The Dream Chaser spacecraft hitched a ride from a helicopter to allow scientists to test its flight computer and navigation instruments.
A 'captive-carry test' was successfully completed yesterday
in California in preparation for the new spacecraft's first unaided flight scheduled for this autumn.
The test, which is the first time pilots have 'flown' a fully-functional Dream Chaser vehicle, took two hours and followed the path the spacecraft will one day fly independently.
The new spacecraft is planned to travel into space atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to carry Nasa astronauts to the International Space Station and back to Earth in the future.
The captive-carry test was run by Nasa partner Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) of Louisville, Colorado.
An Erickson Air-Crane helicopter picked up a test version of the Dream Chaser flight vehicle and flew it a distance of three miles over a dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base at a maximum altitude of 12,400 feet.
The spacecraft followed the projected path it will fly during future approach and landing tests at Dryden, Nasa said.
The spacecraft's flight computer, along with its guidance, navigation and control systems were tested and the landing gear and nose skid were also deployed during flight.
'Today is the first time we have flown a fully functional Dream Chaser flight vehicle and we are very pleased with the results,' said Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president and head of SNC's Space Systems.
'We have worked closely with Nasa, Dryden and the Air Force to reach this important milestone in our flight test program.
'We look forward to seeing Dream Chaser land on the same runway as the space shuttle orbiters once did as we move forward in the development of the next-generation crew transportation vehicle.'
This was the second captive-carry test of the Dream Chaser flight vehicle.
Data obtained from the test will provide valuable information about the spacecraft's hardware and ground operations to pave the way for upcoming free-flight tests at Dryden this autumn.
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