Dream Chaser, any chance of this actually being flown?

Reading the recent press stuff from nasa, although I cannot quite put my
finger in on it one gets the serious feeling that Boiing and Space X are
getting preferential treatment to some extent. The lifting body idea is not
new of course but obviously requires more money to get it to be viable as a
robust design, and they seem to be behind in the 'race' so to speak.
Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active

In article , says...

Reading the recent press stuff from nasa, although I cannot quite put my
finger in on it one gets the serious feeling that Boiing and Space X are
getting preferential treatment to some extent. The lifting body idea is not
new of course but obviously requires more money to get it to be viable as a
robust design, and they seem to be behind in the 'race' so to speak.
Brian

I'd say it's very hard to tell at this point who NASA favors. There are
certainly those within NASA who believe that the one true way for
astronauts to return to earth is to land on the runway at Edwards AFB or
(even better) at the former space shuttle runway at KSC.

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer

I think anyone who is not an astronaut by first choice might appreciate not
being landed in a tin can in the see or the middle of nowhere as the
Russians do.
Having heard a recording of a Soyuz re-entry it seems to be quite a ride,
with lots of bangs thuds buffeting, and other noises and quite a large
amount of g's, and the rather undignified roll over after the landing
rockets fire.

Brian

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From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"Jeff Findley" wrote in message
...
In article , says...

Reading the recent press stuff from nasa, although I cannot quite put my
finger in on it one gets the serious feeling that Boiing and Space X are
getting preferential treatment to some extent. The lifting body idea is
not
new of course but obviously requires more money to get it to be viable as
a
robust design, and they seem to be behind in the 'race' so to speak.
Brian

I'd say it's very hard to tell at this point who NASA favors. There are
certainly those within NASA who believe that the one true way for
astronauts to return to earth is to land on the runway at Edwards AFB or
(even better) at the former space shuttle runway at KSC.

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer

In article , says...

I think anyone who is not an astronaut by first choice might appreciate not
being landed in a tin can in the see or the middle of nowhere as the
Russians do.
Having heard a recording of a Soyuz re-entry it seems to be quite a ride,
with lots of bangs thuds buffeting, and other noises and quite a large
amount of g's, and the rather undignified roll over after the landing
rockets fire.

Somewhat true, at least for the final touchdown. But, Dragon V2 solves
the final touchdown problem by soft landing the capsule on landing gear
via rocket propulsion (Super Draco engines). The only commercial crew
design which uses parachutes and air bags for touch-down (or splash-
down) is Boeing's CST-100 capsule.

If given the choice between a gliding landing on a runway in a lifting
body or propulsive vertical landing, I'd personally choose the vertical
landing. But I'm not the NASA Astronaut Office who's been landing
gliders for decades, so they may have another preference.

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer