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Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser flight vehicle undergoes tow testing on a taxiway at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, CA. The tow tests were part of ground tests in preparation for upcoming captive-carry and free-flight tests at NASA Dryden during the late summer and fall of 2013. During two tow tests, a pickup truck pulled the Dream Chaser flight vehicle at 10 and 20 mph on a concrete taxiway to validate the performance of the spacecraft’s nose skid, brakes, tires, and other systems. Those were to be followed by tests at 40 and 60 mph. Range and taxi tow tests are standard for winged vehicles that touch down on a runway to prove the overall spacecraft handling after landing.Learn more.May 31, 2013
NASA Photo / Ken Ulbrich