The With its wings and tail structure removed and shrouded in protective plastic wrap, Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser engineering test vehicle is hauled across the bed of Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center May 15, 2013. (NASA / Tom Tschida) › View Larger Image
EDWARDS, Calif. – Media representatives are invited to accompany NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on a tour of Sierra Nevada Corporation’s (SNC) Dream Chaser spacecraft Wednesday, May 22, at the agency’s Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base in California.
The Dream Chaser flight vehicle arrived at Dryden this week. SNC is preparing the vehicle for tow, captive-carry and free-flight tests later this year. The testing is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) initiatives to develop safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from the International Space Station and low-Earth orbit.
Bolden, Dryden Center Director David McBride and SNC’s Director of Flight Operations, former NASA space shuttle astronaut Steve Lindsey, will make remarks and take questions from the media at 10 a.m. PDT.
Media representatives who want to participate in the Dream Chaser tour and briefings must request credentials from Dryden’s public affairs office at drydenpao-media@mail.nasa.gov or 661-276-3449 by 5 p.m. Monday, May 20. Journalists should plan to arrive at Dryden no later than 9:30 a.m. on May 22.
The Dream Chaser Space System is based on NASA’s “Horizontal Lander” HL-20 lifting body design concept. The upcoming flight tests will provide data on the spacecraft’s aerodynamic performance during subsonic approach and landing on a traditional runway. The tests are part of pre-negotiated, paid-for-performance milestones with CCP, which is facilitating commercial, U.S.-led development of spacecraft and rockets that can launch from American soil within the next four years.
While at Dryden, Bolden also will speak with employees and be briefed on current programs, projects and operations at the center.
For more information about Dream Chaser and Sierra Nevada Corp. Space Systems, visit:
For more information about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
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Leslie Williams
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
(661) 276-3893
leslie.a.williams@nasa.gov