Photo of the Week: Sierra Space Plane, Dream Chaser, prepares for testing in NASA's In-Space Propulsion Facility

Final inspection of the crane operation just before the critical lift of the Sierra Space Plane, Dream Chaser, up and into the chamber at In-Space Propulsion (ISP) at NASA Glenn Research Center’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility. Dream Chaser was selected by NASA for cargo delivery, return and disposal service for the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services-2 (CRS-2) contract.

NASA’s In-Space Propulsion Facility in Sandusky Ohio is the world’s only facility capable of testing full-scale upper-stage launch vehicles and rocket engines under simulated space conditions and also conducting altitude hot fire. The engine or vehicle can be exposed for indefinite periods to low ambient pressures, low-background temperatures, and dynamic solar heating, simulating the environment the hardware will encounter during orbital or interplanetary travel.

Photo Credit: Quentin Schwinn