In article ,
says...

"Fred J. McCall" wrote in message
...
Looks like Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser is getting solidly
established. NASA has approved production and barring any disasters
it could create a problem for the current 'second source' holder,
Northrop Grumman.

https://www.fool.com/investing/2019/...ome-a-nig.aspx

Wonder if they'll progress to a manned version?

They'll try, but I doubt it will ever see daylight. Too dangerous in the
case the launcher explodes and rips off the wings. NASA will never allow it
to carry astronauts.

I wouldn't discount Dream Chaser that much. It does offer a very low
1.5 Gs during reentry and landing, which is perfect for returning to
earth after a long duration ISS stay.

As a rescue craft it may see use, but even that is doubtful in light of the
emphasis on returning to the Moon.

But it's staggering how many options NASA has now that they've handed crew
transportation over to the commercial sector. And it has cost them only a
fraction of what it would have cost if they'd developed it themselves. NASA
tried to develop the HL-20 in the '90's but was getting nowhere after
spending a sizeable amount of money. Now they have 2 and possibly three
options for getting crews into space.

That's due to the way the contracting was handled, not the technologies
involved. Both Dragon 2 and Starliner have been far cheaper to develop,
due to their milestone driven fixed cost payments than the cost plus
style Orion has been to develop.

Jeff
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