Another "merchant" for space: Dream Chaser
No sooner had the excitement around the first flight into the orbit of the commercial spacecraft Dragon dropped, as were the new messages from this area. This time news concerns the development of a private company SpaceDev. This division of the Sierra Nevada corporation has recently begun testing its reusable Dream Chaser spacecraft ("The Dream Runner").
The 29 of May at the NASA test site near Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (Broomfield, Colorado) was the first test flight of the Dream Chaser. The full-size mock-up of the spacecraft was lifted into the air by a Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane helicopter, after which, during the hour-long flight, the testers checked its aerodynamics in real conditions. Pilot "removal" in a helicopter are arranged in order to once again check the features of the aerodynamics of a spacecraft and work out control systems in the conditions of the earth's atmosphere. Back in April, the winding up of the “Dream Chacer” mock-ups in wind tunnels were completed, but now the time has come for real tests of the flight qualities of the vehicle.
The Dream Chaser program was launched back in 2004 year with the goal of creating a cheap and mass alternative to existing shuttles. In addition, it was proposed to create a new spacecraft to private commercial structures. According to the results of the comparison of preliminary projects, SpaceDev was selected as the main contractor. According to the specification, the ship Dream Chaser should go into orbit using the Atlas V rocket, dock with all existing and future spacecraft and descend to the earth in the same way as the Space Shuttle. Due to the smaller size and the absence of the need for special equipment for launching into orbit (the Atlas V rocket is maximally unified with previous Atlas family rockets), the cost of delivering cargo and people to orbit will be several times less than the available technology, including shuttles.
Initially, the experimental X-34 was considered as the basis for the Dream Chaser project. However, just a year after the start of work, the basic design was changed. SpaceDev companies submitted documentation on the HL-20 program. This project started 90-x pursued exactly the same goals as the Dream Chaser, but after several years of work, it was closed due to a number of technical and technological problems. SpaceDev engineers took into account all the shortcomings of the previous version of the reusable spacecraft and managed to get their "Running for a Dream" out of the design stage. It is noteworthy that the HL-20 and the Dream Chaser that followed it outwardly resemble to a certain extent the Soviet BOR family devices created during the Spiral project. It should be noted that this is not a manifestation of plagiarism or “licking” other people's work. Both BOR and Hl-20 were intended for use in similar conditions, which affected the significant similarity of the external contours.
During the development of the Dream Chaser, SpaceDev designers faced two serious challenges. First, the small dimensions of the spacecraft required a relatively powerful compact engine. Secondly, the same weight and size restrictions caused certain difficulties in creating a durable, heat-resistant and lightweight body made of composite materials. In October, 2010 was announced the successful resolution of both issues. So, a new hybrid rocket engine, developed and tested in the middle of the same year, was chosen as the power plant for the Dream Chaser. In addition, it was possible to successfully solve the problem with the case: for this, a combined metal-plastic construction was used.
From the beginning of 2011, SpaceDev employees, together with NASA, were preparing for the production of prototypes of the new ship and carried out tests in wind tunnels. All this made it possible to further improve the design, in particular, according to the results of purging, it was possible to reduce thermal loads on some parts of the hull. In April of the current 2012 of the year, it was announced that all preliminary tests on mock-ups were completed and preparations for the next stage of the project began. In mid-May, a full-size mockup of the Dream Chaser was taken to the NASA test center in Colorado. To some extent, this model is a prototype: for carrying out inspections of the control system when flying in the atmosphere, it was equipped with radio control equipment and full-fledged steering equipment. During the first flight, the testers familiarized themselves with the nuances of the work of the “Running for a Dream” management and expressed their opinion. According to the available information, in general, the apparatus’s controllability has turned out to be good, but a number of points still have to be improved, which, if unsuccessful, can lead, among other things, to unpleasant consequences.
The first space flight of the Dream Chaser spacecraft is now planned for 2015 year. The launch will use an Atlas V launch vehicle, the development of which is currently coming to an end. In the first orbital flights - they will pass in automatic mode - the new ship will transport cargo (the maximum payload has not yet been named, only the volume of the cargo hold in 16 cubic meters is known). In the future, with a successful course of the project, people will climb aboard the reusable vehicle: at present, it is planned to install seven seats for the crew. According to statements by representatives of the company-developer, the configuration of the cargo cabin Dream Chaser cabin in the future will allow to change the number of people and goods transported, depending on the need. At the same time, during manned flights there should always be two people on board - the ship’s crew itself.
On the materials of the sites:
http://spacedev.com/
http://ulalaunch.com/
http://imperiya.by/
http://flightglobal.com/
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