статей где говорится о первом в 2020. 
Ну если конечно запускать будут не на Атласе 5  ;)

Димитър

Цитироватьpnetmon пишет:
А кто сказал про 2019? Уже несколько заявлений/статей где говорится о первом в 2020.
Ну если конечно запускать будут не на Атласе 5  ;)
Еще раз поочитал более внимательно. Извиняюсь - плохой английский, однако.
Поетому и знак вопроса в конце.

tnt22


tnt22

#589
ЦитироватьSierra Nevada Corporation Dream Chaser Spacecraft Tow Test 2017

SNCspacesystems

Опубликовано: 24 авг. 2017 г.

Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser® spacecraft completes a 60mph tow test at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center.
(2:46)

tnt22

https://www.sncorp.com/press-releases/snc-hsv-intl-airport-landing-faa-licensing/
ЦитироватьPhase II Contract Signed for Dream Chaser® Spacecraft
HSV International Airport has initiated permitting process with the FAA

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., August 23, 2017 – Huntsville/Madison County is another step closer to landing a space vehicle at the Huntsville International Airport. The Airport has signed a contract to apply for licensing through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to land Sierra Nevada Corporation's (SNC) Dream Chaser® spacecraft on one of its commercial runways. This Phase II contract follows a Phase I contract completed in 2015 that examined the compatibility of SNC's Dream Chaser with the existing runway and taxiway environments at the Airport.
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"The preliminary study proved the feasibility of landing so now we are pleased to announce that we have initiated the permitting process with the FAA," said Rick Tucker, executive director of the Huntsville International Airport. "This is much more than an economic development project that will bring additional business to the airport and the community. This represents a shared vision of Huntsville as a leader in the commercial space economy as the first community to make a commitment to this vehicle and its role in space commerce."

Local and State support for this project includes funding for the contracts and marketing of the community's assets that support landing the Dream Chaser in Huntsville. Teledyne Brown Engineering serves as the prime contractor, with subcontracts to be issued to Sierra Nevada Corporation and RS&H. Partners with the Airport include the City of Huntsville, Madison County, the City of Madison, the State of Alabama, UAH and the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber.

"We're excited to continue our progress in this community-wide effort to land the Dream Chaser in Huntsville," said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. "This initiative fits well with our expertise and portfolio as a hub for the fast growing commercial space industry."

"Madison County is excited to move to the next step in bringing Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser to the Huntsville International Airport," said Madison County Commission Chairman Dale W. Strong. "Working to secure this permit through the FAA will allow this spacecraft to return to Earth's orbit and land at Huntsville International Airport in Madison County, Alabama, home to Marshall Space Flight Center, The University of Alabama Huntsville, and HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology."

Phase II is expected to take at least 24 months. While the permits are being sought, the partners will be working to share the capabilities of the Dream Chaser with potential users while marketing the workforce and expertise of the Huntsville region to support payload design, development, integration, operations and processing. All science payloads aboard the International Space Station are managed by Marshall Space Flight Center at the Payload Operations and Integration Center (POIC) on Redstone Arsenal. The POIC has been in 24/7 operation since 2001, with hundreds of scientific experiments being completed each year.

"We are very excited to be working with Huntsville as the first commercial airport that will apply for an FAA permit to land Dream Chaser after an orbital mission. We feel that the ability to land a space mission on a commercial runway anywhere in the world is a big advantage of our vehicle and will bring space up close and personal to thousands of people who can come out and see the landings. This will put us in the forefront of commercial space activities and it is no surprise that 'Rocket City' is the first to join us on that journey," said John Roth, vice president of business development for SNC's Space Systems business area.

"Huntsville is perfectly positioned geographically, economically and possesses an experienced workforce that is committed to making our city the key location for this significant effort," said Jan Hess, president of Teledyne Brown Engineering. "Our company is proud to be leading an effort that showcases all that our community has to offer."

One marketing effort underway is the Chamber's sponsorship of a contest with the European Space Agency (ESA). With Scottish aerospace company Astrosat, the Chamber is seeking ideas for utilizing the Dream Chaser beyond cargo transport. Entries are being accepted until September 8 at www.space-exploration-masters.com. The prize includes business development support from Astrosat, a visit to Huntsville/Madison County, and a year's worth of business incubation at BizTech. The winner will be announced in October during the Space Tech Expo in Bremen, Germany, at the Huntsville/Madison County booth.

"The ESA competition has given us an international platform for sharing the space-related capabilities of Huntsville/Madison County," said Lucia Cape, senior vice president of economic development for the Chamber. "We look forward to seeing what entrepreneurs from around the world would do with a Dream Chaser spacecraft, and we want to let them know that they can land it here."

Sierra Nevada Corporation was awarded a cargo resupply contract with NASA in 2016. Earlier this year, SNC announced that its first two missions would be launched on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, made in Decatur, Alabama.
 
