Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser(R) was hoisted high above the dry lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Aug. 22 by a helicopter to rehearse for a series of upcoming test flights that could see the winged lifting body glide on its own for the first time. The Dream Chaser is being developed in partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program to carry people to and from low-Earth orbit. 

Dream Chaser was lifted about 12,400 feet above the Mojave Desert by an Erickson Air-Crane before tracing the projected 3-mile-long glide slope the craft is to follow during free-flight glide tests. The two-hour flight, which involved NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center adjacent to Edwards, helped verify communication and navigation performance. 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.

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