With Testing Soon Complete, Launch Preparations Begin in Earnest

Sierra Space's Dream Chaser has been put through the wringer at NASA's Glenn Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio, but with testing passed, it will soon head down to its launch site in Florida.

The Dream Chaser has been put through just about everything NASA can test it on, checking out its survivability and robustness to ensure it's ready for duty in the harsh environs of space. A 5-week campaign of shock testing helped to ensure the Dream Chaser and its connected cargo module, the Shooting Star, could remain connected even in the worst conditions. After rounding the bases on that front, NASA hooked the ensemble up to the Vulcan Centaur thruster that will power them into orbit, redoing the same test again. The rest of the tests saw them check on each unit with a series of disconnections, simulating how they will handle as the mission progresses. Once shock testing was finished up, they sent it all in for vacuum and temperature cycling to check for malformations, leaks, and breaks. 

Apparently, Sierra Space has been given a clean bill of health for their pet project, with the first unit of the Dream Chaser family, 'Tenacity', now bound for NASA's Kennedy Space Center for some last-minute tests and checks before being hooked up for launch. If all goes well, they hope to have Tenacity space bound some time this year.

Tenacity currently has one sister ship in the making, 'Reverence', that will one day be used for cargo hauls to and from the ISS. The Dream Chaser platform marks a refreshing turn to form after years of the Space Shuttle's absence, offering a spacecraft designed to reenter the atmosphere and land on a runway. It's a nifty offer for those running experiments or projects that might not be able to handle the bumpy landing of a capsule splashing down, thanks to the design's sub-1.5 G landing force. The Dream Chaser is a pretty simple little offer, requiring no active pilot as is now the fashion for nearly every modern spacecraft. While it's less romantic than the early manned spacecraft, it's efficient, allowing for more cargo hauling space. If that's not enough, the Shooting Star module adds even more cargo capacity, more than 7,000 lbs worth. Better still, once connected to a space station, the Shooting Star module can be used as a standard pressurized cabin environment, adding extra work and living space. Once done, it can be filled with waste and jettisoned into the atmosphere for disposal via reentry. 

FMI: www.sierraspace.com