Points of contact:

Sierra Nevada Corporation
Kimberly Schwandt
Communications Manager, Space Systems
(O) 1-720-407-3223 // x173223
(C) 303-517-8396
Kimberly.Schwandt@sncorp.com
www.sncorp.com

Huntsville/Madison County Chamber
Carrie Rice
Marketing & Communications Director
225 Church Street, NW
Huntsville, AL 35801
O: 256-535-2018
crice@hsvchamber.org

Huntsville International Airport
Jana Kuner
HSV- Public Relations Manager
1000 Glenn Hearn Boulevard
Huntsville, AL 35824
O: 256.258.1975
C: 256.679.7162

Teledyne Brown Engineering
Jessica Sanders
Director of Marketing, Communications and Strategic Integration
Office 256-726-1385
Cell 256-655-5666
Jessica.Sanders@Teledyne.com
www.tbe.com
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triage

просто что пишут на НАСА с упоминанием Бора
Цитировать https://www.nasa.gov/langley/feature/setting-the-spaceplane-stage
Aug. 23, 2017
Setting the Spaceplane Stage

The Dream Chaser photographed at dawn on the NASA Armstrong Research Center runway.
Credits: NASA



A 28-foot model of the HL-10 lifting-body reentry vehicle is shown being mounted in NASA Langley Research Center's Full Scale Wind Tunnel to determine its low-speed static stability and control
Credits: NASA

Fly frequently, travel safely, land on (most) runways, and operate economically: such are the guiding principles for 21st century spaceplanes, cargo-carrying aerospace workhorses routinely launching to low-Earth orbit for space station resupply and crew transfers. Fans disconsolate after retirement of NASA's shuttle fleet can take heart: The next generation in reusable space vehicles is set to debut.


Artist's concept of an HL-20 at a space station.
Credits: NASA

A new spaceplane stage has been set by decades of NASA work done at Langley Research Center on horizontal-landing, or HL, lifting bodies. Sporting a design reminiscent of the upward-flexing pectoral fins on breaching manta rays, HL vehicles feature rudimentary wings. As the craft settles through Earth's atmosphere fr om orbit the chubby, cigar-like fuselage generates lift from more air pressure on the bottom than on the top.
Flying Wingless First championed for flight testing by NASA engineer H. Dale Reed in the early 1960s, the HL concept went through a number of design changes and improvements, eventually resulting in a series of experimental piloted aircraft. The Northrop HL-10 – referring to the tenth design evaluated by Langley engineers – was built to assess specific structural refinements. Langley laboratories and wind tunnels hosted a variety of early studies on scale models before any full-scale craft were constructed.


Model of Sierra Nevada Corp. Dream Chaser spacecraft inside NASA Langley's Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel.
Credits: NASA

The HL-10 would be one of five "heavyweight" lifting body designs flown at NASA's Flight Research Center (now known as Armstrong Research Center) from July 1966 to November 1975 to demonstrate a pilot's ability to maneuver and safely land a wingless vehicle. The information the lifting-body program generated contributed to a database crucial to the genesis of the space shuttle program.
A New Kid Spurred by the Soviet Union's development of its subscale, unmanned BOR-4 – a testbed for the country's would-be Buran space shuttle – by the 1980s Langley had set to work on a HL-10 successor, known as the HL-20, or "Personal Launch System (PSL)." The effort's goals were straightforward: to assess the feasibility of low operational costs, make improvements to flight safety, and evaluate the possibility of conventional-runway landings. Yoked to the PSL research was wind tunnel testing and human-performed landing scenarios created in Langley simulators.
By 1990s, a 29-foot full-size, non-flying HL-20 model was built by the students and faculty of North Carolina State University and North Carolina A & T University to study crew-seating arrangements, habitability, equipment layout and how best to enter and exit. Although never flight-tested, the PSL did ultimately deliver: its design would be the basis for development of Sierra Nevada's Corporation's (SNC) Dream Chaser.
Mission Flexibility In January 2016 SNC was one of three companies awarded contracts to ferry cargo from 2019 through 2024 to the International Space Station (ISS). Under the terms of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, and as part of a Space Act Agreement, SNC is able to use agency wind tunnels for Dream Chaser studies and experiments. That's wh ere Langley came in, mounting a Dream Chaser scale model in its Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel for extensive aerodynamic data gathering, which was subsequently added to the spacecraft's performance database.
Although a quarter of the size of any of the now-retired space shuttles, Dream Chaser can carry as many as seven crew members. Although there is but one basic spacecraft airframe, there are two system variants optimized for either manned or unmanned missions. SNC asserts the Dream Chaser can be reused 15 or more times, more than any other current operational space vehicle. The company also touts the spacecraft's flexibility in remote sensing, satellite servicing, and even "active debris removal," otherwise known as space-trash cleanup.
A second round of Dream Chaser flight tests at NASA's Armstrong Research Center is slated to continue through the end of the 2017 calendar year.

Jim Schultz
for NASA Langley Research Center

Last Updated: Aug. 24, 2017
Editor: Eric Vitug

Tags:  Commercial CrewCommercial Space

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