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From: iiit-sh@cybaswan.UUCP (Steve Hosgood)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: space news from May 1 AW&ST
Message-ID: <486@cybaswan.UUCP>
Date: 1 Jun 89 11:14:53 GMT
References: <1989May29.032320.2277@utzoo.uucp>
Reply-To: iiit-sh@cybaswan.UUCP (Steve Hosgood)
Organization: Institute for Industrial Information Technology
Lines: 29

In article <1989May29.032320.2277@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
>NASA to test a parafoil system, developed by Pioneer Aerospace, for
>precision landings by parachute of launcher components weighing up to
>60 klbs.  The parafoil, a gliding parachute, looks okay on paper, but
>reefing [gradual opening] is utterly necessary because parafoils open
>very abruptly, and reefing big parafoils is tricky.  Pioneer has a
>new approach.  Parafoils have a particular advantage over conventional
>parachute systems because by flaring a parafoil (making an abrupt pull-up
>to trade forward speed for a reduction in sink rate), the landing can be
>made gentle enough to eliminate the need for retrorockets or other
>impact-cushioning devices.
>-- 

Wasn't this originally invented by Dr Francis Rogallo in about 1963? The
project had been started in an attempt to come up with a method for dry-landing
Apollo (and other) manned space capsules. It was scrapped because NASA found
that the wet-landing system developed over many years worked OK and there
was no real need to change.

In 1968, N. Random Students in some American university 'discovered' Rogallo's
patents and made some crude triangular flying machines out of bamboo and
polythene sheeting. I've seen some film of these beasts - it's a surprise
that so few people got killed!

The modern derivatives are safer, have L/D ratios of about 14:1 and are called
Hang Gliders. I have one in my garage. I don't get much time to fly it these
days however :-(

Steve