Model of Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) Dream Chaser spacecraft inside the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel.
Sierra Nevada Corporation is partnering with NASA to advance the development of a commercial crew space transportation system as part of the Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program. The Dream Chaser is based on NASA’s HL-20 lifting body design and will be launched on the Atlas V launch vehicle. The Dream Chaser combines years of NASA analysis and wind tunnel research with Sierra Nevada’s engineering into a fully-reusable spacecraft to transport humans to low Earth orbit and then return them to Earth with a runway landing. A lifting body spacecraft design offers increased cross range and lower g forces on entry than a capsule design, providing more landing opportunities and a more benign entry environment for crew and science experiment return.
Credit: NASA/David C. Bowman
MORE INFORMATION:
- Langley Lends Dream Chaser Team Expertise
- Langley Tests Dream Chaser’s Thermal Dynamics
- NASA Partner Completes Second Dream Chaser Captive-Carry Test
- SNC Dream Chaser Testing Begins at NASA’s Dryden, Langley
- Astronaut Pilots a “Dream” at NASA Langley
- SNC Dream Chaser Unveiled to Media at Dryden Event
- Dream Chaser NASA Image of the Day
- An Inside Look at SNC’s Dream Chaser (NASA video podcast)