Author Topic: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight  (Read 78990 times)

Offline Lee Jay

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #20 on: 05/29/2012 11:52 pm »
IIRC, the plan was to do low-altitude drops from the Sky Crane first, and then move on to higher altitude/speed drops from WK2.

That would explain it, but low-speed means DC is sub-stall at drop, and low-altitude means not a lot of time to recover before landing.

Offline Rocket Science

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #21 on: 05/29/2012 11:55 pm »
IIRC, the plan was to do low-altitude drops from the Sky Crane first, and then move on to higher altitude/speed drops from WK2.

Dropping from the Sky Crane is presumably lower cost, both from a rental and insurance point of view...
That’s what I said in the other thread Simon. Unmanned drop tests from Skycrane and manned drop tests from WK2. But Lee Jay can verify in person... ;)
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Offline Lee Jay

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #22 on: 05/29/2012 11:59 pm »
IIRC, the plan was to do low-altitude drops from the Sky Crane first, and then move on to higher altitude/speed drops from WK2.

Dropping from the Sky Crane is presumably lower cost, both from a rental and insurance point of view...
That’s what I said in the other thread Simon. Unmanned drop tests from Skycrane and manned drop tests from WK2. But Lee Jay can verify in person... ;)

I'm not going to Edwards! ;)
« Last Edit: 05/29/2012 11:59 pm by Lee Jay »

Offline Rocket Science

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #23 on: 05/30/2012 12:00 am »
IIRC, the plan was to do low-altitude drops from the Sky Crane first, and then move on to higher altitude/speed drops from WK2.

Dropping from the Sky Crane is presumably lower cost, both from a rental and insurance point of view...
That’s what I said in the other thread Simon. Unmanned drop tests from Skycrane and manned drop tests from WK2. But Lee Jay can verify in person... ;)

I'm not going to Edwards! ;)
When you speak with Mark?
"The laws of physics are unforgiving"
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Offline Lee Jay

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #24 on: 05/30/2012 12:12 am »
When you speak with Mark?

Speak quietly so you don't wake me up.

Offline Rocket Science

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #25 on: 05/30/2012 12:16 am »
When you speak with Mark?

Speak quietly so you don't wake me up.
Ha! Is my enthusiasm showing again?  :)
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Offline Downix

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #26 on: 05/30/2012 12:22 am »
IIRC, the plan was to do low-altitude drops from the Sky Crane first, and then move on to higher altitude/speed drops from WK2.

That would explain it, but low-speed means DC is sub-stall at drop, and low-altitude means not a lot of time to recover before landing.
Which also means a safe landing from that situation bodes well for the design.
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Offline simonbp

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #27 on: 05/30/2012 01:21 am »
For reference, X-37 followed the same path, with the 85%-scale X-40 dropping from a helicopter and the full-scale X-37A dropped from WK1.

Offline gladiator1332

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #28 on: 05/30/2012 01:50 am »
Its been an exciting two weeks for commercial space!

Offline CitabriaFlyer

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #29 on: 05/30/2012 02:29 am »
Lee Jay,
Thanks for the forthcoming article.  See if you can get us some details on the spaceplane's anticipated performance.  Stall speed at typical weights, speed on final and touchdown, etc.  Also anticipated rollout.  Also will it fly a shuttle trajectory around a HAC and down to final.  Thanks again for all the details you can get.

Offline CitabriaFlyer

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #30 on: 05/30/2012 02:34 am »
Also see if you can get us some scoop on the avionics.  How far along are they?  Do they have a prime contractor for the avionics?  Honeywell?  Garmin? 

How will they fly it.  Will it have translational and rotational hand controllers like the shuttle?  Will the RHC be center stick like shuttle or sidestick?
 
Have they figured out what their abort modes will look like?
Do they have any idea about cross range?
How many missions do they think they can get out of an airframe?
Any details about the test flight program?
Ejection seats?

Offline Lee Jay

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #31 on: 05/30/2012 02:34 am »
From the "impressive progress" article on DC:

"Dream Chaser is targeting a landing speed of 191 knots..."

"In fact, it was noted the vehicle has around one thousand miles of theoretical cross range, ..."
« Last Edit: 05/30/2012 02:35 am by Lee Jay »

Offline FinalFrontier

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #32 on: 05/30/2012 03:58 am »
Well this is a surprise. With all the recent hubub over dragon its easy to forget about SNC.

I for one did not think this vehicle was this far along yet.


Great job on the article as usual Chris. Is this particular vehicle a mockup or an actual spacecraft (minus avionics thrusters ect)?
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Offline Jason1701

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #33 on: 05/30/2012 04:07 am »
Great job on the article as usual Chris. Is this particular vehicle a mockup or an actual spacecraft (minus avionics thrusters ect)?

Engineering Test Article. Much closer to mockup than spacecraft.

Offline pathfinder_01

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #34 on: 05/30/2012 04:12 am »
How many missions do they think they can get out of an airframe?


Only question I know the answer to. Unless they have changed their minds since I read an article a two years ago, they are aiming for 20 missions per spacecraft.

Offline Rocket Science

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #35 on: 05/30/2012 12:41 pm »
Seeing the pics of Dream Chaser airborne is my birthday present. Thanks for the gift… ;D
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Offline manboy

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #36 on: 05/30/2012 01:08 pm »
So was this a captive carry test of the HL-20 mock-up built back in 1990 by college students?
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Offline Lee Jay

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #37 on: 05/30/2012 01:25 pm »
So was this a captive carry test of the HL-20 mock-up built back in 1990 by college students?

No.  This is the ETA built by SNC.

Offline manboy

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #38 on: 05/30/2012 01:45 pm »
So was this a captive carry test of the HL-20 mock-up built back in 1990 by college students?

No.  This is the ETA built by SNC.
Do we have a confirmation on that?
"Cheese has been sent into space before. But the same cheese has never been sent into space twice." - StephenB

Offline psloss

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Re: SNC Captive Carry test sees Dream Chaser take flight
« Reply #39 on: 05/30/2012 01:56 pm »
So was this a captive carry test of the HL-20 mock-up built back in 1990 by college students?

No.  This is the ETA built by SNC.
Do we have a confirmation on that?
Yes; it's been noted in CCDev2 documentation and press releases like this one:
http://www.sncorp.com/press_more_info.php?id=476

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