SPACE
The Dream Chaser spacecraft by Sierra Nevada Corporation is now being
prepared for test flights. The spacecraft will compete with capsules by
Boeing and SpaceX to get NASA’s contract to replace the old space
shuttles that have been used to transport astronauts to International Space Station. All three companies are working hard to get NASA’s certification that will decide if they are safe and good performance wise.
The space craft looks a lot like the older capsules that NASA retired
two years ago, however it does has a unique touch to it. The Dream
Chaser features such a design that makes it capable of landing on a
runway.
More units of the Dream Chaser will be built at a facility in Michaud, Lousiana. The first Dream Chaser ever made is currently been prepared to be transported to another facility in Colorada and will be taken to California in next few weeks, where it will be tested by SNC experts. It uses Atlas V rocket which Sierra Nevada Corporation makes in a joint venture with Boeing. Boeing’s CST-100 spacecraft also uses the same rocket.
Initially for testing the Dream Chaser will be dropped from a height of 12,000 feets without an on-board pilot. It is expected to glide towards ground at a speed of 300 knots and land at a speed of 180 knots.
If chosen by NASA the Dream Chaser’s maker will become one of the two companies that will take astronauts to low earth orbits by year 2017.
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