14 DAY TRIAL // Officials at Sierra Nevada Space Systems announce that a scale model of Dream Chaser, the reusable space plane it is developing under a Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA, is ready for wind tunnel testing. The model is already affixed to a scaled-down version of the Atlas V delivery system.
The launch configuration Sierra Nevada opted for is unconventional, in the sense that its spacecraft will simply replace the upper stage of the rocket, as seen in this image. The model is outfitted with a large number of sensors, installed in such a way that they provide the most accurate results.
The main goal of the new tests – to be conducted at the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel at NASA Langley Research Center, in Virginia – is to analyze pressure fluctuations along the two vehicles at transonic speeds. The spacecraft may be used to ferry American astronauts to the International Space Station.
Since this configuration is cataloged as a launch vehicle with a complex shape, NASA cannot certify it for human spaceflight until all pressure fluctuations around the rocket and spacecraft are understood in detail.