Posted on 08/15/2019 5:44:58 AM PDT by BenLurkin
While the CRS stalwarts of Cygnus and Dragon are regular visitors to the ISS, Program Manager Kirk Shireman cited the need for “dissimilar redundancy” in adding Dream Chaser to the mix – a key selling point previously used by SNC during Dream Chaser’s crew transportation aspirations.
The only blot on her report card was a landing gear failure during a 2013 landing test at the Dryden Flight Research Facility in California.
The test was designed to verify and validate Dream Chaser’s low-atmosphere aerodynamics, flight control surfaces, flight characteristics for approach, flare and landing, and landing systems.
However, as it approached the runway and landing gear deployment was commanded, the left landing gear failed to deploy fully, resulting in the vehicle skidding off runway 22L at Edwards. Notably, the landing gear was donated by a fighter jet and was not a specific part of the Dream Chaser hardware.
Dream Chaser lost out on the final funding round that ultimately saw SpaceX’s Crew Dragon (Dragon 2) and Boeing’s Starliner (CST-100) win contracts for the missions that will return domestic launch capability for US astronauts for the first time since the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet in 2011.
Dream Chaser did repeat the test in 2017, this time nailing the landing and rollout at Edwards Air Force Base.
Dream Chaser would then go on to gain a NASA contract via its cargo variant and has been passing milestones ahead of its debut launch on an Atlas V, currently expected to take place in 2021.
The latest ISS manifest (L2) shows the first Dream Chaser flight to the ISS will take place in September of that year, with a docked period of nearly three months before the spacecraft returns home to land.
(Excerpt) Read more at nasaspaceflight.com ...
Now if they could just get to launching more than twice a year, we’d have something to talk about.
The front landing gear looks like a skid pad.
I think it is.
For regular flights it will be landing on the runway at KSC. I wonder if they’ll use the skid for that.
It is.
Looks like the one they used in the Movie Marooned.
David Jansen was the Pilot.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.