Trent J. Perrotto
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
trent.j.perrotto@nasa.gov [1]

Gregory B. Harland/Stephanie Covey
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
gregory.b.harland@nasa.gov [2] / stephanie.a.covey@nasa.gov [3]

Krystal Scordo
Sierra Nevada Corp., Louisville, Colo.
720-407-3192
krystal.scordo@sncorp.com [4]

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RELEASE 13-266
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NASA Partner Completes Second Dream Chaser Captive-Carry Test
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NASA partner Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) of Louisville, Colo.,
successfully completed a captive-carry test of the Dream Chaser spacecraft
Thursday, Aug. 22, at the agency's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards,
Calif.

During the two-hour test, an Erickson Air-Crane helicopter picked up a test
version of the Dream Chaser flight vehicle and flew it a distance of three
miles over a dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base at a maximum altitude of
approximately 12,400 feet. The spacecraft followed the projected path it will
fly during future approach and landing tests at Dryden. Dream Chaser's flight
computer, along with its guidance, navigation and control systems were
tested. The landing gear and nose skid also were deployed during flight.

"Today is the first time we have flown a fully functional Dream Chaser flight
vehicle, and we are very pleased with the results," said Mark Sirangelo,
corporate vice president and head of SNC's Space Systems. "Our team
represents the very best in collaboration between industry and government. We
have worked closely with NASA, Dryden and the Air Force to reach this
important milestone in our flight test program. We look forward to seeing
Dream Chaser land on the same runway as the space shuttle orbiters once did
as we move forward in the development of the next-generation crew
transportation vehicle."

This was the second captive-carry test of the Dream Chaser flight vehicle and
its first captive-carry at Dryden. Data obtained from the test will provide
SNC valuable information about the Dream Chaser hardware and ground
operations. The test paves the way for upcoming free-flight tests at Dryden
this fall as part of the company's agreements with NASA.

SNC is working with NASA to develop Dream Chaser, planned to launch atop a
United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, through the agency's Commercial Crew
Development Round 2 (CCDev2) and Commercial Crew Integrated Capability
(CCiCap) initiatives. New commercial spaceflight capabilities being developed
by NASA partners through these initiatives eventually could provide launch
services to transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station from
U.S. soil.

"It's great to see real American-made hardware taking flight right here in
the U.S.," said Ed Mango, NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) manager. "This
is just the start of an exciting flight test campaign for SNC's Dream Chaser
at Dryden."

Work leading up to the captive-carry test included an evaluation of the
performance of Dream Chaser's braking and landing systems, during ground tow
tests, at increasing speeds. SNC engineers also verified the spacecraft's
computer and software systems, instrumentation and steering performance. The
company held a thorough flight test readiness review with engineers,
technical experts and representatives from NASA and the U.S. Air Force.

SNC's CCDev2 Space Act Agreement with NASA is set to culminate with an
upcoming approach-and-landing free-flight test at Dryden. SNC also is on
track to complete all 12 of its CCiCap milestones by the summer of 2014. All
of NASA's industry partners, including SNC, continue to meet their
established milestones in developing commercial crew transportation
capabilities.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program and its aerospace
industry partners, visit:

*http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew [5]*