NASA's Commercial Crew Development Program
Development of the Dream Chaser has been supported by internal SNC funding, a non-reimburseable NASA Space Act Agreement (SAA), and two funded NASA SAA’s through the Commercial Crew Development Program (CCDev).
In 2010, SNC was awarded $20 million as a part of the first CCDev SAA. SNC completed the four planned milestones on time which included program implementation plans, manufacturing readiness capability, hybrid rocket test fires, and the prelimary structure design. Further initial Dream Chaser tests included the drop test of a 15% scaled version at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. The 5 foot long model was dropped from 14,000 ft. to test flight stability and collect aerodynamic data for flight control surfaces.
The second SAA under the CCDev 2 Program awarded SNC with $80 million in May 2011. Since then, nearly a dozen further milestones have been completed. Some of these milestones included testing of the airfoil fin shape, integrated flight software and hardware, landing gear, and a full scale captive carry flight test. The Dream Chaser is on track for operational commercial human flight capability as early as 2016.
Read more about this topic: Dream Chaser
Famous quotes containing the words nasa, commercial, crew, development and/or program:
“If we did not have such a thing as an airplane today, we would probably create something the size of NASA to make one.”
—H. Ross Perot (b. 1930)
“The commercial class has always mistrusted verbal brilliancy and wit, deeming such qualities, perhaps with some justice, frivolous and unprofitable.”
—Dorothy Nevill (1826–1913)
““10 April 1800—
Blacks rebellious. Crew uneasy. Our linguist says
their moaning is a prayer for death,
ours and their own.”
—Robert Earl Hayden (1913–1980)
“The development of civilization and industry in general has always shown itself so active in the destruction of forests that everything that has been done for their conservation and production is completely insignificant in comparison.”
—Karl Marx (1818–1883)
“The first man to discover Chinook salmon in the Columbia, caught 264 in a day and carried them across the river by walking on the backs of other fish. His greatest feat, however, was learning the Chinook jargon in 15 minutes from listening to salmon talk.”
—State of Oregon, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)