Last 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.  Sierra 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.

SNC has turned to Georgia Tech for expertise on how to ensure the smoothest possible re-entry for its spacecraft, the Dream Chaser, which is reminscent of NASA's space shuttle.

Robert Braun, Aerospace Engineering professor of space technology, and his research team - Research Engineer Jenny Kelly and engineering graduate students Zach Putnam and Mike Grant- are working with SNC on the design of an advanced guidance algorithm that will make the most of the Dream Chaser's superior aerodynamic performance during re-entry and landing.