Crews Unable To Access The Space Plane At Dryden Flight Research Center

The partial government shutdown that has shuttered most of NASA has thrown a monkey wrench into plans for an unpowered test flight of Sierra Nevada Corp's Dream Chaser space plane.

The test had been planned for October 5, according to a report on the website Space.com. But with the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB in California one of the facilities closed by the partial shutdown, the Dream Chaser remains firmly on the ground with no tests currently scheduled.

Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president and head of Sierra Nevada Corporation's (SNC) Space Systems based in Louisville, CO, said the aircraft is "primed to take its test" but "right now, we're basically on final, waiting for clearance to go ahead."

The first Dream Chaser test vehicle has completed several ground tests and completed a flight test readiness review. On August 22, a two-hour captive-carry test was performed with the space plane suspended below an Erickson Air Crane helo.

Closing Dryden and suspension of the tests has also placed the jobs of 50-60 SNC employees in limbo. Sirangelo said he thought he had contingencies for just about everything in place, but did not count on Dryden being shut down for an extended period.

(File image Dream Chaser captive carry test)

FMI: www.sncorp.com