{"146201":{"#nid":"146201","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Advances Potential Commercial Space Flight System","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELast spring private industry successfully sent a spacecraft carrying cargo to the International Space Station. Now the race is on to see which company will be the first to make commercial human spaceflight a reality.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) is one of three companies that will receive hundreds of millions of dollars to further develop its commercial human spacecraft system, NASA announced earlier this month.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESNC has turned to Georgia Tech for expertise on how to ensure the smoothest possible re-entry for its spacecraft, the Dream Chaser, which is reminiscent of NASA\u2019s space shuttle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERobert Braun, Georgia Tech professor of space technology, and his research team \u2013 Research Engineer Jenny Kelly and engineering graduate students Zach Putnam and Mike Grant \u2013 are working with SNC on the design of an advanced guidance algorithm that will make the most of the Dream Chaser\u2019s superior aerodynamic performance during re-entry and landing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOf the three companies selected by NASA to develop spaceships to taxi astronauts to and from the International Space Station, Sierra Nevada Corporation is the only one with a winged vehicle. It is designed to launch vertically and land on a runway, similar to the Space Shuttle. Boeing and SpaceX are developing capsules that would land in a body of water.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBecause the Dream Chaser is similar to the Space Shuttle, it could land using the same guidance algorithm the shuttle used. However, that algorithm, like the shuttle, is based on technology that is more than 40 years old; it does not take advantage of the onboard computing available for today\u2019s space systems.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe shuttle was built in the 1970s, and its designers didn\u2019t have the onboard computing capabilities we have today,\u201d Braun said. \u201cThe Dream Chaser can capitalize on an advanced entry guidance algorithm matched to its aerodynamic and onboard computing capability.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBraun and his team took the Dream Chaser\u2019s aerodynamic configuration, control surfaces and mass properties into account when developing the algorithm. To date, the algorithm runs a computer simulation that allows SNC engineers to tweak aspects of the spacecraft design based on scenarios such as variable atmospheric conditions to perfect the landing process.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe result is an algorithm that \u201callows the vehicle to fly how it was meant to fly,\u201d Putnam said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech engineers delivered an early prototype of the software to the SNC team this month for detailed evaluation and testing.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EZachary Krevor, a Georgia Tech graduate who is SNC\u2019s principal systems engineer with the flight dynamic and performance group, was eager to see the results.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is important for us because we feel the algorithm could have performance benefits for our vehicle and make it robust to atmospheric disturbances while ensuring we have a \u2018low g\u2019 re-entry,\u201d he said. \u201cCapsules do not have the \u2018low g\u2019 re-entry that is so important for both astronauts and sensitive science payloads.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor the students, the project provides real-world experience in the nascent commercial space industry.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u201cTo be able to participate in the new era of commercial flight is very exciting,\u201d Grant said. \u201cIt has been a great learning experience to see how commercial space companies work and a real thrill to contribute in a meaningful way to the potential flight of this new space flight system.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESierra Nevada Corporation\u2019s Dream Chaser received an award of $212.5 million from NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Integrated Capability Program on August 3 that will allow the company to complete development of the system and transport crews to space as early as 2016. An approach and landing test for the Dream Chaser is scheduled for later this year.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout Sierra Nevada Corporation\u2019s Space Systems\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESierra Nevada Corporation\u2019s Space Systems business area, headquartered in Louisville, Colo., designs and manufactures advanced spacecraft, space vehicles, rocket motors and spacecraft subsystems and components for the U.S. government, commercial customers and the international market. SNC Space Systems has more than 25 years of space heritage and has participated in more than 400 successful space missions through the delivery of more than 4,000 systems, subsystems and components. During its history, SNC Space Systems has concluded more than 70 programs for NASA and more than 50 other clients. For more information about SNC Space Systems, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.sncspace.com\u0022\u003Ewww.sncspace.com\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) is one of three companies that will receive hundreds of millions of dollars from NASA to further develop its commercial human spacecraft system. The company\u0026nbsp;has turned to Georgia Tech for expertise on how to ensure the smoothest possible re-entry for its spacecraft, the Dream Chaser, which is reminiscent of NASA\u2019s space shuttle.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Sierra Nevada Corporation has turned to Georgia Tech for expertise on how to ensure the smoothest possible re-entry for its spacecraft, the Dream Chaser, which is reminiscent of NASA\u2019s space shuttle."}],"uid":"27462","created_gmt":"2012-08-14 10:06:35","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:40","author":"Liz Klipp","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-08-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-08-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"72534":{"id":"72534","type":"image","title":"Robert Braun","body":null,"created":"1449177934","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:25:34","changed":"1475894658","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:18"}},"media_ids":["72534"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?feature=plpp_video\u0026index=5\u0026list=FLFkaWOGpyFBVRf5jEeD_wrA\u0026v=7enIdVoQiys","title":"America\u0027s New Space Race - VIDEO"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"30211","name":"Bobby Braun"},{"id":"40561","name":"Dream Chaser"},{"id":"40571","name":"guidance algorithm"},{"id":"408","name":"NASA"},{"id":"171218","name":"Sierra Nevada Corporation"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39541","name":"Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaura Diamond\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003Cbr \/\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-660-2926\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["klipp@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}